6 issues to look at throughout Congress's September dash

Congress returns Sept. 9 for a three-week dash, throughout which lawmakers will face key legislative deadlines and work to push their political messages earlier than departing once more for marketing campaign season.

Political strain and issues may complicate how Congress addresses must-pass gadgets.

The legislative sprint will even be a chief time for lawmakers to push messages that help their events forward of the November election.

Listed here are six gadgets to look at in Congress this September.

Authorities funding 

Authorities funding for fiscal 2024 expires Sept. 30, and nearly nobody expects Congress will come to an settlement on funding for 2025 by that deadline. The Senate has handed zero common funding payments, and whereas the Home has handed partisan variations of greater than half of the 12 common funding payments, intraparty squabbling has stopped others from passing on the Home ground.

Consideration is now turning to what the phrases can be for a unbroken decision (CR) to fund the federal government at present ranges to keep away from a authorities shutdown and purchase Congress extra time.

One consideration is the size of a unbroken decision. Arduous-line conservatives within the Home Freedom Caucus are pushing for a stopgap to increase into 2025, with the thought that doing so may keep away from an enormous end-of-year omnibus negotiated primarily by celebration leaders. That would additionally give Republicans an opportunity of getting extra affect over funding ranges in the event that they win the Home, Senate, and White Home.

Different Republicans desire beginning 2025 with a clear slate, arguing that even when former President Trump wins, he won’t wish to be distracted by a funding struggle in his first months again in workplace.

Additionally at challenge is a Freedom Caucus push to pair a CR with the SAVE Act, a invoice to increase proof-of-citizenship necessities for voter registration that handed the Home earlier this yr, however that the Democratic-controlled Senate and White Home oppose. Doing so can be an try to attempt both pressure Democratic motion on the matter, or to make use of it as a negotiation merchandise for different issues like size of a stopgap.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has not but indicated what sort of construction he prefers for a stopgap bundle, however mentioned he’s contemplating all choices.

Veterans Affairs funding shortfall

Along with the funding deadline, Congress has till Sept. 20 to handle a roughly $3 billion budget shortfall for the Division of Veterans Affairs.

Republican issues about mismanagement of the company have remained whilst some senators hoped to expedite laws to handle the shortfall earlier than the August recess.

If Congress doesn’t act, veteran compensation and pension advantages, and readjustment advantages, could possibly be delayed.

Democrats to dig in on Mission 2025 messaging

Home Democrats will use the weeks in session partly to dig in on their messaging in opposition to Mission 2025 — the Heritage Basis-led effort to recommend coverage adjustments and personnel placements in a brand new conservative administration, which it will count on to be the Trump administration. 

Regardless of Trump’s disavowal of the undertaking and his opposition to a few of its coverage concepts, Mission 2025 — created by former Trump administration officers and allies — has grow to be a fundamental supply of Democratic assaults in opposition to him and Republicans.

Democrats have created a job pressure to oppose Mission 2025, and are coordinating with Home Minority Chief Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) on a number of Mission 2025 boards on Capitol Hill.

Republicans heart messaging on Harris and Walz

Home Republicans have already began to shift their assaults and investigatory firepower from Biden to Vice President Harris and her working mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D). 

The Home Oversight and Accountability Committee, for example, has requested U.S. Customs and Border Safety for paperwork and communications with Harris about her work on immigration issues.

Republican press supplies have additionally upped their utilization of the “Biden-Harris administration” reasonably than “Biden administration” since Harris turned the nominee.

Republicans aimed to place the give attention to Harris and Walz with their marketing campaign path occasions over the August recess, as effectively. Johnson held one occasion in Minneapolis, throughout which he accused Walz of “letting Minnesota burn” throughout the 2020 riots, additionally referencing a submit from Harris on the social platform X in 2020 asking for donations to a fund that bailed out these arrested throughout the protests and riots that sprung up within the wake of George Floyd’s killing.

Count on to see extra focus from Republicans on Harris and Walz once they return to Congress.

Biden impeachment wildcard

Though there may be little appetite among most House Republicans to question Biden even after an impeachment inquiry report accused him of partaking in impeachable conduct, there may be the chance {that a} member acts alone to pressure a vote on impeachment articles within the Home.

No members have indicated they are going to truly take that step. However two members who’ve introduced impeachment resolutions — Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Fla.) and Greg Steube (R-Fla). — expressed a desire to see motion on the matter after the report was launched.

The report failed to uncover a smoking gun, counting on disputed testimony and circumstantial proof that didn’t immediately tie any official motion from Biden to his household’s enterprise dealings. Although it accused Biden of impeachable conduct, it didn’t advocate articles of impeachment.

Farm invoice 

Authorizations handed within the massive agricultural, meals, and dietary program invoice technically expire Sept. 30, with these initially authorized within the 2018 invoice having been prolonged to the top of fiscal 2024 in a unbroken decision final yr.

However penalties don’t truly kick in till after Dec. 31, when dairy and commodity applications expire.

Nonetheless, the Sept. 30 deadline is more likely to spur pushes from curiosity teams for Congress to handle the farm invoice, which is usually renewed each 5 years.