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Trick or Treat: Congress faces ‘chamber of horrors’ as government funding deadline looms
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It was mid-July. And the House of Representatives was already done for the summer.
That’s right around the same time Halloween decorations like gigantic yard skeletons and Reese’s peanut butter and chocolate pumpkins began materializing in stores.
Those weren’t phantasms. Halloween is the next big consumer holiday on the calendar.
I mean, what would you buy to decorate for Labor Day?
But there’s a spooky alignment between July and Halloween when it comes to Congress. If you begin to see Halloween paraphernalia in July, that’s practically October in Capitol Hill terms. The reason? Congress didn’t finish its annual spending bills before the annual August recess and that means it will be a sprint to finish them by October 1, the deadline to avoid a government shutdown.
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Right around the same time that the rest of the nation starts thinking about ghosts and goblins for Halloween.
The funding deadline is enough to convert the U.S. Capitol into a chamber of horrors for the entire month of September. Congress is always dragging to complete spending measures in July. Then August comes and concerns about the spending bills vanish like a ghost. Then the appropriations bills rise like mummies out of their coffins when Congress comes back in September. The battle over averting a government shutdown is like a vampire. It sucks most other legislative activity out of Congress until there’s a deal. That’s because most Members want no part of a government shutdown. Lawmakers from both sides know that government funding is one of the most important inflection points on the political calendar.
Let’s examine where we stand with government funding.
Congress approved a stopgap spending bill to avert a government shutdown in March. That interim spending package funded the government through September 30, the end of the federal fiscal year. The House approved the bill. But lawmakers worried about a potential government shutdown because breaking a filibuster on the measure required 60 votes. That entailed support of some Democrats since Republicans only have 53 votes in the Senate.
U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) delivers a statement on the Israeli museum shooting that left two Israeli Embassy staffers dead after holding a press conference on the House passage of the tax and spending bill, at the U.S. Capitol on May 22, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
At the last minute, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., announced he would help Republicans crack the filibuster. Schumer didn’t vote yes on the bill itself. But the New York Democrat argued that avoiding a shutdown at that point was better than enduring one under President Trump – and Elon Musk who was then fully empowered at DOGE.
Some longtime Capitol Hill hands and Congressional observers feared the government might shutter for a lengthy period if it closed. Schumer and other Democrats asserted that the President and Musk would use that as justification for never re-opening some parts of the government since they lacked funding from Congress.
Progressives excoriated Schumer for not extracting a major concession from President Trump and Congressional Republicans which reflected Democratic values and priorities. Liberals used Schumer’s decision as justification to demand new Democratic leadership in the Senate. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., appeared to seethe at Schumer’s maneuver, sidestepping questions from reporters about the break.
White House Budget Director Russ Vought says he wants a less bipartisan appropriations process. That’s fine. But this is about the math. House Republicans must stick together to pass any spending package there. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., can only lose three votes and still pass a bill without Democratic assistance. Likewise, Senate Republicans can only lose three votes there, too. But the real hurdle is the filibuster. That’s where 60 votes are necessary. And that means the GOP must lean on Democrats – assuming they’re willing to help out.
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It’s really unclear if Republicans can stick together to approve a spending package. Keep in mind that it’s almost a certainty that any spending measure must simply renew all current funding on a temporary basis. A lot of Republicans are fed up with this appropriations rut – especially since Johnson promised to do things differently once he claimed the Speaker’s gavel in October 2023. Remember that some conservatives helped bounce former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., less than two years ago because he propounded an interim spending plan.
Some Republicans are beginning to lose patience with Johnson on spending plans. But remember that most Republicans will support whatever appropriations plan the GOP brass concocts – as long as it has the blessing of President Trump.
U.S. House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) (L) talks to Rep.-elect Matt Gaetz (R-FL) in the House Chamber after Gaetz voted present during the fourth day of voting for Speaker of the House at the U.S. Capitol Building on January 06, 2023 in Washington, DC. ( Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
So Vought may advocate for a more partisan process. But that won’t result in policy achievements and GOP spending priorities unless Republicans convince Democrats to play ball.
Here’s another dynamic: some members of the conservative Freedom Caucus are hinting they simply want to re-up the current levels of funding again. Yes, lawmakers approved those spending plans under President Biden and a Democratic Senate. Therefore, much of the federal government is still operating under Democratic spending blueprints. But Democrats would demand more money for the next spending round. The same with some Republicans. So voting to renew the old money – regardless of who pushed for it – is less than Congress could have spent. That’s why some Freedom Caucus members suggest this would serve as a de facto spending cut.
They’re not wrong. Federal spending is almost always on an upward trajectory. This would level things off and bend the annual spending curve for the first time in decades.
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So, if your goal is to trim funding, this may be the most plausible option under the present political circumstances.
Remember, it’s about the math.
Moreover, Republicans have only approved a pittance of the funding cuts demanded by DOGE. Congress passed a bill to slash $9 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and foreign aid. That’s not a lot. And Republicans could barely approve that bill. How they rescind other funding remains to be seen. However, Republicans could greenlight all the old money – and then promise budget hawks they will attempt to claw back other tranches of spending through future recissions packages later in the fall or winter.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, arrives to speak to members of the media at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, July 17, 2025. Republicans are set to succeed in their decades-long quest to end federal funding for public broadcasting after the Senate passed a $9 billion package of cuts derived from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency effort. Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
But Democrats won’t go for that. They’d view that as Republicans dropping a Hershey’s bar in their trick or treat bag – and then exchanging it for a rock.
It’s unclear if Democrats have explored soaping the Republicans’ windows at the Capitol this fall if Republicans attempt that gambit. But this could be a chance to find out.
That brings us to the conundrum facing Schumer. One might question how the politics have changed since March – although President Trump and Musk are no longer in league with one another. But progressives will expect Schumer to demand a king’s ransom in exchange for Democratic votes breaking a filibuster.
In other words, both Johnson and Schumer face decisions of frightening proportions very soon.
It may seem as though October 1 is a long way down the calendar. It’s not. To ignore how complicated this may become is the legislative equivalent of whistling past the graveyard.
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This is going to become a rather spooky fall when it comes to funding the government.
Makes you want to just sit in the corner, pull a blanket up over your head and devour a bag of Halloween candy.
republicans,budget,democrats,politics,congress,mike johnson,donald trump
INTERNACIONAL
Imágenes satelitales muestran cómo el régimen de Irán reconstruye las plantas nucleares bombardeadas en la Guerra de los 12 días
Imágenes satelitales recientes muestran nuevos techos en dos instalaciones nucleares iraníes después de que fueran atacadas por Estados Unidos en junio del año pasado.
Las fotografías satelitales tomadas por Planet Labs PBC muestran estructuras reconstruidas sobre edificios previamente destruidos en los sitios nucleares de Natanz e Isfahan.
Estados Unidos atacó las instalaciones nucleares iraníes de Fordow, Isfahan y Natanz en junio de 2025, durante una guerra de 12 días entre Israel e Irán que paralizó las negociaciones nucleares entre Washington y Teherán.
Desde entonces, Teherán ha afirmado que su trabajo de enriquecimiento de uranio se ha detenido, pero las tensiones siguen siendo altas en medio de un despliegue militar de la Marina estadounidense cerca de Irán, tras una violenta represión contra manifestaciones antigubernamentales el mes pasado.
Las imágenes satelitales del 21 de junio de 2025 mostraban edificios destruidos en el sitio nuclear de Isfahan. Nuevas fotografías tomadas el 1 de febrero de 2026 revelan que se ha construido un nuevo techo sobre las estructuras previamente dañadas.
De manera similar, en Natanz, las imágenes del 17 de junio de 2025 mostraban instalaciones destruidas, mientras que las fotografías del 30 de enero de 2026 evidencian la construcción de nuevos techos sobre los edificios afectados.
El presidente estadounidense Donald Trump, quien se abstuvo de cumplir las amenazas de intervenir durante la represión de las protestas, ha exigido desde entonces que Teherán haga concesiones nucleares y envió una flotilla a su costa.
Trump dijo la semana pasada que Irán estaba “hablando en serio”, mientras que el principal funcionario de seguridad de Teherán, Ali Larijani, afirmó que se están realizando los arreglos para negociaciones.
El presidente iraní Masud Pezeshkian ordenó este lunes la apertura de conversaciones con Estados Unidos sobre el programa nuclear de la República Islámica, después de que Trump se mostrara optimista sobre un acuerdo para evitar una intervención militar.
El ejército estadounidense ha trasladado el portaviones USS Abraham Lincoln y varios destructores con misiles guiados a Oriente Medio, intensificando la presión sobre Irán.
Estados Unidos exige que Irán renuncie por completo al enriquecimiento de uranio, algo a lo que Teherán se niega, alegando su derecho en virtud del Tratado de No Proliferación Nuclear, del que es signatario.
El ministro de Relaciones Exteriores iraní, Abbas Araghchi, dijo el domingo que Irán está “totalmente de acuerdo” con el rechazo de Trump a las armas nucleares. “Por supuesto, a cambio, esperamos un levantamiento de las sanciones”, añadió.
Las conversaciones previas entre Araghchi y el enviado especial de Trump, Steve Witkoff, se estancaron en la cuestión del enriquecimiento de uranio antes de la guerra de junio.
Países occidentales sospechan que la República Islámica pretende dotarse del arma atómica, algo que Teherán desmiente categóricamente.
Mientras tanto, Turquía está intentando organizar una reunión entre Witkoff y funcionarios iraníes para iniciar conversaciones que alivien la amenaza de una acción militar estadounidense contra la República Islámica, según dos funcionarios turcos.
La presión sobre Teherán se ha intensificado desde principios de enero, tras la feroz represión de una oleada de protestas que sacudió al país. Según la ONG Human Rights Activists News Agency, con sede en Estados Unidos, la represión dejó al menos 6.842 muertos confirmados, en su mayoría manifestantes.
La Unión Europea respondió a la represión designando al Cuerpo de la Guardia Revolucionaria Islámica como organización terrorista, lo que provocó que Irán convocara a todos los embajadores de la UE para protestar.
Irán ha advertido que cualquier ataque estadounidense conduciría a una “guerra regional”, según declaró el líder supremo, el ayatolá Alí Khamenei.
International,Relations,Diplomacy / Foreign Policy,Middle East
INTERNACIONAL
Education experts warn Mamdani plan could gut NYC gifted programs, hurt low-income students
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Socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has outlined plans to scale back the city’s Gifted and Talented program, prompting some education experts to warn that doing so could deprive high-achieving students, particularly those from low-income families, of critical academic opportunities.
Recent media reports indicate that Mamdani, who took office in January, intends to end the city’s Gifted and Talented program for kindergarten students and delay entry until third grade, a move critics argue would amount to a major weakening of accelerated learning options in the nation’s largest school district.
The plan is drawing sharp criticism from Defending Education, a national education watchdog group that previously fought, and won, a years-long legal battle to preserve New York’s gifted programs after it was argued that the admissions system had discriminatory effects and reinforced racial inequities in education.
«The Court of Appeals rightly concluded that the role of the judiciary is not to make education policy,» Sarah Parshall Perry, vice president and legal fellow at Defending Education, told Fox News Digital, adding that the program complied with state education law and equal protection requirements.
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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani plans to end the city’s Gifted and Talented program for kindergarten students and delay entry until third grade. (Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
But Perry warned that Mamdani’s policy agenda could undo what the courts upheld.
«As we suspected he might, newly minted democratic socialist mayor Zohran Mamdani — himself, a product of expensive private schools — has pledged to shut down the gifted and talented program, despite the fact that it has helped countless students from humble backgrounds achieve their full academic potential,» Perry told Fox News Digital.
«Depriving kids of much-needed advanced learning opportunities is not only foolhardy, but it’s also the height of hypocrisy coming from someone who was born into affluence and attended costly private schools. Apparently, Mamdani believes only the privileged should have access to various educational opportunities.»
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Mamdani has argued that early gifted testing contributes to inequities in the school system, though critics counter that dismantling selective programs does little to improve outcomes for struggling students while actively harming high performers.
Paul Runko, senior director of strategic initiatives for K-12 programs at Defending Education, echoed Perry’s concerns, emphasizing the impact such changes could have on working-class families.
«On behalf of parents who simply want the best possible education for their children, Defending Education spent years in court fighting to preserve New York City’s gifted and talented programs against efforts to use the courts to inject race into every aspect of the school system,» Runko said.
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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani was elected in November 2025 and sworn in as the city’s first socialist mayor on Jan. 1, 2026. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
«Those efforts may succeed if Mayor Zohran Mamdani moves forward with eliminating these accelerated learning opportunities,» he warned. «Students, particularly those from lower-income families who benefit from NYC’s gifted and talented programs, deserve opportunities for academic excellence, not a one-size-fits-all approach that could weaken learning for all students.»
Mamdani’s office pushed back on Defending Education’s characterization, telling Fox News Digital that the administration opposes testing five-year-olds for gifted and talented programs but is not eliminating advanced learning opportunities across all grade levels.
Mamdani’s office said the focus is instead on reshaping the public school system to provide «rigorous» instruction for all students, rather than separating children at an early age.
Mamdani faced heated criticism from his opponents in the mayoral race regarding his plans to change the program, as well as from the Washington Post editorial board in October.
«Who could have guessed that Zohran Mamdani (D), the leading candidate to become the next New York mayor, would provoke a firestorm by announcing this week that he intends to phase out the city’s early elementary school programs for gifted students in the name of equity? Parents of bright children want access to schooling that meets their needs?» The Post wrote. «Shocking.»
zohran mamdani,politics,education,campus radicals
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Iran ramps up regional threats as Trump considers talks, and eyewitness accounts of regime violence emerge
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As diplomatic talks between Washington and Tehran gain momentum, Iran has intensified its rhetoric toward the region while continuing a violent crackdown at home, according to analysts and eyewitness accounts obtained by Fox News Digital.
On Sunday and Monday morning, Iran issued fresh warnings that any military strike on its territory would ignite a regional conflict, even as senior Iranian officials signaled a willingness to negotiate. Reuters reported Monday that Tehran is examining the possibility of renewed nuclear talks with the United States, with Turkey emerging as a potential venue and regional mediators, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, playing an active role, after President Donald Trump said he was hopeful a deal could be reached to avert military action against Iran.
U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to arrive in Israel on Tuesday for meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, according to Axios. The publication also reported that Steve Witkoff will meet Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in Istanbul on Friday.
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The state tax building burned during Iran’s protests in Tehran, Jan. 19, 2026. (Majid Asgaripour/West Asia News Agency via Reuters)
The talks are expected to focus on Iran, following Zamir’s weekend visit to Washington, where he held a series of meetings with U.S. defense officials on the Islamic Republic.
Benny Sabti, an Iran expert at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies, told Fox News Digital this pattern is consistent with Tehran’s long-standing strategy.
«This is very typical behavior for the Iranian regime,» Sabti said. He said Iran deliberately escalated threats days ago, warning that if it were attacked, no country in the Middle East would be safe. «They treat the region as if it is being held hostage,» he said, adding that the tactic appears to have worked.
Sabti pointed to the list of mediators now involved. «Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar, all of them went to the United States pushing for talks,» he said. «They are trying to avoid being dragged into the Iranian threat.»
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Iranians attend an anti-government protest in Tehran on Jan. 9, 2026. (UGC via AP)
According to Sabti, Tehran is also projecting mixed messages by design. «There are two voices coming out of Iran,» he said. «On one side, the generals, the IRGC, the military, escalating threats. On the other side, the foreign minister and the president are talking about negotiations.»
On Monday morning, Al Arabiya reported that Iranian news agencies Tasnim and Fars deleted a report that referenced approval for negotiations with the United States.
Sabti said that even Iran’s National Security Council reflects this dual messaging. He noted that a deputy official recently signaled Iran would not yet further advance its enriched uranium, while military officials simultaneously escalated rhetoric. «It is meant to confuse the enemy and to keep the entire Middle East under pressure,» he said.
While Iran’s external posture oscillates between threats and diplomacy, reports from inside the country point to an intensifying crackdown on protesters.
Independent casualty estimates vary widely. The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported that, based on its latest aggregated data, 6,842 people had been confirmed killed by the end of the 36th day of protests. According to HRANA, 6,425 of those killed were recorded as protesters, while 146 were children under the age of 18. An additional 11,280 cases remain under review. HRANA and other opposition-linked groups have warned that the final toll could be significantly higher, with some estimates reaching as high as 30,000 deaths.
Fox News Digital received eyewitness accounts from individuals identified as part of the MEK’s Resistance Units network inside Iran.
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Opposition-linked groups warn that the final death toll could be as high as 30,000. (MAHSA/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images))
One eyewitness from Eslamshahr, a southern district of Tehran, said a group of 27 protesters was fired upon, killing 10. The source said a cousin was killed, another cousin, Melika, 20, was mutilated, and the bodies were buried in a nearby park.
In Lahijan, in northern Gilan Province, an eyewitness said 30 protesters were shot outside the governor’s office on Jan. 8, with seven later dying in the hospital. In Shiraz, a 16-year-old said he was shot with pellet guns in the lips, eye and throat and is now experiencing vision problems.
Another eyewitness from Bandar Abbas in southern Iran said that since Jan. 18, martial law has been imposed, with residents barred from the streets after 4 p.m. local time. The source claimed security forces entered hospitals to remove or kill wounded protesters and that families were allegedly told to pay 10 billion rials, roughly $8,000, to recover the bodies of their children.
Sabti said the renewed diplomacy has also deepened public disillusionment inside Iran.
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Iranian security forces allegedly killed detainees and burned bodies during protests, with clashes continuing in Kermanshah, Rasht and Mashhad despite government claims. (NCRI)
«Many protesters are very disappointed,» he said. «When Trump said on Jan. 13 that ‘help is on its way,’ they believed it. They were very emotional about it. After 47 years, an American president was speaking in support of the Iranian people. But now they interpret his words as helping the regime, not the protesters. The disappointment is very deep.»
Reuters contributed to this report.
iran,world protests,saudi arabia,turkey,israel,donald trump
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