House to work on relief bill, spending
Federal shutdown looms as lawmakers return
WASHINGTON – The House is set to return from a monthlong recess Monday, launching a congressional sprint on a number of must-pass bills to avert a government shutdown.
Here’s what to expect this month once the House is back in the nation’s capital:
● COVID-19 relief? Optimism on Capitol Hill has faded fast. Americans weathering the deep-rooted impacts of the coronavirus pandemic appear increasingly unlikely to see any additional financial relief from Congress before the November election.
After passing a series of bills totaling more than $3 trillion to help blunt COVID-19, congressional leaders have so far been unable to find a bipartisan compromise on another batch of aid for unemployed Americans, schools and businesses. Top Democrats and White House negotiators spent weeks attempting to broker a deal, only leading to both sides largely digging in their heels and blaming one another for the prolonged impasse.
Last week, Senate Democrats blocked a Republican $300 billion COVID-19 stimulus bill.That further dampened prospects Congress will pass additional pandemic aid. After the chamber failed to move forward on the measure, a host of lawmakers voiced skepticism that any movement would be made on such a package until voters cast their ballots.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters on Friday in Kentucky that the outlook appeared grim.
“I wish I could tell you we were going to get another package, but it doesn’t look that good right now,” he said.
● Avoiding a government shutdown. In a little over two weeks, the federal government will shut down if Congress does not pass a series of annual bills.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Trump administration came to an informal deal that would extend government funding at the current operating levels. It’s still unclear how long the bills will extend to and when exactly they will be taken up in both chambers. The government will shut down on Sept. 30 unless Congress passes a continuing resolution and the president signs off.
Pelosi and McConnell have both shot down ideas to add COVID-19 relief to the spending legislation, measures that are likely to be some of the last bills to become law before the election. “Those negotiations are separate from this,” Pelosi said when asked Thursday.
The addition of coronavirus programs, such as unemployment benefits, could add more uncertainty over a potential government shutdown – something that experts say could have untested consequences amid a global pandemic in which Americans are relying on government programs and agencies.
● U.S. Postal Service. House Democrats will continue to escalate their confrontation with the U.S. Postal Service when they return. A congressional panel is set to hold a hearing Monday on Postmaster General Louis DeJoy’s alleged conflicts of interest and how his leadership could “jeopardize the Postal Service and the mail-in voting process for the 2020 election.”
DeJoy testified twice before lawmakers in August, acknowledging delays in the mail across the country but pledging to deliver all election mail on time. In testimony, DeJoy slammed what he called a “false narrative” that Postal Service changes had been made to disrupt the election, and he defended his changes as necessary to support the agency’s finances.
Under criticism from both sides, DeJoy suspended some operational changes in August but said he would resume cost-cutting measures, including the effort to improve delivery times, until after the election Nov. 3.