Government funding: As the House and Senate return to Washington, the biggest thing on lawmakers’ plates is the Sept. 30 government funding deadline, one week from Friday.
What we’re watching: Along with spending requests from the Biden administration for disease and disaster responses that face GOP objections, congressional leaders are facing major pressure from progressives to walk away from a promise to attach permitting reform legislation pushed by Sen. Joe Manchin to a continuing resolution that brought the West Virginia Democrat on board for passage of the Inflation Reduction Act. As the funding deadline approaches, the big question is how far the left is willing to go to buck Manchin, as Politico reported, which will decide whether Democrats will need to secure support from House Republicans or strip the permitting measure altogether.
What’s now way ahead: Senators are punting a near-term vote on popular legislation that would codify same-sex marriage rights nationwide, citing pre-election wariness as a hurdle for getting enough Republican votes to overcome a legislative filibuster, as well as a ban congressional stock trading.
What we’re watching instead: While the marriage issue is going to the back burner in the Senate, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said her chamber will vote on the stock trading legislation by the end of the month, forcing a pre-election vote on a good-government measure after a lot of negative attention from publications such as Insider and, more recently, The New York Times. Still up in the air: What the House plans to do with votes on public safety legislation and reforms to the Electoral Count Act.
House Republican rollout: House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is expected in Pittsburgh tomorrow to officially lay out his party’s “Commitment to America” agenda.
What to expect: According to Axios, the fairly broad message describes Republicans as committed to “an economy that is strong,” “a nation that is safe,” “a future that is free,” and “a government that is accountable,” covering a range of issues including inflation, immigration, free speech and elections. One astute observer, Rachel Cohen, who covers policy for Vox, noted that those looking for a little more meat on the bone ahead of a potential GOP House majority next year would do well to look into the Republican Study Committee’s 122-page “Blueprint to Save America” released earlier this year.
Jan. 6 committee: The House’s select committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol attack is tentatively expected to hold a hearing Sept. 28 (next Wednesday), per its chairman, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), who said the subject matter has yet to be decided.
What we’re watching: Beyond the public meeting, the panel is also due to issue a preliminary report on its findings as soon as next month, which is sure to be a lightning rod in the press and elevate negative news about former President Donald Trump. If the summer is precedent, that could energize Republican voters, who tend to become more excited to vote when Trump is getting prominent bad press, according to our midterm elections tracker. However, ahead of November, it could also worry independents, who came to view Trump more negatively in recent months amid a spate of hearings, as I documented in July.
Biden on world stage: Biden is in the United Kingdom ahead of Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral tomorrow at Westminster Abbey. After his visit across the pond, he’ll return to the United States, where the high-level portion of the 77th session of the U.N. General Assembly begins on Tuesday.
What we’re watching: It will likely mark Biden’s final foreign policy foray ahead of the midterms, placing him, as Politico put it, “amid an audience where he arguably shines brighter than he does at home.” In New York, he’ll rally the world on behalf of Ukraine, and according to Politico, he’ll also meet with Liz Truss, the new British prime minister.
Tune in: And a programming note for you: Biden has filmed an interview with “60 Minutes” to air tonight as part of the premiere of the program’s 55th season.
What we’re watching: Per CBS, the president discussed the economy, the midterms and the war in Ukraine with Scott Pelley in his first sit-down interview with the legendary news program since taking office.