LEILA FADEL, HOST:
The House of Representatives is back in town for one week.
A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
They've just spent five weeks back in their districts. The main item on the docket now? Fund the government.
FADEL: NPR congressional reporter Eric McDaniel is in studio to share more. Hi, Eric.
ERIC MCDANIEL, BYLINE: Hey. Good morning.
FADEL: So how does Congress plan to keep funding the government?
MCDANIEL: Well, right now, as we talk, the deadline for funding - government funding to lapse is at the end of September, but the vote this week would be a stopgap measure funding the government through December that would avoid a shutdown during the midterm elections, Leila, which - I don't have to tell you - is apparently a bipartisan wish at this point. And it's already passed the Senate, so the House vote this week is more or less a final step before it heads to the president's desk for a signature.
FADEL: I imagine this is an easy thing for Trump to get behind too.
MCDANIEL: Yeah. The White House actually put out an official document stating as much, a statement of administration policy. It said the stopgap would prevent, quote, "another dangerous shutdown that harms hard-working families and forces federal employees to go without pay," end quote. It also said that the president opposes another, quote, "futile government shutdown." And it's just worth remembering here, we've already seen two record-setting federal government shutdowns in the second Trump administration.
FADEL: What else are you watching?
MCDANIEL: The House also might vote on this censure resolution, essentially a condemnation vote. It's targeted at Chuck Edwards, a North Carolina Republican. The House Ethics Committee previously recommended this step after finding that Edwards may have created or fostered a hostile work environment and engaged in sexual harassment, all in violation of House rules. Edwards dropped his reelection bid already, but he's lobbying his colleagues against this measure.
We've also seen a number of House ethics scandals this term. Two Democrats and one Republican have resigned their seats. Democrat Eric Swalwell and Republican Tony Gonzales were involved in sexual misconduct scandals. Democrat Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick is facing federal fraud charges. And there are more cases too. I'll say, all of the folks I've mentioned deny wrongdoing.
FADEL: Not much time left before midterm voting starts. How does that play into the dynamics on Capitol Hill right now?
MCDANIEL: Yeah. I'm watching Republican campaign trail messaging, right? They're in a tough spot across the board. Americans are and have been upset about the cost of living, making it hard for Republicans to tout their legislative wins from last year, including changing rules for taxes on tips and creating tax-advantaged investment accounts for kids - not something that directly, you know, addresses the ways people are feeling pinched. The GOP has largely focused on the attack, characterizing their Democratic opponents as communists. And Republicans really have a lot of structural forces against them. The president's party nearly always loses seats in the midterms, particularly with a president this unpopular in the White House, and they really only have a tiny slice of seats to spare in order to hold on to their majority.
FADEL: Is there anything structural that favors Republicans?
MCDANIEL: Well, they did come out slightly ahead in the mid-decade redistricting fight kicked off last year by the president. You might remember he asked the state of Texas...
FADEL: Right.
MCDANIEL: ...To draw more safe seats, and that kicked off a fight across the country. They have a few more safe seats than the last time they were on the ballot, but with the headwinds they're facing, it's not really much of a cushion. I'm still waiting to see if they can find any affirmative message that breaks through with voters. Right now, the Republicans I've talked to in Congress say, you know, they're still looking.
FADEL: That's NPR congressional reporter Eric McDaniel. Thank you, Eric.
MCDANIEL: Thank you, Leila. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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