Congressional Update
Senate Pushes Forward, House Heads to Recess
While the Senate keeps the lights on, working through legislative priorities and nominations, the House of Representatives left Washington early for its August recess, deferring several FY 2026 appropriations bills to September. This week, Senate Appropriators advanced two key funding bills-Interior-Environment and Transportation-Housing and Urban Development-during Thursday’s committee markups. The Senate’s fiscal 2026 funding bill for transportation programs pushes the Department of Transportation to issue guidance no later than 30 days after the bill is enacted for a $5 billion electric vehicle charger program that the Trump administration suspended earlier this year. The DOT must then publish final guidance no more than four months after the bill becomes law.
The Senate also cleared a procedural hurdle for the Military Construction-VA appropriations bill with a strong 90-8 vote, planning to use it as a “minibus” to bundle additional spending measures before final passage. Meanwhile, House Appropriators approved the National Security-State Department spending bill on Wednesday but postponed other critical markups until September. With a September 30 deadline looming, Congress must act swiftly to pass annual spending bills or a short-term continuing resolution to avoid a government shutdown.
Trump Administration & EPA: Bold Moves Ahead
As Congress recesses, the Trump Administration is charging forward with its policy agenda. On Wednesday, the Senate confirmed Aaron Szabo as Assistant Administrator of the EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation in a party-line vote. Szabo will now lead critical policies on transportation emissions, air quality, and permitting. In a major policy shift, the EPA is set to argue that federal law does not mandate regulating greenhouse gas emissions, potentially limiting federal climate authority. This move, likely to spark legal challenges under the 2007 Massachusetts v. EPA Supreme Court ruling, could reshape environmental policy.
