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Both chambers return to Washington as lawmakers continue to start their work in earnest, just one week before President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration. Many Trump administration nominees will have their nomination hearings in the Senate over the next three days.
As fires continue to devastate California, lawmakers are beginning to think through how to assist what is shaping up to be one of the costliest natural disasters in U.S. history. Unfortunately, supplemental disaster funding is often political and tied to other priorities, leading to delays in aid for those in need. Assistance to those communities in Southern California will be no different. With early estimates of damage totaling at least $50 billion and rising, many speculate that deficit hawks in the Republican conference will stick to demands of offsetting new spending and, in this case, emergency funding through offsets elsewhere in the budget. As conversations about funding begin, President-elect Trump and House Republicans are discussing potentially tying wildfire assistance to a debt ceiling increase. While no decisions have been made, attaching disaster relief to a budget hike would complicate and potentially bring delays to one of the costliest natural disasters in U.S. history. Unfortunately, supplemental disaster funding is often political and tied to other priorities, leading to delays in aid for those in need. Assistance aiding those in Southern California will be no different. With early estimates of damage totaling at least $50 billion and rising, many speculate that deficit hawks in the Republican conference will stick to demands of offsetting new spending and, in this case, emergency funding through offsets elsewhere in the budget. As conversations about funding begin, President-elect Trump and House Republicans are discussing tying wildfire assistance to a debt ceiling increase. While no decisions exist, attaching disaster relief to a budget hike would complicate and potentially delay enacting a package.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s (R-S.D.) first big test as leader of the upper chamber has arrived: the confirmation process for Trump administration nominees. In total, the Trump administration has 13 cabinet nominees slated for nomination hearings in various committees this week. On Tuesday, the Senate will begin confirmation hearings, with Doug Collins for Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense; on Wednesday, there will be hearings held for Kristi Noem for Secretary of Homeland Security, Chris Wright for Secretary of Energy, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) for Secretary of State, John Ratcliffe for Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, Sean Duffy for Secretary of Transportation, and Russ Vought for Director of the Office of Management and Budget; and on Thursday, there will be hearings for Scott Turner for Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Scott Bessent for Secretary of the Treasury, Lee Zeldin for Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and Doug Burgum for Secretary of the Interior. Pam Bondi’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearings to be Attorney General will span two days, on Wednesday and Thursday. Following the hearings, Senate floor votes on confirmations will begin, at the earliest, on the afternoon of January 20, after Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance are sworn into office.
The House will consider seven bills under suspension of the rules this week, including the Federal Disaster Assistance Coordination Act (H.R. 152), which amends the Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018 to develop a study regarding streamlining and consolidating information collection and preliminary damage assessments; the Post-Disaster Assistance Online Accountability Act (H.R. 153), which provides for an online repository for certain reporting requirements for recipients of federal disaster assistance; and the Promoting Opportunities to Widen Electrical Resilience (POWER) Act of 2025 (H.R. 164), which amends the Stafford Act to authorize federal agencies to provide certain essential assistance for hazard mitigation for electric utilities. The House will also vote on the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025 (H.R. 28), which bars schools receiving federal funds under Title IX from allowing transgender women who were assigned at male at birth from participating in women’s sports; the United States-Taiwan Expedited Double-Tax Relief Act (H.R. 33), which amends the U.S. tax code to reduce double taxation for individuals and businesses in both the U.S. and Taiwan; and the Preventing Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act (H.R. 30), which makes non-U.S. citizens or nationals who commit sex offenses, domestic violence, child abuse, stalking, and related crimes inadmissible to and deportable from the U.S. After passing through the House last week (by a vote of 264-159) and clearing a cloture vote in the Senate last week by a vote of 84-9, the Senate is scheduled to take another procedural vote on the Laken Riley Act (H.R. 29/S. 5) later this week, which requires the Department of Homeland Security to detain migrants who entered the U.S. unlawfully if they are arrested for or charged with theft and related crimes.
Aside from the nomination hearings, the House and Senate will hold hearings including a House Ways and Means Committee hearing on “The Need to Make Permanent the Trump Tax Cuts for Working Families”; and a Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) Committee hearing on “America Builds: the State of the Nation's Transportation System." Several House committee are also formally voting this week to organize themselves and adopt rules for their committee during the 119th Congress, including the Ways and Means, T&I, Veterans’ Affairs, Oversight and Government Reform, Homeland Security, Energy and Commerce, Judiciary, and Education and Workforce.
Outgoing President Joe Biden will deliver a Farewell Address to the nation on Wednesday evening at 8pm ET. It’s expected that he will reflect on his legacy and the challenges facing the country in the coming years.
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