Morning Light hit the U.S. Capitol just hours before the press conference, discussing the Epstein Files Transparency Bill and directing the release of remaining files related to the investigation of Jeffrey Epstein and Gislain Maxwell on Capitol Hill, Washington, DC, September 3, 2025.
Jonathan Ernst | Reuters
Congressional lawmakers are already trading responsibility for the looming government shutdown, foreseeing what is likely to be a bitter partisan conflict over the coming weeks.
This week, lawmakers returned to Capitol Hill this week as the threat of a month-end closure intensified and the familiar partisan fault line reappeared.
“Hospital Republicans are committed to keeping the government, and unfortunately it appears that not all Democrats agree, and they are beginning to apply government to curb pressure,” House Speaker R-La Mike Johnson told reporters Wednesday.
“If the government is shut down, Congressional Democrats refused a common-sense solution to fund the government,” he said.
Government funds are set to expire within four weeks, and lawmakers are divided into ways to keep the government floating in the short term.
They may consider suspension measures to maintain federal funding, but they could still face hurdles at a Republican razor thin meeting.
GOP leaders, the date when funds expire to pass the Senate suspension by September 30, will need democratic support to clear the Chamber of Commerce’s 60 vote threshold.
But with the 2026 midterm elections close by, it will likely be difficult as Democrats eager to put the majority of their parties in defense will likely be trying to hold the line and spur alongside their Republican counterparts over the marquee of President Donald Trump’s agenda.
Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., voted in March to avoid the closure of Republicans. Schumer would want to avoid that this time.
Like Johnson, New York senators tried to hold him accountable to prevent the government shutdown of the other colleagues.
“The only way to avoid closure is to work in a bipartisan way with a bill that will allow both Republican and Democrat votes in the Senate,” he wrote to a colleague on Tuesday.
“But once we approach the funding deadline, Republicans are once again threatening to head our country towards closure,” he said.
The most likely route to come is for lawmakers to pass a series of short-term funding bills and receive ongoing resolutions to help keep federal agencies funding for the coming months.
If lawmakers do not go to the CR route, they will have to discuss and pass the 12-year full-year spending bill by the end of the month.
The White House suggests it supports what is called “clean CR.” This suggests that the funding will continue to be made at current rates and that Capitol Hill lawmakers will continue to buy time to close the deal by the end of the year.
Trump has previously shown his willingness to shut down the government to avoid agreeing to concessions in negotiations.
But now that his “one, big, beautiful bill law” has been signed into law, Trump has shown more acceptability for short-term measures.
But Democrats are set to reverse the deep cuts to Medicaid that were included in Trump’s package. And they want this reversal in exchange for giving Republicans the necessary votes to avoid government shutdowns.
This creates a tricky situation where GOP leadership needs to reach a deal without giving the impression that Republicans are cutting into Trump’s marquee domestic package.
“If Republicans want Democrats to provide votes to fund the Trump administration, they can start by restoring the health care they tore apart for more tax collection funding for billionaires,” says Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.
The White House, who welcomed the policy package as a crucial feature of Trump’s second term victory and a crucial feature, rarely sees the contract to cut OBBB
Trump complicated more complicated negotiations last week. He and management and budget director Russell Vautt have announced plans to bring foreign aid funds back to nearly $5 billion, which Congress has already approved.
Even Democrats and some Republicans quickly criticized the announcement. Critics also said the 11-hour change would further complicate efforts to reach a deal that avoids a shutdown.
“In fact, moving forward with the final spending bill and avoiding government shutdowns will require a ton of effort and collaboration when Congress resumes sessions next week,” R-Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski wrote to X.
“These unilateral actions by the OMB risk threatening good bipartisan work done on the committee and on the floor, and throwing the entire process into chaos,” she said.
– CNBC’s Emily Wilkins contributed the report
