ML Strategies Capitol Hill & Executive Branch Fall Preview

With Labor Day now behind us, Washington returns to a fairly significant workload for September and October in the run-up to the midterm elections in November. The House is in session for the next two weeks before returning home for a state work period (Sept. 17-21). Theoretically, they will then return to DC for three weeks—through October 12—but there's a good chance they will adjourn before that date so that members can campaign in their districts. Although not exhaustive, the following is ML Strategies’ guide on what to watch over the next few months from Capitol Hill and the Executive Branch agencies. While all issues addressed in this update may not be completed before the midterms, we anticipate that they will take up the bulk of the legislative and regulatory agenda. With that said, the Senate has taken up the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to serve on the Supreme Court and that process has the potential to impact the agenda on other items. With that said, the Senate has taken up the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to serve on the Supreme Court, and that process has the potential to impact the agenda on other items. We expect the Senate, which remained in session throughout its normal recess period in August, will likely continue to focus on Judicial and Executive branch nominations.

Appropriations -

The appropriations process is well underway in both the House and the Senate, which provides a somewhat positive outlook for Congress to avoid a shutdown when the government runs out of funding on October 1. The House passed six of the twelve appropriations bills before adjourning for summer recess, and is expected to pass the final six shortly after returning in September. Meanwhile, the Senate is in the process of passing bills in a minibus format: grouping bills together in small packages in August. The Senate has passed its Agriculture-FDA, Interior-Environment, Financial Services, and Transportation-HUD measures. Defense and Labor-HHS-Education are on the docket next.