Both chambers are in session this week. It's the House's last week before the August recess, with members not due back until August 31 while the Senate will recess on August 7.

Reconciliation 3.0

The House will spend much of the week on the GOP budget resolution (H Con Res 113), the blueprint needed to unlock a $95 billion "reconciliation 3.0" package that would fund the Iran war, farm aid and voter ID measures tied to the SAVE America Act. The resolution has to come first as it sets the spending and revenue targets that let the follow-on bill move through the Senate on a simple majority, sidestepping the 60-vote threshold that would otherwise let Democrats block it.

Last week, the resolution received committee approval, but the path forward remains rocky for the bill. Republicans in both chambers have flagged the lack of spending offsets, among other concerns, and the four House committees tasked with writing the bill can't start until both chambers adopt the blueprint. Defense hawks say the $73 billion to backfill Iran war costs falls well short of the $350 billion the president first sought, while fiscal conservatives object that the resolution forces no offsetting cuts and that $10 billion in election-security grants won't meet the SAVE Act's ID and citizenship requirements. Senate Republicans, for their part, may find the House framework too thin. The Senate Appropriations Committee holds a hearing Tuesday on the president's request, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins testifying.

Avoiding a Shutdown:

With government funding running out at the end of September, and the August recess fast approaching, House leaders are aiming to move a stopgap spending bill this week: a clean 15-page continuing resolution that funds agencies through December 4, notably well after the midterms.

On the House Floor this Week:  

This week the House will consider legislation pertaining to campaign finance, health care, government spending oversight, financial services, and national defense. Under suspension of the rules, members will address a slate of Energy and Commerce reauthorization bills related to public health.

There are no committee meetings of interest this week.