ASCEND Act

HR2548 — Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025

Automatic, recurring sanctions on the Russian government and its affiliates. This bill would create a multi-layered sanctions regime that forces mandatory measures within 15 days of a covered determination and requires reassessment every 90 days. - U.S. financial institutions and investors: Banks, brokers, and U.S. investment funds would be barred from processing transfers to the Russian Federation, buying Russian sovereign debt, or making monetary investments in entities owned or controlled by the Russian government. Many prohibitions would take effect within 15 days of a covered determination and recur every 90 days. - Energy, trade, and commodities: The bill would ban U.S. exports of energy to Russia, bar investments in the Russian energy sector, and prohibit imports of uranium sourced from Russia or Rosatom. It would also raise duties on imports from Russia to not less than 500 percent and allow similar duties on third countries trading in Russian-origin energy commodities. - Individuals, exchanges, and payment networks: High‑ranking Russian officials, oligarchs, and sector actors would face property blocks and visa ineligibility under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). The SEC would be directed to bar listing or trading of Russian‑affiliated issuers and global financial messaging providers could be sanctioned for continuing service to designated banks.

HR1262 — Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act

Speeds and strengthens pediatric cancer drug development. It expands which cancer products companies must study in children, reshapes organ transplant network governance and fees, and adds new FDA international and transparency steps. - Children with cancer and researchers: Requires pediatric studies that produce clinically meaningful data on dosing, safety, and early effectiveness and widens the kinds of drug combinations studied. It also sets aside $25 million for pediatric drug studies in each of fiscal years 2026, 2027, and 2028. - Transplant patients and transplant network members: Changes Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network governance and financing by allowing quarterly registration fees, requiring those fees fund OPTN operations, improving electronic health record integration, and calling for a GAO review within two years. - FDA partners and drug makers: Creates an Abraham Accords Office to boost regulatory coordination and technical assistance abroad, and forces more transparency during generic (ANDA) reviews about whether generics are qualitatively and quantitatively the same as listed drugs. It also raises the Medicare Improvement Fund amount from $1.4 billion to $2.6 billion. Increases federal outlays by roughly $1.3 billion, driven by a $1.2 billion boost to the Medicare Improvement Fund and $75 million for pediatric studies, adding to federal spending.

HR2102 — Major Richard Star Act

Establishes concurrent receipt for retirees with combat-related disabilities. This bill would let eligible retirees receive both military retired pay and veterans' disability compensation for the same months without the offset rules that currently reduce payments. - Families of disabled retirees: Veterans with combat-related disabilities would receive both retired pay and VA disability compensation for the same months, increasing their monthly household income. - Defense and VA payment rules: The bill would amend 10 U.S.C. 1413a and 10 U.S.C. 1414 to exempt retired pay from reductions under 38 U.S.C. 5304 and 5305 and add a clear monthly no-offset rule. - Implementation and technical changes: It renames and updates chapter sections, adjusts cross-references, and applies to payments beginning the first month after enactment.

HR1229 — United States-Israel Defense Partnership Act of 2025

Would deepen U.S.-Israel defense cooperation by creating new joint programs, offices, and multi-year funding to develop and deploy counter-unmanned systems and other emerging defense technologies. - U.S. military and Department of Defense: Creates a United States–Israel Counter-Unmanned Systems Program and a program office, authorizes $150 million per year for 2026–2030, and requires annual unclassified reports. - U.S. and Israeli defense industries and tech firms: Authorizes joint research, testing, and procurement across artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, robotics, quantum, and automation with $50 million per year for 2026–2030 and a framework for cost sharing and intellectual property. - Regional partners and missile defense planners: Requires an assessment of integrated air and missile defense in the U.S. Central Command area with an unclassified report in 180 days and extends the War Reserves Stockpile Authority beyond January 1, 2029. Would authorize $150 million per year for counter-unmanned systems and $50 million per year for emerging technology cooperation from 2026–2030, and raises funding caps for anti-tunnel and counter-UAS programs through 2028.

HR842 — Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act

Would expand Medicare to cover multi-cancer early detection screening tests. It defines eligible tests as certain FDA-cleared or approved genomic blood tests or comparable biological-sample tests and directs the Secretary to use the national coverage determinations process to decide when they are covered.

HR1065 — Protect Our Letter Carriers Act of 2025

Heightened protections for U.S. Postal Service letter carriers. This bill would fund security upgrades, push federal prosecutors to prioritize assaults on postal employees, and align sentencing for those attacks with rules for assaults on law enforcement. - Postal workers would get new security gear and safer collection points via high-security collection boxes and electronic mailbox keys funded at $1.4 billion per year for FY2026–2030. - The Attorney General would be directed to vigorously prosecute assaults on postal employees and to appoint an Assistant U.S. Attorney in every federal judicial district to coordinate those cases not later than one year after enactment. - The U.S. Sentencing Commission would be required to amend guidelines so assaults or robberies against postal employees are treated like assaults on law enforcement, with guideline changes due by May 1 following the first year after enactment. This bill would authorize $1.4 billion per year for FY2026–2030, totaling $7.0 billion in authorized federal spending.