The Senate left Washington yesterday evening for the rest of the summer, returning on September 5. By their own accounts, Republicans failed to enact an ambitious agenda they embarked upon when President Trump and the GOP majority came into power in January.The Senate conducted a flurry of business on its final workday of the summer, confirming many executive-branch nominees to the State Department, the Treasury Department and other agencies. In addition, two bipartisan pairs of Senators unveiled legislation to prevent the President from firing special counsel Robert S. Mueller III without cause. A group of Republican senators also released a border security plan.
However, despite controlling Congress and the White House, the Affordable Care Act has not been repealed and replaced and the tax overhaul they pledged has not materialized either. With a worsening relationship between President Trump and congressional Republicans, new roadblocks could be created in September when a looming funding crisis could potentially shut down the government.
The Senate will hold some pro-forma sessions throughout August and early September. Democrats have expressed concerns that President Trump might try to replace Attorney General Jeff Sessions while lawmakers are away if they do not hold such sessions. But, there will be no more roll-call votes in the Senate until September 5.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said this week that he hopes Congress can finish a fax overhaul by the end of the year. McConnell has also argued that there is time before next year’s midterm elections for the GOP to do more. “Last time I looked, Congress goes on for two years,” he recently said.
Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) said this week that the four biggest priorities for this Congress are health care, a tax overhaul, a regulatory overhaul, and ensuring the appointment of judges. “If we deliver on those four, this could be the most productive Congress in decades,” he said. If “we fail on all four, then this moment in time will be a truly heartbreaking missed opportunity,” he said.
