Both the House and Senate are in session this week.
Over the weekend, President-elect Donald Trump met with several groups of House Republicans to discuss strategy to enact Republican priorities this Congress, including through the reconciliation process. Republicans continue to debate whether to include all priorities in a single legislative package or begin by passing a standalone border security bill through reconciliation before turning to other legislative priorities, including tax policy.
At the moment, House Republicans only have a four-seat majority, which could complicate efforts to build unification on certain policies within any comprehensive package. Their majority will shrink to just two if Reps. Mike Walz (R-FL) and Elise Stefanik (R-NY) are confirmed to their cabinet positions. This dynamic will certainly continue to dominate strategy decision-making in the coming weeks on Capitol Hill.
The Senate will begin the confirmation hearing process this week for numerous cabinet nominees:
The upper chamber will also continue considering House-passed legislation (S. 5) to require the Department of Homeland Security to detain people who are in the country illegally and charged with or arrested for theft. Several Senate Democrats have indicated they intend to support the bill if it comes to a final floor vote.
Additionally, the House will consider legislation that would make noncitizens who commit sex offenses, domestic violence, and related crimes inadmissible to, and deportable from, the United States (H.R. 30); a bill that would require participation in women’s athletic programs in schools under Title IX to be based solely on an individual’s sex assigned at birth (H.R. 28); and a measure that would amend the tax code to reduce double taxation for individuals and businesses in the United States and Taiwan (H.R. 33).
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