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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of March 18

Another Shutdown Showdown Lawmakers return to Washington this week ahead of another potential government shutdown on Friday for roughly three-quarters of the federal government. The deadline is the second out of the two-tiered government funding stopgap Congress passed in recent weeks, splitting funding deadlines into two dates for different portions of the federal government. Congress […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of March 11

Government Still Open The House and Senate return to a fully-open Washington, D.C. after lawmakers passed a final appropriations bill fully funding departments set to shut down last Friday – including the Departments of Transportation, Justice, and Commerce – thus ending a drawn-out appropriations process that kicked off this time last year. Members have one […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of March 4

Shutdown Averted(?) Lawmakers from both Chambers return to Washington this week after passing another extension of short-term “laddered” government funding to March 8th and 22nd, all before reaching a final agreement on FY24 appropriations for those bills falling under the new March 8th deadline. Over the weekend, Members released the text of a partial appropriations […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of February 26

Shutdown Showdown House and Senate lawmakers return to Washington this week, cutting short their President’s Day recess in an attempt to pass a full appropriations bill ahead of a partial government shutdown this Friday (and a full shutdown next Friday).  The leadership of both parties will meet with President Joe Biden this week at the […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of February 12

Congress Back in Town The House and Senate return to Washington this week with a packed legislative agenda before leaving town for their Presidents Day week-long recess. The majority of House bills set for the week will be taken up on expedited procedures and deal with international issues, including human rights abuses in China, Indo-Pacific […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of February 5

Congress Debates the Border Lawmakers from both Chambers return to Washington this week after Senate negotiators released the text of a long-awaited national security proposal over the weekend providing $118.3 billion in both aid to Ukraine and changes in immigration policy. The proposal would provide $60 million for Ukraine as well as make several changes […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of January 29

Congress Back in Town Both Chambers of Congress are back in town after the House’s recess last week. Lawmakers continue to negotiate a bipartisan tax proposal and an ongoing Senate-led immigration reform package – both of which the White House has announced its support for. However, the timing for when either item will get to […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of January 22

Shutdown Delayed Lawmakers voted last week to pass another stopgap funding measure to keep the government open on a “laddered” structure through March 1st and 8th (up from January 19th and February 2nd). The move will give Members more time to negotiate a full funding deal for the prior fiscal year. Meanwhile, the House is […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of January 15

Congress Full Steam Ahead Congress kicked off its second work week of 2024 with two bipartisan, bicameral proposals: a tax package and a stopgap funding deal to avert a government shutdown at the end of the week. The stopgap proposal was released Monday by the Senate Appropriations Committee and has the backing of Senate Majority […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of January 8

The House: The House returns this week to continue discussions on the looming January 19th deadline to avoid a government shutdown. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA)  have negotiated an agreement on the top-line spending levels for the current fiscal, reducing the likelihood of a partial government shutdown on […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of December 11

The House: The House returns for its final scheduled working week of the year with several authorization bills teed up before Members leave town. Chief among the slated bills include a short-term FAA reauthorization through March 8th to give more time for negotiations amid the Senate’s stalled version. Others include the national defense authorization bill […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of December 4

Congress Back in Town: Congress returns to Washington this week down a Member after House lawmakers voted to expel now-former Rep. George Santos (R-NY).  This week, the Chamber is set to take up 11 bills under expedited procedures, including those dealing with veterans benefits, federal energy research, and commuter rail benefits. House lawmakers will also […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of November 27

Congress Closing Out 2023 With three working weeks left in the year, Congress returns to Washington this week from its Thanksgiving recess after extending government funding through two “staggered” dates – January 19th and February 2nd by which time Members will need to reach another funding agreement to avoid a shutdown. However, lawmakers are also […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of November 13

The House Congress returns to Washington in what is the last full week before the November 17th government funding deadline by which Members must pass a spending package to avoid a shutdown. House lawmakers will meet this week to vote on Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) “laddered” stopgap bill proposal that would fund one group of […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of November 6

The House House lawmakers return to D.C. in what will be Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) second full week on the job. This week, Members will take up the FY24 Transportation-Housing & Urban Development (THUD) and Financial Services bills, in addition to legislation under expedited procedures which include the following: Several bills authorizing land transfers and […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of October 30, 2023

The House Congress is back open for business again after House lawmakers elected Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) as the next Speaker of the House following three unsuccessful nominations of prior candidates. With a Speaker now in office, the House can now conduct normal floor business including advancing appropriations bills. Upon his election, Speaker Johnson set […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of October 23, 2023

The House:  House Republicans return to D.C. this week to pick their third nominee for Speaker of the House after Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) failed to win the necessary votes on the floor over three ballots. Announced Speaker candidates include the following: House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) Mike Johnson (R-LA) Jack Bergman (R-MI) Austin […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of October 16, 2023

Congress Trudges On: Congress is effectively paralyzed with the House of Representatives still lacking a Speaker. Last week, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) won his party’s nomination to be Speaker before withdrawing his name from consideration amid his narrow victory over House Judiciary Committee Jim Jordan (R-OH). House Republicans then nominated Rep. Jordan to […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of October 9, 2023

Congress in Standstill: Just as Congress narrowly averted a shutdown late last month, the House of Representatives is effectively closed for business after Members voted to remove Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) as Speaker of the House. Running to replace McCarthy are House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) and House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) who […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of October 2, 2023

Shutdown Averted … For Now: In a surprise turn of events, Congress avoided a government shutdown over the weekend by crafting and passing a stopgap funding bill to keep the federal government open through November 17th and give lawmakers more time to negotiate a full appropriations package. House Republicans and Democrats joined together to pass […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of September 25, 2023

Shutdown Showdown: This is Congress’ last full week to pass an appropriations package by midnight Saturday to avert a government shutdown. While House lawmakers are setting up votes on four individual FY24 appropriations bills – Defense, Homeland Security, State-Foreign Operations, and Agriculture-FDA – thin voting margins in the Chamber may complicate that process. The Senate’s […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of September 18, 2023

The House: House lawmakers return to Washington this week with a stopgap funding proposal from Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and his leadership team to keep the government open past the September 30th deadline to allow more time to negotiate a full funding package. The stopgap would last through October 31st and would make an across-the-board […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of September 11, 2023

Congress Back in Session Washington, D.C. is back in full swing with the House returning from its month-long August recess. Both Chambers return to a packed agenda, including floor votes for various appropriations bills ahead of the September 30th deadline to avoid a government shutdown. The House will also vote on legislation dealing with sanctions […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of September 4, 2023

Congress Returns from Recess The Senate returns to DC this week from its month-long August recess, with the House to follow next week. Members have a lengthy agenda to attend to in the coming weeks, including passing a government funding package by September 30th to avoid a shutdown. Senate appropriators have marked up all 12 […]

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Becker Spotlight: Overview of the Current Status of Cryptocurrencies

Written by: Jose Molinelli, Legislative Intern Cryptocurrencies and digital assets have been a cause of growing fascination and concern since the emergence of large scale cryptocurrency markets in 2010. The lucrative yet volatile nature of cryptocurrencies have made trading them both an attractive and risky business; however, its growing adoption in commerce and government has led to […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of July 24, 2023

Congress’ Final Stretch Before Recess This week marks the final work week for Congress before breaking for its month-long August recess. In that time, Members plan to tee up several FY24 spending bills, in addition to key aviation and defense authorization bills, that they will need to clear before the September 30th government shutdown deadline. […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of July 17, 2023

Congress Chugs Along Lawmakers return to Washington for the penultimate work week ahead of Congress’ month-long August recess. The Senate will take up its version of the FY 2024 defense authorization bill following the House’s lead last week, although the differences between the two bills will ultimately need to be reconciled before final passage. In […]

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Becker Spotlight: The Status of AI and What Lies Ahead

Written by: Jose Molinelli, Legislative Intern Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a topic of growing interest in both government and business. Its myriad of benefits and risks pose a dilemma in striking a balance between incentivizing its development and mitigating its potential impacts on civil rights, national security, and democracy. This article summarizes the history […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of July 10, 2023

Crunch Time for Congress Both Chambers of Congress return to DC this week following a two-week recess, and have only three short weeks left to do business before the month-long August recess which signals the homestretch of this year’s session. The House The House is starting the week with a bang, as it will take […]

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Becker Spotlight: Latest Proposals for Immigration Reform in Congress

Written by: Jose Molinelli, Legislative Intern Amid the ongoing push for immigration reform from both parties in Congress, two proposals have recently emerged in the House of Representatives and the Senate: The bipartisan “Dignity for Immigrants while Guarding our Nation to Ignite and Deliver the American Dream Act of 2023” (DIGNIDAD), which was introduced by […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of June 19, 2023

The House The House returns to DC this week after Speaker McCarthy reached a tentative agreement to reopen floor votes after a handful of lawmakers initially blocked the process due to objections over the debt limit deal passed earlier in the month. Lawmakers will take up several bills under expedited procedures, including those concerning VA […]

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Becker Named Top-Performing Lobbying Firm by Bloomberg Government for Fourth Year

In 2022, lobbying spending in Washington reached a new high of $4 billion and Becker is proud to announce that once again the firm has been named to Bloomberg Government’s list of Top-Performing Lobbying Firms. Out of the registered lobbying firms that filed Lobbying Disclosure Act reports with the Senate during 2022, Bloomberg Government reviewed […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of June 12, 2023

Congress Back to Business The House returns to Washington this week after Speaker Kevin McCarthy sent Members home earlier-than-expected last week. The Chamber is expected to take up a number of bills under expedited procedures, including those calling for the release of American prisoners in Russia, providing block grants for crop losses, and creating a […]

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Becker’s Federal Lobbying Team Secures Millions in Federal Funding to Upgrade Safety at Rail Crossings in Broward County

Becker’s Federal Lobbying team secured more than $15 million in federal funding to upgrade safety at rail crossings on the busy Florida East Coast Railway line throughout Broward County. The grant, from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), was awarded to Broward’s Metropolitan Planning Organization in early June. It is part of President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of June 5, 2023

Congress Clears the Debt Limit Both Chambers of Congress return to Washington this week after swiftly passing the debt limit agreement negotiated by President Joe Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy. With the debt ceiling behind them, Members are returning to regular business. House lawmakers are set to take up a number of market-related bills this […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of May 29, 2023

Debt Limit Crunch Time All eyes are on Washington this week as President Joe Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy sell their bipartisan debt limit agreement to Members of Congress for passage before the expected June 5th default date. The text of the nearly 100-page deal was released over the weekend, the key details of which […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of May 22, 2023

The House The House is the only game in town this week with the Senate out on recess. The Chamber will take up several bills this week, including the following: A package of veterans-related bills that would expand healthcare and cost of living benefit eligibilities, as well as modify a veterans education and employment program […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of May 15, 2023

Congress Both Chambers of Congress return to DC this week to take up usual business. First, the House is set to take up a number of bills under expedited procedures, including a bill adding requirements for court orders preventing electronic communications service providers from informing customers if the government searches its electronic database. The House […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of May 8, 2023

Congress Both Chambers of Congress are back in session this week with the House set to take up several bills, including the following: A bill restricting asylum eligibility, resuming border wall construction, and requiring employers to verify their employees legal status A bill allowing states to reclaim 25% of recovered fraudulent unemployment or pandemic-aid payments […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of May 1, 2023

Congress The Senate is the only game in town this week with the House out on recess until next week. Senators will begin this week by holding a confirmation vote on Anthony Johnstone to become a judge on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, with additional votes lined up later in the week on three […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of April 24, 2023

Congress Back in Session Both Chambers return to DC this week to take up usual business. The House will consider several bills this week under expedited procedures, including those concerning the FCC’s oversight of satellites and authorization of spectrum usage to provide expanded emergency alerts. House Members will also take up Speaker McCarthy’s new Debt […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of April 17, 2023

The House House Members return to D.C. this week following a two-week recess for Easter and Passover. Lawmakers are hitting the ground running ahead of the next recess in June with a slate of floor votes on various measures. Three bills that will be taken up on expedited procedures include those condemning Russia for taking […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of March 27, 2023

The House The House returns to Washington this week before embarking on a two-week recess for Easter. This week, Members will take up legislation streamlining and increasing environmental permitting for domestic energy production, infrastructure projects, and other activities while reducing reliance on foreign minerals. Members are also set to take up several bills under expedited […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of March 20, 2023

The Senate The Senate returns this week to take up a repeal of the authorizations for use of military force against Iraq in addition to nominations which were teed up last week, although continuing health-related absences from Sens. John Fetterman (D-PA), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), and Mitch McConnell (R-KY) could complicate that process. The Chamber will […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of March 13, 2023

Congress The Senate is back in session this week while House Members are on recess. Senators are expected to take up a number of Administration nominees and a bill repealing a House-passed bill repealing a Biden Administration rule governing water and wetland protections. However, three Senators’ health-related absences may complicate the process.  Key nominations this […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of March 6, 2023

The House The House returns to DC this week to take up a number of bills, chief among them being a bill that would repeal the Biden Administration’s rule expending environmental protections for several bodies of water. Other bills include those concerning servicemember tuition reimbursements and VA operations such as offsite emergency healthcare coverage, medical […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of February 27, 2023

Congress Back in Session The House and Senate return to Washington this week following their respective recesses. House lawmakers are hitting the ground running by taking up a number of bills, including those that would extend the FCC’s spectrum auction power through mid-May and require the Commerce Department to provide congressional reports on mobile network […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of February 6, 2023

The House The House returns this week to take up a number of bills on the floor, including: A bill requiring the Energy Department to provide financial assistance to certain post-grad students enrolled in cybersecurity and energy infrastructure classes. A bill placing hundreds of acres of federal lands in trusts for the Pala Band of […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of January 30, 2023

The 118th Congress Continues Both Chambers of Congress return to Washington this week, with only the House scheduled to hold votes. The House will take up a number of bills, including those that would reverse a number of COVID-19-era policies such as the healthcare worker vaccine mandate, pandemic-era work-from-home for federal agencies, and the public […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of January 23, 2023

The House The House returns this week to take up a number of bills, beginning with a measure to require the Energy Department to craft a plan to increase oil and gas production leases on federal lands before it can continue to tap the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. The Chamber will then proceed to several measures […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of January 9, 2023

The 118th Congress Begins Washington officially has two working branches of Congress after a four-day, 15-ballot marathon where House Republicans elected Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) as the next Speaker of the House. Republicans won a majority in the 2022 midterms, but their narrower-than-expected victory allowed some House Republican holdouts to initially deny McCarthy the gavel […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of December 19, 2022

117th Congress: The Final Countdown Congress returns for its final working week of the year to pass a year-long, roughly $1.7 trillion government funding bill before December 23rd to avert a government shutdown. Lawmakers had passed a short-term extension of last week’s funding deadline to provide more time for negotiations. House and Senate leaders have since agreed […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of December 12, 2022

The House The House is set to take up a number of bills under suspension of the rules, including those that would update federal procurement regulations to better flag conflicts of interests, provide more collective bargaining rights to certain Veterans Health Administration professionals, and establish a nationwide law enforcement de-escalation training program at the DOJ. […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of December 5, 2022

The House The House returns this week to begin the final month of the 117th Congress and plan for the 118th. House Republicans will begin the formal process this week to select next Congress’ committee chairs who will set the tone for the party’s legislative priorities. Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) also announced that he […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of November 28, 2022

117th Congress’ Final Weeks The House and Senate return to DC this week after the Thanksgiving Recess for its final stretch of the 2022 working period. Lawmakers still need to clear must-pass pieces of legislation during that time such as a government funding bill and a national defense authorization, but the impending transfer of power […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of November 21, 2022

Meet the 118th Congress The following provides an overview of the 118th Congress beginning January 2023, including expected leadership structures of House and Senate committees. House Republicans will take control of the Chamber and committees next year, making Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) the next likely Speaker of the House with Rep. Steven Scalise (R-LA) as […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of November 14, 2022

Congress’ Lame Duck Session Begins Lawmakers return to Washington this week for the first time in over a month following the midterm elections where Democrats held their Senate majority. While votes are still being counted and a Georgia Senate runoff is set for December 6th, Congress still has a slammed agenda to grapple with this […]

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Becker Spotlight: Congress’ Post-Midterm To-Do List

Lawmakers return from their midterm election recess on November 14th, at which time they’ll need to pass an omnibus government funding package and the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). They will also likely take up votes on extensions of tax benefits, same-sex marriage, and amendments to the Electoral Count Act. Congress already passed a […]

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IRS Announces Tax Relief for Victims of Hurricane Ian in Florida

September 29, 2022 – Washington, D.C. — Victims of Hurricane Ian that began September 23 in Florida now have until February 15, 2023, to file various individual and business tax returns and make tax payments, the Internal Revenue Service announced today. Following the recent disaster declaration issued by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the IRS […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of September 26, 2022

The Senate Senators return to DC tomorrow to take the lead on passing a stopgap funding bill to avoid a government shutdown this Friday. Lawmakers will hold a procedural vote Tuesday to launch the vehicle containing the continuing resolution (CR) which will last through mid-December and is expected to include $12 billion in aid for […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of September 19, 2022

The House The House is in this week and has yet to release text for a stopgap funding measure to keep the government running past September 30. However, it will take up 26 bills under expedited procedures, including the following: A bill reauthorizing the Peace Corps. A bill creating a Global Telecommunications Strategy commission within […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of September 12, 2022

The House All of D.C. is back in action this week with the House returning to session following its August and Labor Day recesses. House members have been scrambling to put together text for a stopgap spending measure to keep the government running through September 30 to avoid a shutdown. One issue that could derail […]

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Becker’s Washington Weekly: Week of September 5, 2022

The Administration President Biden enters the month of September after signing key pieces of legislation last month, including the Inflation Reduction Act, as well as bills addressing funding for semiconductor chips and veterans’ toxic burn pits. This week, President Biden is holding a cabinet meeting at the White House with Vice President Harris attending. He […]

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