DOGE Cuts to PBS, NPR, and AID: The House passed H.R.4 (214-212), which makes $9.4 billion in federal spending cuts recommended by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The bill would codify DOGE’s unilateral $8.3 billion in cuts to the US Agency for International Development and the US Institute of Peace. The measure also approves cuts of more than $1 billion for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) and National Public Radio (NPR).

Denouncing the Antisemitic Terrorist Attack in Boulder, Colorado: The House passed H.res.488 (280-113), which formally condemns the June 1, 2025, antisemitic terrorist attack in Boulder, Colorado. In addition to condemning the attack, the resolution also calls for enhanced, commonsense vetting procedures and stresses the importance of communication between local law enforcement and their federal counterparts in sanctuary states like Colorado. The resolution passed with a bipartisan vote.  

Condemning the Rise in Ideologically Motivated Attacks on Jewish Individuals: The House passed H.Res.481, which condemns the June 1, 2025, targeted act of terror in Boulder, Colorado, as an act of ideologically motivated violence and reaffirms the House of Representatives' commitment to protecting the rights of all Americans to assemble peacefully and practice their faith without fear of violence.

Protecting Our Nation’s Capital Emergency: The House passed H.R.2096 (235-178), which would restore the right of law enforcement officers in the District of Columbia to negotiate disciplinary matters through collective bargaining. This means that police unions and officers would be able to discuss and agree on terms related to discipline, including procedures and consequences for misconduct. The change would undo previous amendments made by a 2022 law that removed this capacity for collective negotiation. Additionally, the bill seeks to restore the statute of limitations for bringing claims against members or civilian employees of the Metropolitan Police Department. 

Banning Non-citizens from Voting in D.C.: The House passed H.R.884 (266-148), which prohibits a non-U.S. citizen from voting in a District of Columbia (DC) election and repeals relevant provisions of DC law. Federal law prohibits noncitizens from voting in a federal election; however, in 2022, DC enacted a law allowing noncitizens who meet residency and other requirements to vote in local elections. This bill repeals the DC law, which went into effect on February 23, 2023. 

 D.C. Federal Immigration Compliance: The House passed H.R.2056 (224-, which prohibits the District of Columbia (DC) from limiting its cooperation with federal immigration enforcement activities, except for certain instances involving witnesses and victims of crime. Specifically, the bill bars DC from adopting a law, policy, or practice prohibiting DC governmental entities from sending, receiving, maintaining, or exchanging information regarding the citizenship or immigration status of any individual with a federal, state, or local government entity. Further, DC may not adopt a law, policy, or practice of not complying with lawful requests from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to comply with a detainer for, or notify about the release of, an individual from custody. (A detainer is a formal request from DHS that a state or locality hold an individual in custody for up to 48 hours after the individual would otherwise be released so that DHS may facilitate the individual's removal.)

HALT Fentanyl: The House passed (321-104), which permanently classifies all “fentanyl-related substances” (FRS) in Schedule I, which has been done on a temporary basis since 2018. Substances classified as Schedule I drugs under the Controlled Substances Act are defined as a drug, substance, or chemical that has a high potential for abuse; has no currently accepted medical value; and is subject to regulatory controls and mandatory minimum administrative, civil, and criminal penalties. The bill expands mandatory minimum sentencing for manufacturing, importing, or possessing FRS with intent to distribute.

American Cargo for American Ships: The House passed H.R.2035, which is a bipartisan bill that aims to strengthen U.S. Cargo preference laws and promote American economic growth. The legislation would increase cargo preference for all U.S. Department of Transportation cargoes to 100 percent. The Cargo Preference Act of 1954 requires that 50 percent of Civilian Agencies' cargo and Agricultural Cargo be carried on U.S.-flagged vessels – it is the maritime industry’s “Buy America” law. Maritime Administration (MARAD) is the lead federal agency that manages Cargo Preference activities and compliance.

Congress will be on Recess from June 16th to 20th. They will return to their normal scheduled business on June 23rd, so be looking for your next R&P on June 30th.

$9 Billion Rescissions Package: Provides more than $9 billion in previously enacted spending that would be rescinded, or canceled, as requested by the Trump administration under H.R.4. The revoked funding would primarily affect US foreign aid and development programs, as well as federal support for public broadcasting. The measure will be considered under procedures which gives Congress 45 days to consider rescissions requests that can be passed with a simple majority in the Senate.

Save SBA from Sanctuary Cities: The House passed H.R.2931 (211-199), which would relocate Small Business Administration (SBA) offices from jurisdictions considered "sanctuary cities" to locations that comply with federal immigration law. The bill mandates that the SBA identify and relocate its regional, district, or local offices in sanctuary cities, prohibiting the SBA from establishing new offices in such jurisdictions. The legislation also sets deadlines for relocation and potential penalties for non-compliance. 

Banning SBA Loans for Immigrants: The House passed H.R.2966 (217-190), which would restrict access to Small Business Administration (SBA) loans to just those small businesses that are 100% owned by a U.S. citizen, a U.S. national, or an individual with Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) status, explicitly banning loans to businesses partially owned by any other category of immigrant.

Plain Language in Contracting: The House passed H.R.787, which would require agencies to use easy-to-understand language for certain procurement notices pertaining to small businesses. The bill is meant to ensure that small businesses have access to federal contracting opportunities.

SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Reauthorization: The House passed H.R.2483, which is a bipartisan bill that aims to reauthorize and expand upon programs established under the 2018 SUPPORT Act to address the opioid crisis and improve access to mental health and substance use disorder treatment. 

Connecting Small Businesses with Career and Technical Education Graduates: The House passed H.R.1642, which is a bipartisan bill aimed at ensuring small businesses have access to information about Career and Technical Education programs and can, more importantly, hire accomplished and competent CTE graduates. The bill would require Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) and Women’s Business Centers (WBCs) to provide information to small businesses about hiring career and technical education graduates and provide graduates with information on how to launch a small business.

7(a) Loan Agent Oversight: The House passed H.R.1804, which is bipartisan legislation aimed at strengthening accountability and combating fraud within the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) 7(a) Loan Program. It does so by requiring the Office of Credit Risk Management to submit an annual report to Congress regarding the performance of and risk associated with loans generated through loan agent activity. The SBA’s Inspector General has reported that nearly 15 percent of all 7(a) loans include a loan agent. Unfortunately, the Office of the Inspector General has also reported that there has been more than $335 million in documented loan agent fraud.

Capping Excessive Awarding of SBLC Entrants: The House passed H.R.2987 (214-198), which caps the number of for-profit small business lending companies (SBLCs) eligible to participate in the Small Business Administration's (SBA) 7(a) loan program. The bill would limit the number of SBLCs to 16, addressing concerns about the program's stability and integrity following changes that loosened underwriting

Voting in D.C.: The House is set to consider H.R.884, which would prohibit individuals who are not citizens of the United States from voting in elections in the District of Columbia. It would also repeal the Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2022, which allows eligible non-citizen residents to vote locally.

District of Columbia Federal Immigration Compliance: The House will consider H.R.2056, which would  amend federal law to specify that the District of Columbia (D.C.) government must comply with requests from federal immigration authorities to share information and detain aliens (non-U.S. nationals). Specifically, it would prevent D.C. from having policies or practices that restrict communication with federal immigration authorities or compliance with requests for information or detention. 

Halt All Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl: The Senate is set to begin consideration of S.331, which would permanently place fentanyl-related substances as a class into Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act.

Protecting Our Nation’s Capital: House members will take up legislation aimed at restoring due process rights for Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officers and addressing crime in Washington, D.C. As recently as 2023, D.C. was rated the fifth deadliest city in America. 

Budget Reconciliation: The House passed H.R.1 (215-214), which would make permanent lower tax rates from Republicans’ marquee 2017 tax law that expire at the end of the year and add new tax breaks for seniors and tipped and overtime wages. It would also provide billions of dollars for border security and defense and boost key commodity support programs under the farm bill, which also expires at the end of the year. The cost of those policies would be partially offset by limiting eligibility and federal funding for Medicaid and food assistance benefits, modifying student loan repayments, rolling back clean energy tax credits from Democrats’ 2022 tax and climate law, and imposing new immigration fees. The bill would also:

• Increase the debt limit by $4 trillion.

• Provide funding to boost national security procurement, support border and immigration enforcement, and improve air traffic control technology.

• Temporarily increase the child tax credit and permanently hike employer-provided child care credits.

• Expedite permitting for certain energy projects and mandate new lease sales of federal land for oil and gas drilling.

• Impose new annual fees on electric and hybrid vehicle owners.

• Rein in pharmacy benefit manager practices in Medicare and Medicaid and expand uses of health savings accounts.

• Reduce funding for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and other financial agencies.

Repeal Bank Merger Rule: The House passed S.J.Res.13 (220-207), which would repeal a Biden administration rule requiring a more thorough review process to approve bank mergers.  The rule, which was issued by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) in September and took effect on Jan. 1, removed a streamlined application process for certain mergers and ended automatic approvals for mergers if the OCC didn’t act on them. It will now head to President Trump, who has said he will sign it.

Simplifying Forms for Veterans Claims: The House passed H.R.1286, which would require the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)  to contract with a nonpartisan, federally funded research entity to conduct a study on, and provide recommendations for, revising VA forms to be more understandable for veterans and their survivors. Currently, these forms can often be arduous and difficult to understand for veterans or their survivors, and failure to do correctly fill them out can result in delays in processing their claim, delays in receiving a decision on their claim, or even a denial of their claim. 

Motor Vehicle Safety Standards Rule Repeal: The Senate passed S.J.Res.55 (51-46), which would repeal a rule from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) regarding Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) for hydrogen vehicles. These standards outline safety requirements for the fuel system and compressed hydrogen storage system in hydrogen vehicles, ensuring their safe operation during normal use and in the event of a crash. 

Repealing Environmental Waivers: The Senate passed several resolutions (H.J.Res.87, H.J.Res.88, H.J.Res.89) that would revoke Environmental Protection Agency waivers allowing California to adopt stricter vehicle emissions standards. The EPA waivers, approved during the Biden administration, allow California to exceed federal emissions mandates on gas-powered cars and trucks to curb pollution. Two of the waivers have allowed the state to toughen emissions standards on trucks and heavy-duty vehicles, while a third allowed a state requirement that all new passenger vehicles sold be zero emissions by 2035. About a dozen states that have adopted California’s vehicle standards to curb greenhouse gas emissions stand to be affected by the move. All three bills now head to President Trump, who has said he will sign them.

No Tax on Tips
The US Senate passed the No Tax on Tips Act (S.129) on Tuesday after the Nevada senator Jacky Rosen brought the bill up for a unanimous consent request. No objections were made to Rosen’s request, resulting in the passage of the bill, which now goes to the House. Many argue it will not stand up to a Constitutional challenge -- all tax bills must originate in the House of Representatives, according to the Constitution. 

FY26 Appropriations: The House Appropriations Committee will kick off its markups of the 12 fiscal 2026 spending bills after the Memorial Day recess, with the first subcommittee markups set for June 5. The plan is for appropriators to kick things off with the Military Construction-VA and Agriculture subcommittee markups. The Labor-HHS-Education markup will come last and is expected to be the most difficult of the dozen due to the depth of proposed cuts. The White House budget office has proposed flat defense spending and nearly 23 percent cuts to domestic and foreign aid programs on average.

Congress will be on Recess this week in observance of Memorial Day. They will return to normally scheduled business on June 3rd. Be looking for your next R&P on June 9th.

Law Enforcement: The House passed several bills centered around law enforcement: 

• Support for Local Law Enforcement:  The House passed H.Con.Res.30, which expresses support for local law enforcement officers, recognizing their important role in maintaining public safety. The bill also includes language condemning efforts to defund or dismantle local law enforcement agencies. 
• Federal Law Enforcement Officer Service Weapon Purchase: H.R.2255 (234-182) would require the General Services Administration to establish a program that allows active and retired federal law enforcement officers to purchase the firearm that was issued to them by their federal agency when the firearm is scheduled to be retired or is declared surplus. Under the measure, the firearm must be sold at its "salvage value," taking into account the age and condition of the weapon.
• Law Enforcement Officer Safety: H.R.2243 (229-193) would expand the authority of active and retired law enforcement officers to carry concealed firearms and ammunition across state lines and into certain areas, including into school zones, national parks, certain federal facilities that are open to the public, state, local or private property that is open to the public, and onto all public modes of transportation except airlines.
• Improving Law Enforcement Officer Safety and Wellness Through Data: H.R.2240 would require the Department of Justice (DOJ) to report to Congress about violent attacks on law enforcement officers, including the responses of federal, state, and local governments to such attacks and how to improve the reporting of those attacks. The bill would also require the DOJ to report to Congress on how traumatic incidents affect the mental health and wellness of officers.

Countering Antisemitism: The House passed H.Res.352, which calls on elected officials, faith leaders, and civil society leaders to condemn and counter all acts of antisemitism. It also calls on the executive branch and state and local governments to counter antisemitism, along with educating the public about the contributions of the Jewish American community. 

 El Salvador's Human Rights Practices: The Senate failed to advance S.Res.195 (45-50), which would have forced the Trump administration to produce a report on El Salvador’s human rights practices. It would also force administration officials to report to Congress about what steps it is taking to comply with courts that have ruled on the deportations. 

Budget Reconciliation Package: Talks about a cap on state and local tax deductions are ongoing. The House Ways and Means Committee approved a sprawling tax package even as blue-state Republicans are calling for a higher cap than the $30,000 level written into the measure.

The House Agriculture Committee has been tasked with finding $230 billion in deficit reduction, largely through cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The Committee approved policy changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, including a requirement that states cover at least 5 percent of the costs of food stamps.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee on advanced a legislative package that would amount to the biggest changes to Medicaid since the passage of the 2010 health care law, including work requirements for some recipients and an overhaul of how states can finance their programs. 

The various parts of the "big, beautiful" budget reconciliation bill now go to the House Budget panel to get formally pieced together. The markup is largely a procedural event, as the Budget Committee itself is barred from making any changes to the bill.

The bill, should it pass the House, also has to get through the Senate, where some Republicans have raised concerns about the levels of Medicaid cuts.