Legislative Calls to Action -- Jul 29, 2026

The House is on its August recess and the Senate is scheduled to recess at the end of next week.

Fiscal Year 2027 Appropriations Bill

(Top priority the next two weeks for the Senate)

The House, last Wednesday, passed an appropriations bill funding the State Department, national security and other programs for fiscal year 2027, sending the measure to the Senate for consideration.

The lower chamber voted 217-209 to pass the measure, with one Democrat crossing the aisle to support the bill and one Republican voting against it.

As part of an effort to appease hard-line conservatives, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act will be merged with the State Department funding bill before it’s sent to the Senate, in a legislative procedure known as MIRVing. 

The SAVE America Act would require proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections and the presentation of an ID to cast a ballot. The Senate is expected to strip the SAVE America Act out of the funding bill, though. (The Hill) House passes State Department funding bill for fiscal year 2027

The plan faces major hurdles in the upper chamber, where the SAVE America Act has been stuck for months and lacks even a simple majority of support. It's also unclear whether the voting regulation provisions — such as requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote and a photo ID to cast a ballot — will survive the Senate's rules governing the reconciliation process, which prohibit the inclusion of non-budgetary policies. Funding for the Iran war could also run into pushback. A handful of GOP senators have voted in recent months to rein in Mr. Trump on Iran as the war continues without congressional authorization. 

The plan also does not include provisions to offset spending increases, which frustrated some conservatives in the House. (CBS) House GOP advances $95 billion plan to fund Iran war and SAVE America Act - CBS News

National Defense Authorization Act 

 The National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, is an important piece of legislation passed each year to authorize annual spending levels for the Department of Defense. The NDAA may also include provisions related to other Federal agencies.

One of these provisions, the Sable Offshore land-seizure rider, or the Hunt Amendment,  would let the Pentagon seize California state parkland for a pipeline company that's currently facing criminal charges. This has nothing to do with national defense and shouldn't be in the NDAA. 

Another provision is the Israel/US military partnership—Section 219 in the House.

Finally, the amount being requested for the DOD is 1.15 trillion. This is an insane and unacceptable amount. Please contact your congressmember and ask them to strip these provisions  from the NDAA in conference. (Jess Craven; Punchbowl News.)

Stock Trading

Restriction Bill  H.R. 7008 (another sneaky attempt to get the SAVE Act passed)

The U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 7008, the Stop Insider Trading Act, key elements of which include banning new stock purchases by lawmakers and adding a federal voter ID requirement. The bill passed on July 22, 2026, by a 232-to-198 vote and faces an uncertain future in the Senate.

The Stop Insider Trading Act purportedly seeks to address widespread concerns around congressional stock trading. Yet, it would not actually ban lawmakers from trading stocks or stop members from unduly profiting from their official positions. It also contains exceptions that regrettably swallow the few new rules it does try to enact. As a whole, this bill fails to solve the core ethical problems that have eroded confidence in Congress for years. Meanwhile, the Voter ID Act — which mostly mirrors a section of the deeply unpopular SAVE Act — aims to impose onerous new requirements on voting. Campaign Legal Center Letter Opposing the Stop Insider Trading Act and the Voter ID Act | Campaign Legal Center

The Clarity Act

The CLARITY Act would not adequately regulate the cryptocurrency industry; it would codify loopholes that jeopardize U.S. national security today and hamper enforcement efforts in the future. CLARITY Act Risks Rewarding Illicit Financing Bad Actors and Harming U.S. National Security - Center for American Progress

Combating Organized Retail Crime Act -H.R. 2853

This bill expands federal enforcement of criminal offenses related to organized retail and supply chain crime. The term organized retail and supply chain crime includes criminal offenses involving the interstate transportation of stolen property, the sale or receipt of stolen goods, or theft from an interstate or foreign shipment that is committed by, in coordination with, or at the instruction of an organization.

Concerns raised about this act include those made by  Vera Action: “The legislation purports to address real concerns about organized theft, but in actuality, it’s a Trojan horse bill that would dramatically expand DHS power by providing them with more people’s data and entangling them in local law enforcement. Americans have made it clear that they want more restraint and accountability for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after tragic chaos erupted across the country. CORCA becoming law would be a major step back for those efforts.” Vera Action Responds to Passage of “Trojan Horse” DHS Bill in Congress with Democrat Support - Vera Action

But others support this legislation such as David Johnston from the National Retail Federation in his Op-Ed to The Hill: Combating Organized Retail Crime Act

Contact your Senator: U.S. Senate: Contacting U.S. Senators