At the beginning of September, the average American will have roughly 80 working days left in the year. Congress will work fewer than half of them.
The House of Representatives is scheduled to be in session for just 35 days between Sept. 1 and Dec. 31, while the Senate is expected to be in session for only 29 days.
Most lawmakers’ time outside Washington will be spent on the campaign trail in October and early November. Maintaining a governing majority is valuable work and requires winning elections by speaking to voters.
But Republicans have no guarantee that they will hold both chambers of Congress post-November. The party in power has traditionally struggled to keep its majority in midterm elections.
The 120th Congress could bring a continued GOP majority, but the remaining days of the 119th Congress are the only sure chance Republicans have to continue governing as a trifecta.
Congress should return to the nation’s capital this September with clear goals in mind and a plan to meet them before the October recess. Congressional members’ accomplishments, not the calendar, should dictate when or if they leave town.
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They can’t rely on the lame-duck period between Congresses to save them. Such sessions rarely yield positive legislative outcomes, and most members, especially those about to retire, feel little motivation to pass impactful bills. September will be the last productive session of the 119th Congress.
Fortunately, the House enters September with momentum from a productive summer of committee activity. Several key conservative bills are up for a vote, and GOP members and committees have ensured each piece of legislation is ready to go.
That work starts where Republicans have spent years drawing clear contrasts with the radical Left.
Rep. Bob Onder’s, R-Mo., Chloe Cole Act empowers families to seek justice against the gender industrial complex targeting minors for sex-rejecting procedures, while Rep. Jodey Arrington’s, R-Texas, Title IX Clarification Act defines sex in Title IX to protect women’s sports from activist judges.
Border security presents another opportunity to contrast sane Republican policy with Democrat madness.
Congress must codify the Trump administration’s border security fixes to ensure that the Biden border crisis cannot be inflicted on Americans again. Rep. Chip Roy’s, R-Texas, Permanent Trump Secure Border Act would do just that.
Though immigration and pro-biology policies are Republicans’ bread-and-butter issues, the GOP has an opportunity to promote legislation not normally thought of as part of the conservative agenda.
Leftist claims that conservatives hate the planet fall flat in the face of Rep. Bruce Westerman’s, R-Ark., Great American Outdoors Act 250. The bill codifies a foreign visitors fee to restore America’s national parks by ending the backlog of deferred maintenance wrecking America’s natural heritage.
Likewise, accusations that Republicans have no plan to dismantle the Department of Education are countered by House Education and the Workforce Chairman Tim Walberg’s, R-Mich., “Less Bureaucracy, Better Education” package. The package would send key functions like special education, childcare, and loan-making functions to departments better suited to do the job.
House Republicans’ most essential mission prior to the October recess is to show voters what Republican governance looks like when Congress can act. Protecting children and women’s sports, securing the border, conserving America’s public lands, and returning federal programs to agencies capable of administering them effectively are just a smattering of wins the House GOP can present.
The Senate has its own responsibilities this September, beginning with reconciliation and election integrity measures. Passing the SAVE America Act remains the ultimate goal, but budget reconciliation allows the Senate to skirt the 60-vote filibuster and pass as many of SAVE America’s election integrity provisions as possible.
Beyond reconciliation, Senate Republicans should use September to take up tough votes for vulnerable Senate Democrats already passed by the House.
The Stop Child Care Scams Act, led by Sen. Ashley Moody, R-Fla., would impose new oversight requirements on federal childcare dollars to catch fraud before it occurs. And the Stop Insider Trading Act from Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., prevents members of Congress from profiting off their insider knowledge.
Both bills passed the House with bipartisan support, meaning Senate Democrats who refuse to support them will be forced to explain to voters why they oppose common-sense anti-fraud and fairness regulations.
Republicans will soon spend weeks asking voters to send them back to Washington. September gives them the chance to convince voters they should. Republicans can return home in October with a record to tout, but it requires will.
September is short. The opportunity in front of them may be shorter. Anything less than an energetic September sprint would be a missed opportunity.
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