Next week Congress returns from its annual August recess to a busy slate of to-do’s before the end of the fiscal year on September 30.
With 2024 being a presidential election year, Congress will also recess for the month of October as Members of the House and Senators seek to return to their districts and states to campaign for reelection. This will put even more pressure on the few remaining weeks in session the rest of this year.
In September, numerous “must-pass” legislative items remain on the docket for both chambers.
First, Congress must address the already-extended Farm Bill. Originally due to expire on September 30, 2023, Congress extended the current Farm Bill, a sprawling piece of legislation setting farm policy that Congress must renew every five years, by one year to September 30, 2024. Upon their return in September, Congress must decide to pursue a further extension, let the current extension expire and risk discontinuing some programs as currently authorized, or make rapid progress on compromise legislation between the chambers.
As of now, the House has passed its version of the legislation through the House Agriculture Committee, but it has not received a vote by the full chamber. On the Senate side, neither Senate Agriculture Committee chair Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), who is retiring, nor Ranking Member John Boozman (R-AR) have released the text of their version of the legislation.
No progress on this front was made in the month of August.
In addition to the Farm Bill, Congress must address FY2025 government funding legislation. Fiscal Year 2024 funding is set to expire on September 30, 2024, and Congress has turned to “Continuing Resolutions”—essentially extensions of current funding year levels—in the past to buy more time for negotiations.
As of now, the House has outpaced the Senate in FY2025 appropriations progress. The House has passed all 12 of its individual appropriations bills through the Appropriations Committee and has passed five of those bills through the House floor (Defense, Homeland Security, Interior-Environment, Military Construction-Veterans Affairs, and State-Foreign Operations).
Meanwhile, the Senate has passed 11 of its 12 bills through committee and none on the Senate floor.
In FY2024, many of the individual appropriations bills did not pass one or both chambers, with Congressional leaders choosing to go straight to legislative conference with both chambers to hash out any disagreements behind closed doors.
Finally, during its remaining time in session, Congress must address the FY2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The NDAA is a wide-ranging bill passed every year since 1961, setting policy and authorizing programs and funding for the Defense Department. Congress has not failed to pass an NDAA in 63 years.
NDAAs often invite thousands of amendments offered by members in both chambers and significant debate and floor time, potentially taking time away from other must-pass priorities towards the end of the year.
When Congress returns, much work remains on the dockets with little time that both chambers are in session before the 2024 Election.
