By Lindsey McPherson (The Washington Times)
The House returns Monday from its summer recess prepared to pass a government funding bill four weeks ahead of the Sept. 30 deadline.
The chamber will vote on a Senate-passed stopgap bill to extend current spending levels and policies through Dec. 11, with some adjustments for priority programs.
The bill punts major spending decisions until after the November midterm elections, reflecting a bipartisan desire to avoid another shutdown fight before voters head to the polls.
The stopgap, also called a continuing resolution or CR, is being brought to the House floor under a fast-track process called suspension of the rules, which requires a two-thirds majority vote for passage.
“President Trump strongly opposes another futile government shutdown,” the White House said in a statement of administration policy backing the bill. “Every member of Congress should support passage of this CR to keep the government open as discussions on full-year appropriations continue.”
Also on the House agenda for the week of its return is a bill to block federal funding for colleges that participate in boycotts of Israel.
Republicans are also teeing up a messaging vote on a nonbinding resolution condemning socialism, including the Democratic Socialists of America, and calling for enactment of the SAVE America Act to prevent noncitizens from voting.
The House may vote on a resolution censuring North Carolina GOP Rep. Chuck Edwards for sexual harassment.
The Ethics Committee issued a report on Aug. 3 finding that Mr. Edwards “engaged in persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct towards two young female staffers.”
“While Representative Edwards denied that any of his conduct was intended as a sexual or romantic advance, his pattern of behavior would lead a reasonable observer to interpret it as such, including providing the young women with lavish and recurrent gifts, making comments regarding their appearance and dress, inviting them to intimate dinners and vacations, sending notes regarding his effusive affection, and inviting them to other activities as a way to spend time together,” the committee report said.
Mr. Edwards sent a letter to colleagues this week disagreeing with those findings and detailing his concerns with the Ethics Committee’s investigation.
“Sexual harassment is a serious offense. One that deserves to be defined clearly, investigated fairly, and established by evidence — not inference or speculation,” Mr. Edwards said. “I unequivocally reject the Ethics Committee’s findings and its conclusion that I engaged in sexual harassment.”
The Ethics Committee announced when releasing the report detailing its findings against Mr. Edwards that it would bring a privileged censure resolution to the floor for a House vote.
The committee declined to comment on when the vote will take place.
The effort to censure Mr. Edwards comes amid a broader crackdown on sexual misconduct in Congress after the resignations earlier this year of Reps. Eric Swalwell, California Democrat, and Tony Gonzales, Texas Republican.
Mr. Swalwell denied allegations that he raped a former staffer and engaged in other sexual misconduct. Mr. Gonzales admitted to having an affair with one of his aides who later died by self-immolation.
The chairs of the Republican and Democratic women’s caucuses, Reps. Kat Cammack of Florida and Teresa Leger Fernández, have been leading negotiations to overhaul House procedures for reporting, investigating and punishing sexual misconduct.
The negotiations are in the final stage, and the chairs expect to have recommendations ready for the House to consider sometime in September, according to two sources familiar with the negotiations.
One of the basic concepts that has emerged in the negotiations is the need to provide a one-stop shop for House staffers to seek help in reporting misconduct.
Some House offices have already begun implementing ideas floated in the negotiations, including providing trauma-informed training to staff who serve as an initial point of contact for individuals reporting misconduct, according to a source.
This article was made available to WMAL via The Washington Times.
