Legislative Calls to Action -- Jul 15, 2026

5 days ago
4 min read

NDAA in the House

The focus this week for the House of Representatives is H.R. 8595, the National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act for 2027 — one of the annual spending bills for fiscal year 2027, which starts October 1.

This bill currently contains Section 1217, which would inextricably tie our military to Israel’s for years into the future. (Jess Craven, Chop Wood/Carry Water).

You can also send a letter to your Senators asking them to block Section 1217 in the NDAA by clicking here and not including any version of the SAVE America Act. (The voter suppression bill)

Reconciliation 3.0

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Sunday said the House will attempt to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE America) Act “one more time” through the budget reconciliation bill. (The Hill - https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5954031-save-america-act-house-vote-2/) House GOP to unveil 3rd reconciliation bill plan this week

More about the in-fighting with this Reconciliation Bill from Punchbowl News:

Reconciliation 3.0. Republicans are under tremendous pressure from the White House to pass a reconciliation bill. Depending on who you ask, the president and administration officials want somewhere between $67 billion and $350 billion in additional Pentagon funds. The lower figure is far more realistic.

Plus, the SAVE America Act, which Trump has been pushing for months , may have a home in a reconciliation bill.

But the GOP leadership has a very narrow path to getting a budget resolution through the House.

First, top Republicans seem to have no plans to offset the tens of billions of dollars in new defense spending. That could run into opposition from fiscal hawks.

“We’ve gotta pay for everything,” insisted Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), who is on the Budget Committee. Roy added, however, that Republicans need to find a way to pass legislation given staunch Democratic opposition in the Senate.

Yet not pushing spending cuts is a nod to moderate Republicans, many of whom were unhappy about voting for more budget reductions in the lead-up to the election.

If the Senate does take the reconciliation package, some House Republicans are concerned that Senate Republicans would add additional spending or water down any House-crafted voter ID and citizenship language in the SAVE America Act. The Senate is limited by strict rules about what can go into a reconciliation bill.

Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), a member of the Budget Committee, said he needs the SAVE America Act “in its entirety” in reconciliation in order to support it.

Many in the GOP leadership in both chambers say that won’t be possible.

With all that’s at stake, the administration is blitzing Hill Republicans in an effort to build support for the package. The Pentagon will host a classified briefing Tuesday evening for House Republicans on the need for additional funds. OMB Director Russ Vought met with the House Freedom Caucus Monday.

From a timing perspective, Arrington, the GOP leadership and the White House are hoping that the House can pass a budget resolution before the August recess, which begins at the end of next week. The Wednesday markup they initially envisioned seems to be slipping. Republicans needed to have agreed on the legislative text by midnight last night to make that deadline.

The budget resolution also needs to go to the Senate, where there hasn’t been real interest in another party-line reconciliation bill. Senate Majority Leader John Thune is as skeptical as ever of reconciliation 3.0, saying Monday it will be a “heavy lift,” “really challenging” and involve a “bumpy” path to getting the votes in his chamber

Day Light Savings

HR 139 The House plans to consider legislation to make daylight saving time year-round and to direct the Treasury Secretary to stop minting pennies while keeping the coin as legal tender. The daylight saving measure is H.R. 139, the Sunshine Protection Act of 2025, which the House Rules Committee is meeting to prepare for floor action.

Confirmation Hearings

The Senate is busy with confirmation hearings this week. The headliner is Todd Blanche, the acting Attorney General and former deputy AG, whose nomination to be Attorney General gets a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The Intelligence Committee is examining Walter Clayton's nomination to be Director of National Intelligence. Armed Services is vetting several Defense Department nominees, including a nominee for Director of the National Reconnaissance Office, and the Finance Committee is considering International Trade Commission nominees.

Also expected this week are hearings for Erica Schwartz for CDC director — a physician and former deputy surgeon general viewed as a more traditional pick — and Keith Sonderling for Labor Secretary, whose nomination was formally sent to the Senate on July 13, plus hearings for a new TSA administrator and Treasury Department positions. (Congress.gov)

Companies Keeping Their DEI Commitments

Indiana Laws in Effect as of Jul 1

Homeless camping ban
‘Bell-to-bell’ ban for cellphones in schools
Federal immigration cooperation
National Guard military police force
Public record
Sweepstake Games ban
Doxing