As Congress returned Tuesday after an extended August recess, Republican leaders expressed optimism they would be able to avoid a government shutdown.
But there’s still a host of issues to work out between both parties and both chambers. And Congress left for the summer break on a highly contentious note, and there’s little appetite among rank-and-file lawmakers for getting anything done on a bipartisan basis.
This year, Trump looms large. His attempts to claw back congressionally appropriated funds via rescissions, which his administration first did successfully in July, is playing into concerns from Democrats that working across the aisle is pointless if Republicans and Trump can cut back later on.