As lawmakers return to Washington after their August recess, Congress faces a September that promises to be both politically charged and legislatively overwhelming. The stakes have rarely felt higher, with a government funding deadline looming at the end of the month, a shrinking Republican majority in the House, and a host of contentious issues—ranging from disclosures about Jeffrey Epstein to stock trading bans and the future of healthcare—waiting in the wings. The coming weeks could well redefine the balance of power on Capitol Hill and test the mettle of leaders on both sides of the aisle.
At the heart of the action is Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), whose job has grown even more precarious. According to The Hill, Johnson must steer his caucus through a September 30 government funding deadline, all while managing internal Republican disputes over the structure and duration of a stopgap funding measure. The challenge is compounded by the Democrats' newfound leverage: two special elections set for September 9 in Virginia and September 23 in Arizona are widely expected to add two Democrats to the House, further narrowing the Republicans’ already razor-thin majority.
This shrinking majority means that Johnson and GOP leaders can now afford just two defections on party-line votes, down from three. As Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-Okla.), a member of the House Appropriations Committee, put it to The Hill, “Time is ticking, and I think that’s the biggest challenge.” She added, “We spent the first seven months of this Congress focused on the ‘big, beautiful bill,’ which is necessary and incredibly important, and glad we were able to get that done. But now we’ve put ourselves in a position where we’re racing against the clock to get an appropriations package done. … It’s going to be a very busy four weeks.”
Indeed, the funding deadline is just one of several high-stakes issues crowding the legislative calendar. Lawmakers are preparing to revisit the controversy around Jeffrey Epstein, the late convicted sex offender whose files have become a political flashpoint. According to The Independent, House Speaker Johnson dismissed the House early in August, a move widely seen as an attempt to delay a discharge petition by Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) that would force a vote on releasing Epstein-related files. The petition, which every Democrat and enough Republicans have pledged to sign, will be reintroduced with a press conference featuring ten Epstein survivors on September 3. “I don’t think this is going to go away,” Massie told The Hill earlier this month.
The Epstein issue is more than a political distraction for Republicans. Former President Trump has faced persistent criticism related to Epstein, calling the affair “bulls**t” and accusing Democrats of orchestrating a scam. While polling showed the controversy faded from the headlines during August, the upcoming press conference and continued investigation by the House Oversight Committee are sure to put it back in the spotlight. As The Independent notes, this will make it much harder for Republicans to sidestep the issue as Congress resumes its work.
But Epstein is hardly the only hot-button topic on the docket. Lawmakers are also gearing up for battles over banning individual stock trading by members of Congress. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) has pledged to bring a discharge petition on the issue, following her earlier efforts on proxy voting for new parents. Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) is pushing for another stock trading ban bill, though he prefers to see it move through the committee process rather than be forced directly to the floor. “There’s a group of us on a bipartisan basis who are saying, look, time is now,” Roy told CNBC. “I told Republican leadership I was going to give them the benefit of the doubt to get through the ‘big, beautiful bill’ and to make sure we can move forward and advance the president’s agenda.”
Other procedural maneuvers, such as discharge petitions, are also gaining traction. These rarely successful efforts allow a majority of House members to force floor consideration of legislation, bypassing leadership. With the GOP majority so slim, any coalition of Democrats and a handful of Republicans could upend leadership’s carefully laid plans on a range of issues, from Epstein disclosures to stock trading bans to term limits for members of Congress.
Meanwhile, the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is set for debate and passage this month. The NDAA, a must-pass bill, has become a vehicle for attaching a range of controversial provisions. Republicans have already cut a deal to add a measure blocking the creation of a central bank digital currency, and advocacy groups such as Tea Party Patriots Action are pushing to require proof of citizenship for voter registration as part of the legislation. These add-ons are sure to spark further debate and could complicate negotiations as the deadline approaches.
Complicating matters further are recent funding cuts and spending rescissions that have deepened partisan divides. As The Independent reports, Republicans passed a rescissions bill in July to defund PBS, NPR, and foreign aid programs, followed by Trump’s announcement of another “pocket rescission” canceling $5 billion in foreign aid. These moves have left Democrats less inclined to negotiate on appropriations, with some questioning the value of bipartisan talks if Republicans continue to enact unilateral spending cuts.
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), chairwoman of the Appropriations Committee, finds herself in a particularly tough spot. Her reputation for bringing federal dollars back to Maine is now at risk, as Democratic opposition to negotiations threatens to undermine her influence and complicate her reelection prospects.
Healthcare is also poised to become a flashpoint. Subsidies for the Affordable Care Act (ACA), extended by President Biden, are set to expire at the end of 2025. If Congress fails to act, healthcare prices could spike dramatically, adding to the economic pressures already facing Americans. Trump, who is also under fire for tariffs and rising utility bills, could find himself in political hot water if healthcare costs soar on his watch.
Finally, the recent firing of CDC Director Susan Monarez by Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has drawn bipartisan criticism. As The Independent notes, even some Republicans, like Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy, are expected to raise the issue when Congress reconvenes.
Adding yet another wrinkle, President Trump is seeking $2 billion from Congress to fund his plan to “beautify” Washington, D.C., even as the city faces a $1 billion budget shortfall from earlier federal spending cuts. Fiscal hawks are likely to balk at the request, while Democrats may use it as further evidence of misplaced priorities.
All told, Congress returns from recess to a perfect storm of legislative deadlines, partisan tensions, and public scrutiny. With so many hot-button issues vying for attention—and such a slim margin for error in the House—the next four weeks could prove decisive for the direction of U.S. policy and politics. Lawmakers, staffers, and the American public alike are bracing for a September that could reshape the landscape in Washington for months, if not years, to come.
