Lawmakers will return to Washington, D.C., this week after their August recess with a long to-do list.
Republicans’ passage of President Donald Trump‘s “one big, beautiful bill,” which he signed into law on Independence Day, started their summer. However, their fall is poised to be defined by the prospect of a government shutdown.
Here is what the Washington Examiner is watching this week regarding Congress:
Government shutdown talks
The federal government could shut down on Oct. 1 if Congress does not pass funding legislation by the end of September.
The White House has dismissed concerns that Trump’s decision last week to unilaterally rescind almost $5 billion in foreign aid will discourage Democrats from negotiating with Republicans regarding a bipartisan spending deal. To that end, Democratic congressional leadership has implored their counterparts to start talks as soon as practicable, considering any piece of legislation will require 60 votes in the Senate.
During a phone call last week, a senior White House official told reporters the administration is seeking a clean continuing resolution, which typically keeps the government open by extending existing funding levels, and is preparing to apportion responsibility to Democrats if they do not succeed.
“It’s very hard for me to believe that they’re going to oppose a clean CR that would cause them to be responsible for a government shutdown,” the official said.
Jeffrey Epstein files push
Despite Trump and Republican leadership’s hopes that the August recess would dissipate concerns regarding the administration’s management of the federal government’s files related to Jeffrey Epstein, Reps. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Thomas Massie (R-KY) are expected on Tuesday to use a parliamentary procedure called a discharge petition to pressure the Justice Department to release the documents.
The bipartisan discharge petition allows the pair to introduce their Epstein bill on the House floor without a committee report.
To amplify their move, Khanna and Massie are planning to host a press conference on Wednesday with 10 victims of Epstein.
Federal Reserve governor confirmation hearing
Trump’s attempts to have a majority on the Federal Reserve board of governors by pushing out former President Joe Biden‘s appointee Lisa Cook over allegations of mortgage fraud come as his pick to replace former governor Adriana Kugler, White House Council of Economic Advisers Chairman Stephen Miran, is expected on Thursday to come before the Senate Finance Committee for his confirmation hearing.
Kugler announced her resignation in August, six months before her term was supposed to expire.
If confirmed quickly, Miran, a former hedge fund investor and Fed critic, could attend the Federal Open Market Committee’s next meeting from Sept. 16-17. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell is expected to cut interest rates during that meeting after pressure from Trump to do so.
Other confirmation hearings on the Senate’s agenda include that of E.J. Antoni, Trump’s nominee to become the next Bureau of Labor Statistics commissioner after Erika McEntarfer was fired last month following dramatic downward revisions to June and July’s jobs report.
Another reconciliation bill?
A White House official told the Washington Examiner that Trump’s priorities after the “one big, beautiful bill,” other than promoting that piece of legislation, include passing more reconciliation legislation.
The reconciliation process only requires a simple majority of 51 votes in the Senate.
The second reconciliation bill is poised to include more tax code reforms, spending cuts, and technical fixes to the “one big, beautiful bill.”
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There is also likely to be another rescissions bill regarding education funding, another push to pass the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, which would address a problem with March’s continuing resolution that prevented the district from relying on its fiscal 2025 budget, and even what Trump is describing as a crime and beautification bill inspired by his federal takeover of the district.
This is not to mention the annual National Defense Authorization Act, a possible stock trading ban for lawmakers, and possible changes to the Senate’s confirmation rules.