RFK Jr. heads to Capitol Hill for high-stakes hearings
Plus: How Ayanna Pressley persuaded Republicans to join her Haiti TPS discharge petition.
👋🏾 Hi, hey, hello! It’s Thursday morning. Thank you for waking up to Congress Nerd Sunrise. Shout out to my girl A’ja Wilson, who signed a new deal with the defending WNBA champion Las Vegas Aces on Wednesday in the largest contract in the league’s 30-year history. Wilson’s contract is one of the first major contracts under the WNBA’s new collective bargaining agreement, which dramatically raised salaries and tied them more directly to league revenue—a structural shift that made a deal like this possible.
When I saw the news, I flashed back to my interview with Wilson in 2024 at the White House during the Aces’ visit after their second championship. She expressed her gratitude for the increased visibility of the gender pay gap, but the star forward encouraged fans and decision-makers to continue the conversation beyond a few news cycles.
“I hope that it’s not just a trend that just sounds good right now and people just want to talk about it,” Wilson, who also lists an Olympic gold medal and New York Times bestseller on her résumé, said. “I would much rather people be about it and invest and support. At the end of the day, put your money where your mouth is and really try to make those changes.” Looks like the league took heed and her pockets are much deeper because of it.
📌 New this morning: RFK Jr. heads to Capitol Hill for high-stakes hearings … How Pressley persuaded Republicans to join her Haiti TPS discharge petition
📬 Get in touch: michael@onceuponahill.com
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FIRST THINGS FIRST
The path to FISA reauthorization still looks murky: House Republican leaders on Wednesday morning canceled a procedural vote to set up debate and final passage on an extension of the Section 702 spy powers under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act after conservative hardliners threatened to prevent the measure from floor consideration.
The White House and GOP leadership, which are pushing for a clean 18-month extension of the government’s authority to collect foreign intelligence by surveilling non-Americans abroad without a warrant, spent the day negotiating with the holdouts who are seeking new limits on surveillance, including requiring a warrant before searching intelligence databases for Americans’ communications that are incidentally collected under the program. It remains to be seen whether an agreement will emerge before Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) reattempts the rule vote. 702 expires on Monday night, leaving the Senate little time to process whatever solution Johnson can pass in the House.
Senate Dems deliver firm rebuke of Israel: 80% of the Senate Democratic Caucus voted on Wednesday night to block arms sales to Israel. The two votes were forced by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who said after that they signal a growing willingness among Senate Democrats to break with the long-standing norm of largely unconditional U.S. military support for Israel and reflect a shift toward greater scrutiny of how that aid is used under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a changing political dynamic inside the party.
40 Democrats voted against the sale of $151.8 million in 1,000-pound bombs that human rights groups say have been used in strikes that resulted in civilian casualties, including in densely populated areas of Gaza and Beirut and 36 opposed $295 million in bulldozers commonly used by the Israeli military in demolition operations in Gaza, Lebanon and the West Bank. As I reported in Wednesday’s Sunset, the proposed transfers have drawn scrutiny under the Foreign Assistance Act and the Arms Export Control Act, which set conditions on U.S. military assistance.
Meeks’ Iran WPR could go either way: House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) told me Wednesday afternoon that he was still working to nail down the final votes for his War Powers Resolution to limit President Donald Trump’s military authority in Iran. He said the outcome of today’s vote remains uncertain, as several Republicans have yet to lock in their positions, leaving it effectively a toss-up. The Senate failed for the fourth time to begin debate on a separate War Powers Resolution in a 47–52 tally.
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HEALTH CARE
RFK Jr. heads to Capitol Hill for high-stakes hearings
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will face lawmakers in two separate and highly anticipated hearings this morning, where he’s expected to face intense scrutiny of his leadership of the principal federal agency responsible for protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services.
RFK Jr. will first appear before the House Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, before testifying this afternoon in front of the House Appropriations panel responsible for funding his agency.
The former environmental lawyer entered office as a polarizing figure who brought years of vaccine skepticism and anti-establishment politics into a job traditionally grounded in scientific consensus, then used the office to remake federal health policy in ways critics say undermine that consensus.
Since taking over, he has moved to narrow vaccine recommendations, replaced the CDC’s outside vaccine advisers with picks seen as more aligned with his views, and presided over deep staffing cuts and restructuring across the federal health bureaucracy. Those moves have drawn lawsuits, alarm from mainstream medical groups and criticism from former public health officials, while supporters see him as challenging a public health establishment they no longer trust.
Eden Giagnorio, the top spokesperson at 314 Action, an advocacy group focused on recruiting, training, and electing Democrats with backgrounds in science to public office, told me she’d like to see members challenge RFK Jr. about his changes to the vaccine schedule and the vacancies in key positions within the department.
“Children are dying. Measles outbreaks are continuing to spread. Voters across the political spectrum are concerned about this,” she said. “We also don’t have a CDC director or Surgeon General. We haven’t for over a year now. He needs to answer for that, and the deeper cuts he’s making to [the National Institutes of Health].”
314 Action Executive Director Eric Polyak said the administration’s disinvestment in scientific research is salient to everyday Americans, who tend to support this funding because they see it as driving medical breakthroughs, economic growth and national security while improving quality of life.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets some blowback from Republican members too on some of the cuts to research,” he told me. “We’ve already seen some of that already with the NIH budget proposal and such.”
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IMMIGRATION
How Pressley persuaded Republicans to join her Haiti TPS discharge petition
Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) is on the verge of securing a hard-won victory for the immigrants’ rights movement ahead of a vote today on a bill to extend Temporary Protected Status for Haiti through early 2029. The three-term congresswoman led a discharge petition to force a vote on the issue and secured the support of all Democrats, six Republicans and an independent to clear the final procedural hurdle on Wednesday afternoon.
Ahead of the vote, Pressley credited her doggedness and the dedication of her staff, who developed what she described as a robust whip strategy and storytelling campaign.
“It’s the anatomy of activism,” she told me. “Because it’s not just about the message, it’s about the most effective messengers for members. And we built a coalition of partners in labor, immigrants, rights advocates, and we’re just leaving nothing to chance here.”
Supporters of extending Haitian TPS argue that ongoing violence, political instability and humanitarian crises in the Caribbean nation make it unsafe for people to return, while TPS allows them to live and work in the U.S. until conditions improve.
Pressley said that without TPS, hundreds of thousands could lose legal status and work authorization, face possible deportation and disrupt U.S. communities and industries that rely on their labor.
“This will separate families and decimate our economy, and I’m very grateful for the Republicans. Again, these are not partisan issues,” she said. “I’m just appealing to people of conscience to not only keep families together, but to do what’s in the best interest of our workforce and our economy. This is the first encouraging step forward and bright spot in a long time on anything in the immigration space.”
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Happenings
All times Eastern
Floor action
The House is in at 10 a.m. and will vote at 11:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. on the FISA reauthorization rule, the Haiti TPS extension bill, the Meeks Iran War Powers Resolution, three Clean Air Act deregulatory measures and a nonbinding resolution expressing support for the tax policies in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
The Senate is in at 10 a.m. and will vote at 11 a.m. on a Congressional Review Act disapproval resolution to
overturn a 20-year, 225,000-acre mining ban near Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and 1:45 p.m. to limit debate on the nomination of Andrew Davis to be U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Texas.
Committee hearings
The House Ways and Means Committee will hold a hearing at 9 a.m. with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy
and Water Development, and Related Agencies will hold a budget hearing at 10 a.m. with the Army Corps of Engineers and Bureau of Reclamation.
The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Department of Homeland Security will hold a budget hearing at 10 a.m. on CBP, ICE and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense will hold a budget hearing at 10 a.m. on the U.S. Army.
The House Financial Services Subcommittee on Financial Institutions will hold a hearing at 10 a.m. on promoting access to credit for everyday Americans.
The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy will hold a hearing on the FY27 Energy Department budget.
The Senate Budget Committee will hold a hearing at 10 a.m. on President Trump’s FY27 budget proposal.
The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee will hold a hearing at 10 a.m. on how competition can lower drug prices.
The House Administration Committee will hold an oversight hearing at 10:15 a.m. with secretaries of state on voter list maintenance and eligibility verification.
The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies will hold a budget hearing at 10:30 a.m. on the USDA.
The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies will hold a hearing at 11 a.m. on the office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
The House China Competition Committee will hold a hearing at 11 a.m. on China’s campaign to steal America’s AI edge.
The House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere will hold a hearing at 2 p.m. on Latin America following Nicolás Maduro’s fall.
The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Department of Homeland Security will hold a budget hearing at 2 p.m. on CISA, TSA, the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Secret Service and FEMA.
The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Oversight will hold a hearing at 2 p.m. on sanctuary policies.
The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies will hold a hearing at 4 p.m. on the U.S. Forest Service.
News events
Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) and members of the Texas congressional delegation will hold a press conference at 11 a.m. on immigration enforcement in Big Bend National Park.
Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-R.I.) and Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Greg Casar (D-Texas) will hold a press conference at 12 p.m. on guaranteed paid vacation for workers.
The House Oversight Subcommittees on Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs & Military and Foreign Affairs will hold a roundtable at 2 p.m. on artificial intelligence.
Reps. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Jennifer McClellan (D-Va.) and Congressional Black Caucus Chair Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.) will hold a press conference at 2:15 p.m. on Black maternal health.
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Read All About It
“It’s not just Iran. Trump is flailing on multiple fronts” by Jonathan Lemire: “The president is on a losing streak, and even some of his aides are dismayed by his choices.”
“Trump picked the wrong pope to bully” by Ed Kilgore: “Pope Leo is very popular, even among Catholic conservatives who strongly disliked his predecessor.”
“What brought down Eric Swalwell” by Jon Allsop: “How the attention economy produced a moment of congressional reckoning.”