When members of Congress return from recess this week, they will face challenges in their efforts to effect legislative change.
The GOP is attempting to codify President Donald Trump’s ambitious agenda with narrow majorities in the House and Senate, all while a growing faction of Democrats is pushing for leadership to resist Trump even more.
The following are some of the major issues and hurdles ahead.
Budget Reconciliation
Coming off of a win on passing a stopgap budget bill to avoid a federal government shutdown, Republicans will now turn to the budget reconciliation—a parliamentary process that will determine whether Republicans can extend Trump’s expiring 2017 tax cuts and provide funding for border security and defense, and also facilitate the production of natural gas.
Republicans now face the difficult task of balancing each other’s priorities in…
