With six weeks left in the House before the August recess, and eight weeks left in the Senate, Congress is racing to complete a lengthy list of legislative tasks.
Budget Reconciliation
The Senate has begun consideration of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA, H.R. 1), a reconciliation package already passed by the House. While Republicans hope to have the bill on the President’s desk by July 4, procedural hurdles like the Byrd Bath (a process by which the minority can challenge provisions in the bill that it believes to be “extraneous”) and vote-a-rama (a process where Senators can offer an unlimited number of amendments in rapid succession) may delay final passage until late July.
Debt Ceiling Deadline
Republicans hope to raise the debt ceiling through budget reconciliation. The Treasury Department has been employing extraordinary measures to avoid breaching the debt ceiling but anticipates the nation will hit its current debt limit of $36.1 trillion by late July or early August. The House-passed version of H.R. 1 raises the debt ceiling by $4 trillion, and the Senate may raise it by $5 trillion.
Rescissions Package
On June 3, 2025, the White House sent a rescissions package to Congress that formalizes some of the spending cuts implemented by the Executive Branch. Congress has 45 days to consider a rescissions package under a fast-track procedure in the House and Senate that would allow it to pass the Senate with a simple majority. If Congress does not pass the rescissions bill, the funding must be spent as previously allocated in the appropriations bill.
President’s FY26 Budget
The President released an initial, high-level budget proposal, known as a skinny budget on May 2, 2025. Then on May 30, 2025, the President released a more detailed partial budget request. The President’s budget is non-binding, but it will serve as a blueprint that outlines the Administration’s broad spending priorities and policy direction for the coming fiscal year. Given the current Republican trifecta, this President’s budget is expected to carry more weight on Capitol Hill than it normally does.
FY26 Appropriations
Having passed H.R. 1, the U.S. House of Representatives turns its attention to marking up 12 appropriations bills before the end of July. With all markups already scheduled, at least some bills will be brought to the House floor for a vote before Congress breaks for the August recess. The U.S. Senate has not yet announced its plans for the FY26 spending bills, and with the focus on reconciliation, that timeline may slip to later in the year.
Other Priorities
Farm Bill Reauthorization: The current Farm Bill is up for reauthorization in 2025. This expansive piece of legislation covers everything from agricultural subsidies to food assistance programs like SNAP. Some aspects of the programs are addressed in the budget reconciliation package.
Healthcare Extenders: Several important healthcare provisions within Medicare and Medicaid are set to expire on September 30, 2025. Congress will need to act in the coming months if it intends to extend funding for programs like Community Health Centers, Graduate Medical Education, and certain Medicare payments.
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP): The NFIP’s authorization expires on September 30, 2025. Lawmakers will need to address this to ensure flood insurance remains available to homeowners in eligible areas.
Surface Transportation Reauthorization: The current transportation authorization bill expires on September 30, 2026. Both the House and Senate committees of jurisdiction have started drafting their proposals. President Trump is pushing Congress to enact the infrastructure bill into law well before the expiration date due to the impact midterm elections could have on Congress.
About the author: Shirley Speidell is the Government Affairs Director for Strategics Consulting, Centralina’s federal government relations consulting firm. For more information, visit www.strategics.consulting.
