The House and Senate convened this week to kick off the 118th Congress. Republicans control the House after four years of a Democratic majority. House Republicans have a very slim majority, with only 222 seats to the...more
Summertime in Washington- On August 11, the Senate passed the $3.5 trillion budget resolution for the 2021-2022 fiscal year – S. Con. Res. 14, as amended – by a vote of 50 to 49, strictly along party lines, including...more
On August 9, 2021, Senate Democrats released the text of a budget resolution establishing President Biden’s $3.5 trillion economic agenda. The resolution was passed on August 11, 2021 along party lines....more
[co-author: Shelley Castle] Democrats still have a significant number of must-pass bills and priority legislation to consider by the end of the year, with little time left on the congressional calendar to do so. Democratic...more
The Big Picture - Before leaving for its August recess, the Senate made progress on two major Biden Administration priorities by passing bipartisan infrastructure legislation and a fiscal year (FY) 2022 budget resolution....more
Former Congressman Mike Ferguson, leader of BakerHostetler’s Federal Policy team, and former Congressman Heath Shuler, a Senior Advisor on the Federal Policy team host bipartisan leaders from the House and Senate to discuss...more
House committees drafted and passed their portions of the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package that Democrats are preparing to pass through budget reconciliation. The reconciliation process will allow Democrats to pass the...more
Congressional Update. It was another busy week on Capitol Hill. The U.S. Senate was, of course, preoccupied with the historic second impeachment trial of former president Donald Trump. In the U.S. House of Representatives,...more
In Washington: The Senate approved a budget resolution early Friday morning to eventually serve as a vehicle for the next coronavirus relief package. Vice President Harris broke a 50-50 party-line tie vote to pass the...more
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said the House is planning to bring a coronavirus relief bill to a vote the first week of February. On the Senate side, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said he aims to secure passage of the...more
President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris will be inaugurated on Jan. 20, 2021, bringing an ambitious list of legislative priorities to the 117th Congress, including COVID-19 relief and economic...more
This alert provides general background on the budget reconciliation process in Congress and articulates the many rules and restrictions that exist for considering amendments to a reconciliation bill on the Senate floor....more
While the coming 115th Congress and Trump Administration seem to be anything but predictable, there are several known events that will help drive the timing of national, and some regional, policy debates. They should be...more