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Hello, friends. March Madness is officially upon us — who do you have winning it all?
The Senate is in a state of (mostly) inaction as Republicans continue their takeover to pass the SAVE America Act, Utah Sen. Mike Lee’s flagship election bill to establish proof-of-citizenship and voter ID requirements nationwide. The unlimited debate time could go through the weekend, with an eventual vote still unclear in terms of timing.
It’s put a number of other bills on the back burner — but several of those issues face their own challenges as lawmakers in both parties and chambers get stuck in a cycle of infighting and competing priorities.
— Cami Mondeaux
The Big Idea: Why Congress’ biggest fight right now is against itself
Getting major pieces of legislation through Congress in any typical year is no easy feat. But the last year and some change has proven to be exceptionally difficult in a narrowly divided Washington with competing personalities that rise above party and chamber.
There are several bills that have hit snags in recent weeks, delaying key pieces of Republicans’ agenda due to either fighting within their own party, beef between the House and Senate, or even disagreements that transcend party politics.
Let’s dive into some of the biggest fights happening right now.
SAVE America Act. This one is the biggest fight happening right now, and it’s taking up most of the oxygen on Capitol Hill.
Led by Utah Sen. Mike Lee, Senate Republicans have initiated a floor takeover to debate the sweeping election reform bill — raising questions about what else can be voted on or even considered until that’s done. Lee says the process will go as long as it takes until it passes, but its chances are pretty slim.
Sen. Eric Schmitt of Missouri is set to introduce an amendment that would add further restrictions to mail-in ballots that even some Republicans — Sen. John Curtis, R-Utah, included — aren’t on board with yet.
That’s caused speed bumps in the Senate as it could delay votes on other must-pass legislation. But it’s also causing gripes in the lower chamber, where their House colleagues are not happy with the lack of action.
A growing number of House conservatives are threatening not to pass any legislation sent over by the Senate until the SAVE America Act is passed, which so far, hasn’t posed any major problems — but it could down the road thanks to Speaker Mike Johnson’s slim one-vote margin.
“There’s no reason the House should be voting on Senate bills, until the Senate passes the SAVE America Act,” Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, one of more than three dozen Republicans who voted against a Senate-passed bill this week, said in a post on X.
Foreign surveillance. Aka, FISA.
The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act is once again up for renewal, which always brings out divisions on Capitol Hill — and one that isn’t really based on party.
At the center of this debate is Section 702 of this federal law, which essentially allows the U.S. government to collect communications data from non-Americans abroad without needing a warrant. But where it gets tricky is that this can sometimes inadvertently collect U.S. citizens’ data as well — which the FBI can later search without a traditional warrant if needed later on.
So you have two main groups when it comes to the renewal of this law: those who want a clean extension without changes, and those who want to implement major reforms to ban the collection of U.S. data.
Some Republicans are split on the issue, but Democrats are too. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., told reporters on Thursday that the caucus hasn’t decided how it will vote on the underlying bill yet — but did a draw a line that the party would not help Republicans overcome their own intraparty disagreements to secure a final vote.
Housing reform. One of Trump’s major priorities right now, although you wouldn’t know that if you only listened to his remarks over the last week or so.
One of the most bipartisan legislative packages you will see in this Congress passed the Senate earlier this month in an 89-10 vote.
The housing affordability bill would make sweeping changes to implement incentives to build new homes, convert abandoned buildings into housing developments, authorize grants to renovate and modernize existing homes, and more. But the Senate made some changes that the House isn’t happy with — setting up a clash between the chambers.
Some House members are unhappy with language barring institutional investors from owning single-family homes while others are upset about a temporary ban on the Federal Reserve using central bank digital currency, with some wanting that permanent.
The Senate version has support from the White House, but it faces an uncertain path in the House. The stakes: If passed, it would be the first major piece of housing legislation passed by Congress in over 30 years.
And more. Of course, there are other smaller battles being fought in Congress — and others that are taking up a lot of the headlines, too. That includes funding for the Department of Homeland Security, an issue so big I’ll get into it more down below.
— Cami Mondeaux
Stories driving the week
- Talks on ICE: Congressional Democrats sent their latest counteroffer to reopen the Department of Homeland Security, breaking their silence after stalling for 18 days amid negotiations with the White House. This is what’s on the table.
- Republican takeover: After months of Republican infighting and tense debate about congressional procedure, the Senate is moving forward with unlimited debate on the SAVE America Act, the sweeping election reform bill being pushed by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and the president’s top allies in Congress.
- Paging Mr. Secretary: Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., overcame his first major obstacle to become the next secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, with a final vote on his nomination slated for sometime next week.
DHS shutdown poised to enter sixth week
The Department of Homeland Security is poised to enter its sixth week, raising concerns about the state of airline travel and other agencies where employees are going without paychecks.
Talks appeared to pick up near the end of this week when Trump administration border czar Tom Homan met with top Republicans and Democrats in the Senate, showing potential signs of a deal nearing. Days earlier, Democrats exchanged their latest offer of proposals to reform Immigration and Customs Enforcement, prompting pushback from Republicans.
Instead, the White House sent a letter to Senate Republicans detailing the concessions they have already made — marking the first time either side has shared details of the negotiations. But Democrats still say it doesn’t go far enough, even with Sen. Mullin, who may be the next DHS secretary, committing to more of their demands.
Not included in the White House letter is any agreement to require judicial warrants in order to carry out arrests, which Mullin said during his confirmation hearing would be something they’d enforce. But Democrats want that in writing — otherwise, Republicans can walk, they say.
“They should put that into a bill in order to enact a law,” Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, said on Wednesday. “If they are in favor of these changes in policy, I just ask you why they wouldn’t want to enshrine that into statutory law.”
The top House Democrat said the same thing.
“We’ll need more than a simple statement at a confirmation hearing,” Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said. “We need that ironclad built into the law.”
But with the shutdown dragging on, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said it could lead to a cancellation of the upcoming two-week Easter recess.
“It needs to get resolved by the end of next week,” Thune said on Thursday. “I can’t see us taking a break if the government’s still shut down.”
— Cami Mondeaux
Quick hits
From the Hill: Sen. Curtis warns ICE facility in Salt Lake City without local input is ‘shortsighted’ and ‘counterproductive’ … Sen. Lee says Utah could ‘adjust’ to proposed law restricting mail-in voting. … DNC chair says Utah could help Democrats win House majority.
From the White House: Fed leaves interest rates unchanged. … Trump has plans for Cuba, here’s what to know. … White House chief of staff Susie Wiles diagnosed with early stage breast cancer.
From the courts: Utah manager fired over pronoun dispute reaches ‘favorable settlement’ … Utah asks federal court to throw out DOJ’s lawsuit seeking private voter information.
What’s next
The Senate is expected to stay in session throughout the weekend, as Leader Thune hints at amendment votes on the SAVE America Act and a possible vote to confirm Mullin as the next DHS secretary. The House is out until Tuesday.
As always, feel free to reach out to me by email with story ideas or questions you have for lawmakers. And follow me on X for breaking news and timely developments from the Hill.