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DC Download - April 7, 2025

House leaders plan to vote this week on the Senate-adopted budget resolution to advance President Trump’s legislative agenda. Additionally, they will revisit four measures previously derailed due to a disagreement last week on proxy voting for new parents. Meanwhile, House Judiciary Ranking Member Jamie Raskin and Senator Adam Schiff are leading a hearing exposing the Trump Administration’s attacks on the rule of law, which will feature testimonies from former government officials and attorneys who were dismissed or resigned amid controversies.

In the Senate, a full slate of hearings is underway—including a HELP Committee meeting on a bill that would incorporate a controversial definition of antisemitism into federal anti-discrimination laws. Other notable hearings will examine Trump’s trade agenda and transparency around FOIA requests.

Read on for what’s moving this week on the Hill.

Table of Contents:

House Floor

The House will vote on nine suspension bills from the Committees on Ways and Means and House Administration. Suspension bills require a ⅔ majority to pass. For a list of all suspension bills being considered, click here.

This week the House will also consider the following bills, subject to a rule:

H.R. 1526 – No Rogue Rulings Act (NORRA) (Sponsored by Rep. Issa / Judiciary Committee) This legislation bars federal district judges from issuing nationwide orders blocking administrative actions and policies.

S.J. Res. 18 – A joint resolution disapproving the rule submitted by the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection relating to "Overdraft Lending: Very Large Financial Institutions." (Sponsored by Sen. Scott (SC) / Financial Services Committee) This legislation uses the Congressional Review Act to overturn a CFPB rule restricting how financial institutions with more than $10 billion in assets can impose overdraft charges.

S.J. Res. 28 – A joint resolution disapproving the rule submitted by the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection relating to "Defining Larger Participants of a Market for General-Use Digital Consumer Payment Applications." (Sponsored by Sen. Ricketts / Financial Services Committee) This legislation uses the Congressional Review Act to undo a CFPB rule that mandates non-bank entities that process at least 50 million transactions annually through digital wallets and payment applications (i.e., Apple, Paypal, Venmo) be regulated more like big banks.

H.R. 22 – SAVE Act (Sponsored by Rep. Roy / House Administration Committee) This legislation requires individuals to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections.

Senate Amendment to H.Con. Res. 14 - Establishing the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2025 and setting forth the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2026 through 2034. (Sponsored by Rep. Arrington / Budget Committee) This budget resolution directs House and Senate committees to draft legislation to advance President Trump’s tax, immigration, energy, and Pentagon spending priorities, and increase the federal debt limit.

House Committee Highlights

A full list of this week’s hearings and markups can be found here. Notable hearings and markups include:

Monday Hearing

Restoring Accountability: Exposing Trump’s Attacks on the Rule of Law (Bicameral Spotlight hearing)

Testifying Witnesses:

Ryan Crosswell, a former Department of Justice (DOJ) Trial Attorney in the Public Integrity Section
Liz Oyer, a former DOJ Pardon Attorney
Rachel Cohen, a former Senior Associate at the law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

Tuesday Hearings

Assessing the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) (Committee on Appropriations)

America on the Global Stage: Examining Efforts to Secure and Improve the U.S. Travel System and Prepare for Significant International Events (Committee on Homeland Security)

Lowering Costs for Patients: The Health of the Biosimilar Market (Committee on Ways and Means)

DeepSeek: A Deep Dive (Committee on Science, Space, and Technology)

A Continued Pattern of Government Surveillance of U.S. Citizens (Committee on the Judiciary)

Game Changer: the NLRB, Student-Athletes, and the Future of College Sports (Committee on Education and Workforce)

Government Watchdog Findings: Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program In Need of Reform, Better State Accountability, and Fraud Protection (Committee on Ways and Means)

Decades of Dysfunction: Restoring Accountability at HUD (Committee on Financial Services)

Revisiting the 2024 Election with Secretaries of State (Committee on House Administration)

Wednesday Hearings

Converting Energy into Intelligence: the Future of AI Technology, Human Discovery, and American Global Competitiveness (Committee on Energy and Commerce)

Restoring Trust in FDA: Rooting Out Illicit Products (Committee on Oversight and Government Reform)

Sanctuary Jurisdictions: Magnet for Migrants, Cover for Criminals (Committee on the Judiciary)

American Innovation and the Future of Digital Assets Aligning the U.S. Securities Laws for the Digital Age (Committee on Financial Services)

American Innovation and the Future of Digital Assets: On-Chain Tools for an Off-Chain World (Committee on Agriculture)

Nominations

The Senate this week has teed up votes on the following nominees:

Jonathan McKernan, to be Director, Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection
Mark Meador, to be a Federal Trade Commissioner
Michael Rigas, to be Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources
David Fotouhi, to be Deputy Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
Aaron Szabo, to be an Assistant Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
Catherine Hanson, to be Chief Financial Officer of the Environmental Protection Agency
George Glass, to be U.S. Ambassador to Japan
Peter Hoekstra, to be U.S. Ambassador to Canada
Elbridge Colby, to be Under Secretary of Defense for Policy
William Briggs, to be Deputy Administrator of the Small Business Administration
Casey Mulligan, to be Chief Counsel for Advocacy, Small Business Administration
Frank Bisignano, to be Commissioner of Social Security Administration
Paul Atkins, to be a Member of the Securities and Exchange Commission
Marcus Molinaro, to be Federal Transit Administrator
Jonathan Gould, to be Comptroller of the Currency
Luke Pettit, to be an Assistant Secretary of the Treasury
Kevin Cabrera, to be U.S. Ambassador to Panama
Mike Huckabee, to be U.S. Ambassador to Israel
Ronald Johnson, to be U.S. Ambassador to Mexico
Reed Rubinstein, to be Legal Adviser of the Department of State

Senate Committee Highlights

Tuesday Hearings

Nomination of Bradley Hansell, Earl Matthews, Dale Marks, and Brandon Williams, to be Under Secretary for Intelligence and Security, General Counsel, and an Assistant Secretary of the Department of Defense; Brandon Williams, to be Under Secretary of Energy for Nuclear Security (Armed Services)

Joint House & Senate Small Business Committee Hearing: Prosperity on Main Street: Keeping Taxes Low for Small Businesses (Small Business & Entrepreneurship)

The President’s 2025 Trade Policy Agenda (Finance)

Nominations of Brian Burch, Brandon Judd, and Nicole McGraw, to be Ambassador to the Holy See, Ambassador to the Republic of Chile, and Ambassador to the Republic of Croatia (Foreign Relations)

Nominations of Stephen Vaden and Tyler Clarkson, to be Deputy Secretary and General Counsel of the Department of Agriculture (Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry)

The Freedom of Information Act: Perspectives from Public Requesters (Judiciary)

Hearings to examine United States Special Operations Command in review of the Defense Authorization Request for FY2026 and the Future Years Defense Program (Armed Services)

Hearing to examine the state of nuclear shipbuilding (Armed Services)

Wednesday Hearings

Nominations of Sean Donahue and Jessica Kramer, to be Assistant Administrators of the Environmental Protection Agency, and Brian Nesvik, to be Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service; Hearing on Improving Future Management of the Superfund Program (Environment & Public Works)

Nominations of Scott Kupor and Eric Matthew Ueland, to be Director and Deputy Director, for the Office of Management and Budget (Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs)

Nominations of Katharine MacGregor and James Danly, to be Deputy Secretary of the Interior and Deputy Secretary of Energy; Business meeting to consider legislation (Energy & Natural Resources)

Business meeting to consider legislation (Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions)

Nomination of Arielle Roth, to be Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information (Commerce, Science, & Transportation)

Nominations of Jared Isaacman, and Olivia Trusty, to be Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and Member of the Federal Communications Commission (Commerce, Science, & Transportation)

Nominations of Samuel Brown, James Baehr, and Richard Topping, to be Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs, General Counsel, and Chief Financial Officer, of the Department of Veterans Affairs (Veterans’ Affairs)

Reducing Waste, Fraud and Abuse Through Innovation: How AI & Data Can Improve Government Efficiency (Joint Economic Committee)

Financial Aggression: How the Chinese Communist Party Exploits American Retirees and Undermines National Security (Special Committee on Aging)

A Time for Truth: Oversight of Meta’s Foreign Relations and Representations to the United States Congress (Judiciary)

Hearings to examine United States Cyber Command in review of the Defense Authorization Request for FY 2026 and the Future Years Defense Program (Armed Services)

Thursday Hearings

Nominations of William Kimmitt and Kenneth Kies, to be Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade and Assistant Secretary of the Treasury (Finance)

Nominations of Preston Griffith and Dario Gil to be Under Secretaries for Science in the Department of Energy; Kathleen Sgamma, to be Director of the Bureau of Land Management in the Department of the Interior (Energy & Natural Resources)

Nominations of Andrew Hughes and David Woll, to be General Counsel of the Department of Housing and Urban Development; Michelle Bowman, to be Vice Chairman for Supervision of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System; John Hurley, to be Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Crimes, Department of the Treasury; David Fogel and Landon Heid, to be Assistant Secretaries at the Department of Commerce (Banking, Housing, & Urban Affairs)

If I Could Turn Back Time: Should We Lock the Clock? (Commerce, Science, & Transportation)

Budget Battles and Economic Turmoil

Over the weekend, the Republican-controlled Senate approved a budget resolution by a 51-48 vote, with all but two GOP members voting yes. But as House Republicans prepare to take up the Senate blueprint before April recess, internal fractures are already showing. Hardline conservatives are balking at the Senate’s plan to add trillions to the deficit while making what they consider insufficient spending cuts. Meanwhile, other Republicans are warning against gutting critical programs like Medicaid— an increasing threat in the face of growing recession fears and market instability triggered by Trump’s trade war.

The Senate’s amendment process during Saturday’s vote-a-rama offered a glimpse into the GOP’s deepening internal divide. While most Democratic amendments were shut down, a few key amendments received bipartisan support, including one to block massive Medicaid cuts, backed by GOP Senators Collins, Hawley, and Murkowski. These votes signal that any final budget package will face real hurdles in reconciling priorities within the Republican Party in Congress.

More on this:

4 takeaways from the Senate budget vote and what’s next for Trump’s agenda (PBS)

Trump’s Tariff Chaos

Last week, Trump announced a sweeping $600 billion in new tariffs on foreign goods, with some rates, like those targeting China, climbing above 50%. While the Administration has framed this as a smart move toward “fair trade,” global markets have already started reacting—negatively—and the real-world consequences are starting to show. Markets are shaky, and global trade partners are firing back with retaliatory tariffs, as Canada, China, and the European Union prepare countermeasures.

While tariffs can be used to protect American workers and industries, they must be leveraged with strategy—not as a blunt political weapon. Their effectiveness depends on how they’re applied, and whether they’re paired with thoughtful measures to raise workers’ wages and protect consumers, without sparking global trade wars. Consequently, the real impact of Trump’s trade war is going to show up in grocery aisles, auto shops, and clothing stores. According to new research from the Budget Lab at Yale, the average household could lose nearly $4,000 in purchasing power each year as a result of these tariffs. Prices for motor vehicles could rise by more than 8%, and clothing, shoes, and other essentials could jump by more than 20%.

What we’re seeing now is a reckless escalation that risks long-term economic instability, strained global alliances, and rising costs for everyday Americans.

More on this:
The Trade Policy We Need (American Prospect)
Tracking Every Trump Tariff and Its Economic Effect (Bloomberg)