Congress descends into ‘circular firing squad’

Key Points:

• The Republican Party, led by President Trump, is primarily focused on avoiding a government shutdown before the midterm elections, as internal tensions and legislative gridlock threaten their congressional majorities.
• Republicans are struggling to pass a government funding bill with two months left before the deadline, facing skepticism about bipartisan cooperation from Democrats and the challenge of overcoming the Senate filibuster.
• The House has passed several bills, including funding, defense, and voter ID legislation, but Senate Republicans are hesitant to advance these measures, partly due to a lack of votes and Democratic opposition.
• Senate Majority Leader John Thune is under pressure from Trump and GOP hardliners to abolish the filibuster and pass the voter ID bill, but many senators see the issue as a math problem and doubt its feasibility before the midterms.
• Bipartisan efforts on issues like Russia sanctions, college sports, and cryptocurrency are stalling, while Democrats express cautious openness to funding talks but prioritize other goals, such as ending unauthorized wars.