The Week Ahead: February 18 - 21, 2025

Driving the Week
Budget Resolution
Although the House is in recess this week, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) canceled plans to attend a meeting in London in order to address the Republican conference virtually regarding the budget resolution. The Senate returns to Washington on Tuesday and could vote on its version of the budget resolution as soon as this week. The budget resolution is championed by Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and Senate Budget Committee Chair Lindsey Graham (R-SC) who successfully reported it out of the Senate Budget Committee last week. If the Senate holds a vote this week, it will signal that Senate Republicans plan to continue moving forward with the two-bill reconciliation process, as opposed to the House's preferred one-bill approach (the House Budget Committee voted its version of the budget resolution out of committee Thursday evening). The Senate’s budget resolution focuses on defense and border security needs and does not include provisions to extend the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.

Notably, the Senate cannot begin to consider additional funding for the Pentagon or the border until there is a deal with the House on a concurrent budget resolution that sorts out the differences between the two current competing versions. The concurrent budget resolution will direct the relevant committees to consider ways to raise or lower revenues, spending, and taxes, as well as change programs to achieve desired budgetary goals.

Nomination Updates
The Senate returns on Tuesday evening and will take a procedural vote on Kash Patel’s nomination to serve as FBI director. It will also vote on confirmation of Howard Lutnick as Commerce Secretary. Additionally, the Senate is expected to confirm Kelly Loeffler as Small Business Administrator later this week.

On Wednesday, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee will consider Lori Chavez-DeRemer’s nomination to be Labor Secretary. Democrats have praised her in the past for her union-friendly stance, but it is unclear if she will receive bipartisan support. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) has said he plans to vote no.


Congress
House
The House is out this week.

Senate
The Senate returns to Washington Tuesday at 3:00 pm. Votes are expected at 5:30 pm. 


Key Events
Wednesday

• Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing on Children’s Safety in the Digital Era: Strengthening Protections and Addressing Legal Gaps
• Senate HELP Committee Hearing on the Nomination of Lori M. Chavez-DeRemer to Serve as Secretary of Labor
• Senate Commerce Committee Hearing America Offline? How Spectrum Auction Delays Give China the Edge and Cost Us Jobs

Thursday

• Senate Energy and Natural Resources Hearing to Examine Research Security Risks Posed by Foreign Nationals from Countries of Risk Working at the Department of Energy’s National Laboratories and Necessary Mitigation Steps
• Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Executive Session on the Nomination of Linda McMahon to be Secretary of Education

White House/Administration
The President plans to sign executive orders from Mar-a-Lago this afternoon.

• On Monday Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed the future of the Middle East with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia. On Sunday, Rubio met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
• European Commission executive vice president Maroš Šefčovič will travel to Washington to meet with senior members of the Trump administration including Commerce Secretary Nominee Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) nominee Jamieson Greer, and Kevin Hassett.

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ICYMI
​On Monday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz traveled to Saudi Arabi to meet with Russian Officials as they look to broker a peace deal. Also on Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron called an emergency meeting with the leaders of Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Poland, Spain, the Netherlands, Denmark, and the European Union.

• On Monday, a Delta Airlines flight from Minnesota flipped upside down on the runway upon landing in Toronto. 18 people were injured in the crash.
  
• Over the weekend, the White House asked the Supreme Court to permit the firing of Office of Special Counsel chief Hampton Dellinger.
  
• Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Mexico will sue Google if it continues to label the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America for U.S.-based users.