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DC Download - April 28, 2025

Congress is back in session after a two-week April recess, during which Republican members heard constituents’ concerns about cuts to Medicaid, tariffs, and tax breaks for the wealthy. Now that lawmakers are back in Washington, Republicans will hold markups to advance President Trump’s legislative priorities through reconciliation.

Additionally, House lawmakers are preparing to vote on five disapproval resolutions under the Congressional Review Act—with a deadline to expedite this process quickly approaching. In the Senate, votes on nominations will continue this week, with some Democratic senators still vowing to block Trump nominees in response to the administration’s executive overreach.

Read on for more of what’s ahead this week.

Table of Contents:

Trump’s First 100 Days

April 30 will mark the 100th day of President Trump’s second term. The past 100 days have been characterized by deeply harmful attacks on working people, illegal and inhumane immigration practices, indiscriminate cuts to programs families depend on, the destruction of what were once considered core American values like academic freedom and respect for due process, and much more. The resources below detail specific actions and their impacts on the public to-date.

100 ways Trump has hurt workers in his first 100 days (EPI)

New Survey: Trump’s 100 Days (Climate Power)

What has DOGE done in Trump's first 100 days? (NPR)

100 Days Roundup: The Current Polling and Politics of Immigration (America’s Voice)

House Floor

The House will vote on 18 suspension bills from the Committees on Natural Resources and Energy and Commerce. 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.J. Res. 60 – Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the National Park Service relating to ‘‘Glen Canyon National Recreation Area: Motor Vehicles.’’ (Sponsored by Rep. Maloy / Natural Resources Committee) This resolution uses the Congressional Review Act to undo a Biden-era rule restricting off-road vehicle use in certain sections of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.

H.J. Res. 87 – (Sponsored by Rep. James / Energy and Commerce Committee) Providing congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, 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.’’ This resolution uses the Congressional Review Act to undo a waiver that would allow California to require manufacturers to produce and sell increasing percentages of zero-emission trucks by 2035.

H.J. Res. 88 – (Sponsored by Rep. Joyce (PA) / Energy and Commerce Committee) Providing congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, 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.’’ (Sponsored by Rep. Joyce (PA) / Energy and Commerce Committee) This resolution uses the Congressional Review Act to undo a waiver allowing California to require all new passenger vehicles sold to be zero emissions by 2035.

H.J. Res. 89 – Providing congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, 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.’’ (Sponsored by Rep. Obernolte / Energy and Commerce Committee) This resolution uses the Congressional Review Act to undo a waiver allowing California to reduce allowable nitrogen oxide emissions from medium- and heavy-duty trucks.

H.J. Res. 78 – Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service relating to ‘‘Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Endangered Species Status for the San Francisco Bay-Delta Distinct Population Segment of the Longfin Smelt.’’ (Sponsored by Rep. LaMalfa / Natural Resources Committee) This resolution uses the Congressional Review Act to undo a rule listing the San Francisco Bay-Delta distinct population segment of longfin smelt as an endangered species.

House Committee Highlights

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

Tuesday Hearings

Tracking Progress: Updates to DoD’s Financial Management Scorecard (Committee on Oversight and Government Reform)

Made in the USA: Igniting the Industrial Renaissance of the United States (Committee on Oversight and Government Reform)

Shaping the Future of Cyber Diplomacy: Review for State Department Reauthorization (Committee on Foreign Affairs)

Dignity Denied: The Case for Reform at State Veterans Homes (Committee on Veterans’ Affairs)

Exploring the Potential of Deep-Sea Mining to Expand American Mineral Production (Committee on Natural Resources)

Reconciliation Markup (Committee on Armed Services)

Reconciliation Markup (Committee on Homeland Security)

Reconciliation Markup (Committee on Education and Workforce)

Wednesday Hearings

Answering the Call: Examining VA’s Mental Health Policies (Committee on Veterans’ Affairs)

The Need for an Authorized State Department (Committee on Foreign Affairs)

Oversight hearing of the U.S. Postal Service (Committee on Appropriations)

Advancing Federal Water and Hydropower Development: A Stakeholder Perspective (Committee on Natural Resources)

Investing for the Future: Honoring ERISA's Promise to Participants (Committee on Education and the Workforce)

Reconciliation Markup (Committee on Oversight and Government Reform)

Reconciliation Markup (Committee on Financial Services)

Nominations

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

Jonathan McKernan, to be Director, Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection
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
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
Reed Rubinstein, to be Legal Adviser of the Department of State
Keith Bass, to be an Assistant Secretary of Defense
Troy Meink, to be Secretary of the Air Force
Emil Michael, to be Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering
Michael Duffey, to be Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment
Monica Crowley, to be Ambassador and Chief of Protocol of the U.S.
Warren Stephens, to be U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom
Thomas Barrack, to be U.S. Ambassador to Türkiye
Tilman Fertitta, to be U.S. Ambassador to Italy
David Perdue, to be U.S. Ambassador to China
Scott Kupor, to be Director of the Office of Personnel Management
Eric Matthew Ueland, to be Deputy Director for Management, Office of Management and Budget
James Danly, to be Deputy Secretary of Energy
Katharine MacGregor, of Florida, to be Deputy Secretary of the Interior
Samuel Brown, to be Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Memorial Affairs
James Baehr, to be General Counsel, Department of Veterans Affairs
Richard Topping, of Ohio, to be Chief Financial Officer, Department of Veterans Affairs
Sean Donahue, to be an Assistant Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
Jessica Kramer, to be an Assistant Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
Brian Nesvik, to be Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
Arielle Roth, to be Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information
Patrick David Davis, to be an Assistant Attorney General

Senate Committee Highlights

Tuesday Hearings

To consider the nominations of Michael Cadenazzi, Jr. to be Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy; and Vice Admiral Scott Pappano, USN to be Principal Deputy Administrator National Nuclear Security Administration (Armed Services)

To consider favorably reporting the nominations of William Kimmitt, to be Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade; and Kenneth Kies, to be an Assistant Secretary of the Treasury (Finance)

Bridging the Gap: Enhancing Outreach to Support Veterans’ Mental Health (Veterans’ Affairs)

To consider the nominations of Luke Lindberg, to be Under Secretary of Agriculture for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs; and Devon Westhill, to be Assistant Secretary of Agriculture for Civil Rights (Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry)

Wednesday Hearings

To receive testimony on industry views on partnership with the Department of Defense and defense of the Defense Industrial Base (Armed Services)

To consider nominations of Leslie Beyer, to be Assistant Secretary of the Interior, Lands and Minerals Management; Dr. Andrea Travnicek, to be Assistant Secretary of the Interior, Water and Science; Theodore Garrish to be Assistant Secretary of Energy, Nuclear Energy; and Tristan Abbey to be Administrator of the Energy Information Administration (Energy & Natural Resources)

To consider various nominations (Foreign Relations)

To consider the nomination of Rodney Scott, to be Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Department of Homeland Security (Finance)

To consider S. 558, The Antisemitism Awareness Act and S. 163, The Protecting Students on Campus Act (Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions)

Building on the IIJA’s Successes: Identifying Opportunities to Strengthen Water Infrastructure Programs (Environment & Public Works)

To consider nominations and legislation (Commerce, Science, & Transportation)

Biomedical Research: Keeping America’s Edge in Innovation (Appropriations)

Never Again: Addressing the Rise of Antisemitism and Supporting Older Americans (Special Committee on Aging)

Thursday Hearings

To consider the nominations of Matthew Lohmeier, to be Under Secretary of Air Force; Justin Overbaugh, to be Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security; and Daniel Zimmerman, to be Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs (Armed Services)

Examining Insurance Markets and the Role of Mitigation Policies (Banking, Housing, & Urban Affairs)

To consider the nomination of Paul Dabbar, to be Deputy Secretary of Commerce (Commerce, Science, & Transportation)

To consider the nominations of John Andrew Eisenberg, to be an Assistant Attorney General; and Brett Shumate, to be an Assistant Attorney General (Judiciary)

To consider the nomination of Leah Campos, to be U.S. Ambassador to the Dominican Republic (Foreign Relations)

Reconciliation Markups Underway

This week, five House committees will move forward with reconciliation markups: Homeland Security, Armed Services, Financial Services, Oversight and Government Reform, and Education and Workforce. Committees will meet to advance budget instructions aligned with priorities from the Trump Administration. Key proposals under consideration include provisions to:

Increase spending for border wall construction and the Pentagon.
Make deep cuts to education, including Pell Grants and school lunch programs.
Overhaul federal student loan repayment programs and eliminate key borrower protections.
Gut federal worker retirement benefits and making it easier to fire new hires without cause.
Rescind unspent funds from the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Green and Resilient Retrofit Program, and undermine affordable housing upgrades for low-income residents.
Weaken independent oversight of public companies with the elimination of financial watchdog independence.
Slash the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)’s operating budget and undermine its ability to protect future consumers.
Weaken federal tools that monitor financial risks and prevent future crises.

Taken together, these cuts and changes would gut critical protections for students, workers, renters, and consumers, while funneling billions more to the Pentagon and border militarization. During the Financial Services Committee’s reconciliation markup, the committee will also consider H.Res. 259, a Resolution of Inquiry from Ranking Member Maxine Waters demanding that the Trump administration turn over documents and provide clarity on access granted to the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The resolution has 22 cosponsors.

More on this:
House panels set to meet on GOP border security, deportation proposals (Politico)

House education committee Republicans release plans for GOP megabill (Politico)

Comer Announces Full Committee Markup on Budget Legislation for April 30 (Committee on Oversight and Government Reform)

Reconciliation Markup Memorandum (Committee on Financial Services)

Trump’s New Talk on Income Taxes

After facing backlash over the economic anxiety caused by tariff proposals, President Trump is now floating new ideas to reduce income taxes for individuals earning under $200,000. While details remain vague, the centerpiece of his plan stays true to his longstanding playbook—handing massive tax breaks to corporations and the wealthy, while offering crumbs to working and middle class Americans. Moreover, the reconciliation package moving through the House is not expected to offer any such relief to working families.

More on this:

Trump floats income tax cut to ease tariff impact (The Hill)

Trump says he’ll eliminate income taxes. There’s a problem with that (CNN)