Congress is back. What’s on the agenda?

Congress is returning to Washington with less than a month to avoid a government shutdown. They have to pass 12 spending bills but don’t have enough time, so party leaders, like Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, expect to pass a short term bill to keep the government open while they negotiate a permanent solution for all of next year. 

But there’s more happening on Capitol Hill that has flown under the radar. 

First, the House Foreign Affairs Committee continues to investigate the 2021 military withdrawal from Afghanistan. Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, wants to interview nine current and former senior state department officials. He has set a deadline of September 7 to get those interviews scheduled. 

The committee held a hearing with gold star families on the anniversary of the August 26, 2021 terror attack at the Kabul International Airport. 13 military servicemembers and 170 Afghan civilians died in the attack.  

“This was an unmitigated disaster of epic proportions and I will not rest until the American people receive the transparency and answers they deserve,” Chairman McCaul said in a statement. “The committee will continue to interview additional current and former administration officials involved in the planning and execution of the withdrawal.”

There’s also growing calls for an impeachment inquiry into President Biden. In fact, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., is reportedly demanding a vote on opening an inquiry to coincide with a vote on a short term government funding bill. 

Multiple outlets are reporting the White House is preparing for an impeachment inquiry. NBC News wrote that the White House stood up what’s being described as a war room with two dozen attorneys, legislative aides and public relations staffers who are tasked with mounting the Biden administration’s response. 

But as of now, there’s no word that an impeachment inquiry, or a vote to open one, is imminent.