Federal Update: House Republicans Advance Major Priorities Ahead of One-Week Recess 

Ahead of a one-week recess, House Republicans were able to advance a series of major legislative priorities, including bipartisan legislation – the Doug LaMalfa Federal Disaster Tax Relief Certainty Act (H.R. 5366) – that would extend tax relief for victims of federally declared natural disasters. The bill, which was named in honor of the late Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-CA), would allow affected taxpayers to deduct qualified casualty losses without itemizing and ensure certain disaster relief payments are not treated as taxable income for disasters declared between July 4, 2025, and December 31, 2026.  

The House also adopted a Senate-backed budget resolution on a party line vote, clearing the way for Republicans to use the reconciliation process to pursue roughly $70 billion in additional immigration enforcement funding. The proposal is expected to support funding for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) through the remainder of President Trump’s term. With the budget blueprint now approved by both chambers, congressional committees must draft the detailed reconciliation package in the coming weeks. 

Separately, the House approved a Senate-passed bill to fund the remaining agencies within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, including FEMA, TSA, Secret Service, and the Coast Guard, among others. Now on its way to the president for signature, the measure ends the department’s 76-day partial shutdown.  

In other developments, the House approved a new farm bill on a 224-200 vote, marking the furthest Congress has advanced a reauthorization since the last version was enacted in 2018. The package updates major food and agriculture programs and drew support from several moderate and rural Democrats, including California Democrats Jim Costa and Adam Gray. Lawmakers also adopted amendments allowing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients to purchase rotisserie chicken and removed controversial pesticide labeling language. The SNAP change is notable because benefits have traditionally been limited to foods intended for home preparation. Notably, the bill does not delay the SNAP administrative or benefit cost-shifts to counties and states. 

A separate flashpoint on the farm bill involved legislation to expand year-round sales of E15 gasoline, a priority for many farm-state lawmakers. Internal Republican disagreements over ethanol policy temporarily delayed action on the bill, but GOP leaders ultimately agreed to decouple the issue from the farm bill and consider it separately sometime after the recess. 

Despite House passage, the measure faces an uncertain future in the Senate, where lawmakers are expected to pursue a more bipartisan version capable of reaching the chamber’s 60-vote threshold. 

House Panel Advances Partisan WIOA Reauthorization 

Last week, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce advanced legislation – A Stronger Workforce for America Act (H.R. 8210) – on a party-line vote, as House Republicans move to reauthorize the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and make broader changes to the federal workforce development system. Unlike a similar proposal considered during the last Congress, the latest iteration does not have bipartisan support.  

WIOA formula funding is a major source of support for counties and local workforce systems, helping connect job seekers and employers with training, placement, and career services. While reauthorization offers an opportunity to modernize the program and provide long-term certainty, several provisions in H.R. 8210 could reduce local flexibility and shift resources away from community workforce systems. These include allowing states to retain a larger share of formula funding, imposing more prescriptive federal program requirements, changing local workforce area designations, and transferring adult education and literacy programs from the U.S. Department of Education to the U.S. Department of Labor. 

The bill now awaits possible House floor consideration. No Senate companion measure has been introduced, and the lack of bipartisan support could create significant hurdles in the Senate. 

Trump Administration Announces Federal Cannabis Rescheduling Process 

The Trump administration recently announced that it is formally moving forward with the federal reclassification of cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act. The action follows President Trump’s executive order directing the Department of Justice to complete the process on an expedited basis. 

Under the initial phase, cannabis products regulated under state medical cannabis programs and certain FDA-approved cannabis-related products will immediately move to Schedule III. A separate expedited administrative hearing process beginning in late June will consider broader nationwide rescheduling. Cannabis outside those frameworks will remain a Schedule I substance unless additional action is taken. 

Rescheduling would not legalize recreational cannabis federally, but it would reduce barriers to medical research, allow researchers greater access to state-regulated products, and provide major tax relief to state-licensed cannabis businesses. 

DOJ Extends ADA Digital Accessibility Deadlines 

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) recently issued an Interim Final Rule (IFR) extending compliance deadlines for state and local governments under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) web and mobile accessibility rule. Under the updated timeline, public entities serving populations of 50,000 or more must comply by April 26, 2027, while entities serving fewer than 50,000 residents have until April 26, 2028. 

The rule applies to government websites, mobile applications, and other digital services used to provide public programs and information. This includes online services ranging from permitting and public notices regarding parks information, tax payments, benefits applications, and educational resources. The requirements also apply when a government contracts with a third party, such as a private web developer or software vendor, to create or manage online content. 

The DOJ regulations require compliance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA, a widely recognized technical standard designed to ensure digital content is usable by individuals with disabilities. 

House Panel Holds Hearing on the EXPLORE Act 

The House Natural Resources Committee recently held a hearing on implementation of the bipartisan EXPLORE Act, a law designed to expand outdoor recreation access on federal lands, modernize visitor infrastructure, streamline permitting, strengthen gateway community partnerships, and improve accessibility for veterans, families, and individuals with disabilities. 

The hearing focused specifically on Title II of the law, which addresses accessibility for individuals with disabilities, veterans, servicemembers, and families. Witnesses – including representatives from the Wounded Warrior Project, Paralyzed Veterans of America, American Trails, and other advocates – discussed how outdoor recreation can improve physical and mental health, particularly for veterans dealing with PTSD, traumatic brain injury, and mobility challenges. 

There were also several concrete implementation updates. The U.S. Department of the Interior has partnered with more than 120 accessibility-focused organizations across 37 states and identified 145 high-priority accessibility projects. Roughly 25 National Park Service websites have already been updated with improved accessibility information, with more updates underway. Agencies have also started the trail inventory work required under the law and established veteran/outdoor recreation liaison positions to support implementation. 

A consistent theme throughout the hearing was that one of the biggest barriers is often not the trail itself, but the lack of reliable pre-visit information about slope, width, surface conditions, parking access, restrooms, and obstacles. Witnesses encouraged agencies to move quickly on trail inventories, expand adaptive equipment access, improve online trip-planning tools, and make sure people with lived disability experience are directly involved in implementation decisions. 

The committee also held a hearing earlier this year that served as a broader one-year progress review of the law. Lawmakers and Trump administration officials examined how federal land agencies are advancing recreation access, permitting reform, infrastructure upgrades, and partnerships with gateway communities. Agencies indicated they are generally on track with early deadlines and implementation requirements. 

For example, the U.S. Department of the Interior reported that shortly after enactment, it issued a Secretarial Order to organize implementation, named team leaders to oversee the rollout, and activated the Federal Interagency Council on Outdoor Recreation to improve coordination across agencies. Interior also noted that all 433 National Park Service units now have designated Gateway Community Coordinators to strengthen communication with surrounding towns and counties. Agencies have also started updating recreation maps and digital visitor tools, reviewing staffing and operating hours at visitor facilities, identifying workforce housing sites in gateway communities, and streamlining permitting for outfitters, guides, and organized recreation events. 

Other milestones included progress under the Good Neighbor Authority, with the U.S. Forest Service identifying 14 “early adopter” forests for recreation-focused pilot projects involving trails, campgrounds, and visitor assets. Witnesses also emphasized the economic side of the law, noting that outdoor recreation supports rural economies and gateway communities through tourism tied to camping, trails, biking, fishing, and public lands access. There was also discussion about how recreation investments can complement wildfire resilience goals through road and trail improvements that support emergency access, evacuation planning, fuels management, and fire-safe infrastructure. 

USDA to Reorganize the Food and Nutrition Service 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced on April 30 that it will be reorganizing the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS), which oversees the agency’s 16 nutrition programs, into a new department: the Food and Nutrition Administration (FNA). According to the announcement, the FNA will involve a reorganization and relocation that will move program leaders and staff from Washington, D.C. to hub and program compliance locations across the U.S. The structure will transition from regional offices to programmatic hubs: 

• The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP/CalFresh) will be relocated to Indianapolis, IN; 
• Child Nutrition Programs will be relocated to Dallas, TX; 
• Supplemental Nutrition and Safety Programs will be relocated to Kansas City, MO; 
• Research programs will be relocated to Raleigh, NC. 
• Denver, CO, will serve as the Emergency Management and Continuity of Operations location. 
• Retailer operations and compliance will be across four offices: Atlanta, GA; Los Angeles, CA; Dallas, TX; and New York, NY. 

The agency did not announce a timeline for the relocations.