House Democrats also will have to decide whether they want to impeach the president, a topic that will no doubt continue to draw the ire of Trump while shrouding legislative action, making it that much harder to pass any measure.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, however, expressed optimism in a letter to Democratic colleagues last week about the chamber’s ability to accomplish several important matters before the year concludes, and conveyed a sense of urgency to pass a bipartisan measure that would reverse Trump’s decision on Sunday to withdraw all U.S. troops from northern Syria amid new chaos in the Middle East region.
The impeachment inquiry, centered on Trump’s efforts to have a foreign nation investigate a political opponent, will continue to operate under the primary jurisdiction of just three House committees, a move that Democrats insist will permit them the greatest chance of conducting legislative business as usual.
Still, with the ongoing impeachment inquiry consuming much of Capitol Hill’s attention, Congress will likely have the best chances at passing only three pressing issues: a resolution to overturn Trump’s troop withdrawal, a new trade deal with Mexico and Canada known as the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) that would avert a government shutdown by reaching a spending agreement, and a resolution overturning Trump’s troop withdrawal from Syria.
Syrian troop withdrawal
Trump has faced bipartisan condemnation for a shift in his foreign policy to withdraw troops as Turkey conducts a newly launched offensive in the region that critics say abandons U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters and will fuel any remaining ISIS threats.
“Pleased to have a conversation with Senator [Lindsey Graham (R-SC)] this morning. Our first order of business was to agree that we must have a bipartisan, bicameral joint resolution to overturn the President’s dangerous decision in Syria immediately,” Pelosi wrote in a tweet, adding that Congress must also pass a “stronger sanctions package than what the White House is suggesting.”
Several Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), have joined their Democratic counterparts to condemn Trump’s troop withdrawal, another sign that Congress has the potential to pass a veto-proof resolution to reverse the president’s directive.
Shutdown déjà vu
Trump signed a short-term bill last month amid disputes between Republicans and Democrats over funding levels for the military and border security that funds the government at current levels through Nov. 21. Without additional action taken by then, portions of the government will shutter, just as they did during the longest shutdown last year over similar spending disagreements.
Prescription drug costs
Other matters that House Democrats have said is part of their “legislative agenda,” such as gun violence prevention, minimum wage and climate change, remain politically dead in the GOP-controlled Senate.
“During this difficult time, we must continue our strong legislative agenda which is set at the kitchen table of America’s working families,” Pelosi said in her letter.
Despite Trump’s repeated desire to lower the cost of prescription drug prices, a broad initiative unveiled by House Democrats last month remains a toss-up, as the president as stated there is little probability for working with Democrats on large policy proposal as long as they continue investigating him for potential removal from office.
NAFTA 2.0
The USMCA, which would replace the North America Free Trade Agreement known as NAFTA, has yet to be voted on because House Democrats have expressed concerns over Mexican labor laws and the increase in prescription drug prices across the continent. The deal is expected to be greenlighted, but the timing remains unclear. The Mexican president last week pushed Pelosi to approve the new trade deal.
But even as members scramble to address Syria, the USMCA and other issues, the crux of America’s attention will continue to focus on one question: Will the House vote to impeach President Trump?
