Quiet Weekend on Capitol Hill After House Sidelines Sweeping Veterans Bill and Senate Teed Up a Contested Judgeship
With both chambers out of session over the weekend of July 18-19, the most consequential recent developments were the House pulling its 60-plus-provision veterans package before a final vote amid a dispute over how to pay for it, and the Senate setting up a Monday showdown over a Trump appeals-court nominee.
Congress was not in session over the weekend, so there was little new activity in the last 24 to 48 hours. The Senate convened at 10 a.m. and adjourned at 3:51 p.m. Friday, until 3 p.m. on Monday, July 20, 2026. The House had already finished its voting week and is scheduled to return Monday. This digest therefore covers the most recent notable activity from late last week.
The biggest flashpoint was the House's handling of a major veterans bill. A widely debated veterans bill was pulled from a House vote Thursday amid controversy. The Take Care of America's Veterans Act, H.R. 9237, encompasses more than 60 pieces of legislation, many of which have widespread support among veterans and advocates, such as the Major Richard Star Act, which would give retired, combat-injured veterans their full Veterans Affairs disability compensation and military retirement, and the Love Lives On Act, which would continue benefits for surviving spouses of the fallen if they remarry before age 55. The sticking point was the cost offset. The proposal for covering the cost — a planned rule changing disability compensation requirements for sleep apnea and tinnitus, two conditions that commonly affect veterans — has split the veterans community and lawmakers. Supporters say the payment proposal is vital to getting the legislation made into law, while critics argue that future benefits should not be used to pay for current needs. Before the bill was set aside, a motion to recommit failed 210-211, with 3 Republicans and 207 Democrats voting yes. The House did unanimously approve a related measure: H.R. 5362, to name the VA multispecialty clinic in Marietta, Georgia, after Colonel Michael H. Boyce, passed 418-0.
Earlier in the week the House cleared several bills. It passed H.R. 8595, the National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Appropriations Act for 2027, by 217-209, largely along party lines. The House also passed H.R. 139, the Sunshine Protection Act, which would make daylight saving time permanent, by 308-117. And it passed H.R. 1181, the Protecting Privacy in Purchases Act, by 221-201.
On the Senate side, the coming week centers on judicial confirmations. Majority Leader Thune filed cloture on the nomination of Benjamin M. Flowers, of Ohio, to be United States Circuit Judge for the Sixth Circuit. After morning business Monday, the Senate will resume consideration of the Flowers nomination and vote on the motion to invoke cloture at 5:30 p.m. The pick is expected to be contested. Flowers' appointment to the Sixth Circuit, which covers Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky and Tennessee, would be a lifetime post; he is a former Ohio Solicitor General and Federalist Society member who was a college classmate of Vice President J.D. Vance at Ohio State. During committee review, Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, described Flowers' answers as insulting to the Judiciary Committee, particularly on questions about judicial ethics.
Senate committees were also busy Friday. The Armed Services Committee concluded a hearing on the nomination of Lt. Gen. Douglas A. Schiess to be Chief of Space Operations, and the Banking Committee took testimony from Acting Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Russell T. Vought on the bureau's semiannual report. The Judiciary Committee favorably reported several judicial nominees, including Daniel Mack Traynor for the Eighth Circuit and district court picks in Texas, Michigan and Pennsylvania. Both chambers resume legislative business Monday.
Highlights: - The House postponed a final passage vote on the Take Care of America's Veterans Act (H.R. 9237) on Thursday; a Democratic motion to recommit failed 210-211. - The Senate filed cloture on Benjamin M. Flowers of Ohio for the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals, with a key procedural vote set for 5:30 p.m. Monday, July 20. - Earlier in the week the House passed the Sunshine Protection Act (H.R. 139), to make daylight saving time permanent, by 308-117.