Congressional Republicans celebrated a major triumph over the summer by passing President Donald Trump’s significant tax and spending cuts without a single Democratic endorsement. However, as they reconvene in Washington this fall following an August break, they must either collaborate with Democrats or find alternative strategies to avert a looming government shutdown.
The spending debate will dominate September’s agenda, with Senate Republicans potentially amending rules to counter Democratic delays on nominations. Additionally, the Senate is contemplating legislation imposing hefty tariffs on some of Russia’s trade partners as a strategic move against Russian President Vladimir Putin concerning Ukraine.
In the House, Republican members persist with their investigations into former President Joe Biden, while Speaker Mike Johnson deals with internal disagreements regarding the Trump administration’s potential release of more files related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation.
A look at what Congress will be doing as lawmakers return from the August break:
Keeping the Government Open
The immediate priority for Congress is averting a government shutdown on September 30, when federal funding is set to expire. There is still uncertainty about whether Republicans and Democrats can reach an agreement on how to prevent this scenario.
A temporary spending plan must be passed to maintain government operations for a short duration as they finalize the complete financial package. Republicans will require Democratic support to approve such an extension, and Democrats will be seeking notable compromises. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer’s previous cooperation with Republicans to prevent a shutdown in March faced significant criticism within his own party.
The Trump administration’s initiatives to retract previously sanctioned funds may further complicate discussions. Earlier this summer, Republicans passed a bill retracting approximately $9 billion in foreign aid and public broadcasting funds. On Friday, Trump once more notified Congress of his intention to block $4.9 billion in foreign aid that had been congressionally approved.
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.
Senate Nominations Fight
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.
Russian Sanctions
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.
Oversight of the CDC
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.
Divisions over Epstein
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.
Investigating Biden
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.
Stock Trading Ban
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.
