US House returns to vote on stopgap funding, Russia sanctions and ethics censure
US House returns to vote on a stopgap funding bill to avert a shutdown, alongside Russia sanctions and an ethics censure recommendation.
House lawmakers are back in Washington after a five-week recess, with a short but consequential agenda. The immediate priority is a stopgap spending bill to keep the federal government funded through early December, a move that would remove the threat of a shutdown before the November midterm elections.
The Senate passed the funding measure by a wide margin, and House leaders are expected to bring it to the floor early this week. The bill includes several changes made in the Senate that have broadened its appeal, including a delay to a proposed rule on federal grant distribution and restrictions on transferring funds to the Border Patrol. However, a provision delaying a federal ban on intoxicating hemp THC products has drawn criticism from some Republicans, prompting leaders to use a fast-track process that requires a two-thirds majority for passage.
Beyond the funding bill, Republicans are expected to push a resolution condemning socialism, part of an effort to tie Democratic candidates to the democratic socialist wing of the party. Lawmakers may also take up a Senate-passed bill imposing sanctions on key sectors of the Russian economy and granting the president authority to impose tariffs on countries that buy the majority of Russian oil and gas. The bill, which passed the Senate 86-11, is designed to cut revenue for Moscow's war in Ukraine. Some House Democrats oppose the measure over concerns about the sweeping tariff powers it grants, and no vote is scheduled this week.
The House will also consider a recommendation from its Ethics Committee to censure Representative Chuck Edwards of North Carolina. The committee found that Edwards engaged in persistent unprofessional conduct toward two young female aides, including lavish gifts, comments on their appearance, and invitations to intimate dinners and vacations. Edwards disputes the findings, arguing that individual actions were misinterpreted and that no evidence of sexual activity or explicit propositions was found. He has already dropped his reelection plans. A censure vote would register the House's formal disapproval without expelling him from office.