Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell suggested Wednesday Congress will pass a short-term spending resolution to avoid a government shutdown. 

Lawmakers in the upper chamber are slated to return to Washington from their summer recess Tuesday and will have to hustle to either advance a dozen federal spending measures before the end of the month or produce a continuing resolution that will keep money flowing to the government.

“I think we will end up with a short-term [continuing] resolution probably into December as we struggle to figure out exactly what the government’s spending level is gonna be next year,” the Kentucky Republican said, while describing the upcoming spending fight and possibility of a shutdown as a “pretty big mess.” 

The Senate’s spending recommendations are at odds with demands by the House Freedom Caucus, that include spending cuts and securing the southern border. Read Full Story

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House Republicans are eyeing ways to target the investigations into former President Donald Trump, with at least one lawmaker hoping to use the annual appropriations process to defund prosecutions when Congress returns to Washington next month. 

Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., announced Monday he would introduce a pair of amendments to prohibit funding from being used for the prosecution of any major presidential candidate ahead of the 2024 election. 

“Americans’ hard-earned tax dollars have no place funding the radical Left’s nefarious election interference efforts,” Clyde said in a statement. Read Full Story

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The House Freedom Caucus said Monday its members will vote against any “clean” short-term spending bill, putting the squeeze on House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to keep the government open before the fiscal year ends Sept. 30.

The conservative group said it would oppose any spending measure that fails to address security at the southern border, the weaponization of the Justice Department and FBI, woke policies in the Pentagon, and “any measure that continues Democrats’ bloated COVID-era spending.” 

The Freedom Caucus says the 12 annual appropriations bills still under debate are the appropriate vehicle to pass conservative priorities. Read Full Story

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