August 31, 2026
The House is back after a five-week August recess and already racing for the exits. Top of the agenda is passing a stopgap funding bill, followed by votes on everything from fishing regulations to Israel to socialism—and a censure resolution for good measure. We'll dig into all this and more below.
Progressive Playbook
“Combatting the CLARITY Act and Crypto Corruption: Inside the Industry Push to Write Its Own Rules and the Fight to Stop It”
As the Senate races toward a vote on the CLARITY Act, join the Progressive Caucus Action Fund, Indivisible, Public Citizen, and Americans for Financial Reform on Wednesday, September 9 at 2:00PM ET for a virtual briefing on the crypto industry’s push to write its own rules and embolden self-dealing at the highest levels of power. We’ll break down what the bill does, why it matters, and how to gear up for the fight ahead. Register here.
House
House Floor
The House will vote on 18 suspension bills from the Committees on Judiciary, Appropriations, Natural Resources, and Ethics. Suspension bills require a ⅔ majority to pass. For a list of all suspension bills being considered, click here.
This week the House will also consider the following bills, subject to a rule:
H.R. 9436 – Northeast Lobsterman Protection Act(Sponsored by Rep. Michael Lawler – Natural Resources Committee): This bill extends the deadline for the National Marine Fisheries Service to issue new regulations aimed at reducing North Atlantic right whale entanglements in lobster and Jonah crab fishing gear from 2028 to 2035. Entanglements remain one of the primary threats to the endangered species.
H.R. 4795 – Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act of 2026(Sponsored by Rep. Virginia Foxx – Education and Workforce Committee): This bill makes colleges and universities ineligible for federal student aid funding under the Higher Education Act if they engage in a commercial boycott of Israel, or if they prevent their students and faculty from participating in academic exchange programs with Israeli institutions on the same terms as other countries.
H.R. 1501 – Protecting Domestic Mining Act of 2025(Sponsored by Rep. Jefferson Shreve – Natural Resources Committee): This bill codifies mining as a covered sector under FAST-41, a federal permitting program that fast-tracks environmental review and limits public input for large infrastructure projects, and blocks a Biden-era rule that would have narrowed that fast-track treatment to critical mineral projects only.
H. Res. 1490 – Providing for the condemnation and denouncement of socialism in all its forms, and for other purposes(Sponsored by Rep. Jeff Crank – House Administration Committee): This resolution condemns socialism, including specifically the Democratic Socialists of America, calls for enactment of the SAVE America Act, and states that only U.S. citizens should be permitted to vote in American elections. The House passed a similar resolution denouncing socialism last November, 285 - 98, with 2 voting Present.
Additional legislation that may be considered:
H. Res. 1498 – In the matter of allegations relating to Representative Chuck Edwards(Sponsored by Rep. Michael Guest – Ethics Committee): This resolution censures Rep. Chuck Edwards (NC-11) after the House Ethics Committee found he engaged in persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct toward two young female staffers, in violation of House rules on sexual harassment.
House Committee Highlights
A full list of this week’s hearings and markups can be found here. Notable hearings and markups include:
Tuesday Hearings
Countering Houthi Terrorism: Protecting U.S. Interests and Security in the Red Sea (Committee on Foreign Affairs)
Sanctuary Policies, Tragic Consequences (Committee on the Judiciary)
Supporting Working Families: State-Led Child Care Solutions (Committee on Education and Workforce)
Welfare Reform at 30: Restoring the Promise of Work and Personal Responsibility in Federal Welfare Programs (Committee on Ways and Means)
Wednesday Hearings
Less Red Tape, More Opportunity: Unleashing American Workers and Job Creators (Committee on Education and Workforce)
"Subject to the Jurisdiction Thereof": Birthright Citizenship and the Fourteenth Amendment, Part II (Committee on the Judiciary)
No Flame, More Pain: How State and Local Bans on Natural Gas Increase Costs (Committee on Oversight and Government Reform)
Strengthening the American Economy: Promoting Growth, Opportunity, and Prosperity (Committee on Financial Services)
Thursday Hearings
Reliable Water in the Digital Age: Examining Legislation to Strengthen Drinking Water Systems and Protect Ratepayers (Committee on Energy and Commerce)
ISSUES TO WATCH
House moves to punt funding fight past the midterms
The House is poised to take the risk of an October shutdown off the table this week. Leaders plan to bring up the Senate’s bipartisan continuing resolution (CR) under suspension of the rules, a fast-track process requiring a two-thirds majority, after the bill sailed through the Senate 90–6. If the CR clears, it would keep the government funded through December 11 and push the broader appropriations fight safely past the midterms. With the Trump administration also backing the measure, passage appears all but certain. That's despite Democrats securing language that would temporarily block the administration's proposed overhaul of federal grant rules. More contentious may be the CR's delay of a forthcoming ban on THC-infused hemp products, a fight that's split lawmakers and industry for months.
Once the CR is out of the way, the question becomes how long the House sticks around. Members are currently scheduled to return after next week’s recess for three more weeks of votes, but speculation is already building that leadership could cut that schedule short. With few other major bills ready to move and lawmakers eager to get back on the campaign trail, this week could wind up being less of a return to Washington than a very brief layover.
Unrig the Rules: What to Watch Ahead of a CR Vote (We Build Progress)
Letter Demanding OMB Rescind Rule Giving President Sweeping Power to Politicize Federal Grants (Senate Democrats)
Changes to the Statutory Definition of Hemp and Implications for Agricultural Policy (Congressional Research Service)
Mail-voting restrictions remain in legal limbo
The Trump administration’s push to rewrite mail-voting rules is back on hold. A federal judge temporarily blocked key parts of a new U.S. Postal Service rule that would impose federal requirements on how states send and process mail ballots, including new envelope, barcode, registration and voter-list requirements. The ruling came just days after the Supreme Court lifted an earlier block on narrow procedural grounds, without deciding whether the administration’s plan is legal.
The next major test comes September 3, when the court will consider whether to keep the restrictions blocked through the midterms. Whatever happens is likely to be appealed, potentially sending the fight back to the Supreme Court. With states already preparing to mail ballots, the outcome could determine whether election officials have to overhaul their systems just weeks before voting begins.
What You Need to Know About the USPS Mail Ballot Rule (Voting Rights Lab)
League of Women Voters of Massachusetts v. Trump Case Summary (ACLU)
Analyzing the President’s Executive Order on Mail Voting (Brennan Center)
What’s next in the legal battles over Trump’s attack on mail voting (Democracy Docket)
What We’re Reading
The Trump Administration’s Middle East Quagmire: Six Months Into the War in Iran (Center for American Progress)
Meet the Megadonors Who Have Poured $1.2 Billion Into the Midterms (New York Times)
The Dangerous Summer of Food Recalls (The Nation)
Health Care Reform Needs More Than Universal Coverage (The American Prospect)
The Social Security benefit cliff is here. Washington is struggling to wake up (Politico)
Police Are Spending Opioid Settlement Funds on Flock Cameras (Mother Jones)
Nuclear regulator prepares to abandon a decades-old radiation safety rule (NPR)
KEY DATES
August 31: House returns from August recess
September: National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month
September 7: Labor Day
September 11:25th Anniversary of the September 11th Attacks
September 14: Senate returns from August Recess
September 14–18: Disability Voting Rights Week
September 15:National Voter Registration Day
September 15–October 15: Hispanic Heritage Month
September 17: Constitution Day
September 18: International Equal Pay Day
September 21: International Day of Peace
September 30: Fiscal Year Ends
Were you forwarded this email? Subscribe to the DC Download to get weekly updates on what’s happening on the Hill, including progressive analysis and tools. If you have any comments or suggestions for future DC Downloads, please email info@progressivecaucuscenter.org.