Senators prepare for tumultuous return to Washington after recess.

Senate Returns from Recess to Tackle Debt Ceiling and Political Dynamics

Lawmakers and party leadership will be forced to grapple with the debt ceiling’s ticking time bomb and a host of shifting political dynamics when the Senate returns from its May recess on Tuesday.

As the Senate returns from its May recess, it faces a ticking time bomb in the form of the debt ceiling and a host of shifting political dynamics. The bill that House negotiators brokered with the White House to end the debt limit impasse is top of mind for the Senate. The legislation is expected to head for a vote in the lower chamber on Wednesday, putting pressure on the upper chamber to consider it in short order.

Debt Ceiling Frenzy

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has told his members to prepare for a vote on Friday, three days before the so-called “X-date” in which Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has projected the government will run out of cash to meet all of its obligations on time. However, some Republican members are already souring on the measure. Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) threatened to “use every procedural tool at my disposal to impede a debt-ceiling deal that doesn’t contain substantial spending and budgetary reforms.”

The text of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 dropped late Sunday evening, meaning many members are likely parsing through it. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has urged his members to back the bipartisan deal, but opponents could deploy legislative tools to bog down the process. Looming over the debt ceiling deal is Yellen’s June 5 deadline. Should the Senate fumble the debt limit deal, it could be detrimental to the economy, given the risks of a default. Nevertheless, with a melange of rank-and-file members as well as top leaders such as McConnell on board, there is optimism the deal will squeak by.

Permitting Reform

Throughout the first two years of President Joe Biden’s administration, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) often served as the linchpin vote with the power to scuttle big-ticket priorities for his party. But one objective he had was permitting reform. Last year, after Manchin signed on to the Inflation Reduction Act, a move he later expressed regret over, his team claimed that he secured “commitment from Leader Schumer, Speaker Pelosi, and President Biden to pass this comprehensive permitting reform package.”

Many progressives dissented over the reform, and Congress did not pass the full scope of what he sought. But now, Manchin appears to be getting some of what he wanted on that front in the debt ceiling deal. Notably, the deal also includes a provision to expedite the completion of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, something that Manchin has also advocated. McCarthy revealed Sunday that Republicans are seeking to hash out further reforms to the permitting process in the future.

Dianne Feinstein

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) made her return to the upper chamber earlier this month after taking medical leave following a case of shingles. It was later revealed that infection caused complications such as encephalitis, an inflation of the brain that can trigger paralysis on part of her face, per the New York Times. Feinstein’s prolonged absence hampered Democratic efforts to ram controversial judicial picks through the Senate Judiciary Committee. At 89 years old, Feinstein is the oldest member of either chamber in Congress.

Whispers of consternation about her age grew louder during her time away from the Senate. But recently, they were further fueled by reports that she became deeply confused at times, including once when Vice President Kamala Harris presided over a tiebreaker vote. Recently, she raised eyebrows when she denied a reporter’s assertion that she was absent from the Senate for roughly three months. Feinstein is expected to return to the Senate in the shadow of some of those recent revelations.

Tim Scott

Senators are famous for looking in the mirror and seeing a president. In contrast with past presidential election cycles, only one, Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), is running for the White House thus far. Scott announced his bid last week, further tying 2024 presidential politics to the upper chamber.