September on Capitol Hill will be dominated by the partisan clash over government funding and a possible shutdown.
But there’s also other legislation lawmakers are hoping can be taken up if the funding fight doesn’t poison the chances for any bipartisan action before year’s end.
Topping that list are the must-pass FY2026 defense authorization bill. There are also proposals to regulate college sports and an effort to rein in pharmacy benefit managers.
Yet the caustic politics of a shutdown could cause problems for these bills in several ways. One is simply whether there’s any chance for bipartisanship amid a shutdown fight. Then there’s the question of what – if anything – can be attached to the one or more continuing resolutions that will be needed in the fall to keep federal agencies open.
Here’s what to watch for beyond the government-funding showdown:
NDAA. The Senate will vote on its version of the National Defense Authorization Act when the chamber comes back on Sept. 2. The House hasn’t scheduled a floor vote for its version of the NDAA but will likely take it up in early September, according to an aide familiar with the legislation.
As in most years, the House and Senate differ on topline defense spending figures. The Senate’s version provides nearly $925 billion, a rebuke of the Trump administration’s $893 billion funding request. The House stuck to the White House proposal.
Congress has enacted the NDAA for 64 years straight. Both the House and Senate proposals received major bipartisan votes in their respective Armed Services committees. The NDAA will also become an attractive vehicle for other legislative priorities, but panel leaders will insist any policy hitching a ride on their bill won’t cost them votes in either chamber.
Bipartisan health package. Senate Republicans are trying to craft a bipartisan health deal centered around changes to pharmacy benefit managers.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have been working for years to pass PBM price transparency measures but have frequently seen their plans foiled. Senate Finance Committee Chair Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) said PBM legislation is a top priority for end-of-year negotiations.
Yet it’s unclear how willing Democrats will be to make a PBM deal after the GOP’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” made major cuts to Medicaid.
College sports. House Republicans have been steadily pushing forward the SCORE Act – legislation that would help regulate college sports and how student athletes are compensated.
The bill cleared two key committees – House Energy and Commerce and Education and Workforce – before the August recess, and its supporters hope it will see House floor action in the fall with the college football season in full swing.
“With August recess ending and students coming back to campus, it’s time for the House to pass this bipartisan bill to protect Name, Image, and Likeness rights for student-athletes and stabilize college athletics,” House Education and Workforce Committee Chair Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) said in a statement.
While the legislation has support from some House Democrats, some Senate Democrats are more skeptical. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) has opposed the legislation, and the bill would need Senate Democrats to get on board for a chance of it becoming law this year.
