Congress is back from recess this week and they have a lot to do. The big issue is funding the government. The House and Senate have different numbers and they need to work out a deal for the fiscal year. Also on the agenda is a vote on a bill from GOP Rep. Tim Burchett that would prohibit members of Congress, their spouses and dependent children from trading individual stocks. It is a bipartisan bill that has support from Colorado lawmakers, including Crow and Pettersen.
Meanwhile, Senate Republican leaders are preparing to keep pushing the House-passed measure that would fund the government for seven weeks and doesn’t include extraneous policy provisions. They believe they will eventually force Democrats to capitulate as the public voices their outrage over a shutdown and federal employees get furloughed. President Trump, on the other hand, says he thinks we’ll probably have a shutdown and suggested that he may use a funding lapse to make “irreversible” cuts to programs that are important to Democrats.