Top Lines
- Venezuela war powers clash: The House narrowly defeated a measure seeking to bar additional military action in Venezuela without congressional authorization (Reuters). Track the underlying War Powers vehicle: H.Con.Res.68.
- Executive action on Venezuelan oil revenue: The White House issued an executive order on safeguarding Venezuelan oil revenue held in U.S.-controlled accounts (White House).
- Budget showdown pacing item: House passage of FY26 spending measures continues; Senate action is the next choke point ahead of end-of-week deadlines cited in reporting (Reuters).
- Iran pressure increases: Treasury escalated sanctions targeting Iran’s oil/shadow networks tied to regime repression (Treasury).
- Also moving: A federal judge blocked an administration move affecting certain migrant parole pathways (per reporting) (Reuters); plus Treasury actions spanning contracts and terrorism-finance disruption (Treasury Press Releases).
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Legislation to Watch
Venezuela • War Powers / Use of Force
- H.Con.Res.68 — directs removal of U.S. Armed Forces from Venezuela unless Congress enacts a declaration of war or AUMF.
- Coverage of the House vote and dynamics: Reuters write-up .
- CRS snapshot for background and sanctions context: “Venezuela: Overview of U.S. Sanctions Policy” (CRS PDF) .
Iran • Sanctions / Snapback / Maximum Pressure
- Treasury press release (Jan 23): sanctions campaign targeting Iranian oil sales .
- House action marker on the Enhanced Iran Sanctions Act of 2025 (H.R.1422) (latest action logged Jan 12, 2026).
- New House resolution urging E3 snapback under UNSCR 2231: H.Res.139 (text) .
Budget Cliff • FY26 Appropriations & Process
- Reporting on House passage of FY26 measures and shutdown pressure points: Reuters .
- Nonpartisan explainer on the FY26 discretionary caps situation and budget resolution stakes: CRFB — “Appropriations Watch: FY 2026” .
Legislative Calendar • Major Hearings This Week
Tip: For the full list (House + Senate), start with Congress.gov’s daily committee schedule and filter by chamber/committee.
Tuesday, Jan 27
- Senate HSGAC (DMDCC Subcommittee) — “Examining Fraud in State and Federal Programs” (Congress.gov event). Note: committee page indicates “postponed/TBD.” (Committee listing)
- Congress.gov daily schedule (Jan 27) for additional meetings: Daily committee schedule.
Wednesday, Jan 28
- Senate Commerce (CPTDP Subcommittee) — live entertainment fees/bots hearing (2:30pm ET) (Senate Commerce hearings).
- Senate HSGAC (DMDCC Subcommittee) — “One Year After Disaster: Experts Weigh in on the Palisades Fire” (2:00pm ET) (HSGAC hearings).
- Congress.gov daily schedule (Jan 28) shows broader committee activity (13 meetings listed): Daily committee schedule.
Thursday, Jan 29
- Congress.gov daily schedule (Jan 29) — use for committee-level timing and room details: Daily committee schedule.
House floor timing
- House Floor Summary (Clerk) — next meeting notice and official floor actions: Clerk Floor Summary.
- House Press Gallery schedule feed: House calendar.
Regulatory Moves
- Treasury: sanctions escalation tied to Iran protest crackdown / oil revenue networks (sb0370; sb0364).
- State Department companion release on Iran shadow-fleet measures: State.gov .
- Treasury: “Cancels Contracts with Booz Allen Hamilton” (Jan 26 listing) (Press rollup).
- Treasury: “Exposes and Disrupts Hamas’s Covert Support Network” (Jan 21 listing) (Press rollup).
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Legal Industry & Judiciary
- Migration/parole litigation: federal judge blocks an administration move affecting legal status for certain migrants (per reporting) (Reuters).
Supreme Court Watch
- Docket watchlist: stay current via SCOTUSblog’s running coverage and orders lists. SCOTUSblog .
Statehouse Watch
- Watch for state-level “copycat” bills aligning with federal Iran and Venezuela sanctions posture (export controls, state procurement bans), plus state emergency management funding actions driven by new federal budget baselines.
Action Items
- If you have Venezuela exposure (energy/OFAC/compliance), read the EO text and map it to contract and litigation posture (White House EO).
- Track the next procedural step for War Powers action and whip for a revived vote effort (H.Con.Res.68).
- For Iran sanctions compliance: update screening on vessels/entities and review OFAC advisories (OFAC Iran sanctions hub).
- Approps: pressure-test your “shutdown playbook” against FY26 toplines and timing assumptions (CRFB explainer).
Calendar & Deadlines
Careers & Openings (Federal & States)
- Vice President, Government Relations — Defenders of Wildlife (Washington, DC) • Posting
- Government Affairs / Legislative Administrative Assistant — National Guard Association of the United States (deadline noted Jan 30) • Posting
- Congressional Liaison Specialist (Direct Hire) — USAJOBS • Posting
- Analyst in Emergency Management — Congressional Research Service (Library of Congress) • Posting
- Supervisory Public Affairs Specialist — USAJOBS • Posting
- Senior Director of U.S. Federal Government Affairs — Daybook (Washington, DC) • Posting
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Author: Jay C. Taylor • © 2026 The Lobbyist Connection