Federal Advocacy Update, December 8, 2025
House and Senate Action
House
The House returns on Tuesday afternoon with 25 bills scheduled for consideration under the suspension calendar, including legislation (H.R. 3857) that would reauthorize the Snow Water Supply Forecast program. The bill would expand the use of modern technologies – including LiDAR and satellite imagery – to improve snowpack modeling and provide water managers with more accurate data for drought planning.
Later in the week, the House is expected to turn to the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a must-pass measure that sets policy and authorizes funding for the Department of Defense and related programs.
The full schedule is available here.
Senate
This week, the Senate is expected to vote on a Democratic proposal to extend the Affordable Care Act premium tax subsidies for an additional three years. The vote was part of the agreement that ended the 43-day federal government shutdown, but the measure is not expected to reach the 60 votes required for passage. The debate comes as a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report highlights vulnerabilities in the ACA health insurance exchanges’ eligibility and verification systems, raising concerns among lawmakers about program integrity and potential impacts on future subsidy policy.
House Lawmakers Introduce Clean Air Act Reform Package
A group of House lawmakers has introduced four bills aimed at updating Clean Air Act (CAA) permitting and regulatory processes. The proposals focus on reducing duplicative reviews, clarifying how foreign and wildfire-related emissions are treated under federal air quality standards, and providing additional flexibility for certain advanced manufacturing and critical mineral facilities.
The Air Permitting Improvements to Protect National Security Act would allow the President to exempt advanced manufacturing and critical mineral facilities from certain emissions offset requirements, while maintaining all other CAA permitting standards.
The Foreign Emissions and Nonattainment Clarification for Economic Stability (FENCES) Act would clarify that states may account for all foreign emissions – including those from natural events – when determining compliance with federal air quality standards and when reviewing new facility permits.
Finally, the Fire Improvement and Reforming Exceptional Events (FIRE) Act would revise how wildfire smoke, prescribed burns, and other exceptional events are treated in air quality determinations, with the goal of providing more predictable regulatory timelines while maintaining environmental protections.
FEMA Review Council to Present Final Report on December 11
The President's FEMA Review Council will present its draft final report during a public meeting on Thursday, December 11. The session will run from 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. EST and will be open to the public virtually.
Established earlier this year by executive order, the Council has been tasked with evaluating how FEMA can better respond to the increasing frequency and severity of disasters. Over the past several months, it has reviewed FEMA’s major programs – including disaster response and recovery, mitigation, individual assistance, and administrative processes –with a focus on improving speed, transparency, coordination, and equity in federal disaster support.
According to the Federal Register notice, the meeting will feature remarks and updates from Council leaders, presentations on the draft recommendations, Council deliberations, and a public vote on the draft report.
To attend the meeting, participants must register by 5:00 p.m. EST on December 10. Registration requests should be emailed to Patrick Powers, Designated Federal Officer for the President’s FEMA Review Council, at FEMAreviewcouncil@hq.dhs.gov.
Written comments on the draft report may be submitted through December 31, 2025.
White House Set to Issue Executive Order to Preempt State AI Rules
President Trump is expected to issue an executive order this week creating a single national standard for artificial intelligence (AI). The move follows months of debate over whether federal rules should supersede state and local authority.
A draft version of the order circulated in November indicated that the administration may seek to preempt or nullify state-level AI laws. For special districts, federal preemption could affect a wide range of operational areas where districts are increasingly exploring or deploying AI tools, such as public safety and emergency response, water and wastewater management, and more.
The White House previously paused action while congressional leaders attempted to fold AI preemption language into the National Defense Authorization Act. Those efforts failed last week, prompting the administration to proceed through executive action instead.
Details of the final order are expected in the coming days.
Relevant Hearings and Markups
House Agriculture
Wednesday, December 10 | 10:00 a.m. ET | The panel will host a member day hearing, which gives lawmakers an opportunity to discuss issues pertinent to their districts and constituencies.
House Oversight
Wednesday, December 10 | 10:00 a.m. ET | The panel will host a joint hearing with the Subcommittees on Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs and the Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services focused on technology's role in lowering the cost of healthcare.
House Homeland Security
Thursday, December 11 | 10:00 a.m. ET | The panel will hear from DHS Secretary Kristi Noem about “Worldwide Threats to the Homeland.”
House Natural Resources
Wednesday, December 10 | 10:15 a.m. ET | The Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations will hold an oversight hearing entitled “Abuse of the Equal Access to Justice Act by Environmental NGOs.”
Thursday, December 11 | 2:00 p.m. ET | The Subcommittee on Federal Lands will hold a legislative hearing on a handful of bills that fall within the panel's jurisdiction, including legislation (H.R. 3924) that would require a comprehensive review of the wildfire landscape every four years.
House Energy and Commerce
Friday, December 12 | 9:00 a.m. ET | The panel will host a member day hearing, which gives lawmakers an opportunity to discuss issues pertinent to their districts and constituencies.
House Judiciary
Wednesday, December 10 | 2:00 p.m. ET | Two of the panel's subcommittees will hold a joint hearing entitled, "Fighting Obamacare Subsidy Fraud: Is the Administrative Procedure Act Working as Intended."
Senate Armed Services
Thursday, December 11 | 9:30 a.m. ET | The full committee will receive testimony on the administration's deployment of the National Guard across the country.
Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Wednesday, December 10 | 2:00 p.m. ET | The Subcommittee on Investigations will hold a hearing entitled, "Defining Our Healthcare Problem, and Principles We Should Follow to Solve It."
Senate Energy and Natural Resources
Tuesday, December 9 | 10:00 a.m. ET | The Subcommittee on National Parks will convene a legislative hearing to review a series of bills, including legislation – the PATRIOT Parks Act (S. 2308) – that would increase foreign visitor fees at National Parks.