Government shutdown?

NPR  - Congress returns to Capitol Hill today after taking its August recess. During their time away, frustrated constituents addressed lawmakers at town halls across the U.S. about issues related to the economic turmoil and concerns of presidential overreach. Now, lawmakers face those same challenges in Washington, along with a looming government shutdown deadline of Sept. 30.

The parties are deeply divided on how to handle the approaching deadline, NPR’s Claudia Grisales tells Up First. House Republicans are proposing another stopgap measure that will maintain funding levels, but Democrats want a regular appropriations plan. An underlying factor in the division between the parties is that the Republican-led Congress has surrendered its power of the purse to the president, Grisales says. This past week, President Trump unilaterally took back billions more in foreign aid using a “pocket rescission.” This occurs when a president asks Congress to cancel funds very close to the end of the fiscal year. In addition to the government shutdown deadline, lawmakers will also focus on the Texas redistricting and possibly rebranding the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to focus on benefits for middle-class families.