The House is back in session after a Republican policy retreat in Florida last week, though a day later because of the threat of severe weather. Members were slated to return today (Monday, March 16) with suspension votes this evening on bills under the jurisdiction of the Small Business, Judiciary, Foreign Affairs, and Natural Resources committees. Those votes have now been pushed until Tuesday. Later in the week, there could be a suspension bill related to a resolution by Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) proposing an amendment to the Constitution requiring a balanced budget for the federal government.

On Tuesday, March 17 at 10 a.m., the House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee is holding a hearing on "Advancing America's Interests at the World Trade Organization's 14th Ministerial Conference."

On Wednesday, March 18 at 2 p.m., the Ways and Means Health Subcommittee is holding a hearing on "Improving Kidney Health Through Better Prevention and Innovative Treatment."

Foreign policy, the continued shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and voter ID issues dominated the Sunday political talk shows and would be expected to be the predominant focus in Congress this week. The CEOs of the nation's top airlines sent an open letter Sunday urging Congress to restore funding to DHS. The letter, which was also signed by CEOs of major cargo companies, also called on Congress to pass the Aviation Funding Solvency Act and the Aviation Funding Stability Act, which would guarantee air traffic controllers are paid regardless of the government's funding status (though the current shutdown of DHS does not affect air traffic controllers).

The Senate is also in session and Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) has announced that the chamber this week will debate the SAVE America Act voter ID bill that President Trump has demanded be enacted before he will sign any other legislation. The bill is unlikely to reach the 60-vote threshold for Senate passage and has reignited the debate over ending the chamber's filibuster. Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) said on Fox News March 13, "At a minimum, we need to get [on] this bill, offer amendments and make sure that the American people realize the reason that we can't pass election security, that we can't have base controls like voter I.D., proof of citizenship" is because of Democrats.

A Saturday Politico story, "Senate Republicans worry they're losing ground in the midterms," said global events increasing consumer energy prices and "intra-party divisions over an elections overhaul bill" are keeping Congress from connecting with voters on cost-of-living measures, which some members want to focus on. "This intra-party tension is on full display in Texas, where Sen. John Cornyn is facing a May runoff against Texas Attorney General and MAGA favorite Ken Paxton. The elections bill has taken centerstage as Cornyn and Paxton vie for Trump's endorsement, with Cornyn this week throwing his support behind scrapping the filibuster to pass the legislation," the story said.

President "Trump insists that passing the SAVE America Act, along with a ban on most mail-in ballots, is essential for GOP success in the fall elections … " a story in today's Wall Street Journal, "Senate Braces for Showdown Over Voter-ID Bill," said, noting that the President has challenged Senate GOP leaders over the issue. "Thune has acknowledged to reporters that disagreements over strategy on the SAVE America Act has created some tensions with Trump and his allies, but he said he has to be realistic about the math in the Senate … "

Housing - While the sponsors of a bipartisan housing bill (H.R. 6644) that overwhelmingly passed the Senate last week — Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott (R-SC) and Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) — have said their bill includes a substantial number of provisions drawn from the House-passed version, numerous House Republicans have objected to the measure and called for the House to revise the Senate bill and send it back, or hold a rare House-Senate conference. Punchbowl News on Sunday described the Senate-passed bill, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, as "dead on arrival in the House," adding that "the House's antipathy toward the Senate product runs deep … Without policy changes of some kind — likely through a process less formal than a proper legislative conference — that will be a difficult barrier for the Senate to chew through."

The House objections stem from a provision added by the White House that would ban large institutional investors from owning more than 350 single-family homes, including language requiring investors in build-to-rent homes to sell any excess homes to individuals within seven years, as well as a provision temporarily banning the Federal Reserve from issuing a Central Bank Digital Currency until the end of 2030 (conservatives want the CBDC ban to be permanent). House Republicans are also smarting from the fact that the Senate version dropped a package of House-passed community banking regulatory relief items they believe are key to unlocking more home sales. House Financial Services Chairman French Hill (R-AR) said in a statement last week that the Senate vote was an "important first step," but "it is critical we get the details right and mitigate some of the concerns raised by House members with the Senate bill." While a number of stakeholder groups have endorsed the Senate-passed bill, three organizations have pointed out issues with the bill and urged Congress to hold a bicameral conference to resolve them: the National Association of Home Builders, the Mortgage Bankers Association and the National Multifamily Housing Council.

The White House also jumped into the housing debate again on Friday (March 13) by issuing two executive orders that it said would ease mortgage credit for potential home buyers, address the national housing shortage and lower costs by making it easier for developers to build more homes. The first EO directs federal agencies to identify and eliminate federal regulations that the administration argues slow housing construction and raise building costs, such as permitting requirements, environmental reviews and other regulatory barriers that could delay or discourage residential development. It also directs the HUD secretary and White House officials to develop best practices for state and local governments to shape their regulations in favor of increasing home affordability and supply. The other order focuses on mortgage markets and directs financial regulators, including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), to review and potentially ease regulations that the administration says discourage smaller banks and community lenders from making home loans. It also calls for regulators to revise existing policies in order to support community bank lending for construction, expand adaptation of digital technology in mortgages, and update appraisal standards. The aim is to simplify mortgage rules, expand credit access for qualified borrowers, and reduce borrowing costs by increasing competition among lenders.

Trade — Last week's Administration trade actions in the wake of the recent Supreme Court tariff ruling have been the subject of some recent press reporting. The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced new investigations under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 relating to structural excess capacity, and new investigations relating to the importation of goods produced with forced labor.

"The Trump administration this week stepped up its ambitious effort to replace about $1.6 trillion in lost tariff revenue that was eliminated by the Supreme Court's decision to strike down a range of the president's import taxes," said an AP story, "Trump seeks to close a $1.6 trillion revenue gap," that ran in the Sunday Baltimore Sun and elsewhere. "Recovering that lost revenue, which the White House was counting on to help offset the steep, multitrillion-dollar cost of its tax cuts, is possible but will be challenging, experts say."

Bill intros — Legislation of interest introduced on March 12 included:

• S. 4080, by Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), to provide bonus depreciation for long-term residential rental housing
• S. 4092, by Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), to prohibit the Social Security Trust Funds from investing in cryptocurrency
• S. 4093, by Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and other Democrats (Gallego, Van Hollen, Coons, Booker, Kim, Gillibrand, Duckworth, and Reed), to provide rebates to individuals using tariff proceeds
• H.R. 7919, by Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH), who is running for Senate, to provide a gasoline tax holiday

Friday March 20 is the Webcast, "EY Center for Tax Policy monthly update - March 2026." Register.