National Association of Towns and Townships - www.natat.org

How Townships can access clean energy tax credits in the form of direct pay/transferability

2025 NATAT Policy Platform

NATaT Tax Priorities

NATaT Transportation Reauthorization Priorities

NATaT December 2024 Annual Meeting

Jerry B. Crabtree, Heidi Fought (Ohio ED), Past President Neil Sheradin (Michigan Ed), and NATaT President Dave Sanko (PA ED)

NATaT Weekly Legislative Report

March 23, 2026

Congressional Outlook

The House and Senate are in session this week.

Today marks Day 38 of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown. The Senate last week failed again to pass funding for DHS FY26 appropriations and its agencies that include the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and U.S. Coast Guard. Lawmakers are feeling the pressure as airport security lines around the country grow longer and TSA agents are on the verge of missing another paycheck as Congress remains at a standstill since February 14, when DHS funding lapsed. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy recently indicated that the longer the DHS shutdown continues, the probability increases that smaller airports may need to cancel operations entirely, if too many workers call out. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) negotiated a deal with Democrats to fund all of DHS except for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as Democrats seek increased transparency and accountability policies from the administration, however, President Trump rejected the deal. The negotiated offer would connect FY26 funding for ICE with passage of a second budget reconciliation bill later this year. The President instead wants Senate Republicans to continue pushing for passage of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE America) Act (S. 1383), a bill requiring individuals to provide documented proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections. Adding further confusion to the issue, beginning today President Trump ordered ICE agents to assist TSA workers at more than a dozen major airports around the country.

On Sunday, the Senate voted to advance Sen. Markwayne Mullin’s (R-Okla.) nomination as Secretary of Homeland Security by a vote of 54-37. The procedural vote moves Sen. Mullin’s nomination to a final vote Monday evening. Last Thursday, Mullin’s nomination just barely escaped a committee vote of 8-7, when Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) voted against the nomination, while Democrat Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) voted in favor of Mullin’s confirmation to advance his nomination.

The House returns on Tuesday and is scheduled to advance 14 bills under suspension of the rules, including the Made in America Jobs Act of 2026 (H.R. 7342), which requires Economic Development Administration (EDA) grants to be used for infrastructure and other projects designed to attract jobs back to the U.S.; the Wildfire Aerial Response Safety Act (H.R. 6618), which directs the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to study the effects of unmanned aircraft system incursions on wildfire suppression; the Airport Regulatory Relief Act of 2025 (H.R. 6427), which allows states to no longer have to request approval from the Transportation Department to use state highway standards, rather than federal specifications, to construct airfield pavement with federal funds at nonprimary airports used by light aircraft; the Recreational Drone Empowerment Act (H.R. 6460), which expands the areas in which recreational unmanned aircraft systems are authorized to fly; the Supersonic Aviation Modernization Act (H.R. 3410), which directs the FAA to update regulations to permit civil aircraft to operate at supersonic speeds in U.S. airspace if the sonic boom does not reach the ground; and the American Water Stewardship Act (H.R. 6422), which reauthorizes, through FY2031, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, Long Island Sound Study, Columbia River Basin Restoration, National Estuary Program, and the BEACH Act program.

The House will also consider four bills and resolutions pursuant to a rule, including the Pay Our Homeland Defenders Act (H.R. 8029), which provides $64.6 billion to DHS for the remainder of FY 2026; a resolution expressing House support for DHS (H. Res. 1128); the Defending American Property Abroad Act of 2026 (H.R. 7084), which allows the president to deny foreign vessels entry into U.S. ports if they accessed a previously U.S.-owned port that had been seized or nationalized by a Western Hemisphere foreign trade partner; and the Make the District of Columbia Safe and Beautiful Act of 2026 (H.R. 5103), which creates a federal commission to oversee law enforcement in Washington, D.C.

Throughout the week, the House will hold numerous hearings and markups, including a Homeland Security Committee hearing on Funding Lapse and Security Gaps: Assessing the Harmful Impacts of the DHS Shutdown on Americans; a Natural Resources Committee markup of five bills related to public land leases and mining critical minerals; a Budget Committee hearing on The Best Metric to Reverse the Curse: A 3% Deficit-to-GDP Path to Fiscal Sustainability; an Education and Workforce Committee hearing on U.S. Universities Under Siege: Foreign Espionage, Stolen Innovation, and the National Security Threat; an Appropriations Subcommittee on Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies hearing on Advancing Permanency in Child Welfare: Leveraging Federal Funding for Adoption Programs; an Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health hearing on Policies to Protect Our Communities From Illicit Drug Threats; a Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance hearing on Mitigation and Multiple Loss Properties: Factors Influencing the High Cost of Flooding; and a Small Business Committee hearing on Defending Main Street: Combating Chinese Communist Party Threats to America’s Small Businesses.

The Senate will be in session on Monday evening and is scheduled to take two votes; a confirmation vote on the nomination of Senator Markwayne Mullin to serve as the 9^th Secretary of Homeland Security and a motion to invoke cloture on the nomination of Colin McDonald to be Assistant Attorney General for Fraud Enforcement. The Senate will also continue debate on the SAVE America Act (S. 1383).

The chamber will hold numerous committee hearing and markups throughout the week, including an Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing to examine the state of the bulk power system; a Budget Committee hearing to examine Social Security and a path forward for the program; a Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution hearing to examine protecting American citizenship, focusing on federalism, sanctuary cities, and the rule of law; a Special Committee on Aging hearing to examine seniors and the workforce; and a Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing to examine positioning student-athletes for success in school and beyond.