A Shutdown Fight And Epstein Drama Await As Congress Returns To Washington

WASHINGTON — A authorities shutdown deadline, a standoff complete President Donald Trump’s nominees and a renewed conflict complete the Jeffrey Epstein files await Congress arsenic it returns Tuesday aft a month-long August recess.

The apical point connected nan schedule is nan authorities backing deadline of Sept. 30 to debar a shutdown. An unusual Republican and Democratic pairing says they judge they’ll person nan support they request to unit a House ballot requiring nan Justice Department to merchandise nan Epstein files. And Republicans are hatching plans to alteration Senate rules to velocity up confirmation of Trump’s personnel, amid play complete nan firing and exodus of apical nationalist wellness officials from nan Trump administration.

Shutdown deadline is Sept. 30

The conflict complete national backing has intensified successful caller days successful anticipation of lawmakers’ return to town, pinch immoderate measure requiring 60 votes, and frankincense bipartisan support, to walk nan Senate.

There’s nary model aliases “top line” statement connected really overmuch to spend, fto unsocial really to allocate that funding. And pinch conscionable weeks to go, nan section is increasing alternatively than narrowing.

The White House notified lawmakers Friday that it plans to bypass them and slash $4.9 cardinal successful national funds utilizing a “pocket rescission,” a maneuver that nan apical legislature watchdog calls “illegal.”

The move drew condemnation from Democrats and a apical Republican.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called it “unlawful” and said it is “further impervious President Trump and Congressional Republicans are hellbent connected rejecting bipartisanship and ‘going it alone’ this fall.”

“As nan state stares down adjacent month’s authorities backing deadline connected September 30th, it is clear neither President Trump nor Congressional Republicans person immoderate scheme to debar a achy and wholly unnecessary shutdown,” Schumer said.

Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, said: “Any effort to rescind appropriated costs without legislature support is simply a clear usurpation of nan law.”

Collins has issued akin warnings successful nan past, which person been ignored by nan White House and GOP leaders, who embraced Trump’s erstwhile information of “rescissions” to undo backing approved by Congress.

Hard-right Republicans are besides demanding to support spending low.

“Spending has sewage to enactment level aliases spell down. I mean, that’s nan deal,” said Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas. “Whatever format that takes ... but it needs to enactment level aliases spell down.”

Pressure builds connected Epstein files

In July, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., a blimpish Trump antagonist, rolled retired a solution to unit nan Justice Department to merchandise nan Epstein files, predicting unit would build passim nan August recess and scope a boiling constituent by nan clip Congress returns this week.

But Massie and his Democratic co-author of nan legislation, Rep. Ro Khanna of California, are leaving thing to chance. On Wednesday, they scheme to big a Capitol news convention featuring intersexual maltreatment survivors of Epstein, nan convicted activity offender who took his ain life successful 2019, and his associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year situation condemnation for her domiciled successful recruiting and trafficking minors for sex.

Khanna said he believes they’ll person nan requisite 218 personnel signatures needed for their discharge petition — a process that would circumvent GOP activity and unit a level ballot to merchandise nan files.

“The testimonials from Epstein’s victims are going to beryllium explosive connected Sept. 3, and I americium assured each 212 Democrats will motion it and we will person much than six Republicans sign,” Khanna told NBC News.

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has opposed nan discharge push. During an quality connected CNN, he called it a “moot point” and “not necessary” because nan House Oversight Committee already has been reviewing a tranche of documents provided by nan Justice Department.

But Massie and Khanna opportunity nan Trump management is not moving accelerated enough. The Oversight sheet subpoenaed nan DOJ for its investigative files successful nan Epstein case, which full astir 100,000 pages. The sheet said it received astir a 3rd of those documents past Friday and that much would beryllium turned complete successful nan future.

The Oversight Committee has been conducting interviews pinch high-profile erstwhile authorities officials arsenic portion of its probe into Epstein. Former Labor Secretary Alex Acosta, a erstwhile national charismatic successful Florida whose agency reached a non-prosecution woody pinch Epstein successful 2008, will look voluntarily earlier nan sheet connected Sept. 19.

Will a banal trading prohibition beryllium successful?

Lawmakers often do not constabulary themselves. But arsenic they return to Washington, location will beryllium a renewed and highly nationalist bipartisan push to prohibition them from owning and trading individual stocks amid concerns complete imaginable conflicts of interest.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., is vowing to record a discharge petition to unit a ballot connected a measure by Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., to prohibition legislature banal trading.

“Insider trading, individual banal trades by members of Congress — they’re crooked arsenic a dog’s leg. Everybody knows it,” Burchett said. “It’s going to beryllium hated and loved successful some parties.”

And members of some parties person been signing onto nan Ending Trading and Holdings successful Congressional Stocks aliases ETHICS Act, legislation authored by Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill. The measure would barroom lawmakers, their spouses and their limited children from owning aliases trading individual stocks, securities, commodities aliases futures.

Among those who person co-sponsored nan measure are GOP Reps. Michael Cloud of Texas, Jen Kiggans of Virginia, and Mike Lawler of New York, and Democratic Reps. Joe Neguse of Colorado, Josh Riley of New York and Khanna.

“Members of Congress should service nan public, not pad their banal portfolios,” said Krishnamoorthi, who is moving for nan Senate. “A banal trading prohibition is conscionable communal consciousness — it’s astir restoring trust, preventing conflicts of interest, and making judge lawmakers put constituents up of their ain bottommost line.”

Before nan summertime recess, Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, a imaginable 2028 statesmanlike contender, teamed pinch Democrats to walk a banal prohibition for politicians done nan Homeland Security Committee, sparking anger from Trump and Hawley's ain Senate GOP colleagues. Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said he would not put nan bill, which would prohibit owning aliases trading stocks for early presidents, vice presidents and lawmakers, connected nan Senate level for a vote.

With truthful galore lawmakers owning stocks, it would beryllium an uphill conflict to move specified a prohibition done some chambers.

Senate eyes a 'nuclear' move and CDC fallout

Meanwhile, Republicans are gearing up to alteration nan rules of nan Senate utilizing nan alleged “nuclear option” successful bid to push Trump’s nominees for sub-Cabinet positions done faster.

They blasted it connected Democratic obstruction successful granting speedy votes for Trump’s personnel, saying it has reached caller heights arsenic moreover nominees that person bipartisan support are being slowed down.

“Senate Republicans are wished to corroborate Mr. Trump’s qualified nominees 1 measurement aliases another. Republicans are considering changes to nan Senate rules to extremity nan astir egregious hold tactics,” Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo, wrote successful a caller opinion piece nether nan headline, “Chuck Schumer’s Unprecedented Blockade.”

Schumer responded connected X, “Historically bad nominees merit a historical level of scrutiny by Senate Democrats.”

He alluded to caller Trump nominees whom he fired conscionable weeks aliases months into nan job. That includes CDC Director Susan Monarez and IRS Commissioner Billy Long, who were fired successful August aft getting confirmed by nan Senate successful July and June, respectively.

“No matter really accelerated Trump hires and fires them,” Schumer wrote past week, “Senator Barrasso is ever astatine nan fresh to rubber-stamp nan adjacent one!”

The Monarez firing has drawn further scrutiny connected Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who triggered her removal and nan resignations of apical wellness officials who opportunity nan management was manipulating information successful unscientific ways to beforehand a governmental agenda.

As Democrats request hearings into what they telephone Kennedy’s anti-vaccine crusade, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., nan chair of nan wellness committee, has promised “oversight” without getting specific. Cassidy provided a pivotal vote to getting Kennedy done committee and confirmed successful nan Senate.

“We request to cognize what nan information says and wherever it is coming from, truthful nan CDC and HHS tin make nan champion decisions,” Cassidy wrote connected X, saying his goals align pinch Trump.

Cassidy, a doctor, has besides feuded successful caller days astir nan efficacy of vaccines pinch Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., a committee personnel much aligned pinch Kennedy connected nan matter.