Washington — Congress returns this week from its August recess staring down a deadline to fund the federal government and avert a potential shutdown by month’s finish.
However a handful of different GOP priorities — from cracking down on crime to fast-tracking President Trump’s nominees — have bubbled up in current weeks, together with lingering tensions and partisan disagreements, promising a chaotic return to Washington, and a prolonged to-do record.
Here is what’s on lawmakers’ agenda as Congress returns:
Authorities funding battle
A well-recognized deadline is quick approaching, as Congress should race to maintain the federal government funded by Sept. 30.
Whereas the Home and Senate every handed a small variety of funding payments earlier than leaving Washington for the August recess, the 2 chambers have been on completely different pages relating to funding ranges. Getting all 12 particular person appropriations payments by each chambers is unlikely, which means lawmakers will nearly definitely need to depend on a short-term measure to maintain the federal government funded.
The dynamic is not uncommon. Congress recurrently struggles to approve the brand new funding earlier than the tip of the fiscal 12 months, opting as an alternative to push the deadline down the street by preserving the federal government funded at present ranges on a brief foundation. However this time round, the funding battle itself has taken on new which means.
Senate Minority Chief Chuck Schumer got here underneath intense scrutiny from his personal social gathering over the last funding battle in March. After pledging to battle the GOP plan, which elevated protection spending whereas lowering non-defense spending under 2024 ranges, he modified course on the eleventh hour. In the end, Schumer opted to ship one of many Democratic votes essential to propel the partisan measure to passage and forestall a shutdown, arguing {that a} shutdown risked extra injury.
This time round, Democratic leaders have labored to interact on the funding subject nicely forward of the deadline. Early final month, Schumer and Home Minority Chief Hakeem Jeffries known as for a “Huge 4” assembly with their GOP counterparts to debate funding the federal government. In a letter to Senate Majority Chief John Thune and Home Speaker Mike Johnson, the Democrats stated that “it’s clear that the Trump Administration and plenty of inside your social gathering are getting ready to ‘go it alone’ and proceed to legislate on a solely Republican foundation.”
Nonetheless, the letter did not seem to kickstart a bipartisan effort. And Mr. Trump, requested about assembly with the Democratic leaders final month, stated he would do it, whereas saying it is “nearly a waste of time to fulfill as a result of they by no means approve something.” The Democrats renewed their name for a gathering between congressional leaders final week, writing that the “authorities funding subject should be resolved in a bipartisan manner. That’s the solely viable path ahead.”
In the meantime, Democrats have bemoaned the White Home’s efforts to claw again already-appropriated funds in what’s often known as a rescissions bundle earlier this 12 months, together with a brand new push by the administration final week to claw again almost $5 billion in overseas support funds that Congress already authorized. The hardly ever used maneuver, often known as a pocket rescission, is an try to rescind funding unilaterally, sparking pushback on Capitol Hill and bipartisan criticism as an “illegal” transfer.
“At the moment’s announcement of the Administration’s plan to advance an illegal ‘pocket rescission’ bundle is additional proof President Trump and Congressional Republicans are hellbent on rejecting bipartisanship and ‘going it alone’ this fall,” Schumer stated in a press release.
The dynamics put the events on a collision course heading towards the Sept. 30 deadline.
Whereas Republicans have majorities within the Home and Senate, they may want 60 votes within the Senate to maintain the federal government funded, which means they may want the assist of at the very least seven Democrats.
On the similar time, some within the social gathering, together with Democratic Nationwide Committee Chair Ken Martin, have inspired Democrats to let the federal government shut right down to protest Mr. Trump’s insurance policies.
“We can’t be the one one taking part in by the foundations with a hand tied behind our backs,” Martin stated. “That previous playbook, the norms that, you already know, used to have guardrails on our democracy and shield all of us on this nation — that does not exist anymore. We have got to throw that playbook out the window as a result of the Republicans have.”
Modifications to Senate nomination guidelines
Senators left Washington after a bruising nominations saga in July. Democrats have slow-walked Mr. Trump’s nominees in current months, placing up procedural hurdles to delay confirmations almost throughout the board. Senate Democrats have been unable to return to an settlement with the White Home in an episode that foreshadowed a bigger battle to return.
“Donald Trump tried to bully us, go round us, threaten us, name us names — however he received nothing. And he walked away along with his tail between his legs,” Schumer informed reporters earlier than leaving for the August recess.
Schumer has railed towards the White Home for strolling away from a deal involving the discharge of already appropriated funds in change for cooperation from Democrats to swiftly approve a bunch of nominees. In the meantime, the president known as the Democrat’s calls for “egregious and unprecedented.”
With no deal, Senate Republicans are anticipated to pursue modifications to the nominations course of that may enable them to extra swiftly affirm the president’s nominees upon their return.
Sen. John Barrasso, the No. 2 Senate Republican, urged in an op-ed final week that it is “time to vary Senate affirmation guidelines” amid what he described as a “bitter battle” over even routine nominations. He stated that the Senate GOP is “contemplating modifications to the Senate guidelines to finish probably the most egregious delay techniques.”
“Senate Republicans are decided to verify Mr. Trump’s certified nominees a technique or one other,” Barrasso wrote.
What the modifications seem like stays to be seen. Each Democrats and Republicans have made pushes to vary the affirmation course of lately, like by slicing down the time necessities for the nominations and decreasing the variety of votes wanted to a easy majority.
Confirming Trump’s nominees for BLS chair and Fed governor
The potential modifications to the affirmation course of come as a handful of recent high-profile nominees are anticipated to return earlier than the Senate, along with the handfuls already awaiting votes.
Mr. Trump fired the previous Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner final month over a weaker-than-expected July jobs report. He quickly introduced E.J. Antoni as his nominee to guide the company. Mr. Trump stated in his announcement that Antoni, a fellow on the conservative Heritage Basis, “will make sure that the Numbers launched are HONEST and ACCURATE.”
However the nominee might face pushback within the Senate, with questions on his expertise and feedback he is made suggesting the month-to-month jobs report must be suspended.
The Senate Committee on Well being, Schooling, Labor and Pensions is planning to carry a affirmation listening to for Antoni pending accomplished paperwork, based on a committee spokesperson. The panel features a handful of Senate Republicans who’ve pushed again on a few of Mr. Trump’s most controversial nominees this 12 months: Sen. Invoice Cassidy of Tennessee, the committee chairman, together with Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine and Rand Paul of Kentucky.
Democrats on the committee demanded that the panel maintain a full listening to on Antoni’s nomination. And Sen. Patty Murray of Washington known as Antoni “an unqualified right-wing extremist who will not suppose twice about manipulating BLS information.”
The Senate can also be anticipated to work to verify Stephen Miran, the chair of the White Home’s Council of Financial Advisers, to fill a vacated seat on the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors. Mr. Trump introduced the nomination in August after Adriana Kugler stepped down. The Senate Banking Committee is about to carry a affirmation listening to this week. However Democrats on the committee have known as for a delay, searching for as an alternative to carry an oversight listening to on Mr. Trump’s strikes to fireplace one other member of the Fed board.
Final week, Mr. Trump stated he had fired one other member of the Fed board, Lisa Prepare dinner, accusing her of creating false statements on mortgage paperwork. Governors can solely be fired “for trigger” and Prepare dinner has refused to resign. She sued the president to dam her firing final week.
The push to oust Susan Monarez, the director of the U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention, might additionally tee up one other Senate affirmation course of. The higher chamber confirmed Monarez for the submit in late July, although she had been serving because the performing head of the CDC since January. CBS Information reported final week that Jim O’Neill, the deputy secretary of the Division of Well being and Human Companies, has been chosen to function the performing director of the CDC.
Trump seeks crime invoice, extension of DC police takeover
Mr. Trump has moved to crack down on crime within the nation’s capital by federalizing the District of Columbia’s Metropolitan Police Division and deploying the Nationwide Guard to the district to help legislation enforcement. He signaled in current weeks that he plans to ask Congress to approve “long-term extensions” to take care of management of D.C.’s police, together with different measures to deal with crime.
In an Aug. 11 govt order, Mr. Trump directed the D.C. mayor to supply the providers of D.C. police for federal use “for the utmost interval permitted underneath part 740 of the Residence Rule Act,” which the president can prolong for as much as 30 days. Any extension past that requires a joint decision handed by the Home and Senate. That would run into bother within the Senate, the place the Republican majority would wish the assist of at the very least seven Democrats to maneuver ahead.
Mr. Trump additionally indicated final month that he plans to hunt round $2 billion from Congress to renovate the streets of Washington. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, stated the White Home was engaged on a bundle “to enhance the protection and high quality of life in our nation’s capital” which he and GOP Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama would spearhead.
“He needs $2.5 billion, I’ll attempt to discover him the cash, to repave the roads, take the graffiti off the constructing, refurbish the components and provides homeless individuals some place to go apart from a tent on the facet of the street,” Graham stated at an occasion in South Carolina final month.
Mr. Trump has prompt that his crackdown on crime in D.C. might quickly prolong to different main cities, although he has distinctive authority within the nation’s capital as a result of the district is in the end managed by the federal authorities. Final week, the president wrote in a submit on Reality Social a few crime invoice, saying he is working with GOP leaders in Congress on the measure, although the small print remained unclear.
“Speaker Mike Johnson, and Chief John Thune, are working with me, and different Republicans, on a Complete Crime Invoice,” Mr. Trump stated. “It is what our Nation want, and NOW! Extra to comply with.”
Push for Epstein information
Lawmakers have been on recess for weeks, however the requires entry to information within the case of late little one intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein have not gone away.
Controversy has swirled across the Epstein information because the Justice Division issued the findings of an inside evaluate in July that discovered no “shopper record” or proof that Epstein had blackmailed outstanding figures. Epstein, a well-connected financier who was convicted of intercourse trafficking, died in federal custody in 2019. However renewed curiosity within the information has prompted members of each events to name for extra transparency, whereas dividing Mr. Trump’s base.
As Home Democrats and a few Republicans pushed for a ground vote to power the discharge of the Epstein information in late July, Johnson opted to ship the Home dwelling early. However some lawmakers are nonetheless urgent forward.
Reps. Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican, and Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, launched laws in July to compel the Justice Division to launch the information inside 30 days, with plans to power a vote on the measure as soon as lawmakers return from recess. Massie and Khanna are set to host a information convention on the Capitol Wednesday alongside survivors of Epstein’s abuse.
The anticipated strikes in Congress come after the administration late final month launched transcripts of a two-day interview with Epstein’s longtime affiliate, Ghislaine Maxwell, that was performed in Florida in July. In the meantime, the Division of Justice despatched among the information associated to Epstein to the Home Oversight Committee, which plans to make the data public after redactions have been made.
Aaron Navarro and
Nikole Killion
contributed to this report.
