Today is Monday, September 9th. The House and Senate are back in session for the September legislative session. This week the House will focus on extending government funding and a series of votes on bills relating to China.
3 BIG THINGS: AROUND THE BELTWAY
1. FUNDING DEADLINE APPROACHES WITH FEW LEGISLATIVE DAYS
Congress is set to reconvene today after a six-week recess, with government funding at the top of its agenda. The current fiscal year ends at midnight on September 30th, and a continuing resolution (CR) that expires after the election is the most likely short-term solution.
After today, the House has 11 legislative days scheduled in September before leaving Washington for the October recess. The Senate has 12.
House Republicans have put forward a proposal that combines a six-month CR with a bill requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration. Known as the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, the bill was passed as a standalone measure in the House in July by a vote of 221-198.
When the SAVE Act initially passed, five House Democrats supported it, and Republicans are now watching closely to see if those members will change their stance. These Democrats, all facing challenging re-election campaigns, may find themselves targeted by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), who aims to leverage their voting records against them.
Speaker Johnson can also now claim credit for making the first move against Senate Democrats on a CR. However, it’s likely the result won’t look like the House proposal. House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole said he would prefer a CR into November so funding can be wrapped up before the start of the next Congress.
In a “Dear Colleague Letter” written by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jefferies (D-NY), Jefferies slammed the proposed Republican CR calling it “unserious and unacceptable.”
Senate Democratic leaders echoed a similar sentiment, saying “Speaker Johnson is making the same mistake as former Speaker McCarthy did a year ago, by wasting precious time catering to the hard MAGA right.” The Biden administration issued a veto threat on the bill, as well.
Another hangup with a 6-month CR is a potential new administration. Should Donald Trump win the presidential election, he won’t want to start the first months of his administration with a funding fight in Congress.
Furthermore, to pass the CR, Congress will need to approve additional funding, known as “anomalies,” to address budget shortfalls in various agencies. This additional funding, estimated in the tens of billions of dollars, would cover the rising costs of programs like the procurement of two submarines, which requires an extra $1.95 billion. Speaker Johnson has indicated that he plans to discuss the issue of anomalies with his members later this week.
2. MORE ON CONGRESS’ PLATE
Congress has more than government funding to handle before the end of the calendar year, including defense authorizations, farm programs, and a significant budget gap at the Department of Veterans Affairs.
In addition to the funding deadline, Congress must address a nearly $3 billion budget shortfall within the Department of Veterans Affairs before September 20th. Many senators had been hopeful of expediting legislation before leaving for recess at the beginning of August, however, this effort fell short amid Republican scrutiny over alleged mismanagement of the agency.
Notice of the deficiency came after both chambers had already begun advancing full-year funding legislation for military construction and the VA. The VA has cited the PACT Act, passed in 2022, as the key reason for the budget shortfall, pointing to increases in VA health care, appointments and applications benefits.
House Republicans have released proposed legislation to address the shortfall and mandate the VA issue a report on the reason for the budgetary errors.
Lawmakers will also have to finish work on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The House passed its version a few months back, while Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is expected to put a revised version of the bill that includes a manager’s package of bipartisan amendments on the floor as early as this week.
Back in the House, the Biden impeachment inquiry has all but lost support after Biden announced he would no longer be seeking reelection. The impeachment inquiry failed to uncover any conclusive evidence, relying instead on disputed testimony and circumstantial evidence that did not directly tie any official action from Biden to his family’s business dealings.
Farm Bill authorizations are also set to expire on September 30th. Lawmakers passed a one-year extension of the programs last year before their original expiration date, but progress on a final Farm Bill has been slow since.
While authorizations expire on September 30th, the consequences do not actually kick in until after December 31st when dairy and commodity programs expire.
Rounding out the list, the debt limit is set to expire on January 1, 2025, and if Congress does not raise or suspend the debt limit prior to that date, the Department of Treasury will take extraordinary measuresand rely on its existing cash on hand. Extraordinary measures allow Treasury to change the normal operations of certain government accounts when the debt limit is reached. In June 2023, Congress enacted the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 that suspended the debt limit until January 1, 2025.
3. HARRIS AND TRUMP GO HEAD-TO-HEAD
The highly anticipated first (and possibly only) presidential debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump is scheduled for 9 p.m. EST on Tuesday, September 10, in Philadelphia, PA.
The debate will be moderated by ABC’s David Muir and Linsey Davis. Both campaigns have vigorously negotiated the debate rules, with Harris advocating for both candidates’ microphones to remain unmuted throughout the event, while Trump favored muting microphones when the other candidate was speaking.
Ultimately, Harris conceded, agreeing to have microphones muted during her opponent’s speaking time.
A coin toss determined the candidates’ positions on stage and the order of their closing remarks. Trump, having won the toss, chose to deliver his closing statement last, while Harris selected to stand on the left side of the stage (viewers’ right).
Additional rules for the debate include a prohibition on pre-written notes, no interaction with campaign staff during commercial breaks, no opening statements, two minutes for answering the moderator’s questions, two minutes for rebuttals, and an additional minute for follow-ups or clarifications.
Although moderators have not disclosed specific questions, it is expected both candidates will be asked questions on their proposed tax policies. The debate may touch on the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which reduced the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21% and lowered individual income tax rates. With the law set to expire in 2025, it will be a key priority of the next president to push for their party’s tax priorities.
Vice President Harris’ goal during the debate will be to defend her record as the Biden Administration’s number two while also attempting to distance herself from Biden’s shortcomings, especially those relating to the economy and the border.
She’ll also have to push the case for her “New Way Forward” agenda, which includes proposals to expand the Child Tax Credit and roll back Trump-era tax cuts, among many other Democratic priorities.
3 BIG THINGS: POLITICS AND POLLING
1. U.S. PRESIDENT BETTING ODDS – TRUMP WIDENS LEAD
Trump 51.5%
Harris 46.8%
2. U.S. PRESIDENT BATTLE GROUND STATES – SIX OF SEVEN STATES AT 1% OR LESS
Nevada – Harris +.04
North Carolina – Trump +1
Arizona – Trump +2.53
Pennsylvania – Trump +0.55
Georgia – Harris +0.5
Michigan – Harris +0.81
Wisconsin – Trump +.01
3. FIGHT FOR THE U.S. SENATE – BATTLEGROUND EXPANDS TO SEVEN STATES
Republicans 49 – Democrats 44
Arizona – Gallego +7.3
Michigan – Slotkin +5
Montana – Sheehy +5.2
Ohio – Brown +3.6
Pennsylvania – Casey +2.6
Florida – Scott +4.3
Maryland – Alsobrooks +4.4
YOUR GOVERNMENT AT WORK THIS WEEK
EXPECTED HOUSE FLOOR ACTION
Legislation Considered Under Suspension of the Rules:
H.R. 554 – Taiwan Conflict Deterrence Act, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Hill / Financial Services Committee)
H.R. 510 – Chinese Currency Accountability Act, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Davidson / Financial Services Committee)
H.R. 7686 – To amend the Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act to clarify the definition of foreign country for purposes of malign foreign talent recruitment restriction, and for other purposes, as amended. (Sponsored by Rep. Garcia (CA) / Science, Space, and Technology Committee)
H.R. 7592 – To direct the Librarian of Congress to promote the more cost-effective, efficient, and expanded availability of the Annotated Constitution and pocket-part supplements by replacing the hardbound versions with digital versions. (Sponsored by Rep. Bice / House Administration Committee)
H.R. 7593 – Modernizing the Congressional Research Service’s Access to Data Act (Sponsored by Rep. Bice / House Administration Committee)
H.R. 6513 – COCOA Act of 2023 (Sponsored by Rep. Carey / House Administration Committee)
H.R. 8333 – BIOSECURE Act, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Wenstrup / Oversight and Accountability Committee)
H.R. 2864 – Countering CCP Drones Act, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Stefanik / Energy and Commerce Committee)
H.R. 7589 – ROUTERS Act (Sponsored by Rep. Latta / Energy and Commerce Committee)
H.R. 820 – Foreign Adversary Communications Transparency Act, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Stefanik / Energy and Commerce Committee)
H.R. 1513 – FUTURE Networks Act (Sponsored by Rep. Matsui / Energy and Commerce Committee)
H.R. 8631 – Decoupling from Foreign Adversarial Battery Dependence Act, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Gimenez / Homeland Security Committee)
H.R. 8663 – DETECT Fentanyl and Xylazine Act of 2024 (Sponsored by Rep. LaLota / Homeland Security Committee)
H.R. 7404 – Subterranean Border Defense Act (Sponsored by Rep. Crane / Homeland Security Committee)
H.R. 3169 – Identifying Adversarial Threats at our Ports Act, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Gimenez / Homeland Security Committee)
H.R. 1103 – HKETO Certification Act, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Smith (NJ) / Foreign Affairs Committee)
H.R. 6606 – To amend the Export Control Reform Act of 2018 relating to the statement of policy (Sponsored by Del. Radewagen / Foreign Affairs Committee)
H.R. 7151 – Export Control Enforcement and Enhancement Act, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Wagner / Foreign Affairs Committee)
H.R. 5245 – Science and Technology Agreement Enhanced Congressional Notification Act, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Barr / Foreign Affairs Committee)
H.R. 8361 – Economic Espionage Prevention Act, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. McCormick / Foreign Affairs Committee)
H.R. 1157 – Countering the PRC Malign Influence Fund Authorization Act (Sponsored by Rep. Barr / Foreign Affairs Committee)
H.R. 5613 – Sanctions Lists Harmonization Act, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Waltz / Foreign Affairs Committee)
H. Res. 1056 – Recognizing the importance of trilateral cooperation among the United States, Japan, and South Korea (Sponsored by Rep. Connolly / Foreign Affairs Committee)
S. 1608 – Starr-Camargo Bridge Expansion Act (Sponsored by Sen. Cornyn / Foreign Affairs Committee)
H.R. 7089 – Global Anti-Human Trafficking Enhancement Act, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. James / Foreign Affairs Committee)
H.R. 7701 – No Russian Tunnel to Crimea Act (Sponsored by Rep. Meeks / Foreign Affairs Committee)
H.R. 4741 – Securing Global Telecommunications Act (Sponsored by Rep. Manning / Foreign Affairs Committee)
H.R. 8152 – Remote Access Security Act, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Lawler / Foreign Affairs Committee)
H.R. 7159 – Pacific Partnership Act, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Case / Foreign Affairs Committee)
H.R. 6614 – Maintaining American Superiority by Improving Export Control Transparency Act, as amended (Sponsored by Rep. Jackson / Foreign Affairs Committee)
Legislation Considered Pursuant to a Rule:
H.R. 1516 – DHS Restrictions on Confucius Institutes and Chinese Entities of Concern Act (Sponsored by Rep. Pfluger / Homeland Security Committee)
H.R. 1398 – Protect America’s Innovation and Economic Security from CCP Act of 2024 (Sponsored by Rep. Gooden / Judiciary Committee)
H.R. 9456 – Protecting American Agriculture from Foreign Adversaries Act of 2024 (Sponsored by Rep. Newhouse / Financial Services Committee)
H.R. 1425 – No WHO Pandemic Preparedness Treaty Without Senate Approval Act (Sponsored by Rep. Tiffany / Foreign Affairs Committee)
H.R. __ – Continuing Appropriations and Other Matters Act, 2025 (Sponsored by Rep. Higgins (LA) / Appropriations Committee)
H.R. 7980 – End Chinese Dominance of Electric Vehicles in America Act of 2024 (Sponsored by Rep. Miller (WV) / Ways and Means Committee)
SCHEDULED HOUSE HEARINGS
This week’s hearings of note in the U.S. House are as follows:
The House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing titled The Role of Pharmacy Benefit Managers on Wednesday.
The House Oversight and Accountability Committee will hold a hearing titled Where Do we Go From Here? Examining a Path Forward to Assess Agencies’ Efforts to Prevent Improper Payments and Fraud” on Tuesday.
The House Financial Services Committee will hold a hearing titled the Fall of ESG: Scrutinizing the Failed Use of Environmental, Social, & Governance Standards and the Influence of Proxy Advisors on Tuesday.
The House Veterans’ Affairs Economic Opportunity Subcommittee will hold a hearing titled Mission Transition: Evaluating Mental Health Support Programs for Separating Servicemembers on Tuesday.
EXPECTED SENATE FLOOR ACTION
The Senate will work on the nominations of Adam B. Abelson, of Maryland, to be United States District Judge for the District of Maryland, Jeannette A. Vargas, of New York, to be United States District Judge for the Southern District of New York.
The Senate will also hold a confirmation vote on the nomination of Margaret L. Taylor, of Maryland, to be Legal Adviser of the Department of State, vice Jennifer Gillian Newstead.
SCHEDULED SENATE HEARINGS
This week’s hearings of note in the U.S. Senate are as follows:
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on Investigations will hold a hearing titled The U.S. Companies’ Technology Fueling the Russian War Machine on Tuesday.
The Senate HELP Committee will hold a hearing to examine the bankruptcy of Steward Health Care, focusing on how management decisions have impacted patient care on Thursday.
The Senate Finance Committee will hold a hearing to examine the 2025 tax policy debate and tax avoidance strategies on Thursday.