Lawmakers return to Capitol Hill this week facing an uphill climb to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as Republicans see an opening after President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address at 9:00 PM EST tonight- despite few signs that Democrats are willing to compromise on their demands. Discussions between the two sides have yielded little in recent days, with the White House not issuing a formal counteroffer as of Sunday, after Democrats presented what GOP sources described as a “recycled” proposal last week. The gap to bridge for a deal to come together is sizable, however, especially given the unity on the Democratic side with Democrats demanding a list of reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as a condition to reopen the DHS.
President Trump’s speech tonight appears to be the first State of the Union address to take place during a government shutdown, partial or otherwise, and the speech comes less than a week after President Trump suffered a major defeat at the Supreme Court over a tariff policy that has been the cornerstone of his second term. It also comes as President Trump faces poor marks from voters on his handling of the economy. The White House has said the President plans to talk about “affordability” in his prime-time speech as the reworked global tariffs began today at a rate of 10%. President Trump will highlight “the stories of great American heroes who exemplify bravery and the spirit of 1776”, referring to the upcoming 250th celebration of the nation’s founding. The White House has also said that President Trump would “tout his administration’s record-setting amazing accomplishments over the past year, while laying out an ambitious agenda to continue making the American dream more attainable and affordable for working class people across the country.”
For today, the Senate has reconvened and at 5:00 P.M. will take up a Motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to Cal. #311, H.R.7147– Making further consolidated appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2026.
The House will consider both the Rule for and H.R. 4626 – Home Appliance Protection and Affordability Act and will take up two Postponed Suspensions H.R. 6329 – Information Quality Assurance Act and S. 2503 – ROTOR Act.
The House just narrowly voted down the aviation safety bill meant to address gaps discovered after the deadly January 2025 crash between an Army helicopter and an American Airlines flight over Washington, D.C., but not before some GOP infighting. The House voted against the Rotorcraft Operations Transparency and Oversight Reform (ROTOR) Act 264 to 133 under a fast-track procedure typically meant for uncontroversial legislation, which requires a two-thirds majority. Meant to address helicopter safety issues, ROTOR would require most planes to install and use an advanced location-receiving technology known as Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast, or ADS-B. Military aircraft also would be required to have ADS-B turned on for routine training flights but not on sensitive missions. The ADS-B was found to have been turned off on the Army helicopter when it collided with the jet which the government has already taken responsibility for.
Adam S. Olsen, Washington, D.C.
