U.S. House of Representatives

Rule Changes

Faces $200B+ war funding request amid prior rejection of war powers resolution

The War Powers Resolution has been on the books for 53 years, designed to prevent a president waging a major war without Congress voting to authorize it. On March 5, with American troops engaged in combat against Iran and at least six service members dead, the Senate voted 47-53 to reject a resolution requiring presidential approval from Congress before continuing military operations, followed hours later by the House rejecting its parallel measure H. Con. Res. 38.

Updated Mar 19

Rule Changes

Passed SAVE America Act

Since 1993, Americans have registered to vote by attesting to their citizenship under penalty of perjury, with no proof required. The House passed the SAVE America Act 218-213 on February 11, 2026, mandating in-person documentary proof—a passport, birth certificate, or naturalization papers—for federal election registration.

Updated Mar 13

Rule Changes

Passed three-year subsidy extension 230-196 on January 8 via rare discharge petition, defying Speaker Johnson

The ACA subsidy cliff has delivered the predicted damage. Enhanced premium tax credits expired on January 1, 2026, and by late January, enrollment data confirmed the worst fears: 1.2 to 1.4 million fewer Americans signed up for marketplace coverage compared to the prior year, with total 2026 enrollment falling to 22.8–22.9 million. Average premium payments for subsidized enrollees jumped 114% as projected—from $888 to $1,904 annually—while Trump administration changes to tax credit calculations amplified the shock. State exchanges reported steep declines: California saw new sign-ups fall 32%, Massachusetts lost 13,000 enrollees, and Mississippi expects 200,000 to abandon coverage. The predicted rate shock is no longer a forecast; it is reshaping the individual insurance market in real time.

Updated Feb 6

Rule Changes

Passed both its own NDAA and the final compromise bill with bipartisan majorities.

President Trump signed a nearly $901 billion defense bill into law on December 18, 2025, cementing the 65th consecutive year Congress has passed a National Defense Authorization Act. The measure delivers troops a 3.8% pay raise, locks in $800 million in weapons support for Ukraine over two years, sets troop floors in Europe and South Korea that defy Trump's withdrawal instincts, and rewires how the Pentagon buys weapons through sweeping acquisition reforms branded as the SPEED Act. It also repeals the 2002 Iraq War authorization while embedding Trump-era cuts to climate and diversity programs across the military.

Updated Jan 9

Rule Changes

Under scrutiny for P540B in budget insertions and leadership turnover

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed a $115 billion budget on January 5, 2026, while vetoing $1.6 billion in unprogrammed appropriations—slashing discretionary funds to their lowest level since 2019. The move follows months of scandal after former lawmaker Zaldy Co admitted to inserting $1.69 billion in phantom flood control projects into the 2025 budget, implicating Marcos's own cousin, then-House Speaker Martin Romualdez, in an alleged kickback scheme. Co remains at large abroad while seven of sixteen co-accused in the first criminal case are now in custody. In early January 2026, eight DPWH officials pleaded not guilty at their Sandiganbayan arraignment for graft charges over a $4.9 million ghost project.

Updated Jan 5

Rule Changes

Originated the FY2026 NDAA and defense appropriations aligned closely with Trump’s topline and culture-war priorities

In December 2025, Congress completed work on the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), authorizing a record $901 billion in national security spending. The House passed the final compromise 312–112 on December 10, and President Donald Trump signed the bill into law on December 18 in a low-profile move without an Oval Office ceremony. The enacted package cements a 4% pay raise for service members, provides $800 million for Ukraine over two years through the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), advances Trump priorities such as eliminating Pentagon DEI programs and supporting the “Golden Dome” missile-defense effort, and retains policy riders that helped drive intra-party and bipartisan friction.

Updated Dec 20, 2025

Rule Changes

Passed the SPEED Act and kicked the fight to the Senate

Washington keeps saying it wants to “build faster.” On December 18, 2025, the House put that promise into a blunt instrument: it passed the SPEED Act, a bill designed to squeeze environmental reviews into tighter boxes and make lawsuits harder to use as a brake.

Updated Dec 19, 2025

Rule Changes

Site of bipartisan pushback using rare discharge petition to advance repeal bill

Donald Trump tried to rewrite federal labor law with a single March executive order, yanking collective bargaining rights from most of the civil service under a sweeping "national security" label. On December 11, the House — powered by a rare discharge petition and 20 Republican defections — voted 231–195 to tear that order up.

Updated Dec 12, 2025