Washington Watch
Welcome to the First Session of the 119th Congress.
Both the House and Senate are in session this week with House leaders planning on recessing the lower chamber for an early month plus-long August break when business wraps up on Thursday. The Senate will be in town next week with the President calling on Senate Majority Leader John Thune to hold the chamber in town into August to process his nominations.
In Congressional action, the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee will meet late this afternoon to process a number of nominations, including Dudley Hoskins to be Undersecretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs at USDA. Dudley has been a Professional Staff Member on the Senate Agriculture Committee team for several years handling our issue portfolio. He consistently supported and advanced our policy priorities during his time on the Hill.
On Tuesday, the full House Appropriations Committee is scheduled to take up the Fiscal Year 2026 Interior, Environment and Related Agencies appropriations bill. The legislation includes the HF-supported biomass carbon neutrality rider, as well as a provision denying funds to be used to implement a rule designating the Northern Long eared Bat as “endangered.”
Also on Tuesday, the House Natural Resources Committee holds a hearing titled "Permitting Purgatory: Restoring Common Sense to NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) Reviews."
U.S. House of Representatives - Schedule for the week of July 21, 2025
U.S. Senate - Schedule for the week of July 21, 2025
- The Senate is in session.
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Cheat Sheet
July 24, 2025
Trade Deal Deadline Looms: Only 10 days until August 2, the Trump Administration’s self-imposed deadline to complete multiple trade deals before reverting to blanket tariff levels tailored for those trading partners without final agreements. While this deadline covers most of the globe, China has until August 12. The Administration continues to tout deals completed (Japan on the brink of finalization, including one with the European Union. The Federation team continues to reach out to the Hill and the Administration to advocate for favorable terms for hardwood exports as negotiations move forward. We will continue to provide updates as the situation develops.
Forest Products Funding Moves Forward: The House Appropriations Committee approved the Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations bill by a vote of 33-28. The legislation includes Hardwood Federation-supported language directing the EPA, DOE and USDA to recognize our biomass energy as “carbon neutral” in their policymaking. In addition, the bill defunds any actions to implement the “endangered” designation for the Northern Long eared bat. It also seeks to advance forest and land management projects on federal land by addressing the Cottonwood Environmental Law Center v. United States Forest Service decision. Finally, it prohibits Federal agencies from using the social cost of carbon in any rulemaking, guidance document or environmental decision-making process. On the other side of the Hill, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved its FY 2026 Interior Appropriations bill this morning by a vote of 24-2. We have not seen final text yet, but understand it also includes our long-supported biomass carbon neutrality rider.
Federal Forest Management Advances: Yesterday, the House Natural Resources Committee approved several bills seeking to expedite forest management and reforestation activities. Among the bills that moved are:
The Put Out The Fire Act (H.R. 178), introduced by U.S. Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA), would direct the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and Department of the Interior to immediately suppress wildfires on lands identified as being under specific drought conditions or at high risk of wildfire, in addition to times when the nation is at its highest fire preparedness level. This bill helps advance President Trump’s EO 14308, “Empowering Commonsense Wildfire Prevention and Response.”
The Post-Disaster Reforestation and Restoration Act of 2025 (H.R. 528), introduced by U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen (D-CO), requires federal land management agencies to carry out priority reforestation projects with non- federal partners following wildfires and other natural disasters. A version of this legislation was included in the bipartisan Fix Our Forests Act that passed the House earlier this year in the wake of devastating fires in Los Angeles County.
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