Congress is already past its legislative equivalent of the Dog Days of August, with both the House and Senate likely to be out of session for most of August. The government’s fiscal year expires at 11:59:59 p.m. ET on September 30, and lawmakers from both sides of the aisle want to rush home in the fall to campaign before the midterms.

Legislative Priorities

House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., wants to advance a few spending bills across the floor before the recess. The House has already approved two of the 12 bills: one for military construction and veterans programs, and the other for agriculture. The House is poised to approve the Energy and Water spending bill next week, as well as one for national security initiatives.

Republicans would like to approve the annual defense funding measure soon, which consumes well over half of all discretionary spending. However, the Senate is another question, with Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Susan Collins, R-Maine, canceling planned sessions to craft multiple spending bills over the past few weeks due to lack of cooperation from Democrats.

Government Shutdown Looms

A lengthy government shutdown is a distinct possibility, given the record 43-day comprehensive government shutdown last year. Democrats may view a government shutdown as a way to campaign and bog down everything in Washington. The question is whether lawmakers will stay in Washington for the month of October and try to figure things out when they’d rather be in their districts and states campaigning.

Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.