The United States Congress

Congress, demystified.

Earliest 
2025-01-23
Latest 
2026-07-02
Updated 
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The SAVE America Act: What It Means for Voting

An in-depth analysis of the bill requiring proof of citizenship to register and photo ID to vote.

2026-06-30H.R. 8595 (119th Congress)

National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2027

KEY BILL

This bill would fund the State Department, foreign aid programs, and related international affairs agencies for fiscal year 2027, appropriating tens of billions of dollars for diplomacy, foreign assistance, international organizations, and export/development finance agencies. It also imposes dozens of policy conditions and restrictions on how the money can be used, touching on abortion, the United Nations, China, the Middle East, migration, and gender-related programming, making it a vehicle for significant foreign-policy conditions beyond the raw dollar figures.

foreign aidState Department fundingmilitary assistance to Israelglobal health fundingUN and international organizations
2026-06-29H.R. 6644 (119th Congress)

21st Century ROAD to Housing Act

The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act is a sweeping housing package that would raise FHA multifamily and manufactured-home loan limits, expand HOME program eligibility, create new grant programs for affordable housing and disaster recovery, ease environmental review for many housing projects, and reform manufactured-housing construction standards. It would also restrict large institutional investors from buying single-family homes, overhaul rural and disaster-recovery housing programs, and add new oversight, reporting, and community-bank provisions, marking one of the broadest federal housing-policy overhauls in years.

housing supplyFHA loan limitsmanufactured housingHOME programdisaster recovery housing
2026-06-29H.R. 7128 (119th Congress)

TRIA Program Reauthorization Act of 2026

The bill would extend the federal Terrorism Risk Insurance Program, which backstops insurers' losses from certified terrorist attacks, from its current 2027 expiration through 2034. It would also raise the loss threshold required to certify an act as terrorism starting in 2029 and write into law new deadlines and public notice requirements for how the Treasury Department decides whether an attack qualifies for the program.

terrorism insuranceTRIA reauthorizationinsurance regulationTreasury Departmentproperty and casualty insurance
2026-06-25H.R. 2478 (119th Congress)

Financial Exploitation Prevention Act of 2025

The bill would let mutual fund companies and their transfer agents delay redemption payments for up to 25 days when they reasonably suspect an older or impaired customer is being financially exploited. It would also require these firms to collect a trusted contact person for direct-held accounts and require the SEC to recommend further steps to curb exploitation of vulnerable investors.

elder financial abuseinvestor protectionmutual fundssecurities regulationSEC oversight
2026-06-24H.Con.Res. 86 (119th Congress)

Directing the President, pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution, to remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities with Iran.

KEY BILL

This concurrent resolution directs the President to withdraw U.S. Armed Forces from hostilities against Iran unless Congress has explicitly authorized such action through a declaration of war or a specific authorization for use of military force. It reflects an assertion of congressional war powers under the War Powers Resolution, testing the balance between Congress and the President over decisions to use military force against Iran without a specific congressional go-ahead.

war powersIranmilitary hostilitiespresidential authoritycongressional oversight
2026-06-24H.R. 826 (119th Congress)

COVID Fraud Transparency Act of 2026

The bill would require the Small Business Administration's Inspector General to report to Congress every three months on fraud involving Paycheck Protection Program and other COVID-19 relief loans, with the requirement expiring after two years.

COVID-19 loan fraudPaycheck Protection Programsmall business loansgovernment oversightinspector general reports
2026-06-24S.J.Res. 185 (119th Congress)

A joint resolution to direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against the Islamic Republic of Iran that have not been authorized by Congress.

KEY BILL

This joint resolution would direct the President to remove U.S. Armed Forces from hostilities in or against Iran unless Congress has declared war or specifically authorized that use of force. It invokes the War Powers Resolution framework to force a congressional check on presidential military action toward Iran, though it carves out an exception for defending against attacks on U.S. personnel or facilities abroad.

war powersIranmilitary authorizationcongressional oversight
2026-06-24H.R. 7396 (119th Congress)

Native American Entrepreneurial Opportunity Act

The bill would authorize the Small Business Administration to establish an Office of Native American Affairs to connect Indian tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations with federal programs for entrepreneurship, contracting, and capital access. It would create a new SBA leadership position and grant-making authority focused on Native-owned businesses, with the office's authority set to expire after seven years unless renewed.

Native American businessessmall business administrationtribal economic developmentNative Hawaiian organizationsfederal contracting
2026-06-23S. 2585 (119th Congress)

MAP for Broadband Funding Act

The bill would require the Federal Communications Commission to work with federal broadband agencies to improve the accuracy and timeliness of data feeding the government's Broadband Funding Map, and would require a public inquiry into the map's quality and design. It would also direct the Government Accountability Office to study how well federal agencies are complying with their data-reporting duties, aiming to reduce duplicate or wasted broadband spending across agencies.

broadband fundinginternet accessfederal data transparencyFCC oversightgovernment accountability
2026-06-23H.R. 9022 (119th Congress)

Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2027

KEY BILL

The bill would fund the Army Corps of Engineers' civil works program, the Interior Department's Bureau of Reclamation, and the Department of Energy—including its nuclear weapons and nonproliferation programs—for fiscal year 2027, appropriating tens of billions of dollars across water infrastructure, energy research, and nuclear security accounts. Beyond the dollar figures, the bill attaches dozens of policy riders limiting how agencies can reprogram funds, restricting Strategic Petroleum Reserve sales to Chinese-linked entities, requiring local consent before consolidated spent nuclear fuel storage, and blocking a Department of Energy building-efficiency rule.

federal appropriationsnuclear weapons fundingwater infrastructureDepartment of Energy budgetArmy Corps of Engineers
2026-06-23H.R. 1181 (119th Congress)

Protecting Privacy in Purchases Act

The bill would bar payment card networks and payment processors from using or assigning special merchant category codes that single out firearms retailers as distinct from general-merchandise or sporting-goods stores. Supporters say separate firearms codes could let banks or card networks flag or block gun-related purchases; the bill would make such tracking illegal and would preempt state and local laws that regulate these codes.

gun purchasespayment processingfinancial privacymerchant codesfirearms retailers
2026-06-23H.Res. 1377 (119th Congress)

Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 1181) to prohibit payment card networks and covered entities from requiring the use of or assigning merchant category codes that distinguish a firearms retailer from general-merchandise retailer or sporting-goods retailer, and for other purposes; providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 9022) making appropriations for energy and water development and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2027, and for other purposes; providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 8595) making appropriations for national security, Department of State, and related programs for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2027, and for other purposes; and providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 9237) to amend titles 10 and 38, United States Code, and other Federal laws, to improve benefits for veterans and the administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

This resolution would set the House floor procedure for debating and amending four unrelated bills: a firearms-retailer credit card coding measure, two fiscal year 2027 appropriations bills, and a veterans benefits bill. It would not itself change any policy; it only governs how much debate time is allowed, which amendments may be offered, and the order of votes for each underlying bill.

House floor procedureappropriations billsveterans benefitsgun retailer credit card codescongressional rules
2026-06-18H.R. 425 (119th Congress)

Repealing Big Brother Overreach Act

As reported by committee, the bill would narrow the Corporate Transparency Act's beneficial ownership reporting requirement so it applies only to foreign individuals and foreign-formed companies, rather than repealing it outright as the title suggests. It would also require the Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network to delete, within 90 days, all beneficial ownership data it has already collected on domestic owners and companies that would no longer be covered.

Corporate Transparency Actbeneficial ownership reportingsmall business regulationmoney launderingfinancial crimes enforcement
2026-06-18H.R. 941 (119th Congress)

Small LENDER Act

The bill would exempt smaller banks and credit unions from a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau rule requiring lenders to report data on small business credit applications, limiting the requirement to institutions with at least $10 billion in assets or 2,500 or more such loans a year. It would also delay the rule's compliance deadline until June 1, 2031, followed by a two-year safe-harbor period without penalties, and narrow the data lenders must collect and the definition of a qualifying small business.

small business lendingbanking regulationconsumer financial protectiondata reporting rules
2026-06-17H.R. 2481 (119th Congress)

Romance Scam Prevention Act

The bill would require online dating services to alert users when they have exchanged messages with a member who was later banned for suspected fraud, giving them the banned user's identifier and a warning not to send money or financial information. It would set enforcement through the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general and would preempt state laws on the same notification requirement, aiming to curb romance scams that cost victims money through fake online relationships.

romance scamsonline datingconsumer protectionfraud preventionFTC enforcement
2026-06-16H.R. 5103 (119th Congress)

Make the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful Act of 2025

Would establish a federal program to clean and restore monuments, parks, and public spaces across Washington, D.C., and create a new commission of federal and local officials focused on crime and immigration enforcement in the city. The commission would push for maximum federal immigration enforcement in D.C., a greater law enforcement presence at national landmarks, and support for the city's police department, reflecting an effort to expand direct federal involvement in local D.C. affairs before both provisions expire in January 2029.

D.C. crime and policingimmigration enforcementfederal control of Washington D.C.monument restorationconcealed carry
2026-06-15S. 736 (119th Congress)

Lieutenant Osvaldo Albarati Stopping Prison Contraband Act

The bill would increase the criminal penalty for smuggling a cell phone into a federal prison, adding a new prison term for inmates who possess or obtain a prohibited phone. It would also require the Bureau of Prisons to review and update its policies on contraband within a year, aiming to curb the illegal cell phones that authorities say inmates use to coordinate crimes from behind bars.

prison contrabandcell phones in prisoncriminal penaltiesBureau of Prisonsprison safety
2026-06-15S. 2033 (119th Congress)

Cross-Boundary Wildfire Solutions Act

The bill would direct the Government Accountability Office to study federal programs and rules that help or hinder wildfire mitigation across boundaries between federal and non-federal land, and to recommend ways to simplify cross-boundary cooperation. It would not change any wildfire program itself, but the resulting report could shape future legislation on how federal, state, local, and tribal governments coordinate wildfire prevention work near shared land boundaries.

wildfire preventionpublic landsgovernment studiesforest managementtribal and local government coordination
2026-06-15H.R. 3922 (119th Congress)

Cross-Boundary Wildfire Solutions Act

The bill would direct the Government Accountability Office to study federal programs and laws that help or hinder wildfire mitigation efforts that cross boundaries between federal and non-federal land, and to recommend ways to simplify cooperation. The study would examine whether existing authorities give agencies enough funding or capacity to protect communities from wildfire, feeding recommendations to Congress rather than changing any program itself.

wildfire preventionforest managementpublic landsgovernment accountabilitytribal land management
2026-06-15S. 872 (119th Congress)

Stop Secret Spending Act of 2025

The bill would require federal agencies to report spending under "other transaction agreements" — flexible contracting tools exempt from many procurement rules — on the USAspending.gov website, closing a gap in public federal spending data. It would also require Treasury to publish an annual report on unreported federal spending and its reasons, and require inspector general reviews of agency spending-data quality for a decade, aiming to make federal spending more transparent and harder to obscure.

government spending transparencyfederal contractingUSAspending.govinspector general oversightother transaction agreements