6 things to watch during Congress’s September sprint

thehill.com

September 12, 2024 3:29 am

Congress returns Sept. 9 for a three-week sprint, during which lawmakers will face key legislative deadlines and work to push their political messages before departing again for campaign season.

Political pressure and considerations could complicate how Congress addresses must-pass items.

The legislative dash will also be a prime time for lawmakers to push messages that aid their parties ahead of the November election.

Here are six items to watch in Congress this September.

Government funding 

Government funding for fiscal 2024 expires Sept. 30, and virtually no one expects Congress will come to an agreement on funding for 2025 by that deadline. The Senate has passed zero regular funding bills, and while the House has passed partisan versions of more than half of the 12 regular funding bills, intraparty squabbling has stopped others from passing on the House floor.

Attention is now turning to what the terms will be for a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government at current levels to avoid a government shutdown and buy Congress more time.

One consideration is the length of a continuing resolution. Hard-line conservatives in the House Freedom Caucus are pushing for a stopgap to extend into 2025, with the thought that doing so could avoid a massive end-of-year omnibus negotiated primarily by party leaders. That could also give Republicans a chance of getting more influence over funding levels if they win the House, Senate, and White House.

Other Republicans prefer starting 2025 with a clean slate, arguing that even if former President Trump wins, he will not want to be distracted by a funding fight in his first months back in office.