It’s Homecoming Week for Congress, Here’s What Republicans COULD Do:

The House of Representatives returns to Washington on Monday for its first week back after a monthlong recess spent campaigning in members’ districts. From crucial spending packages to the SAVE America Act, denouncing socialism, combating transgender ideology, and securing the border, Republicans have a lot to accomplish ahead of the November midterms when they could possibly lose the majority.

The Senate left the House with a new version of a bipartisan continuing resolution. House Speaker Mike Johnson must pass it to fund the government through Dec. 11, which is after the midterms.

While the Senate stayed in town, taking its last vote early on a Saturday morning, it did not leave the House with any Senate-passed SAVE America language. Military spending, Pentagon funding, and the SAVE America language have all been passed by the House and will have to wait until the Senate returns later in September.

But while they wait, there are multiple pieces of Republican-backed legislation they could pass.

Denouncing Socialism and DSA

The House is set to bring forward a resolution condemning and denouncing socialism in all forms and affirming support for secure elections. With the rise of Democratic Socialists of America candidates and the fracturing of the Democratic Party, this resolution could see bipartisan support in the House. 

The resolution, which will have to go through the Rules Committee before appearing on the floor for debate, cites the failures of socialism, including famine and mass murder, leading to “the killing of over 100,000,000 people worldwide,” and states that “the State of New Jersey registered nearly 6,600 noncitizens to vote, with reportedly hundreds successfully voting in elections.” 

If passed, it would denounce the DSA and socialist policies, reaffirm support for secure elections and that American elections are for American citizens only, and call for the enactment of voter ID and proof-of-citizenship requirements to close loopholes that allow noncitizens to vote in elections. 

Combating Transgender Ideology

The Chloe Cole Act has been written and sponsored by numerous Republican members across both chambers. The legislation would prohibit prescribing puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and gender-related surgeries for anyone under age 18. It would also create a legal path for families to seek financial damages for harm caused by what proponents call gender-affirming care. Just before recess, it passed a key committee stage and is ready to go to the full House for consideration.

If passed, Congress would be codifying President Donald Trump’s executive order, “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation,” which calls for “a private right of action for children and the parents of children whose healthy body parts have been damaged by medical professionals practicing chemical and surgical mutilation.”

The Title IX Clarification Act, introduced by Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, would help eliminate transgender ideology by clarifying that Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is based on sex rather than identified gender, similar to the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, which seeks to amend Title IX to require the same.

Securing the Border

Late in July, House Freedom Caucus members made a deal with Johnson and were allowed to mark up the Permanent Trump Secure Border Act, which would do exactly that. It passed out of the Judiciary Committee; however, Johnson has not yet scheduled a vote on it.

Introduced by Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, it would permanently secure the border, even after Trump leaves office. Regardless of which party wins the majority, Roy is on a deadline to pass this legislation. Having run and lost the Texas attorney general race, he is leaving Washington in January when his term ends.

Reforming Education

The Less Bureaucracy, Better Education package is another goal Republicans could implement before the midterms. The legislation would carry out President Trump’s plan to shut down the Department of Education, which he says has been failing students and educators, by streamlining education programs and transferring their responsibilities to other agencies.

Introduced by Education and Workforce Committee Chairman Tim Walberg, R-Mich., the 10 bills would transfer statutory authority from the Department of Education to other agencies, including the Labor Department, the Department of Health and Human Services, the State Department, and the Interior Department.

“Washington has prioritized ballooning bureaucracy over effective education policy for too long,” Heritage Foundation and Heritage Action President Dr. Kevin Roberts said in the announcement. “The result was a parasitic Department of Education growing larger and more expensive while student outcomes stagnated. House Republicans are now taking an important step toward excising these bureaucratic leeches by putting students, parents, and taxpayers first.”