Daily Digest of Congress- 05 May 2025

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Hey everyone! 👋 Here’s what happened in Congress on May 5th, 2025—no political spin, no confusion, just the facts in plain English.

Let’s get into it

On the House floor today, lawmakers took up several important bills:

The first is H.R. 36 – MEGOBARI Act, This bill boosts U.S. engagement in the Black Sea region—specifically with Georgia, Ukraine, and Moldova—to counter growing Russian influence. It strengthens diplomatic, economic, and security ties.

H.R. 530 – ACES Act

This one’s all about chips. The bill offers tax breaks and research incentives to grow America’s semiconductor industry and cut reliance on foreign suppliers—especially China.

H.R. 1800 – Solidify Iran Sanctions Act of 2025

Aimed at locking in sanctions on Iran’s energy sector, this bill keeps the pressure on Iran for its nuclear activities and regional threats.

H.R. 2416- Still waiting on a formal title,

But it focuses on hardening federal cybersecurity—especially against ransomware attacks targeting critical infrastructure.

In committee news, the House Veterans Affairs Subcommittee on Technology Modernization held a 3 PM hearing on how better scheduling software can improve veterans’ access to care outside the VA. Senior officials and tech experts testified on ways to fix long wait times and bottlenecks.

At 4 PM, the House Rules Committee met to prep floor debates for two more bills:

The Gulf of America Act, which would reclassify some coastal areas to expand eligibility for federal disaster aid.

And the DHS Restrictions on Confucius Institutes and Chinese Entities of Concern Act, is a bill restricting federal funds to universities that host Chinese government-backed cultural programs.

🏛️ Now in the Senate

The Senate convened at 3 PM, with no major floor votes on the record.

But the Senate Agriculture Committee held a 5:30 PM business meeting to review two key nominations for the Department of Agriculture:

Stephen Vaden, nominated for Deputy Secretary

Tyler Clarkson, nominated for General Counsel

Both nominees bring deep policy experience and are expected to play leading roles in shaping agricultural and food security policy.

That’s your Daily Digest for May 5, 2025.

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For the official congress digest please visit: https://www.congress.gov/