Inside D.C.

Congress is back and it’s all about the money

Despite the typical hazy, hot and humid weather, things generally have been pretty good here in Washington, DC, for the last couple of months.  This is because Congress has been in gone since mid-July, it’s longest “recess” in 30 years.  However, all that changes next week as the boys and girls you elected come back to town in serious reelection mode.

It’s the November 8 election – the entire House, one-third of the Senate and the White House are in play – that makes this month particularly ugly.  The plan is to work through September 30, then disappear until after the election, perhaps to return for a lame duck session.  Everything done this month will be done in the context of winning congressional seats and the presidency.

The only must-pass legislation will be to ensure the government continues to operate past the end of the month.  The federal fiscal year ends September 30, so to avoid shutting down the government in an election year – neither party wants that blame – a continuing resolution (CR) must be passed keeping Treasury dollars flowing until a full-year, government-wide spending package can be hammered together.

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D, NV) is already rattling swords, declaring there will be a government shutdown if some conservative Republicans get their way and try to move a six-month CR, one that runs until the end of March, 2017, the traditional start of the next fiscal year appropriations cycle.

Reid is convinced – or at least acts as if – Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton will win the White House and his party will retake control of the Senate.  And while the conservative GOP thinking is that a six-month temporary spending bill eliminates the need for a lame duck session to deal with an omnibus appropriations bill, with its inevitable policy riders and increased cost, Reid doesn’t want to burden a new president with trying to negotiate full government funding during her first 100 days in office.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R, KY) can likely live with a three-month CR as he fights to retain his “dream job” and control of the Senate in the 115^th Congress.  House Speaker Paul Ryan (R, WI), who’s majority in that chamber is very unlikely to change much, has the tougher task, that of mollifying the far right wing of his caucus calling for the six-month spending extension, while dealing with a growing number of House Republicans who see a six-month CR as nothing more than an excuse for not doing their jobs.

Related to the spending battles will be high profile election-year issues, including more federal funding to fight the Zika virus, pressure on McConnell to do something with President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, energy issues and others as the election continues to focus the public spotlight back and forth across the congressional agenda and the election-year rhetoric and posturing heats up.