Congressional Republicans scored a massive victory this summer when they passed President Donald Trump’s “big beautiful bill” of tax and spending cuts without a single Democratic vote. But as they return to Washington this fall after a monthlong August recess, they will have to find a way to work with Democrats — or around them — as a government shutdown looms.
The annual spending battle will dominate the September agenda, along with a possible effort by Senate Republicans to change their chamber’s rules to thwart Democratic stalling tactics on nominations. The Senate is also debating whether to move forward on legislation that would slap steep tariffs on some of Russia’s trading partners as the U.S. pressures Russian President Vladimir Putin on Ukraine.
In the House, Republicans will continue their investigations of former President Joe Biden while Speaker Mike Johnson navigates a split in his conference over whether the Trump administration should release more files in the Jeffrey Epstein investigation.
A look at what Congress will be doing as lawmakers return from the August break:
This is your reminder that the whole “have to make a deal or the whole thing shuts down” is an unconstitutional rule introduced by Republican demagogues in an attempt to sabotage Obama.
They don’t have to keep doing this and it goes directly against both the spirit and text of the very document they pretend to revere with religious fervor.
That goes for BOTH of the major parties. Mostly the one who came up with it in the first place and is currently in the majority, of course, but the Dems are pretending that there’s nothing inherently wrong with it as well.
We need to meaningfully standing up to the fascists. The government shutdown is the only leverage Democrats have. The fascists are going to try to kill us all whether we stand up to them or not. There’s no world where we will wait this out until the fascists are gone.
Couldn’t agree more.
Couldn’t disagree more.
Absolutely.
Correct. There’s also no world where a government shutdown is a good thing.
Democrats have tools at their disposal to gum up the machine and sway public opinion until they find a way to avert a shutdown without greenlighting something even worse. Using those tools is one of the most important parts of their job.
You’re doing the Patrick Star and Man Ray meme to me right now.
There is in a world where a person says ‘Absolutely’ to:
These are mutually exclusive positions given what we are discussing. Your argument at the same time acknowledging that the fascists present the same danger regardless of our level of resistance and yet arguing that there is some how more danger if we resist. You’re argument contains a glaring logical fallacy and thus is not compelling in any capacity. Your argument is a logically invalid position for this discussion.
Does your room contain any windows?
Incorrect. Passing legislation in the US requires control of both houses of Congress and the executive branch or two-thirds of both houses of Congress. There are no other meaningful tools besides a government shutdown to gum up the works. And people are sick of performative action from the Democrats.
Full stop. You aren’t making sense. So I’m left with either you’re trolling me and the rest of us for fun or you’re suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning. For the sake of giving you the benefit of the doubt and your health I’m going to assume it’s the latter, so the carbon monoxide poisoning.
What are these “tools” you speak of? Be specific. Because public opinion doesn’t count for shit to the Republicans.