Washington Watch: July 2, 2025

📌 House Homeland Security Bill Marked Up. On June 24, the House version of the FY26 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill was successfully marked up and reported by the full committee. The bill includes several recommendations of interest to the fire service, including:

• U.S. Fire Administration: The bill includes $60.084 million for USFA, a slight increase from prior year levels.
• AFG/SAFER: The bill includes $360 million, up from $324 million
• US&R: The bill includes $56 million, up from $36 million

The Senate has not yet put forth their version of the bill. The next step in the process is for the full House to consider the House version of the bill and send it to the Senate. Generally, the final bills end up being negotiated between the House and the Senate, so this is simply the House’s first foray into the conversation for FY26.

📌 Congress Continues Work on Tax Bill. On Tuesday the Senate passed their version of a mega tax package by a slim majority. Vice President JD Vance cast the tiebreaking vote after three GOP Senators voted against the bill. The bill was then sent back to the House for consideration. The House Rules Committee sent the bill to the full House on Wednesday morning by a vote of 7-6, paving the way for a House floor vote. It remains to be seen whether the House will have the votes to pass the bill with the Senate’s changes.

Here’s how you can take action today:

✅ Visit CFSI’s Legislative Action Center for information reaching out to Congress.

✅ If your members of Congress are not on the Congressional Fire Services Caucus, ask them to join!

Stay engaged. Stay informed. And together, let’s keep making a difference.

*As of July 2, 2025 (2pm EST)