Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
Lawmakers are having early discussions about the year-end legislative push, as Congress aims to pass a stopgap funding bill and get out of town before the election.
Why it matters: All eyes are on a handful of must-pass bills — namely the NDAA and an expected December omnibus or CR — that will serve as a vehicle for anything that can get done this Congress.
Driving the news: Committees are scrambling to mark up legislation to prepare it to ride in December and positioning longstanding bills to get added as eventual amendments.
- The AM radio mandate got a House markup this week and new, NDAA-friendly language in the Senate.
- Senate Energy and Natural Resources is also holding a markup next week on the RISEE Act, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse's offshore wind legislation, and likely other bills.
- Senate NDAA negotiators are assembling a bipartisan manager's package of amendments, expected to be released as soon as today, to take into negotiations with the House. Armed Services Chair Jack Reed told Axios that he expects it will include non-defense-related items.
State of play: At this point, it's tough to see anything truly huge, like the Manchin-Barrasso permitting bill, making it into the defense authorization bill.
- The Armed Services committees generally like to keep any additions to their bill bipartisan, with explicit sign-off from the leadership of relevant committees.
- Sen. Joe Manchin told reporters Wednesday that he doesn't know whether it's in the NDAA mix: "Everybody is supportive. I think [we need to] find the right vehicle."
- Manchin said he's had "good conversations" with Rep. Bruce Westerman about his NEPA overhaul proposal, the leading House counterpoint to the Senate bill.
What we're watching: The Good Samaritan mining bill and Sen. Mark Kelly's bill to create NEPA exemptions for CHIPS Act projects are prime year-end add-on candidates.
- Good Sam supporters Nick talked to think they have a very good chance of getting the bill passed, particularly after it got a voice vote markup in House T&I Wednesday.
- Kelly, meanwhile, said he's talking to House lawmakers about the CHIPS bill after they got it nixed from the final NDAA last year.
- "We're working different options," he said. As for whether the House is more open to it this time around: "Depends on the person."
Our thought bubble: The situation with the PROVE IT Act, the bipartisan emissions measurement bill, demonstrates the winding road all this stuff has to take to make it into a deal.
- "To do that, we probably need a hearing in E&C," House sponsor John Curtis told Nick. "We've had lots of those discussions, and so far no hearing."
- Once Congress gets through a CR at the end of the month, "then we'll have a better idea of the time to try to fit it into, say, an omni or something," Senate sponsor Kevin Cramer told Nick.
