Fall 2025 Congressional Outlook, by Lewis-Burke
Lewis-Burke’s Fall 2025 congressional outlook with implications of major legislation for research, education, and academic medicine federal programs and activities.
The most critical issue facing Congress over the next few weeks is keeping the government funded beyond September 30, the end of the fiscal year. The risk of a government shutdown is high. Congress has not passed any fiscal year 2026 appropriations bills, there is no bipartisan agreement on a funding framework, and trust between Republicans, Democrats and the White House is at a historic low. A Continuing Resolution (CR) will be needed to avoid a shutdown and give Congress more time to pass a FY 2026 spending package.
In the meantime, Congress needs to finalize the annual defense policy bill, extend expiring Farm Bill and healthcare provisions, advance a NASA reauthorization bill, update the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, and tackle emerging technology legislation related to Artificial Intelligence and Quantum. Other major legislation, such as energy, commercial space, and surface transportation bills, will have to wait until next year.
Of interest to HFES are updates on the NDAA, which is advancing in both the House and Senate this week, as well as multiple individual AI bills introduced to address different aspects of AI. Our next bulletin will provide a similar congressional action outlook to this doc, with a focus on the fiscal year-end on September 30.