Both chambers are now in recess for the remainder of the month. The House is set to return on August 31, while the Senate will return September 14. With both chambers away, there are no committee markups or floor votes of interest this week.

Senate Extends Government Funding Through December 11, House to Vote:

Before recessing last week, the Senate passed a bipartisan continuing resolution (CR) early Saturday morning. A CR is the legislative tool Congress uses to keep the government funded when it has not finished the 12 annual appropriations bills on time. The dollar amounts generally stay the same; only the date on which that funding expires changes. Passing with overwhelming bipartisan support, 90-6, the Senate’s bill would extend current funding through December 11. The measure still requires a vote in the House, which will not come until the first week of September.

This version also includes a provision blocking a contentious federal rule until December 11, which all but guarantees a fight later this year when the government funding debate begins anew. The rule would require federal grants to be signed off on by senior political appointees rather than by the career agency staff who review and award them today. Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-ME) joins the Democrats in opposition to the rule, warning that it would slow the flow of federal dollars and inject political influence into grant decisions. Supporters of the administration are poised to fight any future delay of the rule, or an outright ban on it.

Farm Bill 2.0 Stalls:

The Senate Agriculture Committee failed to advance the Agricultural Act of 2026 on a party line vote of 10 to 11 last Thursday, August 6. Democrats and Chairman John Boozman (R-AR) deadlocked over how long states with high payment error rates would have before picking up a share of SNAP costs. Boozman recessed the markup rather than adjourning it, which keeps the bill alive procedurally, and he has signaled he will reconvene shortly after the Senate returns on September 14. The current farm bill extension expires September 30, leaving very time left to work.

Jones Act Waiver Extended

President Trump has once again extended the Jones Act Waiver for an additional 90 days. See our Regulatory Alert, sent Monday, August 10, for more details.