Shutdown Countdown
Senators will vote twice today on continuing resolutions needed to thwart a federal government shutdown. Barring major defections, our team anticipates that both the Republican and Democratic versions will fall short of the necessary 60 votes.
Ken Tran reports in this morning’s BGOV Budget that Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said he’ll try again later if the GOP’s stopgap fails on the Senate floor.
The House’s temporary funding vote may be the more interesting one to watch. It isn’t clear whether skittish swing-district Democrats will vote with the GOP, gifting themselves a possible shield against a 2026 voted-to-shut-down-the-government attack ad.
In addition, House Republicans are considering canceling the rest of their September session days to make it harder for Senate Democrats to vote no since the other chamber wouldn’t be around to negotiate and vote on an amended version. Maeve Sheehey goes deeper into the political calculations in this morning’s Congress Tracker.
Trump and China
A scheduled 9 a.m. phone call between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping could be an important moment for potentially easing trade tensions.
Trump and Xi are to talk about shifting control of TikTok’s US operations from its Chinese parent company ByteDance to a consortium of American investors. The call might tee up an in-person meeting, which could have implications for orders for Boeing planes, geopolitical issues such as the war in Ukraine, and more. There’s also the sizable issue of tariffs that’s still unresolved. Read More
See Also: Trump Halts $400 Million in Taiwan Military Aid, Post Reports
Looking Ahead
Next week’s notable events begin on Sunday in Arizona, where Trump has said he intends to attend the funeral for conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
A dynamic to watch will continue to be the way the administration is flexing its power to take revenge in Kirk’s name — as evidenced by the pressure on Disney to take Jimmy Kimmel off the air and more.
- Trump Threatens Licenses of TV Stations That Criticize Him
- Trump’s War on Media Expands With Jimmy Kimmel Suspension
- Trump Readies Tax Audits, Criminal Probes of Liberal Groups
- Rubio Wields Untested Power to Punish Visa Holders’ Kirk Speech
On Tuesday, the president heads to New York to address the UN General Assembly. It will be his first appearance there in his second term. World leaders will be listening for what he says about this nation’s commitment to the UN, along with any comments about Russia’s war on Ukraine and the military action in Gaza.
It will come on the heels of Trump’s state visit to the UK, where he said additional US efforts to punish Russia would be contingent on allies ending their oil purchases. Read More
Before the Senate takes a scheduled recess next week, it could vote to confirm former Rep. Michael Waltz, who also served as Trump’s national security adviser, to be ambassador to the UN.
See Also: EU Plans to Phase Out Russian LNG More Quickly After Trump Push
Special Election
A special election Tuesday in Arizona is likely to trim the Republican majority in the House and trigger a vote on releasing files related to the late disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Adelita Grijalva (D), a former Tucson school board member and county supervisor, is a shoo-in to win Arizona’s strongly Democratic 7th District and fill the vacancy created by the death of her father, Raúl Grijalva. She’s on track to become the first Latina to represent Arizona in Congress. Look for her to provide the 218th signature needed on a discharge petition to force the chamber to vote on releasing Epstein documents. Four Republicans have joined all 213 Democrats in signing that petition. — Greg Giroux
And on the subject of elections, Mica Soellner brings us up to date on Trump‘s aggressive push to pick up seats by urging states to revise House district lines before the 2026 primaries. More than half a dozen House Republicans, including some who spoke to Bloomberg Government anonymously to protect their relationships with the White House, privately expressed discomfort with the efforts over fears it could spark voter backlash. Read More
See Also: Trump Must Face State-Led Challenge to Elections Executive Order
Eye on the Economy
Inflation will be in next week’s spotlight as the US Bureau of Economic Analysis updates the Fed’s preferred measurement. It’s called the Core Personal Consumption Expenditure Price Index, and you might see it abbreviated as PCE.
It’s a weighted calculation that tracks changes in the price of consumer goods and services except food and energy. It’ll be the first major snapshot of inflation following this week’s interest rate decision.
Both that and the next update of the University of Michigan’s consumer survey come out on Friday.
Before You Go
Bot Case: The FTC and seven states are suing Live Nation and its Ticketmaster subsidiary for failing to thwart automated ticketing bots and large-scale resale operations. The agency said Ticketmaster systematically ignored ticket brokers that bypassed its limits since it earns money from resales. Read More
Security: Senators will be allowed to use their office funds for security after adoption of a resolution (
Filibuster Next?: After Republicans over the last two weeks cleared procedural hurdles to lower the 60-vote filibuster threshold to a simple majority to confirm Trump’s nominees in batches, senators say the pattern of “going nuclear” could eventually blow up the legislative filibuster too, Byington reports. Read More
Brewing: Reps. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) plan to introduce a bill to exclude coffee from Trump’s tariffs, the Washington Post reports.
Gabbard Criticized: DNI Director Tulsi Gabbard broke a pledge to fight the politicization of US intelligence, Sen. Mark Warner (Va.), the ranking Intelligence Committee Democrat, said in a floor speech. “What does it say about the state of our national security” when activist Laura Loomer, despite “no security clearance, and no sworn duty to the Constitution, can dictate who serves in critical intelligence positions, and even prevent members of this chamber from conducting basic oversight?” Warner asked. Read More
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