Shutdown clock ticks with Trump set to address Congress

The shutdown clock is ticking on Capitol Hill as lawmakers look to fund the government by the looming March 14 deadline, an effort that has thus far been unsuccessful as the two parties trade blame over who is responsible for the delay.

“We are working hard to do our responsibility to keep the government open,” Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday.

The scramble to keep the lights on in Washington — which is expected to pick up in urgency this week — comes as President Trump is set to deliver his first major speech before Congress, an address that is taking place amid a moment of high polarization sparked by some of the president’s controversial efforts and comments related to domestic and foreign policy issues.

The president's speech is scheduled to begin on Tuesday at around 9 p.m.

On the Senate side, the upper chamber is poised to confirm Linda McMahon to be the next secretary of Education, as Trump looks to dismantle the department. And the Senate is set to vote on legislation that seeks to bar transgender athletes from participating in girls’ and womens’ sports.

The race to fund the government

The top focus on Capitol Hill this week will be funding the government and averting a shutdown, as lawmakers race the clock to keep the lights on in Washington before the March 14 deadline.

The plan to achieve that goal remains unclear.

During an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday, Johnson said he wants to pass a clean continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government through the end of September — which would keep funding levels flat for the remainder of the fiscal year — an idea Trump endorsed last week.

The comments from the Speaker reflect the reality of the situation: With little time left before the deadline and no bipartisan deal in sight, lawmakers will have to look to move a stopgap rather than the 12 appropriations bills that are typically used to fund the government. The CR will have to be bipartisan, since Republicans have a slim majority in the House and the Senate GOP conference needs at least 60 votes to clear such a measure in the upper chamber.

The Speaker, however, said Democrats “to this point shown no interest in finding a reasonable solution for that,” continuing the partisan back-and-forth that has plagued the government funding talks for weeks. Johnson said “Democrats have to help negotiate this.”

Democrats have been pushing for assurances in government funding legislation that Trump will properly direct the funds appropriated by Congress.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), meanwhile, rejected Johnson’s characterization of the current situation. In a statement later in the day on Sunday, the Democratic leader accused Republicans of walking away from the government funding talks.

“House Democrats are committed to funding the government in a manner that promotes the economic well-being, health and safety of everyday Americans,” Jeffries said. “The top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, Rosa DeLauro, remains ready, willing and able to talk with our Republican colleagues, but there has been zero outreach from the Trump administration and House Republicans have walked away from the negotiating table.”

“Unfortunately, it appears that Republicans, who control the House, the Senate and the presidency, are once again determined to shut the government down and hurt everyday Americans,” he added.

Aside from Democrats, Johnson is also facing heat from some Republicans, with at least two of his members voicing concerns with passing a CR at this juncture.

“I am a NO on the CR. Congress needs to do its job and pass a conservative budget! CR’s are code for Continued Rubberstamp of fraud, waste, and abuse,” Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) wrote on X Sunday morning.

Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) argued on X that a CR “is bad for our military and weakens our national security,” a thought that defense hawks have raised in the past.

“A CR means new weapons programs cannot get started. A year-long CR means we are not serious about building a military that will deter China, Russia and Iran,” he added.

Johnson’s idea of a clean, full-year CR is also likely to face opposition from some hardline conservatives who are pushing for cuts made by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), overseen by Elon Musk, to be included in the eventual government funding bill.

Johnson on Sunday suggested that Congress would look to codify those slashes in the next fiscal year.

“The exciting thing is FY26, the budgeting, where we will actually be able to change the way this is done and incorporate all the extraordinary savings that DOGE is uncovering through fraud, waste, and abuse, the other revenues that President Trump is bringing about because of his policies with the tariffs and otherwise,” Johnson said on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures." “It's going to be a totally different ball game for fiscal year FY26. And we are very excited to get to that point.”

Trump to deliver address to Congress

Trump is scheduled to deliver an address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, marking his first major speech since being sworn in for his second term in January,

Johnson invited Trump to deliver the address shortly after Inauguration Day, offering the president the opportunity “to share your America First vision for our legislative future.”

This year’s speech, scheduled to begin in the House chamber around 9 p.m., is set to take place during a divisive moment in Washington — between the two parties and within the GOP.

The address is occurring just days after the contentious meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office, which prompted criticism from scores of Democrats and even some Republicans.

Additionally, Democrats are still up in arms over actions taken by DOGE to drastically decrease the size and scope of the federal government, especially as some Republicans push to include those slashes in the upcoming government funding bill.

And within the GOP, Republicans are still at odds over how to advance Trump’s legislative agenda. After both chambers adopted budget resolutions last month, leaders are still working to reconcile the two strategies and chart a path forward for enacting border funding, energy policy and tax cuts. And several disagreements remain about particulars in the eventual Trump agenda legislation, including the depth of spending cuts and whether or not it should increase the debt limit, among other areas.

During his appearance on Fox News’s “Sunday Morning Futures,” Johnson said he expects “fireworks in a great way” during Tuesday’s speech.

“President Trump is coming in, a triumphant return to Congress to address us as the president once again. And in the first month of office, he has accomplished so much that it could fill three hours. I suspect he will speak in a shorter time frame than that. But, Maria, there's so much to relay,” Johnson said.

Senate poised to confirm Trump’s Education secretary

The Senate this week will consider Linda McMahon’s nomination to be Education secretary, as the upper chamber continues churning through Trump’s Cabinet picks.

The Senate is slated to vote on McMahon’s confirmation Monday evening. Her nomination advanced in a party-line 51-47 vote last week.

McMahon’s likely confirmation offers an interesting dynamic, since she is slated to run a department that Trump has said he wants to do away with — a plan that the nominee has said she agrees with.

“President Trump believes that the bureaucracy in Washington should be abolished so that we can return education to the states, where it belongs,” McMahon wrote in response to questions asked by Sens. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). “I wholeheartedly support and agree with this mission.”

Aside from McMahon’s impending confirmation, chatter will likely abound this week about former Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer’s (R-Ore.) nomination to be secretary of Labor. Chavez-DeRemer advanced out of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee in a 13-9 vote last week after three Democratic senators threw their support behind her.

Sens. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) and Tim Kaine (D-Va.) voted for Chavez-DeRemer, giving her the support needed to move out of committee despite Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) voting against her. Chavez-DeRemer came under scrutiny by some Republicans for her previous support of the PRO Act, which would help strengthen unions’ ability to organize.

It remains unclear when Chavez-DeRemer’s nomination will come to the floor for a final confirmation vote.

Senate to vote on transgender athletes bill

The Senate this week is also set to consider the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, which would bar transgender athletes from taking part in girls’ and womens’ sports.

The chamber will hold a procedural vote for the measure Monday night, kicking off the process.

Senate consideration comes nearly two months after the House approved the legislation in a largely party-line 218-206 vote. Two Democrats joined all Republicans in voting “yes,” and one Democrat voted “present.”

It remains unclear if the measure will garner enough Democratic support to reach 60 votes and pass through the Senate. If it does, however, it would head to Trump’s desk and likely be signed into law.

In addition to preventing transgender athletes from playing on girls’ and womens’ sports teams, the legislation directs the Department of Justice to take immediate action against schools and athletic groups that allow transgender students to play on sports teams that align with their gender identity.

It also seeks to amend Title IX to forbid schools from letting transgender students take part in athletic events “designated for women or girls.”

Consideration of the measure comes after Republicans leaned into the issue of transgender rights on the campaign trail. An ad with the tagline “Kamala is for they/them, President Trump is for you,” for example, ran in support of Trump’s campaign.

“As a father of two female athletes, I know that young women deserve a level playing field when competing in sports. I look forward to bringing @SenTuberville’s Protection of Women & Girls in Sports Act to the floor next week,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) wrote on X last week.

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