September 21, 2026 The Week Ahead
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The Senate is in session.
- The Senate returns tomorrow to consider nominations, as well as legislation on college sports.
- The House returns on November 9.
- College Sports: The Senate is expected to take up final consideration of the Protect College Sports Act (S.4668) on Tuesday, September 22. The legislation, among other things, seeks to establish a regulatory framework for name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals in college sports. If approved by the Senate, House lawmakers would then need to take up the measure during the lame duck session.
- OMB Proposed Rule: While the continuing resolution (CR) blocks the Office of Management and Budget from finalizing its proposed rule on federal grantmaking until December 11, several federal agencies, including the Department of Education, National Science Foundation, and Department of Housing and Urban Development, have already issued or are preparing similar rules that would expand political appointees’ authority to review grant awards. On Monday, September 21, Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-ME) said the rule at NIH, or any other agency, is “contrary to congressional intent.”
- Forthcoming EO on NIH Grants: The White House has reportedly begun drafting an executive order (EO) that would establish an external committee with authority to block National Institutes of Health (NIH) research awards deemed inconsistent with the administration’s policy priorities.
- Flock Camera Hearing: The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism scheduled a hearing for Wednesday, September 23 at 2:30 PM EST to examine Flock Safety’s network of automated license plate readers. Some lawmakers and civil rights groups say that the cameras pose a privacy violation, while some law enforcement officials say they are helpful for solving crimes.
- Permitting Reform: Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee Chair Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) said that a permitting reform deal is “very close” and asserted the legislation could receive floor consideration during the Senate’s third workweek before lawmakers leave Washington to campaign ahead of the election.
- 2030 Census Rulemaking: The Census Bureau released a proposed rule that would move to exclude immigrants who are in the country illegally from the population totals used to determine political representation. The proposed rule would also prohibit the Census Bureau from including race or ethnicity questions on the census form sent to all households, saying such data is “immaterial” to the constitutional mandate to conduct an actual population count. Comments are due by October 13, 2026.
- Congressional Women’s Softball Game: Several House lawmakers will be in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, September 23, for the annual Congressional Women’s Softball Game.
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Hearings and Markups:
- Energy: The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will hold a hearing to examine updating nuclear waste management policy on Wednesday.
- Law Enforcement: The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism will hold a hearing, entitled Always Watching: Flock’s Nationwide AI Surveillance Network, on Wednesday.
- Election Security: The Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Cybersecurity will hold a closed briefing on election security on Wednesday.
- Higher Education: The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee will consider S.4428, a bill to require the use of an identity fraud detection system in reviewing FAFSA applications, on Thursday.
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