John,
It has been a hot and stormy summer, politically and otherwise.
A socialist mayoral candidate in New York. A redistricting war spreading nationwide. And every day brings a new unprecedented move from the Trump administration. Lately, it seems like the nation’s partisan divisions have hardened into something more militant and unyielding.
Against this backdrop, Congress left town for its August recess, leaving behind a swirl of uncertainty.
First and foremost: Yet another government funding showdown is looming, with only 20 working days remaining before the new fiscal year on October 1.
So far, the twelve annual appropriations bills are inching forward, with Senator Susan Collins leading the way to secure as much bipartisan support as possible.
But she faces an uphill climb: Congress has not managed to pass all of these bills on time in almost three decades, instead relying on more than 130 different “continuing resolutions” that extend the previous year’s funding levels until a longer-term deal can be struck.
Ultimately, House and Senate leaders will face a decision yet again of whether to keep the government open. Behind the scenes, Democrats are signaling a posture of “fight, fight, fight.”
Last week, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries sent a letter to their Republican counterparts pledging to fight for the “15 million Americans [who] will now lose their health care.”
They are referring to provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill that will make future changes to Medicaid, including adding work requirements, hinting that undoing some of these changes may be a Democratic condition for keeping the government open.
Republican leaders in the House, meanwhile, have shown little willingness to work with Democrats on funding, preferring a go-it-alone strategy that leaves little room for compromise.
Here is the crucial point: Nobody knows what will happen next because, in this moment, there is no trust between the leaders who must get this done.
Fixing this is exactly why No Labels exists. We are the only movement focused on building trust between members of Congress so they can solve problems together.
As you know, No Labels convenes members of Congress in both private, off-the-record sessions and public bicameral meetings. Our first public bicameral in June was a major success, attended by 31 members of Congress and viewed by thousands of citizens. Our next one is scheduled for September 11 at 8:30 AM ET, and we need your help to make it even more successful.
We are asking you to do two things:
