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 President Trump declared the ceasefire over, U.S. military forces struck 140 Iranian targets over the weekend, according to U.S. Central Command. A renewed conflict could deepen as Iran retaliates against U.S. bases and allies in the Middle East and further restricts access to the Strait of Hormuz.
House
- Vice President JD Vance will address the House Republican Conference on Tuesday as a handful of House Republicans continue to block floor proceedings, arguing that Speaker Johnson has not done enough to advance the SAVE America Act.
- House Budget Committee Republicans are aiming to finalize instructions for a third reconciliation package over the next few days. Speaker Johnson hopes to bring the measure to the floor as early as this week.
Senate
- The unexpected death of Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) has sent shockwaves through Washington and abroad. South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster is expected to soon announce his appointee to fill the seat, with a primary to follow in August. Senator Graham’s passing also creates vacancies to chair the Senate Budget Committee and the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs.
- Senate committees will consider the nominations of Todd Blanche for Attorney General, Keith Sonderling for Secretary of Labor, Jay Clayton for Director of National Intelligence, Erica Schwartz for Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Sean Kaufman for Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, and Francis Brooke for Deputy Treasury Secretary.
- The full Senate is expected to take up the National Defense Authorization Act despite partisan tensions over military action in Iran surrounding the traditionally bipartisan defense policy bill.
Key Hearings
July 14, 2026
- House Appropriations Committee: Budget Hearing – Supreme Court of the United States
- House Education & Workforce Committee: Training Activists, Not Physicians: The Impact of DEI on Medical Schools
- Senate Judiciary Committee: From Genes to Machines: The Patent Eligibility Debate
July 15, 2026
- Senate Judiciary Committee: The Nomination of the Honorable Todd Blanche to Be Attorney General of the United States
- Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee: Nominations of Sean Kaufman to Be Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response for the Department of Health and Human Services and Erica Schwartz to Be Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Senate Special Committee on Aging: Behind the Label: Foreign Ownership and Control in America's Drug Supply Chain
- House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party: Protecting American Innovation: The Federal Research Security Enterprise
- House Energy and Commerce Committee: Maintaining America’s Leadership in Biomedical Innovation: FDA’s Role in Advancing U.S. Drug Development
July 16, 2026
- Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee: Nomination of Keith Sonderling to Be Secretary of Labor
- Senate Finance Committee: Nomination of Francis Brooke, of Virginia, to Be Deputy Secretary of the Treasury
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