PSW Weekly Round-Up - 4/28

Legislative Update

Senate. The Senate this week will consider the nominations of U.S. ambassadors to China, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and Italy.

House. The House plans to vote on five Congressional Review Act resolutions to overturn Biden Administration regulations, including three that deal with EPA waivers allowing California to set stringent emission standards for cars and trucks.

Reconciliation. Six House committees have announced they will mark up their portions of reconciliation legislation this week – Armed Services, Homeland Security, Education and Workforce, Financial Services, Judiciary, and Oversight. Notably, the Armed Services proposal released on Sunday provides defense programs with an additional $150 billion in new spending even though the House reconciliation instructions called for $100 billion. The $150 billion from the House panel now matches the Senate’s instructions. A summary from Armed Services shows key areas of extra funding.

Next week, the House Energy and Commerce Committee could mark up its reconciliation measure, which is supposed to provide for $880 billion in spending cuts. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise has pointed out that “there’s probably $200 billion in non-health-care related programs…things like spectrum sales” that the committee will consider. However, the bulk of the savings are expected to come from changes to the Medicaid program, including possible work requirements and changes to the federal matching payments that states receive.

The Agriculture Committee has also not formally scheduled its reconciliation markup, and lawmakers are reportedly still trying to determine if they can include parts of the farm bill and still comply with Senate rules for reconciliation legislation. The Agriculture Committee has been instructed to find $230 billion in savings, which is expected to include cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps.

As for the tax section of reconciliation, there’s speculation that the Ways and Means Committee could mark up on May 12 and 13, but there’s also some skepticism as to whether the legislation will be ready for consideration by then.

Trade Investigations. In addition to the numerous tariffs that the President has imposed, the Administration has initiated six investigations under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act. The investigations will determine whether certain imports pose a threat to national security, and the Commerce Secretary is to report the investigation findings to the President within 270 days of initiation. Based on the findings, the President could then decide to impose tariffs.

The investigations currently underway are examining imports of copper (initiated March 10), timber and lumber (initiated March 10), semiconductors and semiconductor manufacturing equipment (initiated April 1), pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical ingredients (initiated April 1), medium- and heavy-duty trucks and parts (initiated April 22), and processed critical minerals and derivative products (initiated April 22).

Committee Action of Note

Monday, April 28

• House Rules Committee Meeting to formulate a rule on various measures, including:
  • H.J. Res. 87 – Providing congressional disapproval of the rule submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency relating to ‘‘California State Motor Vehicle and Engine Pollution Control Standards; Heavy-Duty Vehicle and Engine Emission Warranty and Maintenance Provisions; Advanced Clean Trucks; Zero Emission Airport Shuttle; Zero-Emission Power Train Certification; Waiver of Preemption; Notice of Decision”
  • H.J. Res. 88 – Providing congressional disapproval of the rule submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency relating to ‘‘California State Motor Vehicle and Engine Pollution Control Standards; Advanced Clean Cars II; Waiver of Preemption; Notice of Decision’’
  • H.J. Res. 89 – Providing congressional disapproval of the rule submitted by the Environmental Protection Agency relating to ‘‘California State Motor Vehicle and Engine and Nonroad Engine Pollution Control Standards; The ‘Omnibus’ Low NOX Regulation; Waiver of Preemption; Notice of Decision”

Tuesday, April 29

• Senate Agriculture Committee hearing to consider pending nominations, including for Stephen Vaden to be Deputy Secretary of Agriculture
• Senate Finance Committee Open Executive Session Hearing to consider favorably reporting two nominations:
  • William Kimmitt to be Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade;
  • Kenneth Kies to be an Assistant Secretary of the Treasury
• House Armed Services Committee markup, Providing for reconciliation pursuant to H.Con.Res. 14, the Concurrent Resolution on the Budget for Fiscal Year 2025

• House Homeland Security Committee markup, Providing for reconciliation pursuant to H.Con.Res. 14, the Concurrent Resolution on the Budget for Fiscal Year 2025
• House Education and Workforce Committee markup, Providing for reconciliation pursuant to H.Con.Res. 14, the Concurrent Resolution on the Budget for Fiscal Year 2025

• House Energy and Commerce Committee Markup of six measures, including:
  • H.R. 2483, SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act of 2025
  • H.R. 2484, Seniors’ Access to Critical Medications Act
• House Science, Space and Technology Committee markup of six measures
• House Financial Services Subcommittee on Financial Institutions Hearing: “Regulatory Overreach: The Price Tag on American Prosperity”
• House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Hearing: “Exploring the Potential of Deep-Sea Mining to Expand American Mineral Production”
• House Administration Committee Hearing: “Why the Wait? Unpacking California’s Untimely Election Counting Process”
• House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs Hearing: “Made in the USA: Igniting the Industrial Renaissance of the United States”
• House Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets Hearing: “Exposing the Proxy Advisory Cartel: How ISS & Glass Lewis Influence Markets”
• House Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness Hearing: “Energy, Installations, and Environment Update”

Wednesday, April 30

• Senate Armed Services Committee hearing to receive testimony on industry views on partnership with the Department of Defense and Defense of the Defense Industrial Base
• Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Hearing: “Building on the IIJA’s Successes: Identifying Opportunities to Strengthen Water Infrastructure Programs”
• Senate Finance Committee hearing to consider Rodney Scott be Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection
• Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee markup of 20 measures, including:
  • Nomination of Olivia Trusty to be a Member of the Federal Communications Commission
  • Nomination of Jared Isaacman to be Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
  • S. 29, Sunshine Protection Act of 2025 (Scott-FL)
  • S. 196, MAIN Event Ticketing Act (Blackburn)
  • S. 259, Foreign Adversary Communications Transparency Act (Fischer)
  • S. 580, Combating CCP Labor Abuses Act of 2025 (Peters)
  • S. 1378, TAME Extreme Weather and Wildfires Act (Schatz)
  • S. 1492, Deploying American Blockchains Act of 2025 (Moreno)
• Senate Appropriations Committee Hearing: “Biomedical Research: Keeping America’s Edge in Innovation”
• House Judiciary Committee markup, Providing for reconciliation pursuant to H.Con.Res. 14, the Concurrent Resolution on the Budget for Fiscal Year 2025
• House Financial Services Committee markup of two measures:
  • Financial Services Committee Print, Providing for reconciliation pursuant to H.Con.Res. 14, the Concurrent Resolution on the Budget for Fiscal Year 2025
  • H.Res. 259, Of inquiry requesting the President to provide certain documents in the President's possession to the House of Representatives relating to the access provided to the staff and advisers of, including any individual working for or in conjunction with, the Department of Government Efficiency to the systems, applications, and accounts, and any information contained therein, of the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection
• House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife, and Fisheries Hearing: “Advancing Federal Water and Hydropower Development: A Stakeholder Perspective”
• House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Markup of five measures, including:
  • House Oversight Committee Print, Providing for reconciliation pursuant to H. Con. Res. 14.
  • H.Res. 264, Of inquiry requesting the President transmit certain documents in his possession to the House of Representatives relating to the security clearances held by Elon Musk, members of the United States Department of Government Efficiency Service, and any other individual considered to be a member of the DOGE team.
  • H.Res. 286, Of inquiry requesting the President to transmit certain documents relating to the dangerous, unaccountable use of AI by the United States DOGE Service to jeopardize the private information and essential services of the American people.
  • H.Res. 316, Of inquiry requesting the President to transmit certain documents relating to the use of insecure electronic communication platforms, including Signal, for official communications and to the compliance of the Administration with all Federal records laws.
• House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Hearing: “Risky Business Part 2: The DOE Loan Guarantee Program”
• House Foreign Affairs Committee Hearing: “The Need for an Authorized State Department”
• House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy Hearing: “Assuring Abundance, Reliable American Energy to Power Innovation”

Thursday, May 1

• Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee Hearing: “Examining Insurance Markets and the Role of Mitigation Policies”
• Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee hearing to consider the nomination of Paul Dabbar to be Deputy Secretary of Commerce

Recent Executive Actions of Note

The President’s recent executive actions include:

• Investigation Into Unlawful “Straw Donor” And Foreign Contributions In American Elections - April 24, 2025
• Unleashing America’s Offshore Critical Minerals And Resources - April 24, 2025
• Strengthening Probationary Periods In The Federal Service - April 24, 2025
• Advancing Artificial Intelligence Education For American Youth - April 23, 2025
• Restoring Equality Of Opportunity And Meritocracy - April 23, 2025
• Reinstating Common Sense School Discipline Policies - April 23, 2025
• Preparing Americans For High-paying Skilled Trade Jobs Of The Future - April 23, 2025
• White House Initiative To Promote Excellence And Innovation At Historically Black Colleges And Universities - April 23, 2025
• Reforming Accreditation To Strengthen Higher Education - April 23, 2025
• Transparency Regarding Foreign Influence At American Universities - April 23, 2025

• Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness - April 17, 2025
• Extension of Hiring Freeze - April 17, 2025
• Unleashing American Commercial Fishing In The Pacific - April 17, 2025
• Ensuring Commercial, Cost-effective Solutions In Federal Contracts - April 16, 2025
• Ensuring National Security And Economic Resilience Through Section 232 Actions On Processed Critical Minerals And Derivative Products - April 15, 2025
• Lowering Drug Prices By Once Again Putting Americans First - April 15, 2025
• Restoring Common Sense To Federal Procurement - April 15, 2025
• Preventing Illegal Aliens from Obtaining Social Security Act Benefits - April 15, 2025
• Updating Permitting Technology for the 21st Century - April 15, 2025

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