House returns to Washington as GOP moves to avert shutdown
The House is returning from its August recess, with Republican leadership aiming to pass a government funding bill to extend funding beyond the midterm elections.Additionally, the House plans to vote on a resolution condemning socialism, highlighting concerns about the Democratic Socialists of America ahead of the November elections.The Senate previously passed a bipartisan funding measure providing funding through December 11, which includes provisions such as delaying a ban on hemp-derived products like gummies and vapes sold at gas stations-a move opposed by some GOP members who argue these products are akin to marijuana and are unregulated.House Speaker Mike Johnson intends to bring the legislation to the floor under a suspension of rules, requiring a two-thirds majority. The White House has shown interest in delaying the hemp product ban, which could benefit individuals linked to governance officials, though the White House denies involvement. Progress on a third budget reconciliation bill is unlikely this week, as the Senate has yet to pass its own budget framework.
The House returns from its monthlong August recess on Monday, with Republican leadership looking to usher through a spending bill to fund the government beyond the midterm elections.
The lower chamber is also expected to vote on a resolution to condemn and denounce “socialism in all its forms,” specifically pointing to the surge the Democratic Socialists of America have seen in the 2026 elections. GOP leadership wants to put Democrats on the record on socialism ahead of the November elections, a source confirmed to the Washington Examiner. The Rules Committee is set to consider the resolution on Monday.
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GOP leadership is aiming to vote on the Senate-passed funding bill on Tuesday, a source familiar with the matter told the Washington Examiner. A second source described the continuing resolution as the House’s “main focus” as it returns to session.
The Senate passed the funding patch earlier this month after the House had left Washington for its monthlong district work period, making this week the first opportunity for GOP leadership to put the legislation on the floor.
The Senate measure, which would fund the government through Dec. 11, was approved in a bipartisan 90-6 vote. The Senate’s continuing resolution included a provision to temporarily bar the Trump administration from finalizing a plan to give political appointees control of approving federal grants.
Also within the Senate’s funding patch is a provision delaying a ban on hemp-derived products such as gummies and vapes sold at gas stations, which is likely to stir condemnation from some GOP members. The provision has been criticized by opponents as providing easy access for minors at common stores such as gas stations.
House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris (R-MD) has signaled his opposition to the provision, telling a Baltimore-based Fox affiliate in an Aug. 18 interview that the “gas station weed” sold in stores shouldn’t fall under the hemp category.
“They are not hemp, they are basically marijuana,” Harris said. “They are completely unregulated … and it’s a failure of the federal government to adequately regulate it. And I’m trying to put an end to that.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is expected to put the legislation on the floor under a suspension of the rules, an expedited procedure that requires a two-thirds majority for passage that gives House GOP leaders an avenue to advance legislation they cannot pass under a party-line procedural rule.
Still, the White House has signaled interest in seeing the ban pushed back, with Vice President JD Vance venturing to the Senate earlier this month to lobby for the provision to delay the ban for hemp-derived THC products attached to the government funding bill, as Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC) sought to strip it from the legislation entirely. Budd’s amendment was ultimately rejected by the Senate.
HOUSE WILL VOTE TO DENOUNCE SOCIALISM
A delay would likely benefit the son-in-law of White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, who runs a company that manufactures and distributes hemp-derived products. The White House has denied any involvement from Wiles.
The House is not expected to make progress on a third reconciliation bill, as the Senate, which is out of town till Sept. 14, has yet to pass its own budgetary framework for the party-line spending bill.
Ramsey Touchberry contributed to this report.
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