Both chambers are in session this week, with just two weeks left before they recess for the holiday season. The House will begin by considering several bills including measures related to rural education funding, tribal land transfers, land use, natural resources, and post office designations.

Later in the week, attention turns to energy reliability and infrastructure. The State Planning for Reliability and Affordability Act (H.R. 3628) would require states using integrated resource planning to include long-duration, reliable generation resources in their plans. The Electric Supply Chain Act (H.R. 3638) directs the Department of Energy to assess vulnerabilities in the power generation and transmission supply chain, including foreign dependencies and domestic manufacturing gaps, and recommend strategies to secure critical components. The Improving Interagency Coordination for Pipeline Reviews Act (H.R. 3668) seeks to streamline permitting for interstate natural gas projects by tightening timelines and reducing regulatory delays, while the PERMIT Act (H.R. 3898) reforms Clean Water Act permitting processes to accelerate infrastructure development.

Lawmakers unveiled the nearly 3,100-page compromise text of the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act on Sunday, clearing the way for passage of this critical annual policy measure. The NDAA authorizes funding for the Defense Department, intelligence agencies, and the Energy Department’s nuclear programs, and has been enacted for 64 consecutive years. Negotiators agreed to a topline of $900.6 billion, a figure higher than the House-passed level but below the Senate’s proposal. With only two working weeks remaining in the legislative calendar, the bill is expected to receive top priority. The House Rules Committee will meet this afternoon to set the terms for floor debate, with House consideration anticipated later this week to allow the Senate enough time to act during the week of December 15.

The House Natural Resources subcommittee will be holding an oversight hearing on the “Abuse of the Equal Access to Justice Act by Environmental NGOs” at 10:15 Wednesday morning. You can watch the proceedings here.