House returns with vote expected on Senate bill to prevent shutdown

Washington — The House returns Monday from its five-week recess, with approving a short-term funding bill to head off a government shutdown topping its to-do list. 

Funding is set to lapse Sept. 30 without a deal, and lawmakers are planning to take another weeklong break for Labor Day. 

In July, the House passed a GOP-led bill to punt government funding past the November midterm elections. But the House measure, which would have extended funding at current levels until Dec. 4, met resistance in the Senate. 

The upper chamber instead approved a bipartisan measure in early August to fund the government until Dec. 11. The Senate version includes a provision that would close a loophole that Democrats said allowed the Trump administration to transfer funds to Border Patrol. It also includes language that would temporarily prevent political appointees from canceling federal grants. 

The provisions could help bolster Democratic votes in the House for a funding patch. Only six Democrats crossed party lines in July because the measure failed to zero out funding for Border Patrol. Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, argued that the provision's exclusion would allow the Trump administration to move funds allotted to the rest of Customs and Border Protection to the agency. Democrats have opposed additional funding for the agency, citing the Trump administration's deportation and immigration policies. 

House GOP leaders plan to fast-track a vote, which would require significant Democratic support to meet the two-thirds majority threshold for passage. 

House members' ethics woes 

The House's return marks the first time that members will be back on Capitol Hill since the House Ethics Committee disclosed it was investigating GOP Rep. Max Miller of Ohio for alleged domestic violence and drug use and Democratic Rep. Jimmy Gomez of California for alleged sexual misconduct. Both lawmakers have denied the allegations against them. 

The bipartisan Ethics Committee also recommended that GOP Rep. Chuck Edwards of North Carolina be censured after its investigation concluded that he engaged in "persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct towards two young female staffers." The panel noted it found no evidence that Edwards "engaged in sexual activity with or explicitly propositioned any individual under his employ." 

Though his campaign said the committee's findings "completely exonerate" Edwards under House rules, the North Carolina Republican ended his reelection bid days later. 

The House could vote as soon as this week on a censure resolution reprimanding Edwards. 

Vote to denounce socialism 

Republicans are also planning a vote on a resolution that condemns and denounces socialism "in all its forms."

The messaging vote comes as voters have embraced a number of democratic socialist candidates in the Democratic primaries. While campaigning in Texas last week, House Speaker Mike Johnson warned that "socialism is a road to ruin." 

"They don't understand that socialism is a step to get to communism," the Louisiana Republican said. 

The four-page resolution references Zohran Mamdani's win in the New York City mayoral election and other candidates affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America who have run for public office. 

The measure also reaffirms support for President Trump's voting regulations legislation, the SAVE America Act, which has been long stalled in the Senate. 

GOP's margin to narrow 

The Democratic caucus is expected to gain two new members in the coming days to fill the vacancies left by Democratic Reps. Eric Swalwell of California and David Scott of Georgia. 

Swalwell resigned in April after he was accused of sexual assault, which also imploded his campaign for California governor. Scott died about a week later, leaving another vacancy. 

Aisha Wahab won an Aug. 18 special election to serve out the remainder of Swalwell's term. Everton Blair won a special election on Aug. 25 for the rest of Scott's term. 

Democrats will have 214 seats once they're sworn in, with 219 seats held by Republican caucus members, narrowing the GOP's margin to two votes.