Congress reconvenes before midterms sprint with AI, defense and farm bills unfinished
Congress returns to Washington for a brief session, the House for one week and the Senate for three, before both chambers head back to the campaign trail until mid-November. Lawmakers have funded the government only through December 11, deferring the annual appropriations fight, and have made no progress on the defense policy bill, the long-delayed farm bill, or AI guardrails.
Speaker Mike Johnson said he wants tech executives to help set the balance on AI regulation, warning against a moratorium that could let China 'overlap' the U.S., while Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer called for classified briefings on AI risk and accused the administration of looking the other way. A possible third reconciliation package requires a Senate budget resolution that shows no sign of materializing this month.
President Trump's push for nationwide voter ID and registration requirements also lacks the votes to pass. How much gets done afterward depends heavily on the midterm results, with a divided outcome seen as the likeliest path to any deal-making in the lame-duck session.
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