House Lawmakers Face Funding Vote, Russia Sanctions Push and Chuck Edwards Censure/ TezzBuzz/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ House lawmakers return to Washington Monday with government funding at the top of the agenda after a five-week district work period. Speaker Mike Johnson is expected to move quickly on a Senate-approved stopgap spending bill designed to keep the government funded through early December and avoid a shutdown before the midterm elections. Lawmakers may also take up Russia sanctions legislation, a resolution condemning socialism and a possible censure vote against Rep. Chuck Edwards.
Quick Look
- House lawmakers return to Washington after five weeks in their districts.
- The top priority is a stopgap spending bill to fund the government through early December.
- The goal is to eliminate the risk of a shutdown before the November midterm elections.
- The Senate approved the funding measure 90-6.
- House Republican leaders may use a fast-track process requiring a two-thirds vote.
- The bill includes changes intended to win Democratic support.
- It delays an OMB rule that would give political appointees greater control over federal grants.
- It also includes protections against transferring certain funds to the Border Patrol.
- A one-month delay of a federal ban on intoxicating hemp THC products has angered some Republicans.
- House Republicans are also expected to push a resolution condemning socialism.
- Lawmakers could consider a Senate-passed bill targeting Russia’s economy and countries buying Russian oil and gas.
- The House may vote on censuring Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards over inappropriate conduct involving two female aides.
House Returns With Government Funding Atop Agenda
WASHINGTON — House lawmakers return to Washington Monday after spending five weeks in their districts, with avoiding another federal government shutdown expected to dominate the chamber’s immediate agenda.
Speaker Mike Johnson is expected to move early in the week on a stopgap spending measure that would keep the federal government fully funded through early December.
Passing the measure would remove the threat of a government shutdown before voters head to the polls in the November midterm elections.
The Senate approved the bill overwhelmingly, 90-6, reflecting broad bipartisan interest in avoiding another shutdown after two historic funding lapses during the past year.
Senate Changes Could Help Win Democratic Votes
The legislation underwent significant changes in the Senate that could make it more acceptable to House Democrats.
One provision delays a proposed Office of Management and Budget rule that would give political appointees greater authority over how federal grants are distributed.
The bill also contains language intended to prevent the administration from transferring certain funds to the Border Patrol.
Those changes could help attract Democratic support in the House, particularly if Republican leaders use a procedural route that requires a supermajority.
Hemp THC Provision Angers Some Republicans
One provision is creating resistance among Republican lawmakers.
The bill would delay for one month a federal prohibition on intoxicating hemp THC products.
Because of Republican objections, GOP leaders are expected to consider placing the legislation on the House’s suspension calendar.
That process avoids a separate procedural vote but requires support from two-thirds of lawmakers voting.
As a result, a significant number of both Republicans and Democrats would need to support the measure for it to pass and advance to President Donald Trump’s desk.
GOP Plans Midterm Messaging Votes
With election season accelerating, House Republicans are also preparing votes intended to highlight their political message ahead of November.
Among the most prominent is a resolution condemning socialism.
Republicans are seeking to link the broader Democratic Party to democratic socialist candidates who have performed well in elections this year.
The vote would give GOP lawmakers another opportunity to make ideological differences with Democrats a central part of their midterm campaign strategy.
House Could Take Up Major Russia Sanctions Bill
Another significant measure that could reach the House floor is a Senate-approved sanctions package targeting Russia.
The legislation would impose sanctions on important sectors of the Russian economy and give Trump authority to impose steep tariffs on imports from countries that purchase large amounts of Russian oil and natural gas.
The effort was led by the late Sen. Lindsey Graham and is designed to reduce the revenue available to Russian President Vladimir Putin for financing the war in Ukraine.
The Senate passed the measure 86-11.
House approval would send it directly to Trump for his signature.
Some Democrats Wary of Trump’s Tariff Powers
The Russia legislation has encountered opposition from some influential House Democrats.
Their concerns focus on provisions granting Trump broad new tariff authority.
Some lawmakers fear those powers could eventually be used against U.S. allies rather than being limited to countries supporting Russia’s energy sector.
A House vote is not currently scheduled for this week.
Supporters, however, are pushing for consideration before lawmakers leave Washington again to devote their attention to reelection campaigns.
House Could Vote to Censure Chuck Edwards
The House’s return also revives an ethics dispute involving Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards of North Carolina.
The House Ethics Committee has recommended censuring Edwards over what it described as persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct toward two young female aides in his congressional office.
A censure is a formal expression of the House’s strong disapproval of a member’s conduct but falls short of expulsion.
Edwards has disputed the committee’s characterization of his behavior.
Edwards Urges Colleagues to Reject Censure
Edwards has emphasized that the Ethics Committee found no evidence that he “engaged in sexual activity or explicitly propositioned any individual under his employ.”
He argues that lawmakers should distinguish between behavior some may consider unconventional and conduct that meets the standard for sexual harassment.
“Individual acts that were not themselves prohibited were gathered together, assigned the most damaging possible interpretation, and then used collectively to support a conclusion far more serious than the underlying evidence,” Edwards wrote in a letter to colleagues.
The Ethics Committee said Edwards repeatedly gave the staffers expensive gifts, commented on their clothing and appearance, invited them to intimate dinners and vacations and sent messages expressing strong affection.
The committee also said he invited them to other activities as opportunities to spend time together.
Edwards abandoned his reelection campaign following release of the committee’s report.
Lawmakers Seek to Avoid Another Shutdown
For House leaders, however, government funding remains the most immediate challenge.
Lawmakers from both parties have strong political incentives to prevent another shutdown immediately before the midterm elections.
The Senate’s 90-6 vote demonstrated unusually broad support for keeping the government operating.
If the House approves the measure, funding would continue through early Decembershifting the next major spending deadline until after the November elections.
That would allow lawmakers to leave Washington and focus primarily on campaigning without the immediate threat of another federal shutdown.
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