The U.S. Senate faces a packed legislative week, with lawmakers targeting passage of the Protect College Sports Act and a major nomination hearing.
The House is out of session for the final two weeks of September, placing the full legislative spotlight firmly on the Senate and its remaining GOP priorities.
The Protect College Sports Act would establish national rules for compensating college athletes, limit transfers, restrict mid-season coaching moves, and set a five-year window for athletic eligibility.
The bill would also shield the NCAA from antitrust lawsuits, establish caps on revenue sharing, and allow schools to maintain retention funds for star players.
The Senate voted Tuesday to advance the legislation, moving it closer to final passage after weeks of debate over its sweeping reforms to college athletics.
Critics argue the bill grants the NCAA and top-tier schools too much power while protecting them from litigation related to NIL deals and the transfer portal.
President Trump has endorsed the bill, and that backing has generated skepticism among some Senate Democrats who are reluctant to hand the president a legislative victory ahead of the midterm elections.
The Senate HELP Committee is also scheduled to hold a nomination hearing Thursday for Heidi Overton, Trump’s pick to lead the Food and Drug Administration.
Trump selected Overton in August following the resignation of Marty Makary, his first FDA commissioner, after a turbulent stretch at the agency.
Overton, a physician, currently serves as a top White House domestic policy adviser on health issues and is a prominent supporter of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again” movement.
She stood alongside Trump when he signed an executive order last month directing the administration to reduce and separate the childhood vaccine schedule.
If confirmed, Overton would take control of an agency that has seen an exodus of top staff and that many in the healthcare industry view as more politicized than in any prior administration.
