INTERVIEW — DAVID DRUCKER — Senior Congressional Correspondent for the Washington Examiner
- Congress Comes Back This Week! What is on the agenda?
- Congress Faces Five Big Issues Following Summer Recess
– Funding Zika Vaccines – Senator Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has set up an evening vote on Tuesday to overcome cloture, a procedural hurdle, which would effectively end floor debate and move the bill for a final vote.
– Tackling Appropriations – September 30 marks the end of the 2016 fiscal year and just happens to be the last day before House members are scheduled to start their month-long fall recess. The Senate’s recess starts a week later.
– Appointing a Supreme Court Nominee – Five months after President Obama nominated him for the Supreme Court, Merrick Garland is still waiting for his Senate hearing.
– Impeaching IRS Commissioner – Members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus will continue their push to impeach Internal Revenue Services Commissioner John Koskinen, a fight that started over a year ago.
– Finally Addressing Gun Control? – House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., piqued interest among Republican and Democrats alike when he announced that his chamber would vote on a counterterrorism bill before Congress left for recess. The bill included a provision that would prevent suspected terrorists from buying guns. Ryan’s effort to pass some form of gun control was viewed as a peace offering to Democrats, who had staged a 25-hour sit-in on the House floor in June.
