Weekly Legislative Update
 Week of March 26, 2018 
  
Congressional Outlook

Congress is in recess for two weeks. The Senate will return on April 9 and the House will return on April 10. 
Week in Review

Congress Approves, President Signs FY 2018 Appropriations Omnibus
 
Late last week, the House and Senate approved the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018, by votes of 256-167 and 65-32, respectively, before the most recent Continuing Resolution expired on March 23. President Trump briefly threatened to veto the bill because it does not address the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) issue or provide enough funding for the Southwest border wall. However, he ultimately decided to sign the bill, warning Congress during a news conference that he would never sign a "ridiculous" bill like this again. He also called on Congress to allow him line-item veto power for future spending bills.
Overall, the omnibus adheres to the recently enacted budget caps agreement, providing an additional $80 billion for defense and $63 billion for non-defense spending. The increase in defense spending is the largest year-to-year increase since the beginning of the War on Terror. Most of the increases in domestic spending are directed towards programs to fight the opioid epidemic, for homeland security, and for infrastructure. The bill includes nearly $4 billion in resources to combat the opioid crisis by investing in treatment, prevention and law enforcement programs. Congress also provided over $1.5 billion to support the President's request for funding for a physical barrier and associated technology along the Southwest border. Regarding infrastructure, the bill provides an influx of approximately $21 billion for a variety of infrastructure programs, including programs to build and improve transportation, water, cyber, and energy infrastructure. Read more...  
President Trump Announces Plan to Address Opioid Epidemic 
 
On March 19, President Trump traveled to New Hampshire to unveil a plan to address the opioid epidemic. The "Initiative to Stop Opioid Abuse and Reduce Drug Supply and Demand" aims to: (1) Reduce drug demand through education, awareness, and preventing over-prescription; (2) Cut off the flow of illicit drugs across our borders and within communities; and (3) Save lives by expanding opportunities for proven treatments for opioid and other drug addictions. Although many of the proposals outlined in the plan are widely supported, some of the proposals are highly controversial. For example, the plan calls on the Department of Justice to seek the death penalty for drug traffickers, "where appropriate," and requests that Congress consider passing legislation that reduces the threshold amount of drugs needed to invoke mandatory minimum sentences for drug traffickers who distribute certain illicit opioids like fentanyl. Read more... 
Farm Bill Efforts Stalled
 
Last week, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS) said that is he continuing to work with Committee Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) on the Senate's 2018 farm bill, but said that the timeline for completing work on the bill is slipping. Roberts said that the Committee needs time to "get the bill right," but also suggested that any further delays could spell trouble for reauthorizing the farm bill on time. Meanwhile, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Michael Conaway (R-TX) said that after months of stalled negotiations with committee Democrats over funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, he has decided to move forward without support from Democrats. House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member said last week that the farm bill "is on life support" and that he would "bet on an extension." Read more... 
President Trump Names Bolton National Security Advisor
 
Last week, President Trump chose former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton as his third National Security Advisor following the departure of H.R. McMaster. McMaster will stay National Security Advisor until April 9 to help with the transition. Bolton, known for his hawkish policy stances, could signal a shift in the Trump Administration's approach to foreign policy, particularly with regard to Iran and North Korea. Read more...  
House Passes Dodd-Frank Reform Bill
 
On March 20, the House passed H.R. 4566, the Alleviating Stress Test Burdens to Help Investors Act, by a bipartisan vote of 395-19. The bill amends the Dodd-Frank law to relieve non-banks from costs associated with certain stress test requirements that are structured and designed for banks. Read more...  
House Passes Right-to-Try Bill 
 
On March 21, the House passed H.R. 5247, the Trickett Wendler, Frank Mongiello, Jordan McLinn, and Matthew Bellina Right to Try Act of 2018, by a vote of 267-149. The bill aims to give terminally ill patients increased access to investigational drugs. A slightly different version of the bill passed the Senate unanimously last year. Read more...  
Senate Passes Strengthening Protections for Social Security Beneficiaries Act
 
On March 23, the Senate passed H.R. 4547, the Strengthening Protections for Social Security Beneficiaries Act, by unanimous consent. In February, the bill passed the House by a vote of 396-0. The bill makes several amendments to the Social Security Act to strengthen the Social Security representative payment program. Read more... 
Senate Passes Bill to Fight Online Sex Trafficking
 
On March 21, the Senate passed H.R. 1865, the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act of 2017, by a vote of 97-2. The bill, which has been controversial due to concerns from the tech industry, aims to make it easier to target websites with legal action for enabling sex trafficking activities. Critics say that making exceptions to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996, a law many internet companies see as vital to protecting their platforms, will lead to small internet companies having to deal lawsuits over content posted by users. Read more... 
House Passes Several Cyber, Transportation, and National Security Bills
 
Last week, the House passed several bills aimed at improving cyber, transportation and general national security:
  • H.R. 5074, the DHS Cyber Incident Response Teams Act of 2018, was agreed to by voice vote. The bill would codify the establishment and responsibilities of hunt and incident response teams (HIRTs) under the authority of the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center. Read more... 
  • H.R. 4176, the Air Cargo Security Improvement Act of 2017, was agreed to by voice vote. The bill would direct the Transportation Security Administration to conduct a pilot program to test the expanded use of screening equipment to screen air cargo on passenger aircraft. Read more... 
  • H.R. 5089, the Strengthening Local Transportation Security Capabilities Act of 2018, was approved by a vote of 397-1. The bill would improve threat information sharing, integrated operations, and law enforcement training for transportation security. Read more... 
  • H.R. 5131, the Surface Transportation Security Improvement Act of 2018, was approved by a vote of 409-5. The bill would improve the effectiveness of federal efforts to identify and address homeland security risks to surface transportation and secure against vehicle-based attacks. Read more... 
  • H.R. 4227, the Vehicular Terrorism Prevention Act of 2018, was approved by a vote of 417-2. The bill would direct the Department of Homeland Security to examine what actions the agency is undertaking to combat the threat of vehicular terrorism, and report to Congress. Read more... 
  • H.R. 5099, the Enhancing DHS' Fusion Center Technical Assistance Program Act, was agreed to by voice vote. The bill would establish a fusion center technical assistance program at the Department of Homeland Security. Fusion centers conduct analysis and facilitate information sharing, assisting law enforcement and homeland security partners in preventing, protecting against, and responding to crime and terrorism. Read more... 
  • H.R. 5079, the DHS Field Engagement Accountability Act, would require the Department of Homeland Security to develop an engagement strategy with fusion centers.  Read more... 
  • H.R. 4467, the Strengthening Aviation Security Act of 2017, was approved by a vote of 408-0. The bill would require the Federal Air Marshal Service to utilize a risk-based strategy when allocating resources between international and domestic flight coverage, including when initially setting its annual target numbers. Read more...