05.11.2026 - DC Download

May 11

Congress returns to Washington for a jam-packed two weeks before the Memorial Day recess. Republicans will spend that time trying to wrap up a party-line package that funds both ICE and the President’s ballroom project before the month is out. We’ll preview next steps to watch below.

Progressive Playbook

The Supreme Court’s ruling in Louisiana v. Callais was a gut punch for voting rights. The 6-3 decision weakened key protections that help ensure communities are fairly represented and made it harder for voters—especially Black voters—to hold their elected leaders accountable.

But this ruling didn’t come out of nowhere. It’s part of a pattern—a steady erosion of community power and the tools that help us fight racial injustice. Since Shelby County v. Holder gutted the Voting Rights Act in 2013, the courts have chipped away at what’s left. This is the latest blow.

Representation isn’t just about maps. When people lose power in the political system, decisions get made without them, and against them. Leaders don’t have to listen if they don’t have to answer to you. That’s how systems stop working for the people they’re supposed to serve.

This is exactly why we convened Voting Rights on the Verge: What Weakened Federal Protections Mean for You, bringing together community advocates, legal experts, and policy leaders to make sense of this moment and chart a path forward.

After you watch the briefing, don’t stop there. Our toolkits are built for exactly this moment. Whether you’re pushing back against an urgent threat or building long-term power in your community, our practical guides give you the strategies, templates, and tools to turn outrage into action.

The unfinished work of the Voting Rights Act is still ours to complete. Courts may be closing doors, but the fight doesn’t end there. It moves to Congress, to the states, and to the organizing work that builds power from the ground up.

House

House Floor

The House will vote on 10 suspension bills from the Committees on Financial Services, Judiciary, and Foreign Affairs. Suspension bills require a ⅔ majority to pass. For a list of all suspension bills being considered, click here.

This week the House will also consider the following bills, subject to a rule:

H.R. 1346 – Nationwide Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act of 2025 (Sponsored by Rep. Smith (NE) – Energy and Commerce Committee) This bill would allow E15 gasoline to be sold year-round throughout the United States. E15 combines 15 percent ethanol with 85 percent gasoline and is not typically sold during the summer due to Clean Air Act protections, as E15 can lead to excess smog. Year-round E15 sales have long been a priority for lawmakers from states that produce corn, which ferments to create ethanol. This vote comes as part of an agreement between those lawmakers and House GOP leaders to advance the farm bill.

More on this:

Environmental Opposition to E15 Bill
Ethanol fight derails House farm bill debate (E&E News by POLITICO)

H.Con.Res. 96 – Expressing support for law enforcement officers (Sponsored by Rep. Nunn – Judiciary Committee) This resolution expresses support and gratitude to the nation’s law enforcement officers during 2026’s National Police Week. The resolution also criticizes “rhetoric and policies from leftist activists and progressive politicians” and “sanctuary city policies,” and attributes falling homicide rates to “the Trump administration’s focus on restoring law and order.”

Data shows that U.S. crime rates have fallen dramatically since a notable increase in 2020, during President Trump’s first term and the height of the pandemic; the biggest year-over-year drop occurred between 2023 and 2024, while President Biden was in office.

H.R. 5625 – Cashless Bail Reporting Act (Sponsored by Rep. Harris (NC) – Judiciary Committee) This bill would require the Department of Justice to publish a list of state and local jurisdictions that do not require cash bail for individuals charged with certain crimes to be freed from detention before their trials.

H.R. 6260 – Keeping Violent Offenders Off Our Streets Act (Sponsored by Rep. Fitzgerald – Judiciary Committee) This bill would subject nonprofit bail funds, which gather charitable donations to cover bail for individuals who cannot afford to post bail, to regulations covering the insurance industry. Data shows that bail reforms have not led to more crime, as the cash bail system forces individuals who cannot afford bail to remain in jail—not individuals who pose the greatest threat to public safety, as critics of bail reform allege.

More on this:

Debunking Myths About Bail Reform and Crime (Brennan Center for Justice)

H.R. 8365 – Monitor Accountability Act (Sponsored by Rep. Biggs (AZ) – Judiciary Committee) This bill would change the terms governing monitors appointed to oversee state or local government operations by imposing new limits on monitors’ terms and compensation. This legislation was introduced by Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona, where a monitor oversees the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office where Sheriff Joe Arpaio was found to have racially profiled and illegally detained Latinos.

H.R. 8469 – Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2027 (Sponsored by Rep. Carter (TX) – Appropriations Committee) This bill would appropriate funds for the Department of Veterans Affairs and military construction projects. The House Appropriations Committee approved this bill unanimously last month.

Possible Consideration of H.Con.Res. 75 – Directing the President, pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution, to remove the United States Armed Forces from hostilities against the Islamic Republic of Iran (Sponsored by Rep. Gottheimer – Foreign Affairs Committee)This resolution would force the President to remove U.S. troops from hostilities against Iran that have not been authorized by Congress. The resolution does not preclude intelligence sharing regarding Iran.

House Committee Highlights

A full list of this week’s hearings and markups can be found here. Notable hearings and markups include:

Tuesday Hearings

Budget Hearing - The Department of Defense (Committee on Appropriations)

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth testifying
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine testifying

Budget Hearing - The United States Navy and Marine Corps (Committee on Appropriations)

Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao testifying

Budget Hearing - Department of Housing and Urban Development (Committee on Appropriations)

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Scott Turner testifying

Wednesday Hearings

Examining the President's FY 2027 Budget Request for the Department of the Interior (Committee on Natural Resources)

Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum testifying

Building a Safer Future: Private-Sector Strategies for Emerging Safety Issues (Committee on Education and Workforce)

Thursday Hearings

Securing NATO’s Eastern Frontier: Assessing the Strategic Landscape in the Baltic Region (Committee on Foreign Affairs)

Senate

Nominations

The Senate this week has teed up votes on the following nominee:

Kevin Warsh, to be a Member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System

Senate Committee Highlights

A full list of this week’s hearings and markups can be found here. Notable hearings and markups include:

Tuesday Hearings

A Review of the President’s Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Request for the Department of Defense (Committee on Appropriations)

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth testifying
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine testifying

A Review of the President’s Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Request for the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the United States Marshals Service; and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (Committee on Appropriations)

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Director Robert Cekada testifying
U.S. Marshals Service Director Gadyaces S. Serralta testifying
Drug Enforcement Administrator Terrance C. Cole testifying

Preventing Future Collisions: Evaluation of FAA Safety Measures from the DCA Crash (Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation)

Wednesday Hearings

A Review of the President’s Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Request for the Environmental Protection Agency (Committee on Appropriations)

Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin testifying

A Review of the President’s Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Request for the United States Food and Drug Administration (Committee on Appropriations)

Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Martin A. Makary, M.D. testifying

A Review of the President’s Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Request for Military Construction and Family Housing (Committee on Appropriations)

A Review of the President’s Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Request for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (Committee on Appropriations)

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Scott Turner testifying

No Sure Bets: Protecting Sports Integrity in America(Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation)

ISSUES TO WATCH

ICE and Ballroom Funding Define Republicans’ Reconciliation Push

Republicans released legislation last week to give Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol an extra $70 billion. This funding would add to the windfall Republicans delivered in last year’s reconciliation package, which simultaneously slashed support for Medicaid and food assistance. On top of that, the new package would give the President $1 billion in taxpayer dollars for his ballroom project, despite claims that it would be built entirely with private donations.

Senators will reportedly consider this package at the committee level before Memorial Day, setting up a narrow window for the Senate’s lengthy floor consideration process, as well as a House vote. The bill’s immigration funding isn’t expected to cause procedural problems. However, proposed ballroom funding may be a different story. Senate Democrats have promised to put GOP lawmakers on the record on the project as Republicans are privately balking. With Trump looking to sign this package by June 1, the GOP has little time to decide whether to strike the ballroom money or subject their members to a high-profile vote.

More on this:

Republicans’ rush to deliver ICE funds & Trump’s ballroom by June 1 (We Build Progress)

Despite Being Flush in Cash, DHS Wants $70 Billion More in Tax Payer Dollars (NILC)

Trump’s ballroom security money is in trouble (Punchbowl)

White House ballroom security upgrades become Democratic target (Roll Call)