GOP lawmakers are punting major fights — including government funding, money for the war with Iran and the extension of expanded surveillance authorities — until after the November election, setting up a bloated lame-duck agenda that will be difficult to get done by Christmas. The House on Tuesday overwhelmingly passed a bill to fund…
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Congress punts priorities, Russia sanctions bill dies again, Trump impeachment looks inevitable, bond market jitters balloon the agenda
The receipts stack up: Congress punts its agenda until after the election, the Russia sanctions bill dies again in the House, a third Trump impeachment looks inevitable, and bond market jitters balloon the pile. The mechanism is the pile-up: nothing moves while the stakes grow. The agenda is ballooning because priorities are punted; the Russia sanctions bill croaks again because the House roadblocks are built for it. Impeachment hangs over Trump like a raincoat on a hook—always ready, never worn. The bond market shakes the table, but the agenda stays put. The stakes are whether the delay delivers relief or just more risk. The column’s ledger shows that the bill is coming due, but the clock is running out. The receipts are in the pile, and the outcome is in the delay. The fold is the punchline: the agenda balloons while the priorities stall, and the bill waits behind the door.
“It’s a pile-up: Congress punts the big stuff after Election Day, the Russia sanctions bill croaks again, and impeachment’s hanging over Trump while the bond market shakes the table. It’s all on hold, but the stakes grow every minute. Somebody’s running out the clock, but the bill is coming due.”
“Congress is just making sure to get things right—did I say 'punting'?—it’s about taking the time to address priorities properly, and sometimes the bond market, well, that’s just noise. The Russia sanctions bill is complicated, and impeachment, that’s not really inevitable, depending on who you ask. Did I mention deliberation? I should have.”
The receipts
Turbulence in the bond markets, fueled primarily by rising anxiety about government debt, is creating one more headwind for President Trump and the GOP as they move toward challenging midterm elections. Bond yields ticked up again on Tuesday, with the yield on the U.S. Treasury 10-year note hitting its highest point since January 2025.
The Senate-passed Russia sanctions bill honoring the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has quickly run into roadblocks in the House, facing opposition from Democrats and little urgency from GOP leaders. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) hasn’t signaled any intention to bring the bill to the floor in the lower chamber's first few days back…
As the final primaries wrap up and we head into the full gale of the general election campaign season, the consensus is that Republicans are all but certain to lose their very narrow House majority. If you ask Nate Silver and his team, they’ll say there’s an 86 percent chance of Democratic control with the...
This page is a back-issue: the story as it ran, receipts as they were. The current edition is at the front.