The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Congress returns to try to prevent government shutdown
Republicans weigh an impeachment inquiry on Biden.
After months of struggling to find agreement on just about anything in a divided Congress, lawmakers are returning to Capitol Hill to try to avert a government shutdown, even as House Republicans consider whether to press forward with an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.
A short-term funding measure to keep government offices fully functioning will dominate the September agenda, along with emer- gency funding for Ukraine, federal disaster funds and the Republican-driven probe into Hunter Biden’s overseas business dealings.
Time is running short for Congress to act. The House is scheduled to meet for just 11 days before the government’s fiscal year ends on Sept. 30, leaving little room to maneuver. And the deal-making will play out as two top Republicans, Sen. Mitch Mcconnell of Kentucky and Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, deal with health issues.
The president and con- gressional leaders, including Republican House Speaker Kevin Mccarthy, are focused on passage of a months-long funding measure, known as a continuing resolution, to keep government offices running while lawmakers iron out a budget. It’s a step Congress routinely takes to avoid stop- pages, but Mccarthy faces resistance from within his own Republican ranks, including from some hardline conservatives who openly embrace the idea of a government shut- down.
“Honestly, it’s a pretty big mess,” Mcconnell said at an event in Kentucky last week.
Keeping the government open
When Biden and Mccarthy struck a deal to suspend the nation’s debt ceiling in June, it included provisions for topline spending numbers. But under pressure from the House Free- dom Caucus, House Repub- licans have advanced spend- ing bills that cut below that agreement.
Republicans have also tried to load their spending pack- ages with conservative pol- icy wins. For example, House Republicans added provisions blocking abortion coverage, transgender care and diver- sity initiatives to a July defense package, turning what has traditionally been a bipartisan effort into a sharply con- tested bill.
But Democrats control the Senate and are certain to reject most of the conservative pro- posals. Senators are craft- ing their spending bills on a bipartisan basis with an eye toward avoiding unrelated policy fights.
Top lawmakers in both chambers are now turning to a stopgap funding package, a typical strategy to give the lawmakers time to iron out a long-term agreement.
The House Freedom Caucus has already released a list of demands it wants included in the continuing resolution. But they amount to a right-wing wish list that would never fly in the Senate.
The conservative opposi- tion means Mccarthy will almost certainly have to win significant Democratic support to pass a funding bill — but such an approach risks a new round of conflict with the same conservatives who have threatened to oust him from the speakership.
In a letter to his colleagues Friday, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer wrote that the focus of the Senate will be “funding the government and preventing House Republican extremists from forcing a government shutdown.”
Impeachment inquiry
Since they gained the House majority, Republicans have launched a series of investi- gations into the Biden admin- istration, with an eye towards impeaching the president or his Cabinet officials. They have now zeroed in on the presi- dent’s son, Hunter Biden, and his overseas business dealings, including with Ukrainian gas company Burisma.
The inquiries have not pro- duced evidence that President Biden took official action on behalf of his son or business partners, but Mccarthy has called impeachment a “nat- ural step forward” for the investigations.
An impeachment inquiry by the House would be a first step toward bringing articles of impeachment. It is not yet clear what that may look like, especially because the speaker does not appear to have the GOP votes lined up to support an impeachment inquiry. Moderate Repub- licans have so far balked at sending the House on a full- fledged impeachment hunt.
Ukraine and disaster funding
The White House has requested more than $40 billion in emergency fund- ing, including $13 billion in military aid for Ukraine, $8 billion in humanitarian sup- port for the nation and $12 billion to replenish U.S. fed- eral disaster funds at home.
The request for the massive cash infusion comes as Kyiv launches a counteroffensive against the Russian invasion. But support for Ukraine is waning among Republicans, especially as Trump has repeatedly expressed skepticism of the war.
Nearly 70 Republicans voted for an unsuccessful effort to discontinue military aid to Ukraine in July, though strong support for the war effort remains among many members.
Legislation on hold
The Senate is expected to spend most of September focused on funding the government and confirming Biden’s nominees, meaning that major policy legislation will have to wait. But Schumer outlined some priorities for the remaining months of the year in the letter to his colleagues.
Schumer said the Senate would work on legislation to lower the costs of drugs, address rail safety and provide disaster relief after floods in Vermont, fires in Hawaii and a hurricane in Florida.
Senators will also continue to examine whether legislation is needed to address artificial intelligence.
An impeachment inquiry by the House would be a first step toward bringing articles of impeachment. It is not yet clear what that may look like, especially because the speaker does not appear to have the GOP votes lined up to support an impeachment inquiry.