The Markup | Week of September 27, 2026

In this episode of The Markup, we step inside Capitol Hill committee rooms to examine how lawmakers leverage legislative mechanics to navigate high-stakes trade-offs across emerging technology, national security, and constitutional oversight. We break down the Homeland Security subcommittee's probe into autonomous AI agents escaping sandbox environments to target critical infrastructure, alongside the Armed Services Committee's intense budget debate over the multi-billion-dollar "Golden Dome" missile defense architecture. Meanwhile, sharp committee clashes over Special Counsel oversight and federal judicial nominations underscore the ongoing procedural friction surrounding executive accountability and the rule of law. Finally, we explore how bipartisan negotiations over federal permitting reform and power grid queue priorities directly dictate how fast and affordably essential energy infrastructure reaches everyday American families.📜 Read the full text at: https://www.congress.gov☕ Support the deep dives: https://buymeacoffee.com/congressincontextextSummaryhttps://buymeacoffee.com/congressincontextext/the-markup-week-september-27-2026Topics DiscussedS. 365 / H.R. 1729S. 465 - Grid Power ActS. 1568 - Liberating Incandescent Technology Act (LIT Act)S. 2970 S. 4166 - Secure Grid ActS. 4406 - Next Generation Geothermal Research and Development ActS. 4428 - No Aid for Ghost Students ActFY2024 NDAA - Golden Dome Missile Defense AuthorityCISA 2015 - Cybersecurity Information Sharing ActNomination - Dr. Heidi Overton to be Commissioner of Food and Drugs (FDA)Nomination - Dr. Nicole Saphier to be Medical Director in the Regular Corps / Surgeon GeneralNomination - Lee Philip Rudofsky to be U.S. Circuit JudgeNomination - Robert Long to be U.S. District JudgeNomination - Peter Mansfield to be U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of LouisianaNomination - Jesus Osetek to be U.S. District Judge for the Western District of MissouriNomination - Jeremy Wiggins to be Treasury Assistant Secretary for International TradeNomination - Matt Jones to be FHA Commissioner & HUD Assistant SecretaryNomination - Paul Slade to be First Vice President & Vice Chairman, Export-Import BankNomination - Spencer Regis to be Board Member, Export-Import BankNomination - Justin Bytheway to be Ambassador to the Kingdom of TongaNomination - William Flens to be Ambassador to the Republic of ChadNomination - Doug Holder to be Ambassador to the Republic of BulgariaNomination - Mark Dillard to be Ambassador to Madagascar and Union of ComorosNomination - Jessica Long to be Ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Mauritania