Legislative Update: Congress Entering “September Sprint”

Congress is now entering the “September Sprint” as we approach the Labor Day holiday. While many members are still in their home states during August recess, there is plenty still happening on the Hill as Democrats confront significant hurdles to get must-passed legislation through its chambers while advancing the President’s economic agenda. The Majority members of congressional committees are busy drafting the legislative texts to include in the President’s $3.5 trillion spending package via the reconciliation process. House committees will start marking up the advanced measures as early as this week, with the rest of the committees scheduled to complete their markups by an ambitious Sept. 15 deadline.

During a rare break in the August recess, House members returned to Washington on Aug. 23 so centrist Democrats could negotiate a deal with House leadership to move forward with the budget resolution before passing the bipartisan infrastructure bill. In return, Democratic leaders agreed to take up the infrastructure bill by Sept. 27. The next day, the House voted to pass the budget resolution in a narrow 220-212 party-line vote.

Congress will take on a cascade of floor activity and more challenging deadlines, including the infrastructure package by Sept. 27, the expiration of government funding on Sept. 30, and action to raise the debt ceiling. Federal unemployment benefits also expire Sept. 6, as Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Labor Secretary Marty Walsh have declined requests for an extension of the benefits beyond that date.

The Senate plans to return from recess the week of Sept. 13. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said that House committees are working with the Senate on details of the reconciliation package so they produce language that will pass both chambers, potentially signaling to progressives that all their priorities will not be included in the final package. Meanwhile, the Senate has a slew of confirmations to work on and its version of the National Defense Authorization Act as it awaits the House-passed reconciliation bill.