The House Returns Monday
The House of Representatives returned to Washington after a month-long August recess. Republican leadership aims to pass a spending bill before the midterm elections. The lower chamber will also vote on a resolution to condemn socialism. A source confirmed to the Washington Examiner that GOP leaders want to put Democrats on the record. The Rules Committee will consider this resolution on Monday morning.
The Senate-passed funding bill is scheduled for a Tuesday vote by Leadership. A second source described this continuing resolution as the House’s main focus. The Senate approved the measure earlier this month with a bipartisan 90-6 vote. This legislation would fund the government through December 11. The Senate included a provision to temporarily block the Trump administration from giving political appointees control over federal grants.
A second provision in the Senate bill delays a ban on hemp-derived products like gummies and vapes. These items are sold at common gas stations and convenience stores. Critics argue this creates easy access for minors at these local shops. House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris has signaled his strong opposition to this delay. He told a Baltimore-based Fox affiliate that these products should not be treated as hemp.
“They are not hemp, they are basically marijuana,” Harris said. He argued that these products are completely unregulated. Unregulated completely, they represent a federal government failure to regulate adequately. And I’m trying to put an end to that.” Vice President JD Vance lobbied the Senate to keep this delay in place.
Democrats Discuss Impeachment
Rep. Jim Clyburn told NBC’s Meet the Press that Democrats could impeach President Trump if they win the House in November. He said his party can advance their domestic agenda and impeach the president at the same time. “We can walk and chew gum at the same time, and maybe do both,” the South Carolina Democrat said. Clyburn said multiple House Democrats in the caucus demand a third impeachment.
Despite these comments, Clyburn stated that impeaching the president should not be the party’s top priority. He argued that Democrats must focus on making housing, energy, and healthcare affordable. “Impeaching the president will not do that,” he said according to the Washington Times. Democrats previously impeached Mr. Trump twice during his first term.
House Speaker Mike Johnson is expected to put the funding legislation on the floor under a suspension of the rules. This expedited procedure requires a two-thirds majority for passage. It gives House GOP leaders an avenue to advance legislation they cannot pass under a party-line rule. The Senate rejected an amendment by Sen. Ted Budd to strip the hemp provision from the bill entirely.
