Both chambers return to Washington amid another partial government shutdown. The House will consider legislation related to military honors, updates to the National Woman’s Relief Corps, and improvements to veterans’ services. Lawmakers will also take up a D.C. tax disapproval measure, two contempt resolutions, the Critical Mineral Dominance Act, and, most critically, the Senate’s amendment to the 2026 appropriations package.

Once again, the federal government has partially shut down, this time following a dispute tied to recent Homeland Security actions in Minnesota. Over the weekend, the Senate voted to remove the Homeland Security bill from the House‑passed six‑bill appropriations package after Senate Democrats signaled that they would not advance the package with the DHS title included. In response, the Senate moved forward with the remaining appropriations bills paired with a two‑week continuing resolution for the Department of Homeland Security.

The House could be voting on that package this week. However, even if the House does clear the Senate’s package, the more difficult challenge will be negotiating a full-year Homeland Security bill ahead of the new would-be February 13 deadline, to avoid yet another partial shutdown.

For LIHEAP, funding determined through the Labor–HHS–Education bill would increase by $20 million under the current package. Although 90% of FY26 LIHEAP funds have been released, the remaining 10% cannot be distributed until the appropriations bill is enacted.

In other news, Representative Chris Pappas (D-NH) has launched a new caucus focused on lowering utility bills, saying, “Families, working people, and seniors are being slammed by high utility prices, and they need relief and action. I’ve heard directly from Granite Staters who are worried about affording heat in the winter, spending as much on energy as they do on their mortgage, and juggling the cost of food and utilities.” This follows just a few weeks after the representative introduced several bills aimed at promoting energy affordability and reliability.

These include the Transmission Facilitation Program Reauthorization Act, which would restore DOE support for state and local transmission projects to accelerate development and expand grid capacity; the Heroes Home Energy Savings Act, which would increase funding for weatherization innovation and provide grants to active‑duty and reserve military families; the Energy Burden Tax Credit Act, which would provide a refundable tax credit to help families facing high energy costs save hundreds of dollars a year. Additionally the congressman has also introduced the Bolstering Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve Act, which directs DOE to conduct a long‑range strategic review of the Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve.

Committee Hearings of Interest This Week:
The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy will hold a hearing on Advancing Affordable and Reliable Energy for All Americans today at 10:15 AM (details here)

The Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Europe will hold a hearing to examine European Energy Security on Wednesday at 2:30 PM (details here)