Alston & Bird’s Legislative & Public Policy Group previews the week ahead highlighting anticipated federal legislative, regulatory, and political activity, and key upcoming actions in Congress, the Administration, and relevant policy arenas.
Administration
- After weekend U.S.–Iran peace talks ended without an agreement, President Trump instructed U.S. Central Command to initiate a naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. While the United States says ships headed to non-Iranian ports will be allowed to proceed through the strait, oil prices nonetheless rose.
- The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) remains unfunded as the shutdown reaches day 58. Senate Republicans will begin a procedural effort using the budget reconciliation process to fund the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agencies for multiple years to break the stalemate.
- Russ Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget, will begin congressional hearings this week on the Administration’s FY2027 budget request, with other senior officials to follow.
House
- Speaker Johnson, with White House support, will try to block all amendments when Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) reauthorization is debated this week. Some Republicans are pushing for changes to the program’s Section 702 surveillance functions.
- Calls to expel as many as four House members may intensify as scandals continue to roil the chamber. Though the balance of power will not change, new precedents may be set based on the fallout.
Senate
- Senate Republican leaders must decide when to end floor debate on the SAVE America Act amid a lack of caucus support for eliminating the legislative filibuster.
- The Senate Budget Committee will try to make progress on a budget resolution for ICE and CBP funding this week, the first step toward reconciliation. The House does not intend to move forward on the Senate-approved DHS bill without positive signs from the other chamber.
- Internal Revenue Service CEO Frank Bisignano will testify before the Senate Finance Committee at a hearing on Wednesday (Tax Day).
Key Hearings
- House Ways and Means Committee: Field Hearing on Modernized Health Care in Practice: Empowering Americans to Live Healthier Lives
April 15, 2026
- Senate Finance Committee: IRS 2026 Filing Season and IRS Operations
- House Budget Committee: The President’s Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Request
- House Education & Workforce Committee: Building an AI-Ready America: Understanding AI’s Economic Impact on Workers and Employers
April 16, 2026
- Senate Budget Committee: The President's Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Proposal
- House Ways and Means Committee: Full Committee Hearing with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
- House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies: Department of Health and Human Services
- Senate Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions Committee: Making Medicines More Affordable: How Competition Can Lower Drug Prices
Executive Order, Action & Proclamation Task Force
Alston & Bird's multidisciplinary Executive Order, Action & Proclamation Task Force advises clients on the business and legal implications of President Trump's Executive Orders.
Learn more about administrative actions on our tracker.