What's on Congress' to-do list before its seven-week recess?
Congress has a looming to-do list and less than two weeks left before it breaks for the rest of the summer.
This week, House Republicans plan to offer a broad legislative package to combat terrorism as well as a bill that addresses the nation's mental health system in the wake of the June 12 Orlando shooting.
Both Democrats and Republicans want to approve funding to fight the Zika virus as summer -- and mosquito season -- kicks into high gear and the Olympic games approach, but the parties are deeply divided over how much to allocate.
To fight the opioid epidemic, the House and Senate hope to reach an agreement that merges their separate proposals that each chamber passed earlier this year.
However, with only nine days left in session before recessing for seven weeks, it's unlikely Congress will have time to tackle every priority. Once lawmakers return in September, they'll also have until Sept. 30 to pass a government funding package for the next fiscal year.
Terrorism & Guns
In response to the Orlando attack, GOP leaders plan to bring a legislative package to the floor that is broadly meant to combat terrorism that will include measures intended to disrupt radicalization and recruitment efforts by groups like the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, announced to his conference last week that the package will include a provision that would prevent suspected terrorists from buying guns. The legislative language has not yet been finalized, but Democrats believe it will be similar to a bill proposed by Sen. Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, that nearly all Senate Democrats opposed and that is backed by the National Rifle Association (NRA).
House Democrats staged a 25-hour sit-in before they recessed for their July 4 break, demanding that their GOP counterparts hold gun control votes, including one that would bar terrorists from buying firearms. A spokesman for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-California, said last week that the GOP's proposal won't be enough.
"House Democrats will keep up our efforts to push for the majority to allow a vote on gun violence legislation, but bringing up a bill authored by the NRA just isn't going to cut it," Drew Hammill said.
Soon after the Orlando attack, the Senate rejected two different proposals on the issue, including Cornyn's, as well as two bills that would address expanding the background check system. A bipartisan compromise that encompassed some of those bills has been offered in the Senate and survived a test vote last month, but it's unclear if it will come up for another vote.
Zika funding
Efforts to fund programs that would fight the Zika virus remain at an impasse on Capitol Hill. President Obama asked Congress in February to approve nearly $2 billion in emergency funding, but Republicans demanded that the administration should first use funds that were already appropriated to fight the Ebola virus. After the administration complied, it continued to ask lawmakers to approve the full request and to replenish the Ebola account.
Each chamber initially passed its own Zika funding bills despite strong Democratic opposition. House and Senate Republicans then reached a bicameral agreement to provide $1.1 billion in Zika funding, offset with $750 million in spending cuts. Senate Democrats blocked the legislation that contains that provision last week. It also included other policy riders such as one that would limit funding to Planned Parenthood.
Despite calls by the administration to urgently pass Zika funding, Congress likely won't deal with the issue until after the peak of summer when it returns after Labor Day.
Opioid epidemic response
House and Senate lawmakers are expected to meet this week to try to forge a compromise that would address the nation's opioid crisis -- covering heroin and painkiller abuse.
Like Zika funding, both chambers passed their separate bills on the issue earlier this year, but senators have criticized the House for not having a broad enough proposal. While Democrats overwhelmingly backed the House bill, Democrats in both chambers are already vowing to oppose any agreement that doesn't authorize funding.
In a letter to House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton, R-Michigan, Democrats said they want Congress to approve the president's $920 million request to help states provide opioid treatment to their residents and said they are willing to agree to offsets in exchange. Neither of the original bills from the House or Senate contained extra funding.
Pelosi said in a statement Tuesday that Congress "has a moral responsibility" to provide communities with the resources to fight opioid addiction. She praised Democrats and Republicans for working together on authorizing some of the funding but then went on to criticize Republicans, who, she said, "have recklessly obstructed the new resources that are essential to save lives."
Mental health reform
Rep. Tim Murphy, R-Pennsylvania, has been waiting for three years to see a vote on his bill to reform the nation's mental health system. He introduced the measure in 2013, after the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School. It was reported out of committee last month and a number of Republicans have pushed the legislation after mass shootings over the last few years, including the attack last December in San Bernardino. The House will vote on his bill this week.
But it's unclear whether Murphy's measure would satisfy Democrats in the Senate even if it passes the House. While many Democrats agree mental health needs to be addressed, many also say it's not the only answer to reducing gun violence.
FAA reauthorization
Congress has until next Friday to extend funding for the Federal Aviation Administration. Some of the bill's provisions could address drone regulations as well as airport security and lawmakers are currently engaged in negotiations over whether to authorize an extension through the end of 2017.
It's likely that lawmakers will meet this deadline before they leave Washington. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-California, has already announced possible consideration of an FAA extension this week.
