Congress returns to a daunting to-do list
There’s a pile of work — and fearsome consequences if it isn’t done this month
Congress returned from its August recess Tuesday to face a list of things that must be completed by the end of September to avoid potential damage to the U.S. economy and American taxpayers. And that was before President Trump set a six-month expiration date on President Obama’s program offering deportation protection to undocumented immigrants who were brought to the country as children.
Trump said it is up to Congress to pass legislation by March if they want to restore those protections, but Congress generally operates on the deadlines directly in front of them, so don’t expect immigration to be first up this fall. Here are the major issues lawmakers have to solve before the end of September:
KEEP GOVERNMENT OPEN
Funding for federal agencies runs out when the 2018 fiscal year begins Oct. 1. Lawmakers are once again scrambling to reach consensus on a spending package to keep the government running for another 12 months.
The House passed a chunk of spending bills for national security agencies and may pass the remaining bills to fund the rest of the government early this month. The Senate has taken no action, and House Speaker Paul Ryan, RWis., said he’s worried it will not have enough time to act once the House completes its legislation. Ryan said Congress will probably have to pass a stopgap spending bill to fund the government at existing levels for a few weeks or months to give lawmakers more time to craft a long-term bill.
Government shutdowns are unpopular with the public. The last shutdown, in 2013, cost the U.S. economy $24 billion in lost economic output, according to an estimate by Standard & Poor’s financial services company.
PREVENT DEFAULT ON DEBT
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin warned that the government will run out of money to pay its bills by Sept. 29 unless lawmakers vote to raise the debt limit.
The limit, set by Congress, is the amount the U.S. Treasury can borrow to pay the government’s debts, including Social Security and Medicare benefits, military salaries, tax refunds, interest on the national debt and other obligations.
The limit was reached in mid-March, forcing Mnuchin to take extraordinary measures — at a cost to taxpayers of at least $2.5 billion — to avoid default.
Economists have warned that a default, which has never happened, could plunge the nation back into recession and ignite a global economic crisis. Congressional leaders assured the public that the debt limit will be raised in time, but some House conservatives vow to oppose the action unless it is linked to cuts in the federal budget.
TRUMP’S BORDER WALL
Trump complicated the spending bill debate when he threatened at a rally Aug. 22 in Phoenix to shut down the government if Congress doesn’t approve funding to build a wall on the Southwest border.
The House passed legislation that included $1.6 billion for construction of 74 miles of wall along the 2,000-mile border between the USA and Mexico. Democrats oppose any bill that includes money for the barrier, and their votes are needed in the closely divided Senate.
If Congress sends Trump a spending bill that does not include wall funding, the president will have to decide whether to veto it and shut down the government. Trump promised that Mexico would pay for the wall, but the Mexican government said it has no intention of doing so.
Lawmakers may be able to delay an immediate showdown with the White House by passing a short-term funding bill to keep the government open beyond September while they negotiate a long-term deal. The White House suggested that Trump might ac- cept a short-term spending deal without wall money.
AID FOR HARVEY VICTIMS
The president promised “very rapid action from Congress” to approve emergency aid to help recovery and rebuilding efforts in Texas and Louisiana, where Hurricane Harvey caused massive flooding.
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., plans to bring a $7.9 billion aid package to the House floor Wednesday, but this is just a first down payment on what will probably need to be $100 billion or more of federal aid.
The politics of emergency aid have become more complicated in recent years as some conservative Republicans have balked at spending money on relief efforts unless the cost is offset by cuts in federal programs.
It’s not clear whether Congress will take up hurricane aid as a separate bill or tie it to legislation to fund the government or raise the debt ceiling, which White House officials have suggested.
There is another storm brewing in the Caribbean — Hurricane Irma — and if it strikes land with anywhere near the force of Harvey, the urgency of disaster relief legislation will increase.
RENEW FLOOD INSURANCE
The floods that destroyed more than 100,000 homes in the wake of Hurricane Harvey focused renewed attention on the National Flood Insurance Program, which is set to expire Sept. 30 unless Congress extends it.
The program provides the only way for most American homeowners to buy flood insurance since most private insurers refuse to provide it in flood-prone areas.
Some congressional Republicans, concerned that huge disasters lead to huge bailouts by taxpayers, want to restructure the program to rein in costs and move part of the burden of providing insurance back to the private sector. Opponents say that approach would lead to dramatic increases in insurance premiums for homeowners, making protection too costly for many people.
TRY AGAIN ON OBAMACARE?
Republicans vowed to take another run at repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act.
The problem is Republicans used a special set of rules that required only 51 votes in the Senate, not the 60 usually required to overcome a filibuster. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., announced Friday that the Senate parliamentarian concluded those streamlined rules expire Sept. 30, meaning if Republicans want to move a bill without Democratic support, they have to do it this month.