Less than a month remains before the US Congress returns on Tuesday to carry out one of its primary duties, which has been difficult for it to fulfill in recent years: maintaining funding for federal agencies and preventing a partial government shutdown.
The first year of President Donald Trump’s new administration has exacerbated the chamber’s partisan divisions. The administration has angered Democratic lawmakers by refusing to spend some money that was previously approved under bipartisan agreements and by passing a tax-cut bill in July that nonpartisan analysts said could result in over 10 million low-income Americans losing their health insurance.
Anticipated conflicts will further complicate lawmakers’ efforts to reach a consensus on the approximately $1.8 trillion in discretionary spending in the $7 trillion federal budget.
