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The House and Senate are in recess for one more week, returning to Washington, DC on September 9; there will be pro forma sessions on Tuesday and Friday, where members of Congress are allowed to formally introduce new legislation, however, no votes will be held and no formal business will be conducted.
Congress is bracing for a hectic fall, when lawmakers will be racing to complete a lengthy to-do list of legislative items before the holidays. And with an election year just around the corner, there is even more urgency for lawmakers to get big-ticket items out of the way. The list includes gun control, which has become a high priority in the wake of a string of mass shootings; government funding, with the current spending bill set to expire at the end of September; impeachment, with lawmakers facing a narrow window to launch proceedings; President Trump's new trade deal with Mexico and Canada, which has yet to be approved by Congress; and an expiring surveillance bill and an annual defense policy bill, among other items.
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