War Powers in Venezuela: The Senate rejected a motion to proceed on S.J.Res.98 (50-50) that would have constrained President Donald Trump's war powers in Venezuela unless specifically authorized by Congress. The bill failed after pressure from the White House flipped two of the five Republicans who had aligned with Democrats to pass the measure.

ACA (Obamacare): The Senate rejected a motion to move forward with consideration of S.J.Res.84 (47-52), which would repeal a Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) rule titled "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; Marketplace Integrity and Affordability.” The rule was issued in 2025 to enhance ACA marketplace integrity, including stricter income verification, allowing insurers to deny coverage for unpaid premiums, and new rules for special enrollment periods.

Financial Services and National Security-State Appropriations: The House passed H.R.7006, which would provide $76 billion in appropriations for fiscal 2026. The bill aims to conserve spending, strengthen national security, reform agencies like the IRS, cut wasteful spending, bolster border security (especially against fentanyl), counter China, support key allies, cut Biden-era regulations, and enhance IRS taxpayer services, while also addressing cyber threats and promoting "Buy American" provisions. 

Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior and Environment Appropriations: The Senate passed H.R.6938 (80-13), which would fund the departments of Energy, Commerce, Interior and Justice, as well as water programs, the EPA and federal science initiatives through the end of the current fiscal year. The bill includes negotiated bipartisan agreements, which would provide a total of $174.65 billion in base discretionary spending. The bill previously passed in the House, so it now heads to President Trump, who is expected to sign it.

Protecting Prudent Investment of Retirement Savings: The House passed H.R.2988 (213-205), which would modify the requirements for fiduciaries of employer-sponsored retirement plans. The bill aims to codify that those managing other individuals’ retirement savings under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) must prioritize maximizing returns for a secure retirement, rather than prioritizing political or social impacts through the use of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors that may be considered risky.

Saving Homeowners from Overregulation: The House passed H.R.4593 (226-197), which aims to revise the definition of a "showerhead" in the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to align with the technical standards set by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.

Remote Access Security: The House passed H.R.2683, which modernizes the Export Control Reform Act by expanding federal authority to restrict foreign adversaries’ ability to access technologies, including AI chips, remotely through cloud computing services. The bill aims to curb China's access to advanced AI chips by way of renting offshore data centers. 

AGOA Extension: The House passed H.R.6500, which extends through December 31, 2028, trade preferences that provide duty-free access to the U.S. market for most exports from eligible countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The bill also extends through December 31, 2031, customs user fees and merchandise processing fees.

Haiti Economic Lift Program Extension: The House passed H.R.6504, which extends through December 31, 2028, the special duty-free rules for various apparel products imported from Haiti, including the duty-free treatment provided for a limited amount (referred to as tariff preference levels) of certain apparel products assembled in and imported from Haiti.

Flexibility for Workers Education: The House failed to pass H.R.2262 (209-215), which would modify the definition of hours worked under the Fair Labor Standards Act to exclude certain voluntary training that occurs outside an employee's regular working hours. Such training does not count as hours worked even if it is offered by the employer, provided that an employee's working conditions are not adversely affected by choosing not to participate and the employee does not perform any work for the employer during the training.

Supporting Pregnant and Parenting Women and Families: The House is set to consider H.R. 6945, which aims to codify states' rights to use Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds for Pregnancy Resource Centers, ensuring these centers can continue providing material aid (diapers, formula) and services (counseling, education) without federal restriction.

 Pregnant Students’ Rights:- The House will also consider H.R. 6359, which would mandate that colleges inform students about their rights, resources (like flexible schedules, excused absences), and support for pregnancy and parenting, building on Title IX protections but focusing on disseminating information to prevent discrimination and help students stay in school. 

Reversing Ban Mining in Minnesota: House members will take up H.J. Res. 140, which would repeal a 2023 rule submitted by the Bureau of Land Management relating to Public Land Order No. 7917 that instituted a 20-year mineral withdrawal covering 225,504 acres in the Superior National Forest in Northern Minnesota. 

Venezuela: The Senate voted to move ahead on S.J.Res.98 (52-47), which would require the administration to seek authorization from Congress before taking further military action in Venezuela. This came days after U.S. forces bombed Caracas and captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The Senate will still need to take a vote on final passage of the resolution after it advanced. While the legislation is considered nonbinding, it sends a symbolic message that lawmakers aren’t necessarily willing to rubber-stamp the administration’s military operations and are clamoring to claw back their authority. Previous efforts to limit President Trump’s power have lacked enough GOP support and failed. In a rare move, five Republicans joined with Democrats to bring the bill to the floor.

Obamacare Subsidies: The House voted on H.R.1834 (230-196), which would restore expired Obamacare subsidies for three years, through December 2028. The measure is unlikely to overcome Republican opposition in the Senate, but several of the Republican defectors said they hoped a strong showing in the House would increase pressure on the Senate to reach a bipartisan compromise. The 43-day government shutdown in 2025 revolved largely on the expiration of these subsidies. 

Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior and Environment Appropriations: The House passed H.R.6938, would fund the departments of Energy, Commerce, Interior and Justice, as well as water programs, the EPA and federal science initiatives through the end of the current fiscal year. The bill includes negotiated bipartisan agreements on those three full-year FY 2026 spending measures, which would provide a total of $174.65 billion in base discretionary spending. There's increasing optimism that the six remaining fiscal 2026 spending bills can also be completed before Jan. 30, when current funding for most federal agencies is set to run out.

Housing Affordability: The House passed H.R.5184 (263-147), which eliminates a Biden-era rule that gave the Energy Department greater authority to create energy efficiency standards for manufactured housing. The bill would restore the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s lead role in determining such standards for manufactured housing, a more affordable home ownership option for many Americans. More than 16 million Americans lived in manufactured homes in 2023.

Arkansas Valley Conduit: The House failed to override President Trump’s veto of H.R.131 (248-177), which would have provided clean water to rural parts of Colorado. The vote fell short of the 285, two-thirds, majority needed for an override. Just 35 Republicans joined all 213 Democrats in voting for it.

Miccosukee Reserved Area: The House failed to override  President Trump’s veto of H.R.504 (236-188), which would have expanded the Miccosukee Tribe’s reserved area in the Florida Everglades related to flood control. The vote fell short of the 284 vote majority needed to override the veto.

South Dakota Air Plan Approval Rule: The Senate failed to advance S.J.Res.86 (43-50), which would repeal  the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) final rule titled Air Plan Approval; South Dakota; Regional Haze Plan for the Second Implementation Period (90 Fed. Reg. 41893) and published on August 28, 2025. The final rule approved South Dakota’s revision to its state implementation plan to satisfy the requirements of the EPA’s regional haze rule. The regional haze rule requires states to take actions to improve visibility in national parks and wilderness areas.

Save Local Business: The House is set to take up H.R.4366, which clarifies the joint employer standard to provide certainty for small business owners and workers across the country.  Under the previous administration’s proposed definition, two or more employers can be considered joint employers for making a business agreement that “indirectly” or “potentially” impacts their employees’ day-to-day responsibilities and working environment.

 Tipped Employee Protection: House members will also consider H.R.2312, which aims to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to provide clearer rules for tipped workers, allowing employers to pay the lower tipped minimum wage for non-tipped duties as long as the employee's total earnings meet the standard minimum wage, while also ensuring all tips go to the employee. 

 Flexibility for Workers Education: H.R.2262 is set to be considered in the House and would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to exclude certain voluntary, off-the-clock training from "hours worked," allowing employers more flexibility to offer training without incurring overtime, provided employee working conditions aren't negatively impacted by opting out.

 Protecting Prudent Investment of Retirement Savings: The House is set to vote on H.R.2988, which would revise the standards that fiduciaries of private pension plans must apply to their investment decisions. Among other requirements, the bill would prohibit fiduciaries from prioritizing any objective other than maximizing beneficiaries’ returns when they exercise shareholders’ proxy rights.

 Empowering Employer Child and Elder Care Solutions: House members are also set to take up H.R. 2270, which would make it easier for employers to provide childcare and dependent care assistance to their workers by removing unnecessary regulations that prohibit them from doing so.

Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans: The House passed H.R.6703 (216-211), which expands the ability of small businesses to establish association health plans and bars states from preventing small businesses from obtaining stop-loss insurance for self-funded health insurance plans; it codifies and expands rules governing employer-funded health reimbursement arrangements and allows employees in such arrangements to pay Affordable Care Act (ACA) premiums through salary reductions; it provides funding for ACA policy cost sharing reduction payments that reduce deductibles and copayments, except for ACA silver plans that cover abortion; and it seeks to reduce drug prices by requiring pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to provide transparency regarding prescription drug costs and the drug rebates they receive.

Protect Children’s Innocence: The House passed H.R.3492 (216-211), which would criminalize providing "gender-affirming care" to minors under the age of 18. The legislation would subject healthcare providers to felony charges and potential imprisonment for offering treatments like puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and certain surgeries to minors. The bill would also define sex as either female or male, determined by their specific reproduction functionalities at birth.

Do No Harm in Medicaid: The House passed H.R.498 (215-201), which prohibits federal Medicaid payment for specified gender transition procedures for individuals under the age of 18. The bill defines these procedures to mean those that are intended to change the body of an individual to no longer correspond to the individual's biological sex (male or female), including specified surgeries, implants, and medications (e.g., hormones).

Unaccompanied Migrant Children: The House passed H.R.4371 (225-201), which would require the Health and Human Services Department to screen unaccompanied migrant youth arriving in the US for criminal history and gang tattoos before they can be placed in foster care, with a relative, or released to a sponsor. The bill would require the department’s Office of Refugee Resettlement to place any minors older than 12 in a secure facility for the duration of their immigration proceedings if they’re determined to pose a risk to themselves or others. The bill was named after Kayla Hamilton who was killed by an illegal unaccompanied minor who was released into the country.

Hostilities Against Venezuela: The House failed to pass H.Con.Res.64 (211-213), which would direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Venezuela that have not been authorized by Congress.

Ending Boat Strikes: The House failed to pass H.Con.Res.61 (210-216), which aimed to end Venezuelan  boat strikes by directing the President to stop “hostilities with any presidentially designated terrorist organization in the Western Hemisphere” unless authorized by Congress.

Power Plant Reliability: The House passed H.R.3632 (222-202), which aims to boost grid stability by giving the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) power to delay plant retirements, requiring 5-year notice for closures, and easing some environmental rules to keep essential power plants (like coal/gas) online, ensuring reliable affordable energy.

Reliable Power: The House passed H.R.3616 (225-203), which aims to prevent blackouts by giving the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) authority to review federal regulations impacting the power grid, ensuring new rules don't jeopardize reliability, especially with growing energy demands from AI and data centers, and potentially slowing the premature closure of baseload power plants.

Standardizing Permitting and Expediting Economic Development: The House passed H.R.4776 (221-196), limits the scope of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) and modifies the environmental review of major federal actions under NEPA to generally limit the number of federal actions that trigger NEPA review and to expedite the review process.

Mining Regulatory Clarity: The House passed H.R.1366 (219-198), which allows mining operators to use federal lands for activities ancillary to mining, such as waste disposal, regardless of whether those lands contain mineral deposits valuable enough to be mined (mineral validity). 

Pet and Livestock Protection: The House passed H.R.845 (211-204), which directs the Department of the Interior to remove protections for the gray wolf under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA). Specifically, the bill requires Interior to reissue the final rule titled Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Removing the Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) From the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and published on November 3, 2020.

Congressional Award Program Reauthorization: The House passed S.284, which extends Congress's official youth recognition program, the Congressional Award, through Fiscal Year 2028, ensuring its continuity for young Americans (ages 14-23) achieving goals in service, personal development, fitness, and exploration.

Congress will be on Recess until January 6, 2026. Be looking for your next R&P on January 12th.

Senate Rejects Dueling Health Bills: The enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits are all but certain to expire, after the Senate rejected dueling proposals from Democrats and Republicans on how to address their impending end. A bill from Democrats to extend the credits for three years failed (51-48) to meet the needed 60-vote threshold. A GOP proposal to let the credits end and partially replace them with federally funded tax-advantaged health savings accounts also failed on a 51 to 48 vote.

In the House, Several health policy proposals aimed at addressing rising health costs would be implemented under an as-yet-unnumbered bill. Republicans offered the package as an alternative to extending enhanced subsidies under the Affordable Care Act that expire Dec. 31. Instead, it would require more transparency from pharmacy benefit managers, codify association health plans, and fund ACA cost-sharing reductions. House Republicans have also been discussing a potential amendment vote to extend the expiring subsidies by two years.

Impeachment of President Donald Trump: The House voted to table (kill) H.Res.939 (237-140), which would impeach Donald J. Trump, President of the United States, for high crimes and misdemeanors. 

Nullify Collective Bargaining Executive Order: The House passed (231-195) H.R.2550 that nullifies a March 27, 2025, presidential executive order titled "Exclusions from Federal Labor-Management Relations Programs," which eliminated collective bargaining rights for the employees of dozens of federal departments and agencies. It also would provide that any collective bargaining agreement in effect as of March 26 "shall have full force and effect through the stated term" of the agreement, thereby restoring any terminated agreements.

Limit Scope of Clean Water Act: The House passed H.R.3898 (221-205), which would limit the scope of the Clean Water Act by redefining navigable waters to exclude (1) waste treatment systems, (2) ephemeral features that flow only in direct response to precipitation, (3) prior converted cropland, (4) groundwater, or (5) any other features determined to be excluded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Increasing Investor Opportunities: The House passed H.R.3383 (302-123), which would remove a loophole that allows activist investors to take over closed-end funds (CEFs) and force them into liquidity events or radically change their investment strategy. It would also allow a CEF to invest its assets more freely in securities issued by private funds.

Electric Supply Chain: The House passed H.R.3638 (267-159), which would direct the Department of Energy (DOE) to conduct periodic reviews of vulnerabilities, shortages, or disruptions affecting transformers, transmission equipment, critical minerals, and other components essential to the bulk power system. It also requires DOE to consult closely with utilities, grid operators, manufacturers, and other industry experts and provide Congress with up-to-date, actionable information. 

National Defense Authorization (NDAA): The House passed S.1071, which authorizes $901 billion in defense funding that would set curbs on American investments in sensitive Chinese industries and back the Pentagon’s push to buy commercial technology to speedily equip US troops. The NDAA also provides $400 million in military assistance to Ukraine in each of the next two years and includes other measures reinforcing the U.S. commitment to Europe's defense, reflecting most lawmakers' continuing strong support for Kyiv as it fights Russian invaders. The bill includes a 4% pay raise and improvements in base housing. The bill now heads to the Senate, where it is expected to pass.

State Planning for Reliability and Affordability: The House passed H.R.3628 (218 to 207), which would mandate U.S. states to update their utility planning, requiring them to prioritize dependable, continuously available power sources and secure supply chains, ensuring sufficient, affordable electricity for residents, especially with rising demands from AI and manufacturing, and addressing vulnerabilities in the current grid system. 

Health-Care Costs Package: Several health policy proposals aimed at addressing rising health costs would be implemented under an as-yet-unnumbered bill. Republicans offered the package as an alternative to extending enhanced subsidies under the Affordable Care Act that expire Dec. 31. Instead, it would require more transparency from pharmacy benefit managers, codify association health plans, and fund ACA cost-sharing reductions. House Republicans have also been discussing a potential amendment vote to extend the expiring subsidies by two years.

SPEED Act: The House is set to consider H.R.4776, which would speed up agency reviews and limit litigation-related timelines under the National Environmental Policy Act, a key law in permitting.

Kayla Hamilton Act: The House will also consider H.R.4371, which requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to consider additional information when it makes placement determinations for unaccompanied alien children in its custody.

Pet and Livestock Protection: The House is set to consider H.R.845, which removes the gray wolf from the Endangered Species List.

Energy: The House looks to consider three energy measures: H.R. 1366 – Mining Regulatory Clarity Act, H.R. 3616 – Reliable Power Act, H.R. 3632 – Power Plant Reliability Act

War Powers: House and Senate war powers resolutions requiring congressional authorization for military action against Venezuela ripen for floor action next week. And rank-and-file lawmakers in both parties say the White House hasn’t justified its escalating campaign.