Senate Republicans put off the most challenging part of President Donald Trump’s agenda until mid-September — just ahead of the midterms, when legislating becomes increasingly difficult.
Nevertheless, that’s when Senate Majority Leader John Thune will try to consider bipartisan bills on cryptocurrency regulation and college sports, and possibly take the next step in a party-line spending bill that could include voter ID language.
None of that will be easy, as Democrats press for stricter presidential ethics protections in the crypto bill, a significant number of Republicans try to amend the college sports legislation, and Thune struggles to muster the 50 votes to pass a budget resolution, which will be necessary if Republicans want to approve a third party-line spending bill this Congress.
Further complicating the fall schedule, the House still must sign off on the Senate’s bill funding the government through Dec. 11.