The effort to reform the federal prison system is gaining a lot of attention. President Donald Trump has expressed support for prison reform on multiple occasions, including a mention in his State of the Union address and, most recently, during a meeting with a group of African-American pastors. President Trump has also expressed a willingness to include sentencing reform in the prison reform bill.

Back in April, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released regular budget outlook for the current year and 2019 through 2028 budget window. The report was concerning because it showed that the share of the debt held by the public as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) would increase from 78 percent in 2018 to 96.2 percent in 2028.

The Senate is in session part of the week. The House is in recess.

On Wednesday, the Senate voted on an amendment offered by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) to the most recent minibus, H.R. 6147, that would have prohibited the use of funds to carry out the individual health insurance mandate recently passed by D.C. Council. Noncompliance with D.C.’s individual mandate could result in the seizure of private property.

The Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Labor, and the Department of the Treasury have released a final rule that expands short-term, limited-duration health insurance plans. The rule, which will be published on Friday and take effect in 60 days, will expand these plans to 12 months from three months and allow renewability for up to 36 months.

In February, Congress passed the Bipartisan Budget Act, H.R. 1892, which busted the discretionary spending caps by nearly $300 billion over two years, increasing them to $1.291 trillion for FY 2018 and $1.321 trillion for FY 2019. The budget passed the Senate by a vote of 71 to 28 and the House by a vote of 240 to 186. Sixteen Republicans voted against the budget in the Senate and 67 in the House.

The Senate is in session this week. The House is in recess.

Republicans on the House Ways and Means Committee want to know why the Department of Justice (DOJ) has denied petitions by Americans whose money was seized by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The seized money was subject to federal civil asset forfeiture hearings in which the individual from whom the money was taken had to prove that it wasn’t connected to any wrongdoing.

The Private Property Rights Protection Act, H.R. 1689, is scheduled for action today in the House of Representatives. The bill is a response to the Supreme Court's decision in the Kelo v. New London (2005). Perhaps by coincidence, Little Pink House, which tells the story of Susette Kelo and her fight against eminent domain abuse, comes out on DVD and digital tomorrow.

The House and Senate are in session this week.