Congress returns from its August recess next week facing a September shutdown deadline, a White House push to slash foreign aid, and fresh issues surrounding Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the fallout from Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes, The Hill reported.
Lawmakers will reconvene in session Tuesday with a packed agenda that reflects policy fights and political drama. At the center is a funding showdown that could once again bring Washington to the brink of a government shutdown.
The government’s current funding measure expires Sept. 30, and the battle lines are already drawn.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., faces pressure from Democrats to resist Republican-crafted spending plans after conceding ground during the March budget standoff.
At the same time, President Donald Trump has moved to claw back nearly $5 billion in foreign aid, using a rarely invoked maneuver known as a pocket rescission. The White House has informed House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., that the cuts would target programs under the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development, which is being dismantled.
The proposal sparked criticism, including from Republicans. Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, called it an “attempt to undermine the law.” She added, “Article I of the Constitution makes clear that Congress has the responsibility for the power of the purse. Any effort to rescind appropriated funds without congressional approval is a clear violation of the law.”
Schumer seized on the move, arguing Republicans are “hellbent on rejecting bipartisanship and ‘going it alone’ this fall.” He warned, “As the country stares down next month’s government funding deadline on September 30th, it is clear neither President Trump nor Congressional Republicans have any plan to avoid a painful and entirely unnecessary shutdown.”
Meanwhile, Kennedy will face questioning before the Senate Finance Committee following Trump’s dismissal of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Susan Monarez. Monarez has contested her ouster, which came amid disputes with the HHS secretary over vaccine policy.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., chair of the Senate’s health committee, pressed for postponement of a CDC advisory meeting scheduled for Sept. 18.
“Serious allegations have been made about the meeting agenda, membership, and lack of scientific process being followed,” Cassidy said.
Collins also voiced alarm over Monarez’s removal, demanding oversight of a decision she described as troubling.
The Epstein scandal is also set to resurface. Johnson said the House will “probably” vote on a measure to release more information about the late financier and convicted sex offender. Reps. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Thomas Massie, R-Ky., are preparing to bring Epstein’s victims to the Capitol next week to rally support for a bipartisan resolution compelling the release of case files.
Adding to the political intrigue, speculation is mounting that Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, likely won’t seek reelection in 2026, creating a high-stakes opening in a battleground state.
Republicans, meanwhile, are considering changes to Senate rules to expedite the confirmations of Trump’s nominees, who have been caught in a growing backlog.
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