March has been a busy month in Washington. Several important domestic bills are in circulation, while, internationally, the Iranian crisis threatens to escalate. In the midst of all of this, both parties are attempting to position themselves well for the midterms.
Groundhog Day: Another year, another foreign entanglement. The open conflict with Iran is causing a ruckus, especially for those who had hoped for another war-free term. As of March 28th, 13 American personnel have been killed and 300 injured. The Trump Administration has promised an effective campaign and a swift conclusion, and despite confusion and dissent amongst MAGA supporters, the Republican Party has mostly fallen into line. As is to be expected, the war is costly—according to a report by the Pentagon, the first week alone cost $11b—and Congress may need to approve spending and wartime powers.
The war is starting to affect every-day American life. Gas prices have jumped a dollar in the past month. The grumbling is growing louder, and Trump is aiming to end this war soon. Hopefully, Congress and the White House refocus on domestic concerns, especially with elections looming.
Saving America one vote at a time: While conflict rages overseas, Congress is engaged in open war over the SAVE America Act. This bill promises to tighten up and codify federal election processes throughout the states. It requires that each voter present specific forms of identity in order to register. States will have to run their voter lists through a federal identity database and expunge anyone from registration who cannot satisfactorily prove that they are a citizen of the United States.
The House passed H.R. 7296 218-213 on February 11th with a unanimous Republican vote. Most Republican officials support this bill, and according to PEW research, 83% of Americans believe that voters should show government-issued IDs to vote.
However, its passage through the Senate will not be so smooth, if it passes at all. Democrats are adamantly opposed to this legislation. Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer said that the bill “has nothing to do with protecting our elections and everything to do with federalizing voter suppression . . . The SAVE Act is nothing more than Jim Crow 2.0.”
Democrats are concerned that the stringent identification requirements place too much burden on the voter and will disenfranchise millions of American voters who do not have access to approved forms of identification, particularly young voters and ethnic minorities.
In response to this stonewalling, President Trump has threatened not to signany other bills into law until this legislation is passed. However, Senate Republicans are struggling to gain the votes needed to break a filibuster by Democrats. Republicans refuse to nuke the filibuster, so the outlook is grim.
Housing on the Hill: Initially, the Democrats and Republicans (mostly) laid down their weapons to pass the 21st Century Road to Housing Act. The bill is meant to alleviate high cost of living and increase housing accessibility through deregulation and bureaucratic streamlining. The House passed the bill on February 9, 2026, with 390 yeas and 9 nays. On March 12th, the Senate passed it with a vote of 89 to 10.
However, while the legislation is nearly identical, the Senate’s bill deviates in two important ways: First, the federal reserve would be prohibited from issuing digital currency (CBDC) until 2030. Several Republicans want CBDC to be outlawed outright. Second, there is a provision that bans institutional investors from purchasing single-family homes, which some GOP representatives believe is governmental overreach. These amendments have caused a standoff between the two chambers. In a move to resolve tension, Speaker Mike Johnson has suggested holding a conference, which could delay the bill by weeks or even months.
ICE OUT: The battle over Department of Homeland Security continues on with no clear end in sight. Senate Democrats have repeatedly blocked funding bills, declaring that they will not vote for ICE and Customs and Border Protection allocation until these branches have been reformed. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer commented, “We all know that we do not have agreement on how to deal with ICE. We know very simply that Democrats just want ICE to behave like any police department in America and use warrants and not wear masks.”
In a desperate move, Senate Republicans proposed a bill that would exclude ICE and parts of Custom and Borders Patrol. On March 28th, the House rejected the bill and proposed their own eight-week measure. Both chambers promptly took a two-week recess.
As the shutdown lingers on into its sixth week—the longest in U.S. history—cracks are rapidly becoming chasms. Thousands of unpaid TSA agents are skipping work, and airports are rapidly descending into chaos. On March 27th Donald Trump signed an executive order to pay TSA agents. We can only hope that American airports will begin to run smoothly again soon.
Step Aside, Noem: Kristi Noem, former Secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, was fired on March 5th. Markwayne Mullin, a former senator from Oklahoma, was nominated to replace her. Although his confirmation was not without its tension, and some interparty conflict, he was confirmed on March 23 and was sworn in the next day. He expressed his commitment to the American people, saying “I don’t care what color your state is. I don’t care if you’re red or you’re blue, at the end of the day, my job is to be Secretary of Homeland Security and to protect everybody.”
Applying Phyllis’s philosophy today
Oftentimes, contemporary issues echo challenges that Phyllis Schlafly addressed throughout her prolific career. Of course, we cannot know what Phyllis’s verdict would have been about the war in Iran. But, it is not unreasonable to ask why so many resources are being deployed to stabilize the Middle East when our own country is flooded with illegal immigrants, crushed under cost of living, and facing institutional takeover from Leftist activists. Phyllis was no stranger to the drama of balancing foreign and domestic interests. And her response was always rooted in this principle: The government must put America first. Foreign affairs cannot be focused on moral crusades to transform far-flung societies, but on strengthening the United States. As she rightly said in her essay, “Two Watersheds: Pearl Harbor and the New World Order:” “the issue is whether our government is pursuing an America First policy or an America Last policy. We’re fed up with playing Uncle Sap for the rest of the world.” Let us hope our leaders pay heed to her wisdom.
Veronica Lademan is the congressional policy analyst for Eagle Forum Education & Legal.
