This month, the 118th Congress convened in Washington, D.C., ushering in a return to divided government. Republicans now hold a narrow majority in the House of Representatives, while Democrats have retained their slim Senate majority. With few opportunities for bipartisan compromise, the 118th Congress is expected to engage in more frequent, less robust, and more … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House Hearing Examines Enforcement of US Immigration Law On Tuesday, March 28, the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security held a hearing titled “Restoring Enforcement of our Nation’s Immigration Laws” that featured the following witnesses: The Honorable Thomas Hodgson, Sheriff, Bristol County, Massachusetts; Jessica Vaughn, Director of Policy Studies, Center for … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Lawmaker Predicts Bigger Pentagon Budget, Chance of BRAC Round Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC), believes that Congress will ultimately agree to fund the Department of Defense above the $603 billion requested by President Donald Trump for FY 2018, but not as high as some Republican … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity McCaul Unveils Counterterrorism Strategy, Including TSA Overhaul On Tuesday, September 20, House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) unveiled a counterterrorism strategy containing over 100 policy prescriptions and principles designed to combat the rise of global terrorism. The 35-page document, “A National Strategy to Win the War Against Islamist Terror,” follows on … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House Republicans Unveil Counterterrorism Legislation On Friday, July 1, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) introduced H.R. 5611, the Homeland Safety and Security Act, in response to the mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando and other recent acts of terror around the world. The bill would amend the Homeland Security Act … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Coming Soon: The GOP’s Tax Reform “Blueprint” With House Republicans expected to roll out their comprehensive tax “blueprint” this month – and lawmakers set to leave Washington on Friday, June 24 – it is likely that we will see the proposal released this week. It is quite possible, however, that the final product may … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Senate Panel Examines EB-5 Targeted Employment Areas On Wednesday, April 13, 2016, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing titled “The Distortion of EB-5 Targeted Employment Areas: Time to End the Abuse.” The EB-5 program is designed to bolster the U.S. economy by incentivizing investment from foreigners in exchange for legal permanent residence. … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House Passes Bill Preventing Broadband Rate Regulation On April 15, the House of Representatives (House) passed H.R.2666, the No Rate Regulation of Broadband Internet Access Act by a vote of 241-173. The bill’s main provision states that “the Federal Communications Commission may not regulate the rates charged for broadband Internet access service.” The … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Senate Judiciary Committee Confirms Hearing on EB-5 Target Employment Areas The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold its second hearing of the year examining the EB-5 Regional Center Program. This program is designed to bolster the U.S. economy by incentivizing investment from foreigners in exchange for legal permanent residence. The FY 2016 omnibus appropriations measure … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Democratic Senators Express Concern over Charter-Time Warner Merger On February 25, five senators, including Sens. Edward Markey (D-MA), Al Franken (D-MN), Bernie Sanders (D-VT), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), wrote a letter to Attorney General Loretta Lynch and Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Tom Wheeler expressing “significant concern” regarding the high-profile … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Senior Senate Democrat Criticizes Cuts to State/Local Homeland Security Program Shortly after President Obama unveiled his FY 2017 budget request, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) highlighted significant cuts proposed to the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI). UASI funds provide state and local authorities with financial assistance for the prevention, mitigation, response to, and recovery from … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Senate Panel to Consider Changes to Investment Visa Program This week, the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing to consider changes to the EB-5 Regional Center Program. This program is designed to bolster the U.S. economy by incentivizing investment by foreign individuals. So-called “regional centers” pool EB-5 funds for investment in projects. In … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Congress Reacts to President Obama’s Gun Control Proposals Shortly before departing Washington for the holidays, President Obama pledged a focus on gun safety in 2016, suggesting he may even act through his own Executive authority. Last week, the White House unveiled a series of such gun control plans aimed at tightening existing laws. … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Sen. Thune Introduces Bill Regarding Spectrum Auction Deposits On November 19, Sen. John Thune (R-SD), Chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee (Senate Commerce Committee), introduced S.2319, a bill that reduces some of the administrative burden associated with the handling of auction deposits. Specifically, the bill would require spectrum auction deposits … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Lawmakers React to Paris Attacks The world reacted with sorrow and outrage following a series of attacks across Paris on Friday, November 13. While the French continued to mourn the scores lost, the Hollande government stepped up airstrikes in Syria against ISIL, which claimed responsibility for the attacks. Lawmakers quickly began to into … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House Panel to Consider Port Security This week, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation will hold a hearing on “The Prevention of and Response to the Arrival of a Dirty Bomb at a U.S. Port.” In a memo accompanying the hearing announcement, the Subcommittee staff explained that … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House to Consider Homeland Security Legislation On Tuesday, October 20, the House of Representatives will consider several bills related to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including: H.R. 3572, the DHS Headquarters Reform and Improvement Act of 2015, which would reorganize DHS functions and update the agency’s acquisitions procedures; H.R. 3350, the … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity U.S. Secret Service Allegedly Released Information on Congressional Leader This week, allegations surfaced that the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) had leaked sensitive information on Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) just as the Congressman had been investigating the agency. An Inspector General’s report found that senior USSS officials released information on the head of the … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House Appropriations Panel Approves Homeland Security Spending Bill, Scrutinizes “Sanctuary City” Policies This week, the House Appropriations Committee approved its FY 2016 spending bill funding homeland security programs. The measure provides $39.3 billion in discretionary funding for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), $337 million below the amount enacted for FY 2015 … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House Appropriations Panel to Consider Homeland Security Measure This Tuesday, the House Appropriations Committee will meet to consider its draft FY 2016 bill funding homeland security programs. The Subcommittee on Homeland Security unanimously approved the measure, which provides $39.3 billion in discretionary funding, on Thursday, July 9. Though the subcommittee vote was unanimous, … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Immigration Provision Removed from House Defense Bill On Friday, the House passed H.R. 1735, the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2016, by a vote of 269 in favor and 151 against. During floor debate, the chamber narrowly approved an amendment proposed by Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) stripping language from H.R. 1735 that would … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity House Members Introduce Rural Call Completion Joint Resolution On April 29, Reps. Bob Latta (R-OH) and Peter Welch (D-VT) introduced H. Res. 234, a bipartisan resolution outlining the steps that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) should take to improve telephone service in rural areas and ensure completion of calls. The resolution asks the … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity DHS FY 2016 Appropriations Continues Debate Over Immigration and U.S. Secret Service Challenges FY 2016 funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) could restart debate on Capitol Hill regarding the President’s executive actions on immigration, the very same fight that almost derailed FY 2015 funding for the agency earlier this year. While … Continue Reading
Legislative Activity Appropriations Season About to Begin Congress returns from a two-week recess this week, with work on twelve appropriations bills set to begin very soon. Last week, House Appropriations Chairman Harold Rogers (R-KY) announced vice chairmen for each of the panel’s subcommittees. Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ), chair of the Defense Subcommittee, will also serve … Continue Reading
