High Profile Actions
The Senate met in a pro forma session lasting only 33 seconds (12:15:19 p.m. to 12:15:52 p.m.).
The House met in a pro forma session for approximately 3 minutes (12:00 p.m. to 12:03 p.m.).
71 public bills (H.R. 2169-2239) and 6 resolutions were introduced in the House.
Two Senate bills, S. 331 and S. 1077, were held at the desk in the House rather than being immediately referred to committees.
H. Res. 198 was filed, providing for expenses of certain House committees, with an amendment (H. Rept. 119-17).
Government Efficiency Highlights and Lowlights
Highlight: H. Res. 127 was reported adversely, which requested information about the Department of Government Efficiency's access to Treasury payment systems and confidential taxpayer information (H. Rept. 119-18).
Lowlight: The filing of H. Res. 198 with amendments for committee expenses suggests potential increases in committee funding without clear efficiency improvements.
The brevity of both chamber sessions (totaling under 4 minutes combined) demonstrates minimal legislative activity despite the full operational costs of opening both chambers.
No committee meetings or hearings were held in either chamber, raising questions about legislative productivity.
America-First Legislature
Among the 71 newly introduced bills (H.R. 2169-2239), several likely address national security, domestic manufacturing, and border security priorities, though specific details were not provided in the digest.
The holding of S. 331 at the desk suggests it may contain time-sensitive national interest provisions requiring expedited consideration rather than standard committee review.
Neither chamber scheduled substantive legislative business until at least Thursday, March 20 (Senate) or Friday, March 21 (House), potentially delaying action on pressing domestic priorities.
Pork Alert
The amendment to H. Res. 198 regarding committee expenses deserves scrutiny for potential increases in congressional operational costs without corresponding offsets.
The introduction of 71 new bills in a single day suggests a potential flood of legislative proposals that may include unnecessary spending or duplicative programs.
The operational costs of opening both chambers for sessions lasting only minutes represents questionable use of taxpayer resources, especially when no substantive business was conducted.
