Legislative Activity

The Saving DOE’s Workforce Act institutes a moratorium, freezing all non-cause-based layoffs at the Department of Energy (DOE) until Congress enacts the full-year budget for Fiscal Year 2026. This measure protects most career federal employees at the DOE from staff reductions during this period. Exceptions for removal are strictly limited to documented misconduct or poor performance.

The Saving NASA’s Workforce Act establishes a temporary moratorium on layoffs at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). This freeze prevents the agency from conducting any reduction in force until Congress passes the full Fiscal Year 2026 budget. However, the bill allows NASA to terminate employees for specific reasons such as misconduct or poor performance.

The Feed Hungry Veterans Act of 2025 expands eligibility for certain food assistance benefits for veterans. It updates the criteria for veterans based on service-connected disability ratings and adds specific categories of disabled or pensioned veterans who will now qualify. These changes are scheduled to take effect on October 1, 2030.

The Air America Act of 2025 recognizes the sacrifices of former Air America employees who served the U.S. Government between 1950 and 1976. This Act authorizes a one-time monetary award, up to $40,000 plus potential additional amounts, for qualifying service members or their survivors. The CIA Director is responsible for administering these payments, which are capped at a total of $60 million, and establishing the application procedures. Decisions made by the Director regarding these awards are final and not subject to judicial review.

The HELPER Act of 2025 establishes a new FHA mortgage insurance program to assist first responders, educators, and law enforcement officers in purchasing homes. This program offers eligible first-time homebuyers 100% financing with no down payment required. Instead of monthly premiums, borrowers pay an upfront FHA insurance premium at closing.

The Deliver for Democracy Act ties the Postal Service's ability to raise rates for periodicals to meeting specific on-time delivery performance targets. It mandates annual public reporting on newspaper delivery performance, requiring the Postmaster General to detail service metrics. Furthermore, the bill directs the GAO to study and report on strategies the USPS could use to improve the financial standing of underperforming mail products.

The Postal Police Reform Act of 2025 officially designates Postal Service police officers as federal law enforcement agents under Title 18 of the U.S. Code. This legislation grants the Postmaster General the authority to establish and enforce rules for protecting Postal Service property. Violations of these new rules may result in federal fines or imprisonment up to 30 days.

The Crop Insurance for Future Farmers Act expands eligibility for enhanced crop insurance support by increasing the definition of a "beginning farmer or rancher" from five to ten crop years. This legislation also extends the qualifying period for "veteran farmers and ranchers" under the same terms. Furthermore, it restructures the premium assistance structure for these groups, providing tiered, decreasing levels of extra financial help over their first ten years of participation.

The Major Richard Star Act ensures that military retirees with combat-related disabilities can receive both their military retirement pay and VA disability compensation concurrently without reduction. This law removes previous restrictions that caused military retirement pay to be offset by VA disability payments for these specific cases. The changes take effect on the first day of the month following the Act's enactment.

The Chesapeake Bay Conservation Acceleration Act of 2025 establishes a new initiative to fund farmers in the watershed for water and soil quality improvements, while also extending and streamlining the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP). The bill introduces a "turnkey" pilot program to simplify conservation practices for landowners and grants the NRCS direct-hire authority for technical experts. Finally, it transfers primary regulatory oversight for inspecting domestic, wild-caught invasive catfish from the USDA to the FDA.

This bill, the Generating Retirement Ownership through Long-Term Holding Act, allows individual investors to defer paying taxes on capital gain dividends from mutual funds if those dividends are automatically reinvested into more fund shares. Taxes on these deferred gains are only due when the investor sells the shares or upon death. This provision aims to encourage long-term investment in mutual funds by providing immediate tax relief on reinvested earnings.

The Metastatic Breast Cancer Access to Care Act aims to improve support for individuals diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. This bill eliminates the standard waiting period for receiving Social Security disability insurance benefits and waives the 24-month waiting period for Medicare coverage. These changes ensure immediate access to crucial financial and healthcare support upon diagnosis.

The Caring for Survivors Act of 2025 aims to increase financial support for surviving spouses of veterans. This bill raises the monthly Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) payment rate for surviving spouses. Additionally, it lowers the required duration of total disability rating before death from ten years to five years for survivors to qualify for certain DIC benefits. If the disability period was between five and ten years, the benefit amount will be proportionally adjusted.

The Women's Retirement Protection Act aims to address the significant retirement savings gap disproportionately affecting women by strengthening spousal protections in defined contribution plans like 401(k)s. The bill mandates spousal consent for certain distributions and beneficiary changes to safeguard retirement assets during divorce or death. Furthermore, it establishes grant programs to boost financial literacy for women and provide direct assistance for low-income women and survivors of domestic violence to secure court-ordered retirement benefits.

The Pink Tariffs Study Act mandates a comprehensive study by the Secretary of the Treasury to analyze the impact of U.S. import tariffs on everyday consumers. This research will specifically investigate whether current tariff rates disproportionately affect lower-income individuals and examine potential gender bias in how these taxes are applied. The final report, due within one year, must detail the burden of tariffs based on gender, household type, and income level.

The Stop Comstock Act aims to modernize and streamline federal statutes concerning obscene materials. It revises several sections of federal law, including those related to crimes, transportation, and importation, by removing outdated or redundant language like "indecent" or "immoral." This legislative cleanup focuses the legal definitions to center specifically on "obscene materials."

The Medicare Dental, Vision, and Hearing Benefit Act of 2025 significantly expands Medicare coverage to include comprehensive dental, vision, and hearing services starting in 2026. This legislation outlines specific payment schedules, frequency limits, and coverage percentages for routine exams, procedures, eyeglasses, contact lenses, and hearing aids. Furthermore, the bill mandates the inclusion of an oral health professional on the United States Preventive Services Task Force.

The Protect Our Probationary Employees Act resets the probationary period for certain federal employees who were involuntarily separated between January 20, 2025, and January 20, 2029. If these employees are rehired into a similar role at the same agency, their new probationary period will be reduced by the time they already served previously. This provision is temporary and will expire on January 20, 2029.

The Feed Our Families Act of 2025 ensures the continuity of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) during the initial phase of a government shutdown. This bill automatically reserves necessary funding to operate SNAP for the first 90 days following a lapse in appropriations at the start of a fiscal year. These funds are held in reserve and released only as needed to maintain essential program services.

The Producer and Agricultural Credit Enhancement Act of 2025 significantly increases the maximum loan amounts available through federal farm ownership and operating loan programs, effective in fiscal year 2025. The bill also updates the calculation method for inflation adjustments in rural development programs and raises the cap for agricultural microloans from $\$50,000$ to $\$100,000$. Finally, it establishes conditions under which distressed FSA guaranteed loans may be refinanced into direct loans, provided the operation has a reasonable chance of success.