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Congress passed a new housing law, including an attempt to limit corporate ownership of homes. We'll also examine the Senate's summer confirmations, including Todd Blanche as Attorney General, and preview troubling provisions in the NDAA—including one that would deepen U.S.-Israeli military cooperation and another that would override California to benefit a private oil pipeline. View the show notes on our website at https://congressionaldish.com/housing-for-the-21st-century-act-cd344 Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Contribute monthly or a lump sum via PayPal Support Congressional Dish via Patreon (donations per episode) Send Zelle payments to: [email protected] Send Venmo payments to: @Jennifer-Briney Send Cash App payments to: $CongressionalDish or [email protected] Use your bank's online bill pay function to mail contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North, Number 4576, Crestview, FL 32536. Please make checks payable to Congressional Dish Thank you for supporting truly independent media!

The National Weather Service is one of the few government agencies that affects every American every single day. Every weather app, television forecast, hurricane warning, tornado alert, and flood prediction depends on it. In this episode, we examine what has happened to the National Weather Service under the Trump administration, from staffing cuts and delayed weather balloon launches to contract bottlenecks, AI-driven forecasting, and growing concerns about privatization. Using congressional hearings, testimony from emergency managers, and government officials' own words, we'll separate the real improvements from the real risks facing the agency that helps keep us all safe. View the show notes on our website at https://congressionaldish.com/the-national-weather-service-under-fire-cd343 Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Contribute monthly or a lump sum via PayPal Support Congressional Dish via Patreon (donations per episode) Send Zelle payments to: [email protected] Send Venmo payments to: @Jennifer-Briney Send Cash App payments to: $CongressionalDish or [email protected] Use your bank's online bill pay function to mail contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North, Number 4576, Crestview, FL 32536. Please make checks payable to Congressional Dish Thank you for supporting truly independent media!

The Texas Hill Country flood that killed 139 people was described as a natural disaster. But after digging through state legislative hearings and Congress's oversight of FEMA, I found something else: many of the deadliest consequences weren't just caused by the weather. They were the result of policy choices. This episode follows the disaster from the storm itself to the way Congress prepares—or fails to prepare—the United States for the floods to come. View the show notes on our website at https://congressionaldish.com/mapped-to-flood-cd342 Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Contribute monthly or a lump sum via PayPal Support Congressional Dish via Patreon (donations per episode) Send Zelle payments to: [email protected] Send Venmo payments to: @Jennifer-Briney Send Cash App payments to: $CongressionalDish or [email protected] Use your bank's online bill pay function to mail contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North, Number 4576, Crestview, FL 32536. Please make checks payable to Congressional Dish Thank you for supporting truly independent media!

June brought a massive expansion of ICE and immigrant detention, failed efforts to rein in the unauthorized war with Iran, a debate over U.S. support for Israel's actions in Lebanon, and the confirmation of two controversial lifetime judges. We examine what passed, what failed, and what comes next. View the show notes on our website at https://congressionaldish.com/land-grabs-and-cages-cd341 Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Contribute monthly or a lump sum via PayPal Support Congressional Dish via Patreon (donations per episode) Send Zelle payments to: [email protected] Send Venmo payments to: @Jennifer-Briney Send Cash App payments to: $CongressionalDish or [email protected] Use your bank's online bill pay function to mail contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North, Number 4576, Crestview, FL 32536. Please make checks payable to Congressional Dish Thank you for supporting truly independent media!

In CD340: No More Iran War, Congress finally pushes back against President Trump's unauthorized war with Iran as Republicans join Democrats to pass War Powers resolutions rejecting the conflict. Jen breaks down those historic votes, the few laws Congress passed in May, and the Trump administration officials confirmed to powerful positions overseeing public lands, environmental policy, prosecutions, and the courts. View the show notes on our website at https://congressionaldish.com/cd349-no-more-iran-war Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Contribute monthly or a lump sum via PayPal Support Congressional Dish via Patreon (donations per episode) Send Zelle payments to: [email protected] Send Venmo payments to: @Jennifer-Briney Send Cash App payments to: $CongressionalDish or [email protected] Use your bank's online bill pay function to mail contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North, Number 4576, Crestview, FL 32536. Please make checks payable to Congressional Dish Thank you for supporting truly independent media!

Children are spending more time on screens than ever before, but what is all that screen time actually doing to them? In a recent hearing, Congress heard testimony from experts who argue that social media, educational technology, and AI are reshaping childhood in ways many parents don't fully understand. This episode explores the evidence and the growing concern that we're raising a generation of screen zombies. View the show notes on our website at https://congressionaldish.com/cd339-raising-screen-zombies Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Contribute monthly or a lump sum via PayPal Support Congressional Dish via Patreon (donations per episode) Send Zelle payments to: [email protected] Send Venmo payments to: @Jennifer-Briney Send Cash App payments to: $CongressionalDish or [email protected] Use your bank's online bill pay function to mail contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North, Number 4576, Crestview, FL 32536. Please make checks payable to Congressional Dish Thank you for supporting truly independent media!

April 2026 gave us a Congress that took a two-week vacation, came back to vote on war powers, Israel weapons sales, FISA surveillance, DHS funding, and whether Minnesota's clean water should be protected from mining. This episode tracks what Congress actually did — including the votes, scandals, resignations, deaths, new members, and laws that tell you far more than campaign ads ever will. View the show notes on our website at https://congressionaldish.com/cd338-bulldozing-the-rules Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Contribute monthly or a lump sum via PayPal Support Congressional Dish via Patreon (donations per episode) Send Zelle payments to: [email protected] Send Venmo payments to: @Jennifer-Briney Send Cash App payments to: $CongressionalDish or [email protected] Use your bank's online bill pay function to mail contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North, Number 4576, Crestview, FL 32536. Please make checks payable to Congressional Dish Thank you for supporting truly independent media!

Congress took multiple vacations during a DHS shutdown, failed to check an unauthorized war with Iran, and passed just two bills—both honoring the dead. Meanwhile, a bipartisan majority voted to keep misconduct investigations against themselves secret. This episode exposes a month of dysfunction—and the real consequences of a Congress that isn't doing its job. View the show notes on our website at https://congressionaldish.com/cd337-march-2026-at-war-on-vacation Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Contribute monthly or a lump sum via PayPal Support Congressional Dish via Patreon (donations per episode) Send Zelle payments to: [email protected] Send Venmo payments to: @Jennifer-Briney Send Cash App payments to: $CongressionalDish or [email protected] Use your bank's online bill pay function to mail contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North, Number 4576, Crestview, FL 32536. Please make checks payable to Congressional Dish Thank you for supporting truly independent media!

The SAVE Act and the SAVE America Act are two of the most searched bills in Congress right now—and they're confusing a lot of people. By digging into what these bills actually do—and the long history they fit into—you'll see why they're widely considered voter suppression efforts and how they could affect your ability to vote. And more importantly, you'll learn what you can do right now to protect your ballot before any of this becomes law. View the show notes on our website at https://congressionaldish.com/cd336-save-america-from-easily-voting Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Contribute monthly or a lump sum via PayPal Support Congressional Dish via Patreon (donations per episode) Send Zelle payments to: [email protected] Send Venmo payments to: @Jennifer-Briney Send Cash App payments to: $CongressionalDish or [email protected] Use your bank's online bill pay function to mail contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North, Number 4576, Crestview, FL 32536. Please make checks payable to Congressional Dish Thank you for supporting truly independent media!

February's big accomplishment: partial government funding—months late and still incomplete. This episode breaks down the most important provisions in the law, from war powers and foreign policy to domestic policies that affect your daily life, and evaluates what Congress actually delivered. View the show notes on our website at https://congressionaldish.com/cd335-february-2026-overdue-funding Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Contribute monthly or a lump sum via PayPal Support Congressional Dish via Patreon (donations per episode) Send Zelle payments to: [email protected] Send Venmo payments to: @Jennifer-Briney Send Cash App payments to: $CongressionalDish or [email protected] Use your bank's online bill pay function to mail contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North, Number 4576, Crestview, FL 32536. Please make checks payable to Congressional Dish Thank you for supporting truly independent media!

An ICE whistleblower says officers are graduating without proper training and entering homes using "administrative warrants." Hear the testimony from a shadow congressional hearing investigating immigration raids and potential violations of the Fourth Amendment. View the show notes on our website at https://congressionaldish.com/cd334-untrained-and-unwarranted Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Contribute monthly or a lump sum via PayPal Support Congressional Dish via Patreon (donations per episode) Send Zelle payments to: [email protected] Send Venmo payments to: @Jennifer-Briney Send Cash App payments to: $CongressionalDish or [email protected] Use your bank's online bill pay function to mail contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North, Number 4576, Crestview, FL 32536. Please make checks payable to Congressional Dish Thank you for supporting truly independent media!

January 2026 put the 119th Congress to the test—and once again, it barely showed up. This episode tracks how sudden vacancies shrank the Republican majority, why that paralysis explains one of the quietest legislative months in years, and what actually made it into law when Congress finally finished half of its long-overdue government funding. View the show notes on our website at https://congressionaldish.com/cd333-january-2026-big-tests-minimal-action Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Contribute monthly or a lump sum via PayPal Support Congressional Dish via Patreon (donations per episode) Send Zelle payments to: [email protected] Send Venmo payments to: @Jennifer-Briney Send Cash App payments to: $CongressionalDish or [email protected] Use your bank's online bill pay function to mail contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North, Number 4576, Crestview, FL 32536. Please make checks payable to Congressional Dish Thank you for supporting truly independent media!

Secretary of State Marco Rubio testified before the Senate to defend the U.S. seizure of Venezuela's president—and his answers raised more questions than they settled. This episode features highlights from the testimony, discussion of possible further military action, and an examination of the Trump administration's efforts to reshape and control Venezuela's oil sector and contracts. View the show notes on our website at https://congressionaldish.com/cd332-controlling-venezuela Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Contribute monthly or a lump sum via PayPal Support Congressional Dish via Patreon (donations per episode) Send Zelle payments to: [email protected] Send Venmo payments to: @Jennifer-Briney Send Cash App payments to: $CongressionalDish or [email protected] Use your bank's online bill pay function to mail contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North, Number 4576, Crestview, FL 32536. Please make checks payable to Congressional Dish Thank you for supporting truly independent media! Contact Your Members of Congress: (202) 224-3121

This episode breaks down major provisions of the newly passed National Defense Authorization Act, including how Congress quietly weakened air-traffic safety rules, expanded counter-drone authorities for law enforcement, loosened protections against toxic "forever chemicals" for firefighters, and repealed outdated Iraq war authorizations while leaving broader war powers intact. It also covers new laws affecting taxes, veterans, and public lands, Trump's vetoes of bipartisan bills, and a wave of confirmations placing industry-connected figures in powerful regulatory and defense roles. View the show notes on our website at https://congressionaldish.com/cd331-december-2025-authorizing-future-disasters Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Contribute monthly or a lump sum via PayPal Support Congressional Dish via Patreon (donations per episode) Send Zelle payments to: [email protected] Send Venmo payments to: @Jennifer-Briney Send Cash App payments to: $CongressionalDish or [email protected] Use your bank's online bill pay function to mail contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North, Number 4576, Crestview, FL 32536. Please make checks payable to Congressional Dish Thank you for supporting truly independent media! Contact Your Members of Congress: (202) 224-3121

Special Prosecutor Jack Smith gave a closed-door, eight-hour deposition to the House Judiciary Committee that was later—surprisingly—made public. In this episode, hear highlights from his testimony about the investigation into Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election, including the fake electors scheme, key prosecutorial decisions, and why members of Congress chose to scrutinize the investigation rather than the alleged crimes. View the show notes on our website at https://congressionaldish.com/cd330-prosecutor-jack-smiths-deposition Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Contribute monthly or a lump sum via PayPal Support Congressional Dish via Patreon (donations per episode) Send Zelle payments to: [email protected] Send Venmo payments to: @Jennifer-Briney Send Cash App payments to: $CongressionalDish or [email protected] Use your bank's online bill pay function to mail contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North, Number 4576, Crestview, FL 32536. Please make checks payable to Congressional Dish Thank you for supporting truly independent media!