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The House returns to session this week for a brief three-day work period before recessing again for Labor Day. Both chambers are scheduled to return September 14 for a three-week session, followed by another extended recess expected to run through the midterm elections. 

The abbreviated calendar comes as Congress faces a substantial legislative backlog. As noted before the summer recess, the 119th Congress has produced only 104 laws so far—well behind the pace of its modern predecessors. By comparison, the already historically low-output 118th Congress enacted 274 laws over its two-year term.

With limited legislative days remaining, members of Congress face a long list of unfinished business. 

  • The farm bill remains stalled in the Senate Agriculture Committee after a procedural vote failed earlier this month. The House passed its version in the spring, and additional agricultural assistance could potentially be included in another reconciliation package.
  • Election legislation is also likely to generate friction. Conservative lawmakers continue to push for a vote on the SAVE America Act, which would establish federal voter-identification requirements. The House approved the measure in February, but it stalled in the Senate during the spring. Senate Majority Leader Thune has indicated that the bill currently lacks the votes needed to advance. Democrats are expected to seek additional election safeguards, including measures addressing voting access and election administration.
  • The annual defense authorization and spending legislation is another unresolved priority. Although the House passed its version in July, Senate Democrats blocked a procedural vote needed to move the measure forward, leaving negotiations between the chambers unresolved.
  • Congress also faces the unresolved status of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which allows U.S. intelligence agencies to conduct certain warrantless surveillance of foreign targets. The authority remains lapsed after legislation extending it failed in the House in June. Negotiations over a renewal continue.
  • Transportation and government funding present additional deadlines. The current surface transportation authorization expires September 30, but a comprehensive replacement is unlikely to clear Congress before then. The House transportation bill has cleared committee but has not advanced to the floor, while the Senate has yet to introduce its own comprehensive legislation. A Senate Appropriations proposal would extend expiring transportation programs and government funding through December 11, an approach that could ultimately be incorporated into a short-term spending bill.
  • Health care could also emerge as an end-of-year legislative package. Some lawmakers are discussing legislation that could address Medicare physician payments, funding for rural health care and community health centers, and health-care price transparency.