August 3
Members of the House are back home for the summer district work period, also known as recess. This week is the final week the Senate will vote on bills before starting their summer recess. We will return when Congress does.
This week in MORE POWER:
Seed Money
Confirmations
Keeping the Lights On
Sanction Impossible
Seed Money
The Senate is expected to vote this week on H.R. 5334, the Supporting Early-childhood Educators' Deductions (SEED) Act, after the bill easily cleared two key procedural votes last week with broad bipartisan support. The legislation would allow eligible early childhood educators to claim the same federal tax deduction for classroom expenses that K–12 teachers already receive, helping offset the cost of supplies they often purchase out of pocket. Supporters say the bill recognizes the important role early childhood educators play and helps ease the financial burden many face. Opponents argue Congress should focus on broader reforms to educator pay and school funding rather than expanding targeted tax deductions. The House already passed this legislation, so if the Senate passes the bill, it will head to the President's desk to be signed into law.
The Confirmation Station
The Senate continued confirming executive branch nominees last week, filling key leadership positions across the federal government. While Congress is often associated with passing legislation, the Senate also has the constitutional responsibility to confirm many of the President's nominees to lead federal agencies and departments. Last week, senators confirmed Jay Clayton as Director of National Intelligence, placing him in charge of coordinating the nation's intelligence agencies and serving as the President's principal intelligence advisor. Meanwhile, Todd Blanche's nomination to become the Attorney General appears poised to advance after Republican senators reached an agreement resolving concerns that had temporarily stalled his confirmation process. As Acting Attorney General, Blanche formally rescinded a controversial $1.8 billion Justice Department compensation fund that critics argued could be used to compensate people they believed had been unfairly targeted by the federal government.
Keeping the Lights On
The Senate is expected to hold a key procedural vote this week on a bipartisan continuing resolution (CR) that would keep the federal government funded through December 11 and help avert a government shutdown before the start of the new fiscal year. The stopgap measure would temporarily extend funding while lawmakers continue negotiating full-year spending bills, renew several expiring programs, including highway, infrastructure, veterans' health, cybersecurity, and defense authorities, and delay implementation of a controversial Office of Management and Budget proposal that would expand the administration's authority over federal grantmaking. Supporters say the bipartisan agreement is a significant improvement over the House version because it omits several partisan policy provisions and preserves funding for programs that were left out of the House bill, including housing assistance and nutrition programs for low-income seniors. Critics argue the measure postpones rather than resolves major disputes over federal spending, transportation funding, defense priorities, and the administration's grantmaking authority, leaving those negotiations for the year-end lame-duck session. If the Senate ultimately passes its bipartisan version of the bill, the House would need to decide whether to approve the Senate's changes before they can send the measure to the President.
Sanction Impossible
The Senate advanced S. 5025, the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act, last week after the bill cleared two bipartisan procedural votes, setting up a final vote that could come before senators leave for their August recess. The legislation would expand sanctions on Russian officials, banks, and energy exports, and authorize the President to impose tariffs on the largest purchasers of Russian oil and gas that help finance Russia's war in Ukraine. Supporters say the bill would increase economic pressure on Russia while demonstrating continued U.S. support for Ukraine. Opponents argue the measure grants the President broad new tariff authority that could increase costs, strain relationships with key trading partners, and have unintended consequences for the global economy.
Bills Congress Passed Last Week
None- they are on recess.
No bills- only nominations and resolutions.
None.
What The President Signed Into Law Last Week
None.
