Congress returns for a bleak fall session – Roll Call

Podcasts

Congress returns for a bleak fall session

CQ on Congress, Episode 168

Congress is due to return from August recess on Sept. 9. (Photo By Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

By Katherine Tully-McManus, Micaela Rodríguez, Niels Lesniewski, Shawn Zeller and Toula Vlahou

Posted September 6, 2019 at 11:05am

CQ on Congress looks ahead at the fall congressional session with CQ Roll Call reporters Katherine Tully-McManus and Niels Lesniewski. Spoiler alert: The prospects for major legislation aren’t bright. Then, Scot Schraufnagel, the chair of the political science department at Northern Illinois University and an expert on congressional productivity, explains why this Congress isn’t doing much.

[jwp-video n=”1″]

Subscribe to this podcast below

Recent Stories

Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., the ranking member on the House Appropriations Committee, raised the issue of cuts to medical research during the panel's June markup of the fiscal 2027 Defense spending bill. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call file photo)

Defense funding to research troops’ brain injuries shrank since 2025

Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is seen on the House steps in June. This month he’ll be treading familiar ground as he tries again on some priorities.

This week: Graham’s death, McConnell’s recovery add to drama

The office of Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., on Sunday afternoon sent this photo of he and his wife, Elaine Chao. Submitted by the office of Sen. Mitch McConnell (Submitted by the office of Sen. Mitch McConnell)

After weeks of questions, McConnell provides information on health

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., talks with reporters outside the Capitol on Sept. 11, 2025.

Graham’s death upends primary season further

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., conducts a Senate Budget Committee confirmation hearing on Tuesday, June 16, 2026.

Lindsey Graham, defense hawk and four-term senator, dead at 71

Campaign workers erect signs before a Graham Platner event in Portland, Maine, on June 7. Now the state party is scrambling to find a replacement.

Race for Platner alternative takes shape