Congress to Tackle Difficult Funding Issues Before Midterm Elections

US lawmakers are getting back to work after a month-long summer recess, as the Senate returns this week and the House of Representatives next week.

With tight control of both chambers and some important issues already marked on President Joe Biden’s legislative agenda, Democrats aim to pass several crucial pieces of legislation. But they only have a few weeks before Congress goes into recess again so members can campaign ahead of the Nov. 8 midterm elections.

Government funding

In what has now become almost an annual routine, US lawmakers will not agree on spending before a September 30 deadline when government funds run out. Democrats and Republicans typically agree to a short-term continuing resolution, or CR, to keep the government running. However, it remains to be seen whether that CR will cover the rest of the calendar year or even possibly longer.

Approval will also depend on whether the sides can agree on Biden’s request for $47 billion in additional funding, an amount that includes $13 billion for US military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine and $22.4 billion for continue efforts to combat COVID-19.

“Ukraine needs more help. We want to give it to you. And about monkeypox and COVID, we must be prepared. We have always been prepared in this country. And it’s disgraceful that Republicans are playing political games with this when the health of the nation is at stake,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters Wednesday.

Republicans are reluctant to approve the Democrats’ new funding request, arguing that the money should come from unspent COVID funds.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters: “The cleaner CR is, the better. Ukraine is obviously a priority for most of us on both sides of the aisle. We will see what they are requesting and how much is actually designed to help Ukraine fight the war.”

same sex marriage

The Dobbs v. Jackson of the US Supreme Court earlier this summer, which struck down the nearly 50-year-old constitutional right to abortion guaranteed by Roe v. Wade, triggered a wave of legislation that would provide protection for other rights at the federal level.

Democratic Senators Tammy Baldwin and Kyrsten Sinema are working to secure the Republican support needed to pass the 60-vote threshold to pass a bill protecting same-sex marriage. In June, the House passed similar legislation with the support of 47 Republicans.

“There’s going to be a vote on marriage equality on the Senate floor in the next few weeks, and I hope there are 10 Republicans behind it,” Schumer told reporters Wednesday.

“We prefer to do it as a separate bill,” Schumer said, leaving open the possibility that it would be added to the CR, which would raise the stakes for Republicans by forcing them to shut down the government to block it.

Investigation of January 6

The select committee investigating the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol is scheduled to resume hearings this month. Originally scheduled for just seven hearings earlier this summer, lawmakers have expanded their public investigation into former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, which culminated in the worst attack on Capitol Hill in two centuries.

Republican Representative Liz Cheney, who lost her primary bid to seek re-election to her congressional seat in August, has already said Trump should face charges for his actions. The committee is expected to hear new evidence that came to light because of her work earlier this summer.

The Senate could also pass the Electoral College Reform Act clarifying the vice president’s role in certifying the results of a presidential election. The bipartisan legislation is intended to prevent the misuse of an 1887 law that came under scrutiny after the attack on Capitol Hill.

Other items on the agenda

Democrats are also expected to continue confirming Biden’s judicial nominees. And the top Democratic and Republican leaders of the Senate and House of Representatives from the so-called “Gang of Eight” could receive a classified briefing on Trump’s possession of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago residence. .

With Democrats gaining ground on Republicans in several key midterm races across the country, Schumer could decide to cancel the two-week Senate session in October to give members more time to campaign in their home states.

Connect with the Voice of America! Subscribe to our channel Youtube and turn on notifications, or follow us on social media: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.