Sailing on a Summer Breeze

08 Jul Sailing on a Summer Breeze

Now that the fighter jets and tanks have left the city, Congress returns to Washington this week for (maybe/hopefully) the last three or four weeks of work for the summer. With August looming, the House has just twelve planned voting days this month, while the Senate is currently scheduled to be in session for an additional week. While the scars from last year’s truncated August Senate recess are still fresh, and calls to stay in town likely will be made again, Majority Leader McConnell (R-KY) actually has referred to an August recess this year, indicating that he is not inclined to again forego the traditional break. However, the Senate along with the House and White House must somehow agree on FY2020 spending levels, especially with a debt ceiling cliff and another sequester threatening. Outside of that, we expect a typically busy July as Congress tries to pack in as much activity as it can – Mueller, Facebook, Powell and marijuana promise to be front and center – before the break. We highlight these and other issues below as we briefly preview what we believe will be the focus in Washington in July, subject as always to external or unexpected events that could disrupt the schedule.