The Bull Case For Congress In 2025
It can be easy to miss what was accomplished, but it's important not to
Good morning.
A top trend in media around this time of year is to offer up predictions for 2026. And we get it, looking ahead is what gets us out of bed in the morning.
But it’s also important to reflect on what’s been done. As 2025 wraps up, we want to share some of the things Congress (and particularly, the House) accomplished this year through the lens of tech and innovation.
And despite the headlines, the House has plenty to be proud of on this front.
The top of the list, of course, is the landmark reconciliation bill, which included key provisions to encourage business investment through immediate expensing of the full cost of qualifying new and used equipment and manufacturing facilities, as well as immediate R&D expensing. Not to mention, it kept tax rates low for all Americans.
But here are a few other notable successes you may have missed …
FY26 National Defense Authorization Act
This year’s defense bill made historic reforms to the way our military purchases weapons and systems. This is a critical development to ensure our national security apparatus remains the most versatile in the world.
As former HASC staff director Chris Veison wrote:
America is home to the greatest technology companies and ecosystem in the world. And after years of tech declining to participate in our industrial base, we are flush with entrepreneurs and innovators eager to build for our country.
This year’s bill moves purchasing decision-making from a siloed, Program Executive Officer model to one that is focused on the holistic needs of a mission. The newly established Portfolio Acquisition Executive will be able to move funds and resources for faster, more integrated delivery.
The bill also establishes “a new baseline standard for the purchasing of technologies that also have a strong commercial presence.” This means no more exquisite systems that end up over budget and past projected timelines. If it’s built, the military should buy it.
These reforms are obviously important to our national security and the men and women responsible for protecting us. But they’ll also serve as a catalyst to an economy refocused on building things here at home.
Permitting Reform
Speaking of building, just yesterday, the House passed major reforms to the way our country builds critical infrastructure projects by tightening the scope of NEPA reviews and significantly shortening the window for legal objections.
As the author of the SPEED Act and chairman of the Natural Resources Committee, Bruce Westerman, wrote a few weeks ago for ALFA:
While originally well-intentioned, NEPA has been abused and expanded far beyond its intended purpose. Since its enactment in 1970, the law has been weaponized by special interest groups to slow and kill projects from transportation and infrastructure to forestry and energy development.
The SPEED Act limits the scope of NEPA reviews to project-specific necessities so that agencies are not bogged down in endless reviews on never-ending topics, delaying a definitive conclusion.
The bill also implements a 150-day deadline for filing litigation, a vast improvement over the current standard, which is six years.
With eleven Democrats supporting its final passage, the House has set the stage for the serious push next year to get permitting reform signed into law, and critical infrastructure projects moving again.
Increasing Access to Capital
Earlier this month, the House passed the biggest capital formation bill to hit Congress since the JOBS Act with the INVEST Act, which cleared 302–123 on December 11 and now sits in Senate Banking.
The bill does three things:
First, it lets founders pitch at demo days without triggering securities law tripwires, meaning founders from Columbus or Carson City don’t have to go to Sand Hill Road to find a qualifying venue.
Second, it cracks open the accredited investor definition based on an SEC exam so sophistication, not just wealth, allows you to invest in startups.
Third, it fixes some of the frictions in private markets (for example, VC fund math and crowdfunding thresholds rise), and smooths the path for companies to go public earlier without bleeding out on compliance costs.
Capital formation is infrastructure—not as visible as a bridge or highway, but just as load-bearing for determining what America builds next.
Maintaining the Greatest Good
The Fix Our Forests Act from House Natural Resources is a comprehensive plan to target wildfire resistance through technological innovation and collaboration. Its key features include:
The establishment of the Community Wildfire Defense Innovation Prize to promote the creation of new strategies and technologies that help communities reduce wildfire risk, as well as a national Wildfire Intelligence Center that would lead the coordination of data and resources among federal response agencies.
Collaborations between private industries and federal agencies, with an expanding startup ecosystem stepping up to do so.
A clear message from Congress that they want to incorporate technologists into the conversation more to inspire change within agency initiatives and policy.
This bill passed with a large bipartisan vote of 279-141 and awaits Senate action in 2026.
One Final Thought
Since ALFA started publishing, our thesis has been that the media over-indexes for the negative or the controversial. It was frustrating to us when we were on the Hill and we know it’s frustrating still. We’re not saying those moments aren’t worthy to discuss or that they present themselves perhaps more regularly than most would like. But it is important to recognize the work that has been done to put technology, innovation, and ingenuity in the position to build an even stronger country. Despite the naysayers, the House stands on solid ground and we look forward to an even better 2026.
Until then, may you all have a very Merry Christmas, a happy New Year, and a restful holiday season with family and friends. 🎄