Opportunity Wisconsin: Congress starts August recess early after extreme Republican-backed proposals stall spending bills

MADISON, Wis. – In case you missed it, Congressional Republicans announced they are beginning their August recess today, adjourning until September after extreme Republican-backed proposals stalled progress on multiple spending bills.

Multiple appropriations packages have failed to even be brought up for a vote after extreme Republican proposals have eroded support from both Democrats and Republicans, despite Speaker of the House Mike Johnson’s previous pledge to pass all appropriations bills before recess. Earlier this week, Republicans pulled a vote on their Financial Services spending bill from the floor, in part because of opposition to the bill’s significant cuts to consumer protections, including gutting funding for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and removing a proposed cap on high credit card fees. 

Progress on the new Farm Bill has also been delayed indefinitely, following criticism of drastic cuts to food assistance programs that would raise costs for Wisconsin families. Congressman Derrick Van Orden previously supported these cuts, voting to advance the Farm Bill out of committee last month.

With seven appropriations bills remaining to be passed, Congress will have just weeks to take action once they return in September before facing a government shutdown or passing another continuing resolution.

“Thanks to extreme Republican-written proposals, Congress remains gridlocked and dysfunctional. That means working families, family farmers, small businesses, and more are left without the ability to plan ahead and prepare for the future,” said Opportunity Wisconsin Program Director Meghan Roh. “Members of Congress need to start prioritizing policies that help Wisconsin families succeed, and look for ways to grow the middle class and make our economy stronger.”

Roll Call: House lawmakers to start summer break Thursday morning

House leaders canceled votes scheduled for next week as the GOP majority struggles to pass its fiscal 2025 appropriations bills.

The decision to scrap next week’s session came a day after Republican leaders had to yank the Energy-Water spending bill from the floor amid growing doubts they could muster enough votes to pass it with their razor-thin majority.

Democrats have been marching in lockstep against the GOP-written spending measures, and some Republicans signaled Tuesday night they might oppose the Energy-Water bill amid concerns over Energy Department permitting standards and a Georgia port expansion project, among other things.

Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tenn., chair of the Energy-Water Appropriations Subcommittee, said his bill won’t be brought back to the floor until September at the earliest, as the House prepares to leave town after Thursday morning votes for an extra-long August recess.

Punchbowl News: Congress limps into August

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The House will adjourn today until mid-September with only five of the 12 annual spending bills passed — and those on party-line votes. The Senate will be gone after next week. It hasn’t passed any spending bills, although the Senate Appropriations Committee is marking up several bills today.

Lawmakers will need to pass a CR when they come back in September in order to avoid a government shutdown at the end of the month. House GOP conservatives want to attach the SAVE Act — a bill requiring proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections — to that CR and dare Senate Democrats to shut down the government five weeks before Election Day, but we doubt they can really make it happen.