Congress is back for three weeks before another recess, with a full tech agenda and many competing priorities set against the backdrop of broader budget fights, Maria and Ashley report.

The big picture: For tech policy, there will be deadlines, nominations, and pressing issues left over from the last Congress as well as bigger battles in Washington.

Here's what we're watching.

TikTok: The White House is reportedly brokering a deal to change the ownership structure of TikTok ahead of an April 5 ban deadline, and it might look very similar to past data structures run by Oracle.

• Lawmakers overwhelmingly supported the divest-or-ban law passed last year, buoyed by bipartisan alarm over TikTok's perceived national security risks.
• All eyes will be on Congress, and whether members will object to or support a deal that may or may not adhere to the letter or spirit of the law.

Nominations: OSTP nominee Michael Kratsios and FTC nominee Mark Meador are ready for their respective floor votes.

• If confirmed by the Senate, Kratsios would join an office with a looming deadline to come out with an AI "action plan" and Meador would join a commission rattled by President Trump's firing of two Democratic commissioners.
• NTIA nominee Arielle Roth, who would be in charge of overhauling the Biden-era BEAD program, is set for her nomination hearing this week.
• All nominees are expected to be easily confirmed, though Senate Democrats raised alarms over the FTC firings, which could hurt Meador's vote on the Senate floor.
• FCC commissioner nominee Olivia Trusty is also awaiting a committee hearing, as FCC chair Brendan Carr aggressively pushes the agency in new directions.

Kids' online safety: A House Energy and Commerce panel will hold a hearing this week to examine bills to protect kids online that have struggled to advance to full congressional passage.

• Disagreement over the Kids Online Safety Act remains, while other bills like the TAKE IT DOWN Act are picking up steam thanks to support from the White House.

Spectrum in reconciliation: Republicans are debating whether to reauthorize the FCC's spectrum auction authority through budget reconciliation.

• Restoring that and building up a new spectrum pipeline could generate billions for the government, key Republicans say.

Artificial intelligence: Work toward AI-related bills has been thrown into question by the Trump administration's approach to AI policy.

• Senate leaders on AI are navigating what Trump wants as he and Vice President Vance push an innovation-first approach.
• For lawmakers working on AI policy, which bills will get White House support is unclear.

The bottom line: Tech-related bills that were close to passing last Congress now have the added challenges of navigating an unpredictable White House, the reconciliation fight, and upheaval at the agencies.

Here's what we're eyeing this week on the Hill.

1. Worldwide threats: The Intelligence committees gather for their annual hearings on worldwide threats this week, and AI and tech policy will certainly be on the agenda.

• Senate Intelligence's hearing is tomorrow at 10am ET.
• House Intelligence holds their open hearing on Wednesday at 10am ET.

2. Military applications of AI: Tomorrow at 3:30pm ET, following a closed hearing, Senate Armed Services members meet to examine how to harness AI cyber capabilities.

• Witnesses include Scale AI's Dan Tadross, Cohere's David Ferris and RAND's Jim Mitre.

3. Kids' online safety: E&C's Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade Subcommittee holds a hearing on Wednesday at 10am ET titled "The World Wild Web: Examining Harms Online."

• "We are looking forward to this important discussion and hope this leads to bipartisan consensus around legislation to protect Americans, including our children, from threats in the online world," E&C Chair Brett Guthrie and panel Chair Gus Bilirakis said in a statement.

4. CFPB spotlight: On Wednesday at 10am ET, the House Financial Services panel on financial institutions holds a hearing on what's next for the CFPB after its gutting by the Trump administration.

5. NTIA nominee: On Thursday at 2:15pm ET, the Senate Commerce Committee holds a hearing on Arielle Roth's nomination to serve as NTIA administrator.

"Our policymakers should lock arms with the science-and-technology dreamers and doers across the country — from Silicon Valley to the Silicon Prairie — and recognize that basic research isn't a federal handout to help sustain academia."