WASHINGTON — A authorities shutdown deadline, a standoff over President Donald Trump’s nominees and a renewed conflict over the Jeffrey Epstein information await Congress because it returns Tuesday after a month-long August recess.
The highest merchandise on the agenda is the federal government funding deadline of Sept. 30 to keep away from a shutdown. An uncommon Republican and Democratic pairing says they consider they’ll have the assist they should drive a Home vote requiring the Justice Division to launch the Epstein information. And Republicans are hatching plans to alter Senate guidelines to hurry up affirmation of Trump’s personnel, amid drama over the firing and exodus of prime public well being officers from the Trump administration.
Shutdown deadline is Sept. 30
The battle over federal funding has intensified in current days in anticipation of lawmakers’ return to city, with any invoice requiring 60 votes, and thus bipartisan assist, to move the Senate.
There’s no framework or “prime line” settlement on how a lot to spend, not to mention tips on how to allocate that funding. And with simply weeks to go, the division is rising relatively than narrowing.
The White Home notified lawmakers Friday that it plans to bypass them and slash $4.9 billion in federal funds utilizing a “pocket rescission,” a tactic that the highest congressional watchdog calls “unlawful.”
The transfer drew condemnation from Democrats and a prime Republican.
Senate Minority Chief Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., known as it “illegal” and mentioned it’s “additional proof President Trump and Congressional Republicans are hellbent on rejecting bipartisanship and ‘going it alone’ this fall.”
“Because the nation stares down subsequent month’s authorities funding deadline on September thirtieth, it’s clear neither President Trump nor Congressional Republicans have any plan to keep away from a painful and fully pointless shutdown,” Schumer mentioned.
Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, mentioned: “Any effort to rescind appropriated funds with out congressional approval is a transparent violation of the regulation.”
Collins has issued related warnings prior to now, which have been ignored by the White Home and GOP leaders, who embraced Trump’s earlier spherical of “rescissions” to undo funding permitted by Congress.
Laborious-right Republicans are additionally demanding to maintain spending low.
“Spending has received to remain flat or go down. I imply, that’s the deal,” mentioned Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas. “No matter format that takes … however it wants to remain flat or go down.”
Strain builds on Epstein information
In July, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., a conservative Trump antagonist, rolled out a decision to drive the Justice Division to launch the Epstein information, predicting strain would construct all through the August recess and attain a boiling level by the point Congress returns this week.
However Massie and his Democratic co-author of the laws, Rep. Ro Khanna of California, are leaving nothing to likelihood. On Wednesday, they plan to host a Capitol information convention that includes sexual abuse survivors of Epstein, the convicted intercourse offender who took his personal life in 2019, and his affiliate, Ghislaine Maxwell, who’s serving a 20-year jail sentence for her function in recruiting and trafficking minors for intercourse.
Khanna mentioned he believes they’ll have the requisite 218 member signatures wanted for his or her discharge petition — a course of that will circumvent GOP management and drive a ground vote to launch the information.
“The testimonials from Epstein’s victims are going to be explosive on Sept. 3, and I’m assured all 212 Democrats will signal it and we could have greater than six Republicans signal,” Khanna informed NBC Information.
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has opposed the discharge push. Throughout an look on CNN, he known as it a “moot level” and “not crucial” as a result of the Home Oversight Committee already has been reviewing a tranche of paperwork supplied by the Justice Division.
However Massie and Khanna say the Trump administration just isn’t shifting quick sufficient. The Oversight panel subpoenaed the DOJ for its investigative information within the Epstein case, which whole roughly 100,000 pages. The panel mentioned it acquired a couple of third of these paperwork final Friday and that extra could be turned over sooner or later.
The Oversight Committee has been conducting interviews with high-profile former authorities officers as a part of its probe into Epstein. Former Labor Secretary Alex Acosta, a former federal prosecutor in Florida whose workplace reached a non-prosecution take care of Epstein in 2008, will seem voluntarily earlier than the panel on Sept. 19.
Will a inventory buying and selling ban achieve success?
Lawmakers usually don’t police themselves. However as they return to Washington, there can be a renewed and extremely public bipartisan push to ban them from proudly owning and buying and selling particular person shares amid issues over potential conflicts of curiosity.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., is vowing to file a discharge petition to drive a vote on a invoice by Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., to ban congressional inventory buying and selling.
“Insider buying and selling, particular person inventory trades by members of Congress — they’re crooked as a canine’s leg. Everyone is aware of it,” Burchett mentioned. “It’s going to be hated and liked in each events.”
And members of each events have been signing onto the Ending Buying and selling and Holdings in Congressional Shares or ETHICS Act, laws authored by Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Sick. The invoice would bar lawmakers, their spouses and their dependent youngsters from proudly owning or buying and selling particular person shares, securities, commodities or futures.
Amongst those that have co-sponsored the invoice are GOP Reps. Michael Cloud of Texas, Jen Kiggans of Virginia, and Mike Lawler of New York, and Democratic Reps. Joe Neguse of Colorado, Josh Riley of New York and Khanna.
“Members of Congress ought to serve the general public, not pad their inventory portfolios,” mentioned Krishnamoorthi, who’s working for the Senate. “A inventory buying and selling ban is simply widespread sense — it’s about restoring belief, stopping conflicts of curiosity, and ensuring lawmakers put constituents forward of their very own backside line.”
Earlier than the summer time recess, Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, a possible 2028 presidential contender, teamed with Democrats to move a inventory ban for politicians via the Homeland Safety Committee, sparking anger from Trump and Hawley’s personal Senate GOP colleagues. Majority Chief John Thune, R-S.D., mentioned he wouldn’t put the invoice, which might prohibit proudly owning or buying and selling shares for future presidents, vice presidents and lawmakers, on the Senate ground for a vote.
With so many lawmakers proudly owning shares, it could be an uphill battle to maneuver such a ban via each chambers.
Senate eyes a ‘nuclear’ transfer and CDC fallout
In the meantime, Republicans are gearing as much as change the principles of the Senate utilizing the so-called “nuclear possibility” with a purpose to push Trump’s nominees for sub-Cupboard positions via sooner.
They blame it on Democratic obstruction in granting speedy votes for Trump’s personnel, saying it has reached new heights as even nominees which have bipartisan assist are being slowed down.
“Senate Republicans are decided to substantiate Mr. Trump’s certified nominees a technique or one other. Republicans are contemplating modifications to the Senate guidelines to finish probably the most egregious delay ways,” Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo, wrote in a current opinion piece beneath the headline, “Chuck Schumer’s Unprecedented Blockade.”
Schumer responded on X, “Traditionally dangerous nominees deserve a historic degree of scrutiny by Senate Democrats.”
He alluded to current Trump nominees whom he fired simply weeks or months into the job. That features CDC Director Susan Monarez and IRS Commissioner Billy Lengthy, who have been fired in August after getting confirmed by the Senate in July and June, respectively.
“Regardless of how briskly Trump hires and fires them,” Schumer wrote final week, “Senator Barrasso is at all times on the able to rubber-stamp the subsequent one!”
The Monarez firing has drawn further scrutiny on Well being and Human Providers Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who triggered her elimination and the resignations of prime well being officers who say the administration was manipulating knowledge in unscientific methods to advance a political agenda.
As Democrats demand hearings into what they name Kennedy’s anti-vaccine campaign, Sen. Invoice Cassidy, R-La., the chair of the well being committee, has promised “oversight” with out getting particular. Cassidy supplied a pivotal vote to getting Kennedy via committee and confirmed within the Senate.
“We have to know what the info says and the place it’s coming from, so the CDC and HHS could make the most effective choices,” Cassidy wrote on X, saying his targets align with Trump.
Cassidy, a health care provider, has additionally feuded in current days in regards to the efficacy of vaccines with Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., a committee member extra aligned with Kennedy on the matter.
