The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Guns, spending bills atop Hill’s to-do list
Congress returned to work Monday amid mounting pressure to enact new gun restrictions, and while the gun debate could linger, lawmakers face a more pressing deadline to approve spending bills to avoid another government shutdown on Oct. 1. Here’s a closer
Government funding
Congress appears on course to avoid another shutdown drama, at least for now. Agreement on a stopgap spending bill putting the government on autopilot into late November or early December is all but assured, with a House vote on a shortterm spending bill next week.
What’s next: The House has passed almost all of its versions of the bills, but the Senate has yet to unveil a single one. That’s supposed to begin this week when the Senate Appropriations Committee releases its first four annual spending bills, including one for the Pentagon.
Gun control
Three mass shootings in August have pushed regulation of firearms back into the public and political debate. But it’s not clear the outcome will be much different than the deadlocks that followed previous tragedies.
What’s next: The House Judiciary Committee is set to work this week on legislation, including outlawing high-capacity ammunition magazines. House Democrats voted in February to expand criminal background checks to would-be gun buyers on the internet and at gun shows. A separate bipartisan background check initiative has been proposed in the Senate and it may have better chances than it did when last proposed in 2013.
Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell, who has opposed past attempts to tighten gun laws, said he won’t hold a vote on any legislation that doesn’t have President Trump’s support.
Drug pricing
The House and Senate could agree on a drug pricing bill this fall but it looks like an uphill slog. The Senate Finance Committee in July passed a measure that would force some pharmaceutical companies to pay Medicare when they increase the cost of their products above inflation.
But there’s no guarantee the bill will get a vote on the Senate floor.
What’s next: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is planning by early October to unveil a House Democratic approach to drug prices that is said to aim at drugs that have been on the market without competition and to create out-of-pocket caps for seniors within Medicare Part D.
Impeachment
Pelosi faces a crucial decision on whether to give the go-ahead for formal impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump.
What’s next: The House Judiciary Committee is set to vote this week on setting up special procedures for future hearings, including extending time for the panel’s staff to question witnesses. Bloomberg News