Point of Order is a (mostly) weekly preview of key congressional activity for those with more than a passing interest in federal policy.

Schedule in the House: The House returns at 2:00 pm today for legislative business. Votes are postponed until 6:30 pm. The House will also be in session on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. The last votes for the week are expected no later than 3:00 pm on Thursday. No votes are expected on Friday. Nine (9) bills are expected to be considered under the suspension of the rules (listed below). The cost estimates for those bills are available here.

• H.R. 2683, Remote Access Security Act (Foreign Affairs Committee)

• H.R. 909, Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act (Judiciary Committee)

• S. 3424, Bankruptcy Administration Improvement Act (Judiciary Committee)

• H.R. 6719, Combating Online Predators Act (Judiciary Committee)

• H.R. 6732, Coercion and Sexual Abuse Free Environment Act (Judiciary Committee)

• H.R. 6715, Child Predators Accountability Act (Judiciary Committee)

• S. 269, Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act (Ways and Means Committee)

• H.R. 6500, AGOA Extension Act (Ways and Means Committee)

• H.R. 6504, Haiti Economic Lift Program Extension Act (Ways and Means Committee)

Bills that come to the floor under suspension of the rules require two-thirds of members present and voting for passage. This is the most common way that bills considered by the House come to the floor. Some of these bills may be passed by a voice vote, rather than a roll call vote. Most bills that come to the floor under suspension aren’t widely considered controversial, although leadership may occasionally test a bill under suspension to gauge opposition or sneak a bill through the chamber.

Rule bills: The House Rules Committee will meet on Monday at 4:00 pm to mark up the rule providing for the consideration of the Flexibility for Workers Education Act, H.R. 2262; the Empowering Employer Child and Elder Care Solutions Act, H.R. 2270; the Tipped Employee Protection Act, H.R. 2312; the Protecting Prudent Investment of Retirement Savings Act, H.R. 2988; and the Save Local Business Act, H.R. 4366. The Committee will also meet on Tuesday at 2:00 pm to mark up the rule providing for the consideration of the Financial Services and General Government and National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act for FY 2026, H.R. ____. This is the latest approps bill to hit the House floor. However, Homeland Security was dropped from the package for obvious reasons.

House committee schedule: The full House committee schedule for the week is here. If you’re interested in watching any of these hearings online, you can find committee websites here.

Appropriations in the Senate, war powers, and a looming deal on ACA subsidies: The Senate returns today at 3:00 pm. Before leaving for the weekend, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) filed the cloture motion on the motion to proceed to Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior and Environment Appropriations Act for FY 2026, H.R. 6938, The House passed H.R. 6938 last week. Last week, the Senate agreed to discharge S.J.Res. 98, which directs the removal of American forces from hostilities against Venezuela. Five Republicans—Sens. Rand Paul, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Todd Young, and Josh Hawley—crossed the aisle to vote for the joint resolution. Assuming the next procedural vote is agreed to, expect a vote-a-rama this week, likely on Wednesday, before a vote on final passage. Finally, negotiators are reportedly close on a deal to extend the enhanced premium tax credits that expired at the end of December. That deal could be announced this week, potentially as soon as today.

Senate committee schedule: The full Senate committee schedule for the week is here. If you’re interested in watching any of these hearings online, you can find committee websites here.

Deficit watch: The budget deficit through the first quarter of FY 2026 was $601 billion.

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