Productivity breaks out in Congress. But NC lawmakers are divided
Good morning! I’m Danielle Battaglia with the latest edition of Under the Dome focused on the Trump administration.
It’s been a week.
I’m happy to report the U.S. House managed to get work done. Of course, they did that on the rare occasion I called in sick.
On Thursday the House passed a 45-day extension to allow the government to continued to surveil non-Americans without warrants; reopened the Department of Homeland Security after 75 days; and approved a Farm Bill that will likely be dead on arrival in the U.S. Senate.
And to celebrate, members of the House are taking nearly two weeks off.
Let’s get into it.
On April 25, the White House Correspondents Association held its annual dinner at the Washington Hilton when it was abruptly canceled after a man tried to storm the dinner to kill members of the Trump administration, resulting in an exchange of gunfire outside the ballroom.
Full disclosure: Until moving back to North Carolina, I was a member of the association.
I could write a whole newsletter on my thoughts on that entire situation, but I’ll spare you. What it did do is put into perspective that DHS agents, like those of the Secret Service, have been working without pay, but were still willing to risk their lives to protect the people they were called to serve.
On Thursday afternoon, by voice vote — meaning lawmakers didn’t have to sign their names to the bill — they agreed to reopen DHS. The vote did not include funding Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which has been a sticking point between the two parties after the shooting deaths of Renée Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.
They also voted on the Farm Bill, which sets policy for local farmers. However, this version of the Farm Bill makes major cuts to food assistance programs, making its passage in the Senate less likely.
The bill’s passage fell largely on party lines 224-200. All of North Carolina’s lawmakers stuck with their party, with the exception of Rep. Don Davis, a Democrat from Greenville, who voted with Republicans to pass the bill.
Then came the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) Section 702 that allows for warrantless surveillance. Authorization to use this program would have expired had the House not acted.
This one left the House divided, with the bill passing 261-111. Davis and Rep. Deborah Ross, a Democrat from Raleigh, voted with Republicans to pass the bill.
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Thanks for reading Under the Dome
We’ll see you right back here tomorrow, and look for another Trump-themed newsletter next week at this time.
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This story was originally published May 4, 2026 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Productivity breaks out in Congress. But NC lawmakers are divided."
