Lawmakers return to Washington on Monday to begin an intensive fall session that might mark the final days of Republican control in Washington. The GOP has steered the House, Senate and White House for almost two years, but it appears increasingly likely that Democrats will flip the 23 seats they need to take over the House after Nov. 6. There are 62 days until the midterm elections but only 11 work days in the House in September. There is little chance lawmakers will be around for October, assuming a spending deal is reached by Sept. 30 to avoid a government shutdown. Here’s how Republicans intend to spend what could be their final days in charge of the House: > The Senate Judiciary Committee will begin holding hearings this morning on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. President Trump’s pick to succeed former Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy will be introduced by Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, among others. The 53-year-old appellate court judge faces days of scrutiny on Capitol Hill. The Hill: 5 topics that will come up at the Kavanaugh hearings. The Hill: A look at Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), working among Democrats to oppose Trump’s nominee. The Associated Press: What to watch for as senators consider Kavanaugh. It appears that Republicans, who have a 50-49 majority in the Senate until the late Sen. John McCain’s replacement is announced by Arizona’s governor, will stick together and potentially be joined by some red-state Democrats in voting for Kavanaugh. Still, the timing is important. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) hopes to have Kavanaugh seated by the time the new Supreme Court session begins on Oct. 1. That is possible, if the past can be predictive when it comes to a high-stakes lifetime appointment. Hearings for Trump’s first Supreme Court pick, Neil Gorsuch, began on March 20, 2017. The Senate confirmed him 17 days later. The Washington Post: Issues for Kavanaugh. The New York Times: White House withholds 100,000 pages of Kavanaugh’s records. > Executives from Twitter and Facebook will face a Capitol Hill grilling on Wednesday. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg will appear before the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Republicans are expected to press them on allegations that conservative speech is being suppressed on their platforms. The issue has exploded in recent months among the conservative grass roots and the president has taken up the mantle, accusing Google of rigging its search results to bury favorable news coverage of his administration. Trump has floated the idea of taking action against the tech giants, although it’s unclear what he could do to influence proprietary technology belonging to publicly traded companies. The Hill: Trump attacks rattle tech. The Hill: House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) leads GOP charge against Silicon Valley. > Striking a deal to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is a priority for the White House, although Congress will have to sign off on any deal that the administration reaches. Talks skidded between the U.S. and Canada last week, provoking the president to announce a bilateral deal with Mexico instead (The Hill). But despite the president’s threats to exclude Canada entirely, discussions will continue this week. The New York Times: White House gives Canada more time to rework NAFTA. Bloomberg: U.S.-Canada battle over NAFTA faces new hurdles. > Lawmakers have until the end of the month to clear spending legislation and avoid a government shutdown. The Senate has passed 9 of its 12 appropriations bills, but the piecemeal spending packages face tricky politics in the House. The Hill: Congress faces September scramble on spending. > In addition to these fights, the farm bill faces an uncertain future in the Senate this week over a debate about proposed work requirements for food stamps. Plus, Republicans in the House will be talking about a second tax cuts bill, although that seems unlikely, given the condensed calendar heading into the midterms. The Hill: GOP challengers hit vulnerable Dems over tax law votes. > And Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) is expected to move quickly to name a successor to fill the vacancy created with McCain’s death (The Arizona Republic). |