The Build the Wall Now Act (S 422) requires the immediate resumption of border barrier construction along the U.S.-Mexico border that was underway or planned before January 20, 2021, prohibiting cancellation of existing contracts and directing use of previously appropriated funds for this purpose. The bill mandates honoring agreements with states, local governments, and tribes related to border barrier construction and amends existing law to change definitions of border barriers and construction requirements. It grants the Secretary of Homeland Security broad waiver authority to bypass numerous environmental, historical, and other legal requirements that would otherwise apply to border barrier construction. This legislation directly affects border communities, environmental regulations, and the Department of Homeland Security's operations along the southern border.
Prohibiting IRS Financial Surveillance Act This bill prohibits the Department of the Treasury from requiring a financial institution to report the transfers into and out of a financial account. This prohibition does not apply to laws or regulations in effect on January 1, 2023.
This bill authorizes a single Congressional Gold Medal to honor all U.S. Army Dustoff crews who served during the Vietnam War (1962-1973). It recognizes their critical role in evacuating nearly 900,000 wounded personnel, including U.S., South Vietnamese, and allied forces, under extreme combat conditions. The medal, designed with input from the Secretary of Defense, will be presented to the U.S. Army Medical Department Museum for permanent display. Duplicate bronze medals may be sold to cover costs, but the primary action is the commemorative recognition of these crews' service.
Protect Farmers from the SEC Act This bill prohibits the Securities and Exchange Commission from requiring the disclosure of greenhouse gas emissions related to agricultural products.
This joint resolution (SJRES 7) seeks congressional disapproval of a 2023 rule defining "Waters of the United States" (WOTUS), which would have changed how federal agencies regulate wetlands and waterways. It targets a rule jointly issued by the Army Corps of Engineers, EPA, and other agencies (88 Fed. Reg. 3004, Jan. 18, 2023), directly affecting landowners, developers, and environmental regulators by altering jurisdiction over water resources. If passed, the resolution would nullify the rule under a specific disapproval process in Title 5 of U.S. Code, preventing it from taking effect. The resolution does not create new regulations but aims to block an existing federal rule. This is a procedural step, not a new law.
This bill prohibits the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) from requiring publicly traded companies to disclose greenhouse gas emissions related to the production, manufacturing, or harvesting of agricultural products. It specifically blocks disclosure requirements for emissions from "upstream activities" (initial production stages) and "downstream activities" (processing, delivery, and end-use) in the agricultural supply chain. The law directly affects agricultural businesses that are publicly traded companies by exempting them from existing SEC reporting rules on certain emissions data. Key provisions define agricultural products and clarify which emissions sources are excluded from disclosure mandates. This is a procedural policy change that removes a specific reporting obligation, not a new regulation.
HR 987 authorizes the U.S. Mint to produce commemorative coins honoring Golda Meir, Israel's first female Prime Minister, and the 75th anniversary of U.S.-Israel relations. It specifies three coin types: $5 gold coins (max 50,000), $1 silver coins (max 400,000), and half-dollar clad coins (max 750,000), with detailed weight and composition requirements. All coins will include Golda Meir's image, her name, and commemorative inscriptions, and will be sold during 2026. A surcharge ($35 for $5 coins, $10 for $1 coins, $5 for half-dollars) will be paid to the American Friends of Kiryat Sanz Laniado Hospital Inc. to support its hospital operations.
HR 976, the TCJA Permanency Act, makes permanent many tax provisions from the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) that were scheduled to expire after 2025. The bill affects individual taxpayers by keeping lower tax rates, higher standard deductions, increased child tax credits, and other key changes permanently. Key provisions include permanent modifications to income tax brackets, repeal of personal exemptions, limits on state and local tax deductions, and increased estate and gift tax exemptions. These changes would prevent the tax code from reverting to pre-TCJA rates and rules for millions of taxpayers.
HR 964, the Democracy in Design Act, requires the General Services Administration (GSA) to follow the 1962 "Guiding Principles for Federal Architecture" when designing all new U.S. public buildings. It mandates the GSA Administrator to create new regulations within 180 days of the bill's enactment, establishing minimum design standards for federal buildings. These regulations must be developed after public notice and comment, as required by standard federal rulemaking procedures. The bill directly affects all federal building projects and the GSA's design process, ensuring adherence to established architectural principles.
This bill requires states receiving Medicaid funds for family planning services to submit standardized abortion data to the CDC annually. Specifically, states must report 10 mandatory data points (including maternal age, gestational age, race, ethnicity, procedure type, and survival status) by December 31 of the prior year, starting two years after enactment. Failure to submit accurate data or submitting false information could result in loss of Medicaid funding for family planning services in the following fiscal year. The law aims to create uniform national abortion data collection, addressing current gaps where some states report no data at all. The CDC will maintain a standardized surveillance system and publish annual reports by the third year following the data year.
This proposed constitutional amendment (SJRES 13) would require the federal government to balance its annual budget, meaning spending could not exceed revenue unless Congress passes a specific exception with a two-thirds vote. It also sets a limit of 18% of GDP for total government spending, with similar supermajority requirements to exceed this cap. The bill would mandate the President to submit a balanced budget proposal to Congress each year and require a two-thirds vote for tax increases or debt limit hikes. As a proposed amendment, it would only take effect if ratified by three-fourths of state legislatures.
This joint resolution (SJRES 12) seeks congressional disapproval of the District of Columbia Council’s approval of the Revised Criminal Code Act of 2022 (D.C. Act 24-789). It directly affects D.C. residents and local government, as the resolution targets the District’s newly enacted criminal code. The mechanism is a formal congressional disapproval under the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, requiring passage by both chambers to block the D.C. law from taking effect. The resolution does not alter the D.C. code itself but aims to halt its implementation through federal action.
