Congressional Roundup: August Recess
July 30, 2024
The House left Washington, D.C., early, and the Senate will likely finish up this week before the August recess as both chambers go home to campaign.
Why it matters: Lawmaking tapers off before an election, as Members want to avoid tough votes. While government funding must be passed beyond Sept. 30, other priorities will get pushed into the post-election lame duck session.
- Attendance issues in both chambers have stymied some efforts to advance initiatives in the narrowly divided chambers. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) is expected to resign on Aug. 20 in light of his conviction.
Government Funding: A short-term continuing resolution in September will likely punt the funding decision to November or December since lawmakers have been unable to pass regular appropriations.
- The Senate Appropriations Committee will be marking up its final five appropriations bills this week, including Defense; Energy and Water; Financial Services, Homeland Security, and Labor-HHS-Education.
- The House canceled its session and delayed votes on Agriculture-FDA; Commerce-Justice-Science; Financial Services; Labor-HHS; and Transportation-HUD. The House had planned to vote on several of these funding bills last week but at the last minute pulled them from floor consideration.
Unfinished Business: Beyond funding, the “must-pass” bills are limited though several bipartisan priorities could see action by year end.
- The bipartisan Smith Wyden Tax bill, which resoundingly passed the House but has languished in the Senate, seems poised to get a procedural vote this week. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) filed cloture to set up a vote this week.
- Yes, but: Senate Republicans, who were cut out of the tax deal, have been loath to provide votes to advance the bill, especially as a child tax credit would spur the issuance of checks to voters ahead of the election. The measure is unlikely to advance past the 60 vote threshold.
- The annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is a must-pass bill and often a vehicle for leadership to load up with policy priorities. In June, the House passed a partisan bill with no chance of Senate action. The Senate may tee up its version this week to begin negotiations with the House, but the issue likely will be resolved post-election. Issues like the Corporate Transparency Act and cannabis banking have been candidates for inclusion in previous NDAAs.
- The FDIC chair nominee, Christy Goldsmith Romero, will likely see a committee vote in September on her nomination to replace embattled chair Martin Gruenberg. Senate Banking Chairman Sherrod Brown (D-OH)) had hoped to advance her nomination this week, but Sen. Menendez’s likely absence may have left Brown with a tie vote absent GOP support.
What’s next: The House and Senate will return on Sept. 9.
Contact David McCarthy (dmccarthy@crefc.org) with questions.