Summer - a Complicated Time in Washington

Both the House and the Senate will soon take summer recesses, the House starting July 27th and the Senate starting August 10th. This time off was first instigated so our country’s early lawmakers could return home to harvest their crops and tend to their farms. It has remained a tradition in modern times, mostly to allow members of Congress, and other workers, both government and private, to take vacations. Having worked in that environment for more than twenty years I can attest that nothing gets done in Washington in August. Some antagonists think this is a great tradition, postulating that anytime you can keep Congress from acting it’s good for the country. No matter your particular stance on the subject there is still time for Congress to act before they leave for home - and a little time after they return - before all the air is sucked out of Washington with the upcoming midterm elections. I think it will be helpful to understand the existing environment and mood in Washington going into these final months.

There is a general unease affecting both parties. The Republicans have slim majorities in the House and the Senate and have successfully managed them enough to pass favorable legislation. However, recently Republican leaders control over the majority is beginning to fray which is making it difficult to move legislation forward. The Democrats are watching their own party splinter as the progressive left and even some Democratic Socialists are gaining power. These splits make it even more difficult for either party to control the narrative and construct legislation. It has even made passing bi-partisan legislation difficult. For instance, the ROAD to Housing act (the ROAD act) is legislation that aims to increase housing supply, reduce costs, and curb corporate ownership of single‑family homes. It passed the House by a 390 – 9 vote and the Senate by an 89 – 10 vote, a real bi-partisan piece of legislation. Despite that, the President has refused to sign it, and since Congress is still in session, it’s not a pocket veto and will automatically go into law after 10 days. The President said he would not sign the bill until another bill, the SAVE American act, a voter‑ID / citizenship verification bill, was passed. This whole gyration came about due to the splintering of the two parties and so far, despite passing the House, the Save act has not been voted on in the Senate. The bottom line is that most legislation, even the bipartisan type, is going to be difficult to move forward. However, there will be some bills that will need to move before September.

While the mid-term elections aren’t until November the posturing is already happening and it will have an impact on legislation. There likely will be attempts to attach amendments to some of these must pass bills. It’s evident that the Democrats sense a vulnerability in the Republican party when it comes to healthcare. They will use the cuts to Medicaid in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBB), rising insurance premiums, and the increasing cost of healthcare as rallying cries as they work to regain the majority in both the House and now even the Senate. Lawmakers are discussing legislation, the Medicaid Protection and Stability Act, that reverses many of the Medicaid cuts contained in the OBBB. There are proposed bills that would increase the number of drugs eligible for the price fixing aspects of the Inflation Reduction Act. The recent powers the Supreme Court granted to the President to control who leads and works at many civilian agencies could have a significant impact on agencies like HHS, CMS, FDA, etc. All of these changes and proposed legislation could have an impact on the cost, access, and the level of our healthcare.

It will be important to watch what happens in the next few weeks before Congress leaves for the summer recess. If they’re able to pass any legislation and if so, what party factions voted for, and which voted against. It could give us an indication of their future focus. When they do return, they will be working on some of the must pass bills, especially on appropriations and funding – if this doesn’t happen before the end of September there will be a partial or full government shutdown. I don’t think any lawmakers want to have that happen before the midterms. What we must watch for is any amendments that could be added to these must pass bills. There might be just posturing amendments, amendments that don’t have a chance of passing, but that one party or the other wants to force a vote just so they can brag about their vote or chastise the other party for not supporting. It amazes and bothers me how much politicking goes into this process, expending time and slowing legislation with this campaigning. It seems it’s just part of the game.

If all this sounds like a complicated mess, it’s because it is. It’s unpredictable, uncoordinated, and unsavory, but it’s how this time of year works in Washington when there’s an approaching election. What I can say is that we’ll work hard to keep you up to date on what’s happening and what you can do to influence those who represent us. There is something you can do this summer. Your lawmakers will be back in their district offices, find out when they’re holding town halls, find out when they have teleconferences, make appointments to visit them in their office. As a constituent you are powerful, take the time to get involved, you can make a difference.

Best, Thair