Shutdown Showdown 2.0
Congress returns to Washington this week to take a second crack at passing a short-term government funding bill after falling short last week.
Over the weekend, House Republicans released the text of a stopgap proposal extending government funding through December 20th after lawmakers failed to pass a previous version last week containing a late-March 2025 funding deadline and immigration policy riders.
The House plans to take up the December stopgap this Wednesday which the Senate is expected to move through final passage before government funds expire on September 30th.
The House has a packed legislative agenda this week in addition to government funding, with 59 bills set to move through expedited procedures. Those bills are grouped into healthcare funding and research programs, homeland security operations, veterans’ benefits, and federal land and project operations, etc.
House and Senate lawmakers will also participate in several committee hearings this week, including the following:
- The Senate Foreign Relations Committee will discuss global competition in cyberspace
- The House Financial Services Committee will hold an oversight hearing of the Securities and Exchange Commission
- The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will examine conflicts of interest in federal contracting
- The House Small Business Committee will examine workforce training programs
At the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue, this week President Joe Biden will host a bilateral meeting with United Arab Emirates President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan before traveling to New York City for the U.N. General Assembly.