Last week, three key House Committees were able to mark up and move forward their portions of the reconciliation bill. Each bill moved through the relevant committee on a party-line vote, with no amendments to the text; although many amendments were introduced by members of the minority party, each one was voted down. Ways and
Congress continues to move forward with the budget reconciliation process, with multiple House committees marking up their versions of the bill last week. As a reminder, both the House and the Senate have passed identical budget resolutions, but the instructions for the House and the Senate are very different, with the House receiving instructions to
On Friday, May 2, 2025, the President released what is known as the “skinny budget” – a high level overview of the FY 2026 Budget Request. The table included with the requests outlines top numbers for departments and groups together changes in funding and policy, with little detail available. It’s worth noting that the President
On April 16th, 2025, the press reported that the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is planning to propose massive cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) budget in the President’s FY 2026 Budget Request, according to a leaked draft. The document, called a “passback,” has not been finalized and
In the early hours of December 21, 2024, the Senate wrapped up the 118th Congress by passing a Continuing Resolution (CR) to fund the government until March 14th, extending the Appropriations deadline into the new Congress. The Senate passed several House-passed bills in their wrap-up session, including the Supporting America’s Children and Families Act, which
The 119th Congress officially began on January 3, 2025, when Vice President Harris certified the election results and the new members of Congress were sworn in. There are several major funding negotiations to come over the next six months, from Appropriations to reconciliation to the debt ceiling, and the Majority party has laid out a
On Wednesday, June 12, 2024, the Senate Finance Committee held a hearing, “Youth Residential Treatment Facilities: Examining Failures and Evaluating Solutions.” Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR) opened the hearing by announcing the publication of a report, Warehouses of Neglect: How Taxpayers are Funding Systemic Abuse in Youth Residential Treatment Facilities. The Senate Finance Committee and Senate
On June 12, 2024, the Senate Judiciary Committee convened for a hearing on combatting the youth vaping epidemic by enhancing enforcement against illegal e-cigarettes. Committee Chair, Senator Dick Durbin (D- IL), noted an alarming level of youth using e-cigarettes and the failure of federal agencies to protect children from the addiction associated with use. A
The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) hosted a hearing on June 12, 2024, titled “The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act: Supporting Efforts to Meet the Needs of Youth, Workers, and Employers” to discuss the reauthorization of The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). The opening statement provided by Chair Bernie Sanders
A briefing hosted by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine focused on the report on Reducing Intergenerational Poverty, as well as the evidence-based policies and programs to address racial disparities. The presence of racial disparities in the intergenerational persistence of low-income status was highlighted with key statistics. 46% of Native Americans and 37%
