This Week in Congress
Both the House and the Senate were in session this week, following a week-long recess. Congress will be in session for the next three weeks, before breaking from April 12-27th. The House voted on the University Foreign Gift Disclosures Act (H.R. 1048), which would require federally funded colleges and universities to report in more detail when they accept gifts from or contract with foreign entities. It also prohibits those schools from contracting with foreign entities connected to China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia, as well as designated terrorist groups and sanctioned entities. The chamber also voted on two resolutions brought under the Congressional Review Act to disapprove of agency regulations finalized late in President Biden’s term that require stricter energy efficiency standards for commercial refrigerators (H.J. Res. 75) and walk-in coolers and freezers (H. J. Res. 24). Finally, the House voted on bills relating to Department of Energy cost-sharing reports (H.R. 359), National Science Foundation math modeling education grants (H.R. 730), a change to the CHIPS and Science Act definition of a “malign foreign talent recruitment program” (H.R. 1318), Commerce Department consideration of applications to operate private remote sensing space systems (H.R. 1325), Department of Energy research partnerships (H.R. 1326, H.R. 1350, and H.R. 1368), and a Department of Energy program to support pollution-free cement and concrete (H.R. 1534).
Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) passed away on March 13, leaving the House with 218 Republicans and 213 Democrats. The Arizona governor announced a special primary election for July 15 and a general election for September 23 to fill his seat. Democrats are expected to keep control of the district.
The Senate voted on more presidential appointees, including Marty Makary to be Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, Jay Bhattacharya for Director of the National Institutes of Health, and John Phelan to be Secretary of the Navy.
President Trump signed the Continuing Resolution (CR) into law on March 15th. The distribution of funds remains unclear, with expected plans for reductions in force and agency reorganizations anticipated in the coming weeks. Additionally, Elon Musk and Vice President Vance have introduced the possibility of a presidential “rescissions” package, aiming to cut already appropriated funds further. The President has not yet signed the letter certifying the emergency designations of the $12 billion in domestic and foreign aid included in the CR. Without his signature, these funds cannot be released. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and White House spokespersons have not responded to requests for comments regarding the President's intentions.