Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of May 5

Congress Pivots to Summer Agenda

The House and Senate return to Washington this week following President Trump’s release of his FY26 budget request last Friday, which largely calls for non-defense spending cuts while boosting defense and homeland security funding. Members have already begun soliciting local appropriations requests for the FY26 budget cycle and will start drafting appropriations legislation in the weeks and months ahead.

This week, House lawmakers will take up a series of sanctions bills, including against Iran and various foreign entities engaged in organ trafficking and espionage. Other legislation deals with export controls, Taiwan relations, and renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.

Over in the Senate, Members will take up House-passed legislation repealing various Biden-era energy emissions regulations as well as President Trump’s nomination of Frank Bisignano to be Social Security Administrator.

Meanwhile, lawmakers will gavel in several committee hearings this week, including the following:

• he House Natural Resources Committee will mark up its component of the House Reconciliation bill
• The House Homeland Security Committee will examine China’s influence in Cuba
• The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee will discuss AI competitiveness in America
• The House Appropriations Committee will hold oversight hearings of FEMA and the Homeland Security Department overall