Committee Cliff Notes: Week of July 20, 2026
Here’s a recap of key moments from House Republican committees during the week:
Agriculture
On Tuesday, July 21, the Subcommittee on Commodity Markets, Digital Assets, and Rural Development held a hearing called "Examining Customer Protections and Market Integrity in Sports Event Prediction Markets," featuring testimony from Robert A. Schwartz of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius and former CFTC General Counsel, David Z. Bean of the Indian Gaming Association, Christopher Cylke of the American Gaming Association, Carl Kennedy of Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP, and Asaf Meir of Solidus Labs.
As sports event prediction markets continue to grow rapidly, the hearing examined how customer protection and market integrity requirements under the Commodity Exchange Actapply to these markets as the CFTC considers updates to its oversight framework.
On Wednesday, July 22, the Subcommittee on Forestry and Horticulture held a hearing called "For the Purpose of Receiving Testimony from Chief Tom Schultz, U.S. Forest Service," during which committee members heard testimony from U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Schultz on the agency’s priorities, organizational restructuring, wildfire preparedness and response, forest health, timber management, state partnerships, and other issues affecting the National Forest System and rural communities.
The hearing comes as the Forest Service is implementing an agency reorganization, while Congress continues to consider forestry and wildfire resilience provisions as part of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026.
Appropriations
Having completed committee action on all twelve Fiscal Year 2027 appropriations bills before the end of June, Appropriators turned their attention to an issue that too often overshadows the funding process: government shutdowns. On Wednesday, July 22, the House Appropriations Committee, led by Chairman Cole, held a rare full committee hearing, "Funding Lapses: Analyzing Shutdown Reform," to evaluate legislative proposals intended to reduce lapses, consider their implications, and discuss ways to promote a more stable process. Protecting the American people from the consequences of needless, partisan shutdowns should be an objective shared by all lawmakers.
Education & Workforce
On Tuesday, July 21, the Committee on Education and Workforce held a full committee markup on the following measures:
- H.R. 8781, the Title IX Clarification Act of 2026 (Arrington)
- H.R. 4986, the Parents Opt-in Protection Act (Miller)
- H.R. 8747, the K-12 AI Literacy and Readiness Act of 2026 (Fine)
- H.R. 8183, the Modernizing Access to Talents, Credentials, and Hiring (MATCH) Act of 2026 (Owens)
- H.R. 9273, the Fit Future Act (Mackenzie)
- H.R. 8660, the Valuing Employee Stock Today Act (Mackenzie)
- H.R. 8347, the Reinforcing Underserved, Rural, and Local (RURAL) Healthcare Act (Owens)
- H.R. 6213, the Heat Workforce Standards Act of 2025 (Messmer)
- H.R. 8775, the Ending Predator Access to Union Power Act (Wilson)
- H.R. 5267, the American Franchise Act (Hern)
On Wednesday, July 22, the Subcommittee on Workforce Protections held a hearing called "Broken Trust: How the Biden-Harris DOL Leaked Confidential Information." Today's hearing examined serious failures at the Biden-Harris Department of Labor (DOL) uncovered through the Committee's oversight. The Inspector General found the Biden-Harris DOL shared confidential investigative information with outside lawyers to skew court cases, couldn't keep track of what was shared or with whom, and lacked basic safeguards to prevent conflicts of interest. Americans deserve a government that enforces the law fairly—not one that gives special interests an unfair advantage.
On Friday, July 24, the Committee on Education and Workforce held a full committee field hearing called "Building an AI-Ready America: How AI Is Creating Opportunities Across America's Workforce."
Energy & Commerce
On Monday, July 20 and Tuesday, July 21, the Committee on Energy and Commerce held a full committee markup on 29 measures. The Committee marked up 29 bills to lower energy costs, cut red tape, protect communities from illicit drug threats, and empowering patients by expanding access to clear pricing data. This markup included the Ratepayer Protection Act, which ensures that working families don’t pay the price for increased energy loads.
On Wednesday, July 22, the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade held a hearing called "Legislative Proposals to Strengthen Consumer Protection in a Changing Marketplace." This hearing examined a slate of consumer product and service protection bills. This legislation will help strengthen transparency and bolster enforcement against foreign companies breaking our consumer protection laws.
On Wednesday, July 22, the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology held a legislative hearing called "Protecting Communications Networks and Improving Connectivity" on the following measures:
- H.R. 9129, the GUARD Act (Moolenaar)
- H.R. 1027, the QUIET Act (Sorensen)
- H.R. 2805, the PLAN for Broadband Act (Walberg)
- H.R. 4950, the Data BRIDGE Act (Houchin)
- H.R. 6152, the Foreign Robocall Elimination Act (McDowell)
- H.R. 7294, the AI for Secure Networks Act (Menendez)
Financial Services
On Tuesday, July 21, the Subcommittee on National Security, Illicit Finance, and International Financial Institutions held a hearing called "Oversight of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network." The subcommittee, led by Chairman Warren Davidson (OH-08), examined efforts to strengthen the national anti-money laundering framework, improve FinCEN’s effectiveness, and combat illicit finance while reducing unnecessary regulatory burdens.
On Tuesday, July 21, the Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance held a hearing called "Oversight of the Federal Home Loan Bank System." The subcommittee, led by Chairman Mike Flood (NE-01), explored the structure, operations, and mission of the Federal Home Loan Bank System.
On Wednesday, July 22, the Committee hosted a fireside chat with full Committee Chairman French Hill (AR-02) and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Dan Meuser (PA-09) on the Committee’s work to address the rise of financial fraud and scams and strengthen protections for American consumers. The Committee also released a staff report titled: “Fighting Back: A Policy Framework for Combating the Rise of Financial Fraud & Scams.”
Foreign Affairs
On Tuesday, July 21, the Committee on Foreign Affairs held a full committee hearing called "Confronting Haiti’s Terrorist Gangs: The Gang Suppression Force and the Path Ahead." The lawmakers examined the lessons learned from the U.N. Multinational Security Support mission aand how those lessons have been applied to the current Gang Suppression Force efforts to take the fight to the gangs that control an estimated 90% of Port-au-Prince.
On Wednesday, July 22, the Committee on Foreign Affairs held a full committee hearing called "United Nations Accountability and Reform: Advancing an America First Foreign Policy Through Strategic Diplomacy and Burden Sharing." During his opening remarks, Chairman Mast underscored the dire need for reform at the U.N. and ensuring our foreign policy puts America First.
On Wednesday, July 22, the Middle East and North Africa Subcommittee held a hearing called "Building a New Regional Security Architecture: The Next Phase of the Abraham Accords." The lawmakers examined the success of the Abraham Accords in building lasting peace and prosperity to the Middle East, and the role Congress must play in building upon its success.
On Wednesday, July 22, the East Asia and Pacific Subcommittee held a hearing called "Charting a New Course: Countering China's Dominance in Global Shipbuilding." The lawmakers examined China’s control over global commercial shipbuilding capacity, and the imperative that America work with its partners and allies to counter China’s dominance.
House Administration
On Tuesday, July 21, the Subcommittee on Modernization and Innovation held a hearing called “Modernizing Public Access to Legislative Data and Information.”
On Wednesday, July 22, the Committee on House Administration held a full committee hearing called “Oversight of the Smithsonian: Radical Revisionism at the National Museum of American History.”
Intelligence
On Monday, July 20, the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence held a closed full committee markup on the following measure:
- H.R. 9624, the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027 (Crawford)
Judiciary
On Tuesday, July 21, the Judiciary Committee held a full committee markup on the following measure:
- H.R. 9773, the Permanent Trump Secure Border Act Bill (Roy)
Natural Resources
On Tuesday, July 21, the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources held a legislative hearing on the following measures:
- H.R. 8003, the Expanding the Fast Track Act of 2026 (Deluzio)
- H.R. 9640, the Earth MRI Reauthorization Act of 2026 (Wittman)
- H.R. 9646, the Quantum-Enhanced Critical Minerals Mapping Act of 2026 (Hurd)
On Tuesday, July 21, the Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries held a legislative hearing on the following measures:
- H.R. 7332, the Whale CHARTS Act of 2026 (Matsui)
- H.R. 7466, the SAFE CATTLE Act (Jackson)
- H.R. 8876, the Aquatic Invasive Species Control and Prevention Act of 2026 (Walberg)
- H.R. 9621, the Northwest Endangered Salmon Predation Prevention Act of 2026 (Baumgartner)
On Wednesday, July 22, the Committee on Natural Resources held a full committee markup on the following measures:
- H.R. 309, the National Law Enforcement Officers Remembrance, Support and Community Outreach Act (Nehls)
- H.R. 1693, To redesignate the National Historic Trails Interpretive Center in Casper, Wyoming, as the “Barbara L. Cubin National Historic Trails Interpretive Center" (Hageman)
- H.R. 4219, the National Wildlife Refuge System Invasive Species Strike Team Act of 2025 (Case)
- H.R. 4931, the National Park System Long-Term Lease Investment Act (Murphy)
- H.R. 5063, the Safe Beaches, Safe Swimmers Act (Kiggans)
- H.R. 6021, the Archie Cavanaugh Migratory Bird Treaty Amendment Act (Begich)
- H.R. 8121, To designate the Christiansted Bandstand at the Christiansted National Historic Site, St. Croix, Virgin Islands, as the “Peter G. Thurland, Sr., Bandstand" (Plaskett)
- H.R. 8454, To provide for the transfer of administrative jurisdiction over certain Federal land in the State of California, and for other purposes (McClintock)
Oversight and Government Reform
On Tuesday, July 21, the Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency held a hearing called "Rewriting American History: Examining the Smithsonian’s Efforts to Reshape the Past." During the hearing, members examined efforts of the National Museum of American History (NMAH) and the broader Smithsonian Institution to promote divisive, inappropriate, and factually inaccurate programming on U.S. history. Members criticized the use of the taxpayer-funded NMAH as a tool to promote a politicized agenda concerning issues of race, class, gender and sexuality. This hearing follows a reportreleased by the White House Domestic Policy Council on July 4, 2026, revealing the NMAH’s extensive left-wing biases that significantly alter and disparage United States history.
On Wednesday, July 22, the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a full committee markup and advanced legislation to lower prescription drug costs, protect patients and local independent pharmacies from predatory pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) practices, strengthen congressional oversight of Washington, D.C.’s taxing authority, and improve the efficiency of federal government operations. Chairman Comer published an op-ed in the Washington Examiner lauding the bipartisan Pharmacists Fight Back Act (H.R. 6610) to hold PBMs accountable for raising prescription drug prices to unaffordable levels for many Americans.
On Wednesday, July 22, the Task Force on Defending Constitutional Rights and Exposing Institutional Abuses held a hearing called "The Future of DEI in Law School Accreditation and the Legal Profession." During the hearing, members analyzed how the American Bar Association (ABA) has weaponized its accreditation authority to promote DEI policies that are contrary to federal civil rights law and the negative consequences in the legal profession that result from these harmful policies. Members also heard from witnesses the need for Congress to act to ensure permanent elimination of DEI policies within American institutions, including the legal profession and academy.
Rules
On Monday, July 20, the Committee on Rules met on the following measures:
- H.R. 7008, the Stop Insider Trading Act (Steil)
- H.R. 6955, the Main Street Capital Access Act (Hill)
- H. Con. Res. 113, Establishing the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2027 and setting forth the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2028 through 2036 (Arrington)
- H.R. 9770, the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2027 (Cole)
- H.R. 8800, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2027 [Rule Markup Only] (Rogers)
- H.R. 8884, the Removing Barriers to Work for Disabled Americans Act [Rule Markup Only] (Scott)
Science, Space, and Technology
On Tuesday, July 21, the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology held a full committee markup on the following measures:
- H.R. 3168, the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program Reauthorization Act of 2025 (Valadao)
- H.R. 8437, the Geo POWER Act (Begich)
- H.R. 9326, the USA Act (Webster)
- H.R. 8981, Standards and Calibration for American Leadership in Engineering Biology Act (McClain Delaney)
On Wednesday, July 22, the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology held a full committee hearing called "Unleashing the Golden Age of Science: Examining the Priorities of the FY2027 Research and Technology Enterprise." The purpose of the hearing was to assess the FY27 budget request to Congress to support the nation’s science enterprise.
Select Committee on China
On Monday, July 20, Chairman John Moolenaar and Senators John Cornyn and Tom Cotton, the Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, introduced H.R.9789 - Stop PRC Economic Espionage Act of 2026. This bill amends current law to make it harder for Chinese entities to commit economic espionage, and easier for the U.S. justice system to prosecute them for it.
On Wednesday, July 22, the House-passed NDAA included provisions of H.R.8623 - Guarding the U.S. Against Adversarial Robotics Dominance (GUARD) Act, Chairman Moolenaar’s bill to require the Pentagon to begin the process of determining whether Chinese robots should be banned nationwide. The GUARD Act was also included in Wednesday’s legislative hearing in the House Energy & Commerce Committee's Subcommittee on Communication and Technology. Additionally on Wednesday, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation passed the Senate version of Chairman Moolenaar’s bipartisan H.R.8730 - Connected Vehicle Security Act of 2026, which would prohibit the importation, manufacture, and sale of connected vehicles, software, and hardware linked to China.
Small Business
On Wednesday, July 22, the Committee on Small Business held a full committee hearing called "Oversight of SBA’s Office of Entrepreneurial Development." The purpose of this hearing was to conduct oversight of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Office of Entrepreneurial Development (OED) and its efforts to help small businesses start, grow, and compete. The hearing also provided Members an opportunity to review reforms and operational changes implemented under the Trump Administration and assess their impact on the delivery of entrepreneurial assistance.
Ways and Means
On Wednesday, July 22, the Committee on Ways and Means held a full committee markupon the following measures:
- H.R. 9772, the Foreign Funding Transparency Act (Schweikert)
- H.R. 9771, the Stopping Foreign Influence in Elections Act of 2026 (Malliotakis)
- H.R. 9721, the Fiscal Sponsorship Transparency Act of 2026 (Smucker)
- H.R. 9722, the Fair Treatment of Religious Organizations Act of 2026 (Moore)
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