10.06.2025 - DC Download

Oct 6

This week, as the government shutdown drags on, the House will be out, and the Senate will attempt another vote to fund the government through November. The Senate Judiciary Committee will also hear from Attorney General Pam Bondi regarding the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein files, while House and Senate Democrats continue to press GOP leaders to protect Americans’ healthcare.

Read on for more of what’s happening this week.

The Shutdown Stakes: Fighting Trump’s Healthcare Cuts and Chaos

Join the Progressive Caucus Action Fund, Groundwork Action, Indivisible, and Public Citizen TODAYat 3:30PM ET for “The Shutdown Stakes: Fighting Trump’s Healthcare Cuts and Chaos.”

American families have endured months of chaos as the Trump administration has stolen billions in federal funds meant for communities’ hospitals, schools, veterans, disaster aid, and much more. Now, thanks to Republican inaction, health insurance premiums are poised to skyrocket within months, putting even more strain on families’ finances. Rather than deal with these crises, Republicans in Congress have shut down the federal government.

Senate

Floor Action

The Senate will vote to advance a Democratic-led continuing resolution, S.2882 (sponsored by Senator Patty Murray). If the measure fails, the Senate will proceed to vote on H.R.5371, the House-passed continuing resolution (sponsored by Rep. Tom Cole).

Nominations

The Senate this week has teed up final votes to advance a package of 108 executive branch nominees (S. 412).

Senate Committee Highlights

Tuesday Hearings

Oversight of the Department of Justice (Judiciary) - U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi will be testifying

Hearing to consider various nominations (Armed Services)

To receive testimony on threats and challenges posed to Department of Defense personnel and operations from adversarial access to publicly available data coupled with advanced data analysis tools now widely available on the commercial market (Armed Services)

Combatting the People’s Republic of China’s Illegal, Coercive, Aggressive, and Deceptive Behavior in the Indo-Pacific (Foreign Relations)

Wednesday Hearings

The Patent Eligibility Restoration Act – Restoring Clarity, Certainty, and Predictability to the U.S. Patent System (Judiciary)

Business meeting to consider various nominations (Finance)

Labor Law Reform Part 1: Diagnosing the Issues, Exploring Current Proposals (Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions)

Hearing consider the nominations of Ho Nieh, to be a Member of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission; and Douglas Troutman, to be Assistant Administrator for Toxic Substances of the Environmental Protection Agency (Environment & Public Works)

Hearing to consider various nominations (Commerce, Science, & Transportation)

Shut Your App: How Uncle Sam Jawboned Big Tech Into Silencing Americans (Commerce, Science, & Transportation)

Hearing to consider nominations of Joshua Simmons to be General Counsel of the Central Intelligence Agency and Peter Metzger to be Assistant Secretary for Intelligence and Analysis of the Department of the Treasury (Intelligence)

Hearing to consider the nomination of William Kirk, to be Inspector General of the Small Business Administration (Small Business & Entrepreneurship)

Bad Medicine: Closing Loopholes that Kill American Patients (Special Committee on Aging)

Hearing to consider the nomination of Jeremiah Workman to be Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans’ Employment and Training(Veterans’ Affairs)

Thursday Hearings

Hearing to consider various judicial nominees (Judiciary)

To consider the nomination of: General Kenneth S. Wilsbach, USAF for reappointment to the grade of general and to be Chief of Staff of the Air Force (Armed Services)

Hearing to consider various nominations (Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions)

AI's Potential to Support Patients, Workers, Children, and Families(Health, Education, Labor, & Pensions)

Issues to Watch

Shutdown Showdown

Tonight, the Senate is slated to take a fifth vote on the House-passed continuing resolution. GOP Senators are eyeing five more Democratic votes to push the measure through, but a majority of Democrats are holding the line for working families. They are still demanding that any deal address expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies, and that Trump stop blocking funding for critical programs and community investments that Congress has already funded.

Republicans have floated vague promises to “revisit” the healthcare issue later this year, but Democratic members don’t appear to be convinced. Trump, meanwhile, is once again threatening more job cuts if Democrats don’t fold—after already slashing thousands of federal positions this year. And while the Senate votes on bills to reopen the government, Speaker Johnson announced the House won’t return until next week—keeping members out of D.C. and virtually guaranteeing the shutdown continues into next week, as federal workers prepare to miss paychecks and families face the possibility of massive healthcare premium spikes.