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This week on the hill: Congress returns from recess facing high-stakes fights

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by Sudiksha Kochi - 05/11/26 6:00 AM ET

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by Sudiksha Kochi - 05/11/26 6:00 AM ET

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Congress returns from its one-week recess to a packed agenda, diving back into many of the same high-stakes issues that dominated lawmakers’ attention last month.

Among the most pressing on GOP leaders’ to-do list is passing the bill to fund immigration enforcement, which they aim to advance through the budget reconciliation process that bypasses the need for Democratic buy-in.

President Trump had set a June 1 deadline for lawmakers to deliver the bill to his desk.

The Senate Judiciary Committee and Senate Homeland Security Committee last week released legislative text for the $72 billion budget reconciliation bill that includes funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol through 2029.

Also at the top of the agenda is renewing Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which allows the government to spy on foreigners abroad without a judicial warrant.

Congress approved a temporary 45-day extension before recess amid mounting pressure from hardline conservatives in the lower chamber, who have argued that any reauthorization must include a ban on the creation of central bank digital currency (CBDC) and a warrant requirement — a nonstarter in the Senate, according to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.).

Privacy hawks from both parties are also expected to use that time to make another push to add a requirement for a warrant to access data swept up on Americans communicating with foreign targets.

With Section 702 set to expire on June 15, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) faces a tight timeline to strike a deal.

And the upper chamber will take up legislation to reauthorize spending for food and agriculture programs. The farm bill faces an uphill climb in the Senate, where it will need 60 votes to overcome a filibuster.

What you can expect this week:

- FISA deadline ticking: Johnson must rally conservatives around a deal on reforms to a Section 702 FISA extension before the June deadline.

- Reconciliation 2.0 underway: Two key Senate committees have released text on a second reconciliation bill to fund immigration enforcement for three years.

- Senate to take up farm bill: The Senate will take up a farm bill, which was the subject of controversy in the House over certain provisions.

- Kevin Warsh confirmation vote: The Senate is expected to hold a confirmation vote on Kevin Warsh, Trump’s pick to be the next chair of the Federal Reserve.

- Housing bill back on the agenda: The House is making changes to a Senate-passed housing bill, which both parties in the lower chamber have grumbled about.

- House to vote on first 2027 appropriations bill: The House is expected to hold a vote on a military construction and veterans affair 2027 appropriations bill.

Conservatives divided on FISA reauthorization

Members of the House Freedom Caucus and other privacy-minded conservatives are pushing for a CBDC ban and a warrant requirement in a Section 702 reauthorization, complicating matters for Johnson as the deadline approaches.

“Here we are again. We’re gonna have another 45 days. So the question is, this time when we get together, will we run a bill through committee, through Judiciary, Intel [committees], work with the chairmen and deliver a product that actually answers the questions the American people want us to answer to prevent spying and warrantless surveillance?” Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), policy chair of the House Freedom Caucus, said last month.

But Thune has warned that a FISA extension paired with a CBDC ban would be “dead on arrival” in the upper chamber. And moderates have cautioned that a warrant requirement would impede law enforcers at the expense of national security.

Nonetheless, conservatives hope they can get their reforms in if they push hard enough.

“CBDC can still make it across the finish line. Let’s just push on,” Rep. Keith Self (R-Texas) said. “The Senate will respond to the people if they push hard enough. I’m positive on it.”

Johnson, who is navigating a razor-thin margin, will need near-unanimous GOP support in the House to pass the rule governing a Section 702 extension — assuming he decides to move it through regular order — which means even a small handful of Republican dissenters could stop the legislation in its tracks.

Thune said the extra time would give both chambers space to negotiate reforms before moving ahead with a longer-term extension.

Senate committees to advance reconciliation bill

The Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security committees are expected to meet this week to discuss and advance their portions of the reconciliation bill funding immigration enforcement.

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