Washington Weekly - September 7

This Week:

The Senate is in session and the House returns on September 12^th. 

Federal:

The Senate Returns: After being in recess since July 27^th, the Senate has returned, with the House following suit next week.  As previously stated, Congress faces a shutdown on October 1^st, should a continuing resolution (CR) or budget not be passed.   At this writing, the House has 11 legislative days left, while the Senate has 14 days to pass funding bills or negotiate a settlement to bring funding past the deadline. 

Don’t Mess with Texas: It has been evident since the beginning of this year that many House and Senate Republicans differ on a path forward for a multitude of issues – from government spending priorities to policies like border security, COVID-era plans, and social policies in the Department of Defense.  On Monday, House Freedom Caucus member Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) made a series of social media posts indicating that there would be a fight brewing on the budget, as well as any chance of a CR coming to fruition.  At the same time, Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) posted, “The House and Senate are in completely different universes when it comes to how lawmakers should fund federal agencies in both the short and long term.”  It’s going to be a contentious few weeks on the Hill.  Stay tuned.

ASA Federal Action:

FEMA: ASA joined its coalition partners in filing a joint comment letter to encourage the adoption of resilient and hazard resistant building codes.  

Department of Energy:                                                                                     

Inflation Reduction Act Rebates:  The Department of Energy has begun accepting state applications for funding of rebate programs included in last year’s Inflation Reduction Act, almost a year after it was signed into law.  The funding will be split into two parts – the home efficiency rebate program and the residential electrification program – and states will have to apply for each, submitting a plan for DOE review on how they will implement the programs in their respective states.  Keep in mind that not all states will participate (Gov. Ron DeSantis has already announced that Florida will not be involved).  The DOE announcement can be found here.

Water Heater NOPR: Department of Energy issued a Notice of Proposed Rule (NOPR) on Consumer Water Heaters – news release can be found here. ASA is working with its industry partners to decipher the almost 1,700 pages of the proposed rule that would take effect on January 1, 2029.  If you have any questions or comments, please contact ASA VP of Advocacy at srossi@asa.net.    

Politics:

Special Elections:  RI-1: On Tuesday, former Biden Administration official Gabe Amo won the special election Democratic Primary to succeed retired Democratic Rep. Dave Cicilline.  UT-2: Celeste Maloy, a former staffer for retiring GOP Rep. Chris Stewart is at 38% and Becky Edwards is at 36% in the special election Republican Primary with just over 80% of the vote in at this writing.  The Democratic nominee in the Rhode Island race and Republican nominee in the Utah race will likely be the next Members of Congress from their respective districts, given the political makeup of each. 

President Biden Job Approval (RCP Average): 42% Approve – 55% Disapprove.

Generic Congressional Ballot (RCP Average): Republicans 0.6%. The House currently has a composition of 222 Republicans to 212 Democrats. The Senate is comprised of 51 Democrats and 49 Republicans. Special Elections: Democratic: (RI-1 - General: 11/7/2023).  Republican: UT-2 - General: 11/21/2023. Rep. Chris Stewart (UT-2) will resign on September 15, 2023.