House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) will once again have his work cut out for him corraling his razor-thin GOP majority in order to pass more of what party voters and President Trump want now that the House is back in session.
The House returned to Washington on Monday with a major government funding vote at the top of the agenda as lawmakers confront a narrow Republican majority and renewed disputes over spending and border policy.
After a five-week recess, members came back to Capitol Hill with a short-term spending measure among their most immediate priorities.
Government funding is currently set to expire Sept. 30, raising the prospect of a shutdown if Congress cannot reach an agreement.
House Republican leaders planned to move quickly on the stopgap bill under a procedure requiring a two-thirds majority for passage.
The Senate approved a bipartisan measure in early August that would extend government funding through Dec. 11, while the House had previously passed a Republican-backed proposal that would run through Dec. 4.
Although the two measures differ by only one week, the disagreement illustrates how even relatively small differences can complicate negotiations over federal spending.
Democrats have also raised objections over funding for Customs and Border Protection, arguing that the House approach could give the Trump administration greater flexibility to shift money toward Border Patrol operations.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., the ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, warned that the absence of a specific restriction could “allow the Trump administration to move funds allotted to the rest of Customs and Border Protection to Border Patrol.”
The dispute underscores how immigration and border security remain central points of contention even during broader negotiations over keeping the government funded.
With the Sept. 30 funding deadline approaching, lawmakers face a limited window to reach an agreement before federal agencies could be forced into a partial shutdown.
The timetable is further compressed by the House calendar, which includes another weeklong break around Labor Day, leaving lawmakers with fewer legislative days to resolve their differences.
At the same time, the balance of power in the House is set to tighten. Democrats are expected to add two members following recent special elections.
Aisha Wahab won the Aug. 18 special election to succeed former Rep. Eric Swalwell in California, while Everton Blair won the Aug. 25 contest for the Georgia seat previously held by former Rep. David Scott.
Once both are sworn in, the House is expected to stand at 219 Republicans and 214 Democrats, further narrowing the GOP’s already slim majority.
That margin gives Republican leaders little room for defections on closely divided votes.
Six Democrats supported the House funding measure in July, but future legislation could prove more difficult as both parties confront tighter vote counts.
This comes as the midterms are quickly approaching.
The Senate Leadership Fund, a powerful Republican super PAC aligned with Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota, says it and its affiliated groups have raised more than $500 million ahead of the 2026 elections, giving Republicans a record-setting financial arsenal as they fight to preserve their Senate majority.
The fundraising haul represents more money than any previous Senate-focused political effort, according to SLF. The organization alone has already committed more than $350 million to supporting Republican candidates across the Senate battlefield.
Republicans enter the midterms facing the traditional political headwinds confronting a president’s party, which historically tends to lose congressional seats during midterm elections.
But GOP groups have spent months building an enormous financial advantage designed to counter those pressures and force Democrats to defend races across an increasingly expensive Senate map.
SLF is already targeting critical contests in states including Alaska, Iowa, Maine, Michigan and North Carolina, while pouring additional resources into other battlegrounds as Republicans seek not only to protect their majority but potentially expand it.
“Thanks to Leader John Thune and our generous investors, Senate Leadership Fund and its affiliated groups have raised more resources than any other Senate effort in history,” SLF Executive Director Alex Latcham said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
Meanwhile, Democrats are having difficulties raising money.
The Democratic National Committee has even been forced to use its headquarters building as collateral for a $15 million loan over the summer.
