Possible Government Shutdown in September as Congress Reconvenes

WASHINGTON — This summer, Congressional Republicans achieved a significant triumph by passing President Donald Trump’s comprehensive tax and spending cuts bill without any Democratic support. However, as they reconvene in Washington following a month-long August break, they must figure out a strategy to engage with Democrats—or circumvent them—as the threat of a government shutdown looms.

The primary focus for September is the annual spending dispute, coupled with a potential move by Senate Republicans to alter procedural rules to counteract Democratic delays on nominations. Additionally, the Senate is considering legislation imposing heavy tariffs on some of Russia’s trade partners, exerting pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin concerning Ukraine.

Meanwhile, in the House, Republicans will persist with their investigations involving former President Joe Biden, as Speaker Mike Johnson manages internal disagreements over the release of additional Trump administration files related to the Jeffrey Epstein case.

A look at what Congress will be doing as lawmakers return from the August break:

Preventing a government shutdown on September 30 is Congress’s most pressing challenge, with federal funding set to expire. However, it remains uncertain whether Republicans and Democrats can reach a consensus on a resolution.

To maintain government operations, Congress will need to enact a temporary funding measure for a few weeks or months as they work to finalize a long-term financial package. Securing Democratic support will be crucial for Republicans to extend the funding, but Democrats will demand substantial compromises. Previously, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer faced intense criticism from his party for voting alongside Republicans to avert a shutdown in March.

The Trump administration’s initiative to retract previously sanctioned spending could further complicate discussions. Earlier this summer, Republicans passed a law retracting approximately $9 billion in foreign aid and public broadcasting funds, and Trump announced on Friday his decision to withhold an additional $4.9 billion in approved foreign aid.

Democrats have warned that such efforts could tank the broader negotiations. “Trump is rooting for a shutdown,” Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., posted on social media Friday.

Senators are expected to return to Washington right where they left off in early August — fighting over Trump’s nominees.

Exasperated Republicans fled Washington for the month after making little headway with Senate Democrats over their nominations blockade, which has forced delays in confirmations and angered Trump as many of his administration’s positions remain unfilled. Republican leaders called it quits after a rare Saturday session that ended with a breakdown in bipartisan negotiations and Trump posting on social media that Chuck Schumer could “GO TO HELL!”

Republicans now say they’re ready to try and change Senate rules to get around the Democratic delays, and they are expected to spend the next several weeks discussing how that might work.

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, one of Trump’s closest congressional allies, has pushed the president for months to support his sweeping bipartisan sanctions bill that would impose steep tariffs on countries that are fueling Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by buying its oil, gas, uranium, and other exports. The legislation has the backing of 85 senators, but Trump has yet to endorse it, and Republican leaders have so far said they won’t move without him.

Graham has stepped up his calls after Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelenskyy last month in hopes of a peace deal. Since then, Russia has continued to step up attacks on Ukraine.

“If we don’t have this thing moving in the right direction by the time we get back, then I think that plan B needs to kick in,” Graham said of his bill in an interview with The Associated Press last month.

Health and Human Service Secretary Robert F. Kennedy will appear before the Senate Finance Committee to discuss his health care agenda on Thursday, less than a week after he ousted Susan Monarez as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Several other top officials also resigned in protest.

Kennedy has tried to advance anti-vaccine policies that are contradicted by decades of scientific research. Monarez’s lawyers said she refused “to rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated health experts.”

Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, the Republican chairman of the HELP panel that oversees the CDC and a member of the Finance Committee, has called on the CDC to delay a meeting of outside experts who make recommendations on the use of vaccines until Congress can look into the issue.

The House left Washington in July amid disagreements among Republicans about whether they should force President Donald Trump’s administration to release more information on the sex trafficking investigation into the late Jeffrey Epstein. The pressure for more disclosure could only get more intense when lawmakers return.

Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California and Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky are pushing the House to take up their bill to force the Department of Justice to publicly release its investigation. They are planning a news conference this week joined by Epstein victims. The House Oversight Committee is also investigating the issue.

Democrats are eager to keep pressing on the Epstein files, especially after the Trump administration reneged on pledges for transparency. The case for years has been the subject of online conspiracy theories and speculation about who may have been involved or aware of the wealthy financier’s abuse.

The House Oversight Committee will return from August recess with a slate of interviews lined up as part of its investigation into former President Joe Biden’s mental state while in office. The committee has already conducted interviews and depositions with nearly a dozen former top Biden aides and members of the president’s inner circle.

The Republican-led committee will hear from former top Biden staffers in September like Jeff Zients, Biden’s final White House chief of staff, Karine Jean-Pierre, the former White House press secretary, and Andrew Bates, a top press aide.

Oversight Chair James Comer, R-Ky., has said public hearings and a full report can be expected sometime in the fall.

Congress has discussed proposals for years to keep lawmakers from engaging in trading individual stocks, nodding to the idea that there’s a potential conflict of interest when they are often privy to information and decisions that can dramatically move markets.

That push is now gaining momentum. A Senate committee has approved legislation from GOP Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri that would also extend the prohibition on stock trading to future presidents and vice presidents — while notably exempting Trump. In the House, several members are putting forward proposals and even threatening to maneuver around GOP leadership to force a vote.

Still, there is plenty of resistance to the idea, including from many wealthy lawmakers who reap dividends from their portfolios.

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