House and Senate Action

House

The House is on recess and is not scheduled to return until September 2.

Senate

The Senate is spending its final week before the August recess focused on confirming President Trump’s nominees and advancing FY 2026 appropriations bills. With Democrats showing little interest in expediting the confirmation process, progress on nominations has been slow. Still, Senate Republicans are working to move as many as possible before the break. The compressed timeline has led President Trump to call for curtailing the August recess to keep the pressure on.

T&I Committee Leaders Introduce FEMA Reform Proposal

Last week, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-MO) and Ranking Member Rick Larsen (D-WA) formally introduced legislation – the Fixing Emergency Management for Americans (FEMA) Act of 2025 (H.R. 4669) – that aims to streamline disaster response and recovery, reduce bureaucratic delays, and encourage state and local governments to take a more active role in emergency management.

One of the bill’s cornerstone provisions is the restoration of FEMA’s status as a Cabinet-level agency, making it directly accountable to the president. This move is intended to streamline decision-making, enhance disaster response coordination, and restore FEMA to a more prominent role in federal emergency management. This mirrors a separate proposal (S. 1246) by Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) to similarly raise FEMA’s visibility and influence within the executive branch.

To reduce red tape and accelerate recovery efforts, the bill would replace the current reimbursement process with more streamlined, project-based grants, allowing states to set their own recovery priorities. The measure also includes financial incentives for states to invest in disaster resilience and preparedness.

In addition, the legislation seeks to simplify the process for disaster survivors by requiring a single, streamlined application and clearer, more accessible communication from FEMA. This change is intended to reduce the paperwork burden, eliminate confusion, and speed up aid distribution. States would also be given more flexibility to determine the most appropriate emergency housing solutions for each disaster, allowing them to tailor responses to local conditions.

Of particular interest to smaller communities, the bill urges FEMA to give greater weight to events that damage economically distressed or rural areas when deciding whether to recommend a presidential disaster declaration.

To improve transparency and accountability, the bill would establish a Recovery Task Force, which would be charged with closing out long-standing disaster declarations. It also would prohibit political bias in the distribution of disaster funding, mandate comprehensive reviews of FEMA regulations to eliminate outdated and conflicting policies, and direct FEMA to simplify its communications with disaster survivors to reduce confusion and speed recovery.

A section-by-section summary of the FEMA Act can be accessed here.

FEMA Eyes Cuts to Preparedness Grants, Launches New Detention Facility Program

FEMA has proposed eliminating nearly $1 billion in grant funding for emergency preparedness, cutting support for more than half of its existing homeland security and disaster readiness programs, including key initiatives like the Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) and the Next Generation Warning System.

Internal FEMA memos warn that the proposed cuts could significantly weaken local response capabilities by reducing training, delaying equipment upgrades, and undermining preparedness for disasters, cyberattacks, and threats to critical infrastructure such as ports.

While these changes are still under review, FEMA is concurrently launching a new $608 million Detention Support Grant Program to help state and local governments construct temporary immigration detention facilities. The program aims to reduce overcrowding in federal centers and prepare for increased ICE transfers. Applications are due by August 8.

OSHA Concludes Public Hearing on Proposed Heat Injury and Illness Prevention Rule

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently concluded a three-week long public hearing on its proposed Heat Injury and Illness Prevention (IIP) rule. A wide range of stakeholders – including trade associations, small businesses, labor organizations, and representatives from the health and medical community – provided testimony.

OSHA’s proposed Heat IIP rule, which was published in the Federal Register on August 30, 2024, would require employers whose workplace temperatures exceed certain heat triggers to develop programs to protect their employees from heat hazards in both outdoor and indoor work environments. The proposed standard would apply broadly to public sector employers, as well as private industry. Key issues raised by stakeholders during the hearing included the treatment of hybrid work environments, the desire for a more flexible, performance-oriented approach to addressing potential heat-related workplace hazards, appropriate heat triggers and mandatory provisions, and the effectiveness of various regulatory approaches.

Looking ahead, OSHA will be accepting post-hearing comments from hearing participants (or those who filed a notice of intent to testify) through September 30, 2025. If OSHA opts to make significant changes to the proposed rule, it is possible that it will issue a new Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in order to give stakeholders an opportunity to comment on issues or changes covered by a new rule. Alternatively, OSHA may choose to close the current rulemaking record and send a final rule to the White House Office of Management and Budget for consideration and review.

White House Releases National AI Action Plan

The Trump administration recently unveiled a national framework to guide federal policymaking and infrastructure development around artificial intelligence (AI). The AI Action Plan, which is a directive from Executive Order 14179, outlines actions across three pillars: accelerating AI innovation, building American AI infrastructure, and leading in international AI diplomacy and security.

Key provisions include making federal lands available for data center construction, streamlining environmental reviews for such projects, and evaluating federal and state regulatory frameworks that may hinder AI development. In addition, the plan emphasizes workforce development, with federal agencies directed to support AI literacy, job retraining, and education initiatives through existing workforce and economic development programs. Finally, the plan establishes a new AI Information Sharing and Analysis Center (AI-ISAC) to strengthen cybersecurity coordination with local governments.

Relevant Hearings & Markups 

Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

Tuesday, July 29 | 10 a.m. ET | The full committee will meet to consider bipartisan housing proposal – the ROAD to Housing Act of 2025 – that seeks to boost the nation’s housing supply, improve housing affordability, and increase oversight and efficiency of federal regulators and housing programs.

Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs | Markup Details

Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

Wednesday, July 30 | 10:00 a.m. ET | The Subcommmittee on Securities, Insurance, and Investment will hold a hearing entitled, “Guardrails and Growth: AI’s Role in Capital and Insurance Markets.” 

Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs | Hearing Details

Senate Committee on Homeland Security

Wednesday, July 30 | 10:00 a.m. ET | The panel will meet to consider a slate of bills within the panel's jurisdiction, including a bill – the Disaster Assistance Simplification Act (S. 861) – that would help streamline the federal disaster aid process for survivors. Specifically, the measure would require FEMA to create a universal application for all federal disaster programs, eliminating the need for survivors to submit multiple applications to different agencies. This streamlined process is intended to reduce administrative burdens and accelerate recovery.

In addition, the legislation would authorize FEMA to securely share applicant data with other federal agencies involved in disaster response, helping coordinate services and prevent delays. It should be noted that the bill includes provisions to ensure that all data sharing complies with strict federal privacy and security standards, protecting the personal information of those affected by disasters.

Senate Committee on Homeland Security | Markup Details

Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

Wednesday, July 30 | 11:00 a.m. ET | The full committee will meet to review the U.S. Department of Agriculture's reorganization plan, which includes shifting much of its Washington-area staff to five hubs (Raleigh, NC; Indianapolis, IN; Fort Collins, CO; Kansas City, MO; and, Salt Lake City, UT) around the country.

Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry | Hearing Details

Senate Committee on Appropriations

Thursday, July 31 | 9:30 a.m. ET | The full committee will consider two (of 12) FY26 spending bills this week, including those covering Labor-Health and Human Services and Defense.

Senate Committee on Appropriations | Markup Details

Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions

Thursday, July 31 | 10:00 a.m. ET | The full committee will hold a hearing entitled, "Making Health Care Affordable: Solutions to Lower Costs and Empower Patients."

Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions | Hearing Details