Press Releases
Committee Cliff Notes: Weekly Recap – Week of January 12, 2026
Washington,
January 16, 2026
Here’s a recap of key moments from House Republican committees during the week:
Appropriations On Wednesday, January 14, the House passed H.R. 7006, the Financial Services and General Government and National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2026, with a vote of 341 to 79. This legislation makes targeted investments to drive economic growth and entrepreneurship, support our Executive and Judicial branches, and safeguard American security and freedom at home and abroad. It implements responsible, America First governance – while cutting billions in spending. The House continues to make Article I progress. Once passed by the Senate, this week’s minibus passage marks eight full-year funding bills and 26% of discretionary spending headed to the President’s desk.    Education & Workforce On Tuesday, January 13, the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education held a hearing called "Who’s Watching the Kids? How Employers, Innovators, and Parents Are Solving America’s Child Care Crunch." Members heard directly from job creators who are providing and supporting child care for their employees. They took action without relying on big new federal spending. Making child care more affordable is essential to helping parents work, businesses grow, and local economies thrive—and it is best achieved through flexible partnerships, not one-size-fits-all federal mandates.   On Wednesday, January 14, the Committee on Education and Workforce held a full committee hearing called "Building an AI-Ready America." The hearing looked at how AI is being used today—and what it means for people’s jobs, learning new skills, and their children’s classrooms. The hearing is the first in a series as Committee Republicans look at ways AI can expand opportunity, productivity, and skills training while setting clear expectations for safety, privacy, and accountability.  Energy & Commerce On Tuesday, January 13, the Subcommittee on Energy held a hearing focusing on strengthening our nation’s energy infrastructure from cyber and physical threats titled “Protecting America’s Energy Infrastructure in Today’s Cyber and Physical Threat Landscape.” Also on Tuesday, the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade held a hearing to examine ways to strengthen automotive safety, affordability, and leadership titled "Examining Legislative Options to Strengthen Motor Vehicle Safety, Ensure Consumer Choice and Affordability, and Cement U.S. Automotive Leadership."  Tuesday evening, the Committee on Energy and Commerce celebrated House passage of the SHOWER Act. This legislation puts an end to regulatory uncertainty, restores consumer choice, and lowers costs for American families.  On Wednesday, January 14, the Subcommittee on Communications & Technology held a hearing on oversight of the Federal Communications Commission.  On Thursday, January 15, the Subcommittee on Communications & Technology held a markup on the following legislation to improve public safety communications:
Financial Services On Tuesday, January 13, the Subcommittee on Digital Assets, Financial Technology, and Artificial Intelligence held a hearing called "Delivering for American Consumers: A Review of FinTech Innovations and Regulations." The Subcommittee, led by Chairman Bryan Steil, examined the current financial technology landscape and how these products fit within the U.S. financial system and regulatory framework.  On Wednesday, January 14, the Subcommittee on National Security, Illicit Finance, and International Financial Institutions held a hearing called "Evaluating the Operations of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS)." The Subcommittee, led by Chairman Warren Davidson, examined how the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) is using its authority under the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act (FIRRMA), to review certain foreign investments to make sure they don’t threaten U.S. national security, especially in sensitive tech, infrastructure, and data. On Wednesday, January 14, the Task Force on Monetary Policy, Treasury Market Resilience, and Economic Prosperity held a hearing called "Striking the Right Balance Sheet." The Task Force, led by Chairman Frank Lucas, examined the role of the Federal Reserve’s balance sheet - how it’s grown over time, what it’s being used for, and how it fits into monetary policy and Treasury markets.  Last week, the Committee unveiled its community banking package, the Main Street Capital Access Act. This package will revitalize local bank formation and ensure that community lenders can focus on serving families, small businesses, and local economies, making life more affordable for Americans and empowering Main Street.  The Committee hosted a Fireside Chat titled: "Main Street Matters: Connecting with Community Banks on the Main Street Capital Access Act." During the first panel Chairman Hill spoke with Treasury’s Under Secretary for Domestic Finance Jonathan McKernan on the important role community banks play supporting our communities and Main Street. During the second panel, Chairman Hill and Subcommittee Chairman Barr heard from stakeholders in the community banking industry on how the Main Street Capital Access Act will revolutionize banking in the U.S. Foreign Affairs On Wednesday, January 14, the Committee on Foreign Affairs held a full committee hearing called "Winning the AI Arms Race Against the Chinese Communist Party." During his opening remarks, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast underscored the impact AI will have on America’s national and economic security and the critical importance that the U.S. maintains its dominance as China attempts to close the technology gap.  Homeland Security On Tuesday, January 13, the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection held a hearing entitled “Defense through Offense: Examining U.S. Cyber Capabilities to Deter and Disrupt Malign Foreign Activity Targeting the Homeland.” The Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection, led by Rep. Andy Ogles (R-TN), convened a hearing with experts from across the private sector to discuss how the U.S. can adopt a more proactive cyber posture within its broader national security framework. This issue is especially timely as foreign adversaries, including Russia, China, and Iran, continue to escalate cyberattacks against the U.S. and its allies. The topic has gained further notice following recent reports that offensive cyber capabilities were employed during U.S. operations in Venezuela. Subcommittee Chairman Ogles also had an op-ed published in the Washington Examiner on this topic.   House Administration On Wednesday, January 14, the Committee on House Administration held a full committee markup on the following legislation:
   Judiciary On Tuesday, January 13, the Committee on the Judiciary held a full committee markup on the following legislation:
On Wednesday, January 14, the Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, Artificial Intelligence, and the Internet held a hearing called "Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Protecting the U.S. Stone Slab Industry from Lawfare." This hearing examined the problem of and potential legislative solutions to abusive litigation, arising out of unlawful workplace practices of unscrupulous third parties, against U.S. manufacturers and distributors of stone slab products that contribute $30 billion to the U.S. economy and employ well over 100,000 workers. On Wednesday, January 14, the Select Subcommittee to Investigate the Remaining Questions Surrounding January 6, 2021 held a hearing called "Examining the Investigation into the DNC and RNC Pipe Bombs" to seek a better understanding of how Christopher Wray's Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) did not apprehend the suspected pipe bomber despite possessing the evidence since 2021.   Natural Resources On Tuesday, January 13, the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources held a legislative hearing on the following bill:
On Wednesday, January 14, the Subcommittee on Indian and Insular Affairs held an oversight hearing titled “Implementation of the Compact of Free Association Amendments Act of 2024.” On Wednesday, January 14, the Subcommittee on Federal Lands held a legislative hearing on the following bills:
  Oversight and Government Reform On Tuesday, January 13, the Subcommittee on Government Operations held a hearing entitled "Curbing Federal Fraud: Examining Innovative Tools to Detect and Prevent Fraud in Federal Programs." At the hearing, members examined innovative and cost-effective tools available to federal programs to detect and prevent improper and fraudulent payments, like the massive fraud recently uncovered in Minnesota’s social services programs. Members also discussed how to effectively transition the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) from pandemic-focused efforts to government-wide fraud detection and prevention efforts.  As part of the Committee’s review of the federal government’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell criminal cases, on Tuesday, January 13 and Wednesday, January 14, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held scheduled depositions for former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Both failed to appear for their scheduled depositions. Chairman Comer announced the Committee will initiate contempt of Congress proceedings against the Clintons for defying lawful, bipartisan subpoenas.   Rules On Monday, January 12, the Committee on Rules met on the following measures:
Science, Space, and Technology On Tuesday, January 13, the Subcommittee on the Environment held a hearing called "From Orbit to Operations: How Weather Satellites Support the National Security Mission." Representatives from NOAA, the U.S. Navy, and the U.S. Air Force testified as the Committee examined the role of the nation’s weather satellite architecture in supporting national security. Members also discussed interagency coordination, data security, and priorities for improving the collection, distribution, and use of weather data. On Wednesday, January 14, the Subcommittee on Research and Technology held a hearing called "Advancing America’s AI Action Plan." White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios testified as the Committee reviewed President Trump’s artificial intelligence strategy, “Winning the Race: America’s AI Action Plan.” The hearing also informed the Committee’s consideration of future legislation, including reauthorization of the National AI Initiative Act, and examined opportunities to strengthen U.S. innovation and leadership in artificial intelligence.   Select Committee on China Select Committee Chairman Moolenaar praised new research security guidelines from the Pentagon that were implemented after the committee’s research security report. The recommendations being implemented include:
   Transportation & Infrastructure On Tuesday, January 13, the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation held a hearing called "Drugs, Thugs, and Fish: Examining Coast Guard Law Enforcement Effort." The United States Coast Guard is the only armed service capable of performing maritime law enforcement operations. Subcommittee Members heard testimony from the Coast Guard regarding its law enforcement missions, including efforts to interdict the illegal entry of drugs and migrants along the maritime border, and to deter illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. During the hearing, Rear Admiral David C. Barata thanked the Committee for the historic investments in the Coast Guard included in the One Big Beautiful Bill.    Additionally, this week, the Committee held a Member Day hearing for Members of the House of Representatives to testify before the Committee on the priorities and issues that are important to their individual districts. Veterans Affairs On Tuesday, January 13, the Subcommittee on Health held a legislative hearing on the following legislation:
  Ways and Means On Tuesday, January 13, the Subcommittee on Trade held a hearing called "Maintaining American Innovation and Technology Leadership." With President Trump, the United States is once again fighting for and advancing pro-American innovation trade policies. Witnesses consistently applauded the Trump Administration for its bold, unapologetic stance for American technological supremacy – with one witness calling the Trump Administration’s approach a “welcome change” from the Biden Administration’s abandonment of digital priorities in trade. The proliferating trend among other nations of trying to turn American technology prowess into revenue streams for their governments requires a strong, direct response. Stronger intellectual property (IP) protections and policies that recognize the importance of America’s technology leadership are needed to maintain the immense contribution IP-heavy industries make to the U.S. economy. In 2019, these businesses generated 41 percent of U.S. gross domestic product and accounted for nearly half (63 million) of all jobs.  On Wednesday, January 14, the Committee on Ways and Means held a full committee markup on the following legislation:
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