Senators return to the Capitol on Monday evening with just one full day for work ahead of a partial government shutdown, with the Trump administration threatening to use the lapse in appropriations for mass layoffs of federal workers.
Democratic and Republican congressional leaders are scheduled to meet with President Donald Trump just as the Senate is due to return for a scheduled two-day session before the end of the government’s fiscal year. The Yom Kippur holiday begins at sundown on Oct. 1.
The House is scheduled to hold only pro forma sessions until next week, so while House members could be recalled, it’s clear that Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana and other House Republican leaders want the ball in the Senate’s court. Unless the House makes an abrupt return or reaches a deal to legislate during a pro forma session, the only real vehicle for avoiding a shutdown is the House-passed seven-week continuing resolution.
