Bills Introduced – 3-12-26
Yesterday, with just the Senate in Washington and the House meeting in pro forma session, there were 83 bills introduced. Five of those bills will receive additional coverage in this blog:
HR 7294 Trucking Security and CCP Disclosure Act of 2026 Stefanik, Elise M. [Rep.-R-NY-21]
S 4073 A bill making continuing appropriations for essential Transportation Security Administration pay and operations during the lapse in appropriations beginning on February 14, 2026, and for other purposes. Rosen, Jacky [Sen.-D-NV]
S 4074 A bill to make continuing appropriations for essential Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency pay and operations in the event of a Federal Government shutdown, and for other purposes. Peters, Gary C. [Sen.-D-MI]
S 4075 A bill to make continuing appropriations for Federal Emergency Management Agency pay and operations in the event of a Federal Government shutdown, and for other purposes. Padilla, Alex [Sen.-D-CA]
S 4077 A bill to ensure secure transport of Department of Defense freight, and for other purposes. Cotton, Tom [Sen.-R-AR]
Spending Bills
I can find no legislation in the 118th Congress that would be similar to S 4073. This would typically be part of a DHS spending bill. This bill was offered (pg S1028) in the Senate yesterday for consideration under the unanimous consent process; that consideration was objected to by Sen Moreno (R,OH).
I can find no legislation in the 118th Congress that would be similar to S 4074. This would typically be part of a DHS spending bill. This bill was offered (pg S1029) in the Senate yesterday for consideration under the unanimous consent process; that consideration was objected to by Sen Marshall (R,KS).
I can find no legislation in the 118th Congress that would be similar to S 4075. This would typically be part of a DHS spending bill. This bill was offered (pg S1033) in the Senate yesterday for consideration under the unanimous consent process; that consideration was objected to by Sen Lankford (R,OK).
During the debate that included these bills, a fourth bill was offered, this one to fund the Coast Guard which was objected to by Sen Schmidt (R,MO). That bill was not introduced yesterday.
Each of the offerors of these four spending bills knew in advance that there would be a Republican willing to stand in opposition to its consideration. These were political statements, not real intents to pass legislation. To be fair, if any of these bills had passed, the Democrats would have proclaimed victory. Still they can now counter Republican claims that they do not care about the DHS workers standing tall without paycheck: “We tried to pass bills to pay them but you blocked us.”
DOD Trucking Security
I can find no legislation in the 118th Congress that would be similar to HR 7294. The text of this bill is available. A press release reports that “This bicameral legislation closes that loophole by establishing a clear firewall between the Chinese Communist Party and Department of War contracts. American tax dollars should never benefit our greatest adversary at the expense of U.S. national security,” said Stefanik.”
I can find no legislation in the 118th Congress that would be similar to S4077. A statement from Cotton was included in the press release from Stefanik’s office: ““Communist China continues spying on American military technology by exploiting truck drivers handling Department of War cargo. My bill will require anyone handling military freight to be properly vetted to ensure our adversaries cannot gain access to valuable information,” said Cotton.”