Both the House and Senate are back in town this week, though votes were delayed until today due to the massive winter storm that rocked the Northeast over the weekend. Washington is now turning its attention to the President's State of the Union address tonight at 9:00 PM.

On the legislative front, the House will consider a series of bills focused on science and technology, including measures to boost AI adoption for small businesses and promote skills-based federal contracting. The House will also take up two energy bills of particular interest to our industry. The Homeowner Energy Freedom Act (H.R. 4758) would repeal home electrification subsidies included in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, while the Home Appliance Protection and Affordability Act (H.R. 4626) would prevent appliance efficiency standards from being used to impose "back door" bans on liquid and gas systems. NEFI has officially endorsed both bills, and we will keep you updated as they move through the House.

The Department of Homeland Security shutdown is now in its eleventh day. While negotiations continued during the President's Day recess, no meaningful progress on a compromise has emerged.

Meanwhile, the President has amassed significant U.S. military firepower in the Gulf region, including two carrier strike groups. Multiple reports indicate that forces are ready to strike Iran whenever the order is given, even as talks between U.S. and Iranian officials over Iran's nuclear weapons program are set to continue Thursday. Lawmakers in both parties have expressed concern over the lack of a clearly defined strategy. Congressional votes on an Iran war powers resolution aren't expected until next week at the earliest, but we expect the President to address the situation during tonight's address.

There are no committee meetings of interest this week.