119th Congress
119th Congress: Convened on 1/3/2025 and will end 1/3/2027.
Federal Funding Set to Expire at Midnight with No Solution in Sight
As previously reported by COSSA, federal funding for fiscal year (FY) 2025 is set to expire tonight at midnight. It has been a tumultuous few weeks, with House Republicans passing a continuing resolution (CR) which, if enacted, would extend funding to November 21. The bill later failed in the Senate by 44-48 vote with Democrats and Republican Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) voting against it. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) was the only Democrat to vote for the House-passed CR. Late last week, House and Senate Democrats put forward their own stopgap bill that would extend funding to October 31 with additional funding…
Latest from the White House (September 30)
Potential Government Shutdown is Taken to New Levels All eyes are on Congress this week as lawmakers face a potential government shut down starting October 1 (see related article). Government shutdowns, depending on how long they last, can be incredibly disruptive and damaging to federal agencies, programs, and workers, not to mention Americans who rely on them. Last week, the White House threatened to impose additional pain on the federal workforce if Congress is unable to agree to a temporary funding measure. In a recent email to agency heads obtained by Politico, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has directed…
COSSA Releases Analysis of House LHHS Bill; Congress Considers Short-Term CR as End of Fiscal Year Approaches
As the appropriations deadline rapidly approaches on September 30, both chambers of Congress remain far from completing their twelve annual spending bills. While individual appropriations bills continue to inch forward (see related article), attention in Congress has turned to drafting a continuing resolution (CR) to prevent a government shutdown in two weeks. Earlier today, the House Republicans released the Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2026, which, if enacted, would extend funding to November 21 to allow lawmakers additional time to finalize the fiscal year (FY) 2026 appropriations bills. In their release, Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) also included a section-by-section explainer on the proposed…
Congress Returns from August Recess; House to Consider LHHS Bill
Congress has returned from their August recess prepared to tackle appropriations as the end of the fiscal year (FY) rapidly approaches. As previously reported by COSSA, both the House and the Senate have released their Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS) Appropriations bills but only the Senate has released their Labor, Health and Human Services, Education (LHHS) bill before leaving for the break (see COSSAās analyses here). While itās unlikely theyāll manage to finalize any of their bills before the end of the fiscal year on September 30, the House LHHS Appropriations subcommittee plans to mark up their version of the LHHS bill later…
Senate Releases Spending Bills, Republican Senators Push Back Against NIH Funding Delays
Before departing for August Recess, the Senate advanced several bills through the Appropriations Committee, including the Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS) bill, and Labor, Health and Human Services, Education (LHHS) bill (previous COSSA coverage). Both the Senate CJS and LHHS bills included relatively flat funding levels, rejecting the draconian cuts proposed by the Trump Administration earlier this year (see COSSAās analysis). Notably, on July 31, the Senate Appropriations Committee held a mark-up for the LHHS bill in which several amendments were offered, including Senator Dick Durbinās (D-IL) call for the Trump Administration to restore all grants that had been terminated. The…
House and Senate Advance CJS Bills; Congress Claws Back FY 2025 Funding
Over the last few weeks, the House and Senate Appropriations Committees released and began consideration of their fiscal year (FY) 2026 appropriations bills, including the Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS) bills, which funds the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institute of Justice (NIJ), Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), and the U.S. Census Bureau. On July 10, the Senate made their first attempt to advance the CJS bill through the Appropriations Committee, only to call for an extended recess following arguments over the relocation of the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) headquarters and other provisions. The following week, on July 17,…
Trump Signs Reconciliation Bill into Law; Senate to Mark-Up CJS Bill
On July 4, President Trump signed into law theĀ One Big Beautiful Bill ActĀ (H.R. 1). The bill, which has been hotly debated because of provisions pertaining to cuts to Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), reallocates resources in order to pay for permanent tax cuts and increase funding for border security activities. The new law also includes several provisions of importance to the research community (see previous COSSA coverage). This includes a new cap on graduate students loans ($100,000) and professional student loans ($200,000); a termination of student loan repayment plans; and an increase of the university endowment tax…
House Republicans Delay Markups; Reconciliation Subject to āByrd Bathā
As previously reported, the fiscal year (FY) 2026 appropriations process is well underway with the House reviewing multiple bills, most recently the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies bill; the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies bill; the Homeland Security bill; the Defense bill, and the Legislative Branch bill. The House has also released subcommittee allocationsāor topline funding levelsāfor the bills already drafted. The other subcommittees have yet to receive their allocations, including the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS) and Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS) subcommittees. On June 18, the House Appropriations committee announced a delay in…
House Passes Reconciliation Package; Senate Considering Changes
On May 22, the House of Representatives passed their reconciliation package, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R.1), in a 215-214 vote. The bill included sweeping cuts to Medicaid and Medicare, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and other welfare programs to pay for President Trumpās new tax plan as well as additional funding for immigration enforcement and border security. As previously reported by COSSA, the budget reconciliation process has been controversial, even among Republican members of Congress. Representatives Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Warren Davidson (R-OH) were the only two Republicans to vote against the ābig, beautiful bill.ā Representative Andy Harris (R-MD) voted…
Congress Hosts HHS Secretary Kennedy for FY 2026 Budget Hearings
As the fiscal year (FY) 2026 appropriations process gets underway, Congress invited Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), to defend the agencyās budget request in both chambers (see previous COSSA coverage). On May 14, the House Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS) Appropriations Subcommittee and the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee held separate hearings while the Senate LHHS Appropriations Subcommittee held their respective hearing on May 20. In both chambers, Congress raised concerns over FY 2025, questioning Secretary Kennedy on whether the agency is withholding funding that has been appropriated by Congress, which…
Senators, Science Leaders Discuss NSF Cuts
Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) hosted a press event on May 20 to discuss the impacts Trump Administration actions are having on the U.S. scientific enterprise and, in particular, the National Science Foundation (NSF). Sen. Cantwell serves as Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, which has oversight over the NSF. In her opening remarks, Cantwell noted that at the time of the event, the Administration has terminated 1,530 research grants totaling more than $1 billion. In addition, the President is seeking a 55 percent cut to NSF in the fiscal year (FY) 2026 budget….
Virginia Rep. Gerry Connolly Passes Away
Longtime Northern Virginia Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) passed away on May 21 after a battle with esophageal cancer; Connolly announced his cancer diagnosis in November. First elected to the House of Representatives in 2008, Rep. Connolly had been a vocal advocate for the federal workforce, many of whom reside in his suburban DC district. His website includes resources for federal employees who have been affected by Trump Administration actions. Connolly has also been a longtime advocate for mental health. Rep. Connolly introduced the Esophageal Cancer Awareness Act on May 20 prior to his passing.
Congress To Mark-Up Key Reconciliation Bills
As previously reported by COSSA, Congress is in the process of drafting budget reconciliation bills for one ābig, beautiful billā to extend the Trump Administrationās tax breaks. Late last week, the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee released their draft bills and are scheduled to mark them up this week. The House Agriculture Committee is also scheduled to mark up their bill. House Republicans are hoping to pass their bills before Memorial Day and expecting to pass the final bill before the month-long August recess. However, the House Energy and Commerce bill will be…
Senate Appropriators Hold Hearing on Biomedical Research: Keeping Americaās Edge in Innovation
On April 30, Senate Appropriators held a bipartisan hearing on Biomedical Research: Keeping Americaās Edge in Innovation where they invited several witnesses from the scientific community, including Dr. Sudip Parikh, Chief Executive Officer of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Dr. Hermann Haller, President of the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory, Dr. Cartier Esham, Executive Director of the Alliance for a Stronger Food and Drug Administration, Dr. Barry Paul Sleckman, Director of the University of Alabama at Birmingham OāNeal Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Emily Stenson, a patient advocate. During the hearing, several members of the committee across the aisle…
Congress Returns from Recess; Begins Drafting Reconciliation Bills
After a two-week recess, Congress has returned to Capitol Hill determined to make progress on reconciliation legislation with an eye toward enacting one ābig, beautiful billā to extend the Trump Administrationās tax breaks.Ā As previously reported by COSSA, Congress passed a reconciliation blueprint through the House and Senate in March. The blueprint directs Congressional committees to identify cuts to agencies and programs under their jurisdiction and, over the past weekend, the House Homeland Security Committee (HHSC) and House Armed Services Committee (HASC) released their draft bills. In these bills,Ā $69 billion would be allocated to border securityĀ andĀ $150 billion to defense priorities. More…
Leaked HHS Passback Budget Includes NIH Reorganization, Cuts to Health Agencies
On April 10, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) passback budget was leaked to the public. A passback budget is a preliminary proposal in which Federal Agencies and the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) negotiate discretionary funding and legislative priorities for inclusion in the Presidential Budget Request (PBR). It should not be considered the final version to be included in the PBR when it is released. Notable provisions within the leaked passback: The Presidential Budget Request (PBR) is rumored to be released in May with the possibility of a skinny budget sooner. Stay tuned to COSSAās continued coverage on…
House and Senate Pass Budget Resolution Blueprint
Earlier this month, the Senate passed a budget resolution in a 51-48 vote after an all-night voting marathon, inching closer to enacting President Trumpās priorities around tax breaks (see previous coverage). Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY), who cited concerns of increasing the deficit, and Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Susan Collins (R-ME), who rejected the proposed cuts to Medicaid, were the only Republicans to vote against the resolution. On April 10, the Senateās blueprint passed through the House in a 216 to 214 vote after Sen. Thune agreed to adhere to the Houseās $1.5 trillion in budget cuts to pacify fiscal hawks in the…
Budget Reconciliation Takes Center Stage; Members of Congress Push Back on Executive Actions
With the fiscal year (FY) 2025 process (mostly) in the rearview mirror following the passage of a full-year continuing resolution (CR) earlier this month, Congress is returning its attention to passing a budget resolution to enact some of the Trump Administrationās top priorities (see previous COSSA coverage). As previously reported by COSSA, the House passed their budget resolution in February that included a permanent extension of the Trump 2017 tax cuts and $1.5 trillion in cuts to non-defense discretionary spending. In order to unlock the reconciliation processāwhich would allow the tax cuts and spending reductions to pass by a simple majority…
Senators Baldwin and Welch Host Town Hall on Cuts to Cancer and Alzheimerās Disease Cures
On March 26, Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Peter Welch (D-VT) hosted a Congressional townhall on Trump and Muskās Cuts to Cancer and Alzheimerās Disease Cures. The event was held in response to efforts by the Administration to cut funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including major reductions in the NIH workforce. The town hall featured remarks from former NIH Director Dr. Monica Bertagnolli; Dr. Sterling Johnson, University of Wisconsin-Madison Professor and Associate Director of Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center; Dr. Whitney Wharton, Emory University Associate Professor and Alzheimerās Disease researcher; Dr. Larry Saltzman, former Executive Research Director for…
Congress Pushes to Enact Final CR as Trump Administration Delivers List of Funding Anomalies
Congress is facing a March 14 deadline for finalizing the fiscal year (FY) 2025 appropriations bill, which is when a continuing resolution (CR) expires. In recent days, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) directed appropriators to prepare a final stopgap spending bill to keep the federal government operating through the end of the fiscal year (September 30). The Trump Administration has delivered a list of āanomalies,ā or changes, they would like to see in the final FY 2025 spending bill. This includes increased funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), veteransā affairs, defense accounts,…