A look at the September Legislative Schedule

Lawmakers will be back in session today to kick off a three-week legislative sprint before heading back to their states and districts for the final stretch of the 2024 election. Here’s what we’ll be keeping our eyes on as Congress gavels back in:

• Government Funding. House Republican leadership formally introduced a continuing resolution (CR) to keep the government funded until March 2025, along with a policy rider that seeks to restrict undocumented immigrants from voting. As expected, this has sparked strong opposition from the White House and congressional Democrats — especially because former President Donald Trump has ramped up his support for a shutdown unless a CR paired with the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act is passed. The House is currently targeting a vote on the CR this week, but it is currently unclear whether GOP leadership has the votes for it to pass at this time. With unresolved issues such as the length of the CR and potential policy riders, the government funding fight could come down to the last minute depending on how long this brinksmanship currently lasts.

• ‘China Week.’ House votes have been scheduled on nearly two dozen suspension bills that seek to curtail threats from China to U.S. economic and national security interests. Notable measures up for consideration as a part of this effort include the health-focused BIOSECURE Act (TRP memo), a bill to require the public disclosure of grants made by certain tax-exempt organizations to China, as well as legislation to expedite consideration of proposed additions and removals to the Bureau of Industry and Security’s (BIS) “Entity List.” Pursuant to House rules, these bills will need two-thirds voting in favor to expeditiously pass.

• Odds & Ends. As we previously noted, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) may use September floor time to try and move a bipartisan rail safety bill that has been stalled by political disagreements in recent weeks. The Majority Leader reiterated his desire to get something done on rail safety in a “Dear Colleague” letter over the weekend, and is continuing to hold out hope for action on legislation addressing artificial intelligence (AI), drug costs, and more. Additionally, the fiscal year (FY) 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), pending nominations, and Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolutions are also expected to eat up bandwidth on the Senate side this month. Off the floor, rumors are swirling about markup activity in key “A” committees in both chambers as lawmakers look to wrap up legislative efforts on health care, data privacy, and more before the end of the 118th Congress.