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The Leader’s Floor Lookout: Week of April 20, 2026

Washington, April 19, 2026
Here’s what to watch for on the House Floor this week:
 
Better Connecting Rural America

Today, around 5.8 million homes and businesses lack access to reliable broadband, creating a digital divide in rural and underserved communities. 

Federal telecommunications permitting laws are severely outdated and cannot meet the demands of modern technology. While the federal government invests billions to get high-speed internet to these communities, complex permitting processes, long timelines, high fees, and regulatory hurdles delay broadband infrastructure deployment, leaving Americans without reliable access to high-speed broadband services.

Without adequate access to broadband services, vulnerable communities are left cut off from the rest of America and disadvantaged when it comes to education, communication, and opportunity. If we don’t make necessary reforms, federal dollars meant to go towards vital infrastructure like wireless towers and cable systems will continue to go to waste due to onerous red tape and delays. 

Americans, including those in rural communities, deserve faster, more reliable access to broadband. To improve the permitting process, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) created regulatory reforms to establish predictable timelines, lower compliance costs, and instill accountability within the review process. House Republicans are bringing forward legislation to codify these reforms and close the digital divide in America.

Rep. Buddy Carter’s legislation, H.R. 2289, the American Broadband Deployment Act, streamlines the federal, state, and local permitting process by codifying FCC reforms to expedite the deployment of critical broadband infrastructure, ensuring all Americans have access to reliable high-speed broadband services.

House Republicans are working to provide rural America with the resources it needs to unleash broadband expansion, close the digital gap, and connect the nation. 


Acknowledging Rural Communities’ Contributions to America

This week, House Republicans are bringing forward a resolution to express support for rural communities across America and highlight the work of House Republicans to advance policies that set these communities up for success.  

Rural communities are a critical source of domestic energy production, feed billions of families, and allow our supply chain to remain America First. For example, these communities produce over 80 percent of the renewable energy and over 60 percent of the coal-generated electricity produced in America.

In the 119th Congress, House Republicans have supported rural America by advancing various pieces of legislation that strengthen rural communities, such as bills to unleash American energy production, tackle permitting reform, expand access to broadband, invest in rural health care, bolster grid reliability, lower energy costs, and cut burdensome environmental regulations.

It is vital that Congress continue working to support these rural communities that support the rest of America.

H. Res. 1182, sponsored by Rep. Clay Fuller, expresses support for rural communities across the United States; acknowledges their work to steward the environment, supply energy, produce food, and stabilize the economy; and recognizes the House’s efforts in the 119th Congress to support these communities.

House Republicans will continue taking action to ensure rural communities have the tools, resources, and support they need to thrive.

Repealing Radical Energy Efficiency Performance Standards for Federal Buildings

The Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) was established to increase America’s energy efficiency and the availability of renewable energy in the U.S. This legislation included a provision (Section 433) requiring the Secretary of Energy to implement federal building energy standards that shift consumption away from dispatchable fossil fuels and towards renewable energy.

Renewable energy has been shown to lack the reliability, consistency, voltage, and frequency support needed to keep the lights on for American communities when we need it most – particularly recently, during extreme weather events like Winter Storm Fern. 

Restricting our federal buildings to an unreliable, electricity-dependent 'green island' is an inefficient use of energy and wastes taxpayer money to subsidize uncompetitive energy sources that fail to provide 24/7 power. Direct natural gas use is roughly 92 percent efficient, while electricity is only 38 percent, meaning it takes more energy to do the same job.

Section 433’s rigid, one-size-fits-all electrification mandate endangers the stability and security of critical infrastructure, jeopardizes our national security, and would grant future administrations the ability to weaponize federal energy policy by restricting reliable, dispatchable fuel sources. Even the Obama Administration encouraged significant reforms to or full elimination of Section 433 due to various issues, noting the mandated compliance costs and impacts to military installations.

House Republicans are bringing forward legislation to repeal arbitrary federal energy mandates, streamlining federal infrastructure projects, accelerating project timelines, and saving taxpayer dollars.

Rep. Nick Langworthy’s legislation, H.R. 4690, the Reliable Federal Infrastructure Act, repeals Section 433 of EISA, which requires the Department of Energy to revise federal energy efficiency performance standards for new buildings and renovations to phase out the use of on-site, fossil fuel-generated electricity for impacted buildings by 2030.

House Republicans won’t stop fighting to strengthen grid reliability and ensure the security of our critical infrastructure and national security assets.


Unleashing American Geothermal Energy Production

Geothermal energy is a clean, renewable energy source that provides efficient and dependable power for long periods of time, making it a great resource for the United States to diversify our energy supply and restore our energy independence. 

Currently, however, burdensome regulations are restricting American geothermal production on non-federal lands by requiring geothermal operators producing even minuscule amounts of federal resources to adhere to all federal laws and permitting processes.

This includes the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which requires several lengthy review stages for geothermal permitting, holding up production for years and preventing geothermal operators from efficiently producing clean energy that can be used to generate electricity, heat American homes, and power industrial processes.

We should be promoting geothermal energy production, not placing administrative hurdles in its way. House Republicans are bringing forward legislation to unleash geothermal energy and streamline its production by cutting permitting red-tape, promoting American energy independence and lowering costs for hardworking Americans. 

H.R. 5587, the Harnessing Energy At Thermal Sources (HEATS) Act, introduced by Rep. Young Kim, expedites geothermal energy production by exempting geothermal operators from federal drilling permit requirements, including NEPA, for wells on non-federal land where the United States holds an ownership interest of less than 50 percent of the subsurface geothermal estate.

House Republicans won’t stop fighting to unleash American energy, lower costs for families, and restore U.S. energy independence.


Excluding Exceptional Events When Determining Emissions Standards Compliance

Currently, U.S. states can petition the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to exclude emissions from “exceptional events” when evaluating states’ compliance with the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). These “exceptional events” include wildfires, high-wind dust events, volcanic or seismic activity, and chemical spills from disasters.

However, the EPA’s process for determining if certain emissions meet the criteria for “exceptional events” has become overly restrictive, lacking in clarity and consistency, and excludes a key category of emissions: prescribed burns. 

Prescribed burns are carefully-planned, intentional fires used by professionals to manage land, reduce wildfire risks, and bolster ecosystem health. Under current law, these prescribed burns are not categorized as “exceptional events”; instead, they are treated the same as factory emissions in EPA evaluations for compliance with federal emissions standards. 

It is counterproductive to regulate emissions from wildfire mitigation activities differently than naturally occurring wildfires. Such red tape around air quality results in permitting delays, regulatory confusion, fewer jobs, skyrocketing costs, and increased burdens on states, energy producers, and manufacturers.

House Republicans are bringing forward legislation to make air quality planning more predictable, get rid of unnecessary regulatory burdens, and stop punishing states for proactive wildfire mitigation that defends public health and safety and enhances future air quality.

Rep. Gabe Evans’ legislation, H.R. 6387, the Fire Improvement and Reforming Exceptional Events (FIRE) Act, amends the Clean Air Act to make sure communities and manufacturers are not penalized for emissions from wildfires, prescribed burns, and other exceptional events when determining compliance with national air quality standards.

House Republicans are continuing to work to modernize air quality regulations and reduce bureaucracy that delays projects, strangles job growth, and drives costs up while supporting clean air. 



Reforming ESA to Deliver Better Results Without Red Tape

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) was created with the purpose of saving species on the brink of extinction and recovering them to a self-sustaining state – however, in the over 50 years since its enactment, the ESA has failed to fulfill its purpose, achieving only a 3% recovery success rate.

Instead of securing species’ recovery beyond the need for protection, the ESA has been used to crack down on land use and impede essential development projects that could boost local economies and jobs. The ESA is in desperate need of reforms to refocus the legislation on its original purpose, return to scientific integrity and common sense, and reject burdensome bureaucracy that does nothing to truly help recover species.

This week, House Republicans are bringing forward legislation to reauthorize the ESA for five years while making significant amendments to the legislation for the benefit of both endangered species and the American communities and people impacted by its regulation.

Our legislation puts in place a clear pathway for state management and delisting, incentivizing recovery progress with regulatory relief. It streamlines the ESA permitting process by establishing clear and consistent guidelines, and codifies the definition of “best available science” so biased ‘science’ can’t be used to justify radical ESA decisions. 

Additionally, the reforms in our legislation prevent the weaponization of the ESA to implement costly requirements without Congressional approval, encourage private investment in recovery through regulatory clarity, and demand any project changes proposed during ESA consultation be appropriate, technically feasible, and minimize economic burden on the applicant. 

H.R. 1897, the ESA Amendments Act, sponsored by Chairman Bruce Westerman, modernizes and reforms the Endangered Species Act by establishing measurable environmental baselines for success, providing clear definitions for legal teams, encouraging species recovery through new incentives, promoting species conservation on private and public lands, and streamlining the regulatory process to enhance transparency and agency accountability.

House Republicans will continue working to get rid of unnecessary red tape while incentivizing the protection and recovery of endangered species.