Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of March 31

Congress Springs Into Action

Lawmakers return to Washington this week as they embrace their Spring agenda and potentially a larger House Republican conference.

While House Republicans currently hold a slim majority, this week Florida will hold two special elections to fill two Republican-favored seats vacated by former Representatives Matt Gaetz (R) and Mike Walz (R) – which would increase their ranks to 220 from 218.

Meanwhile, the House will take up a series of bills this week that would repeal various Biden-era regulations, limit lower courts from issuing nationwide injunctions, and require proof of citizenship to register to vote. Other bills moving through expedited procedures largely concern IRS operations amid tax filing season.

In the Senate, lawmakers aim to advance their budget reconciliation plan this week that would advance President Trump’s immigration and defense priorities while delaying the tax component to later this year – unlike the House’s comprehensive bill.

If that schedule holds, Senators will hold their “vote-a-rama” session late this week allowing Members from both sides to offer numerous amendments to the resolution before passing it on a simple majority basis rather than under the filibuster’s 60-vote threshold.

Lawmakers will also gavel in several committee hearings this week, including the following:

• The House Small Business Committee will meet this week to discuss deregulation priorities and encouraging small business investment
• The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee will examine the AI landscape in America
• The House Energy & Commerce Committee will discuss cybersecurity threats in the medical sector
• The House Natural Resources Committee will consider ways to bolster American energy dominance
• The Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee will consider the SBA Fraud Enforcement Extension