Dems head to NOVA following Trump SOTU
House Democrats will gather in Northern Virginia for their annual retreat to sharpen their affordability message less than 24 hours after the president’s antagonistic State of the Union address.
Today in Congress
House Democrats will decamp to Northern Virginia later today for their annual retreat, a three-day strategy session unfolding less than 24 hours after President Donald Trump used his State of the Union to paint a rosy picture of the economy and America’s standing abroad that Democrats say belies reality. The theme—“Fighting for an Affordable America”—is no accident. Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) has contextualized the retreat as a cost-of-living counterpunch to a White House message many Democrats argue is disconnected from voter anxiety over housing, health care and everyday prices. The speaker lineup, while less star-studded than in recent years, underscores the focus: Gov. Abigail Spanberger of Virginia, who delivered the official Democratic response to the State of the Union, is the headliner. Former Consumer Finance Protection Bureau Director Rohit Chopra, former Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young and labor leaders, including Laborers’ International Union of North America’s Brent Booker and American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees’ Lee Saunders, alongside pollsters and messaging firms like Navigator and Global Strategy Group, round out the lineup heading into the retreat. Expect a heavy dose of affordability economics, research on what’s moving persuadable voters heading into 2026, and an attempt to align policy, politics and message as Democrats search for traction in a GOP-controlled Washington. I’ll be on the ground in Leesburg, providing live reporting and behind-the-scenes updates throughout the week in Congress Nerd Sunrise and Sunset.
Happenings
All times Eastern.
The House will meet at 9 a.m. and will vote at 10 a.m. on the Homeowner Energy Freedom Act.
The Senate will meet at 10 a.m. and will vote at 11:45 a.m. to advance the nomination of John DeLeeuw to a member of the National Transportation Safety Board. If the nomination advances, the Senate will vote at 2:15 p.m. to confirm DeLeeuw.
The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will hold a hearing on the Water Resources Development Act, focusing on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects, programs and priorities.
The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on the nomination of Colin McDonald to be an Assistant Attorney General.
The Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee will hold a hearing on restoring the integrity of small business programs.
Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.) will hold a press conference at 9:30 a.m. to introduce the Full Body Restraint Prohibition Act.
In the Know
— The House on Tuesday failed to pass the ROTOR Act with a 264–133 vote, falling short of the two-thirds threshold required for bills considered under the fast-track suspension process. The aviation safety bill—brought up in response to last year’s deadly mid-air collision at Reagan National Airport and aimed at strengthening coordination between civilian and military aircraft—drew broad Democratic support but opposition from most Republicans. It unanimously passed the Senate late last year.
— Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) reintroduced legislation to overhaul FEMA’s disaster declaration formula, arguing the current process unfairly disadvantages large states like Illinois and leaves aid decisions vulnerable to politics. Their bill would assign specific weights to existing FEMA factors and add economic metrics to make disaster aid determinations more transparent and equitable, particularly for small and rural communities.
— Sen. Durbin also disclosed new whistleblower allegations that FBI Director Kash Patel’s personal use of Bureau aircraft delayed response times to high-profile investigations, including the Charlie Kirk and Brown University shootings, and urged the GAO and DOJ inspector general to expand their ongoing reviews. Durbin argued that Patel’s travel decisions strained limited aircraft and pilot resources, potentially harming time-sensitive law enforcement operations.
Read All About It
“Red states are doing what Trump won’t: Going after abortion pills in court” by Nina Martin: “A new case in Louisiana tests how far courts will go to restrict access in a post-Roe landscape.”
“A congressional candidate feared by the tech oligarchs” by Michelle Goldberg: “There’s a huge political opportunity for the party that can stand up for human beings in the face of AI.”
“How Americans learned to love the credit card” by Jonquilyn Hill: “A brief history of credit card debt.”