Playtime's Over

With the election looming closer, there is some uncertainty around what the Senate will accomplish once back from recess on September 9th. Here’s the current outlook for September, as we know it:

What we know will happen:

• Session will kick off Monday with the swearing in of New Jersey’s Senator-designate George Helmy, replacing former Sen. Bob Menendez after conviction on charges he sold the power of his office to three favor-seeking businessmen.

• Scheduled votes on judicial nominations.

What we think could happen: 

• With the fiscal year ending on September 30th, Congress needs to prevent a government shutdown. We expect to see public negotiating on government funding until a bipartisan agreement is reached between the House and Senate.

• The House has yet to release its September agenda, but funding the government is likely to be a priority. Speaker Mike Johnson is currently considering a partisan bill that would fund the government just through March, paired with a bill that would require proof of citizenship to register to vote. But that would be DOA in the Democrat-controlled Senate.

• Appropriators hope to pass bipartisan bills to authorize more government spending before the end of the year.

• The speaker may also put bills on the floor aimed at China, Israel and antisemitism.

In their most recent election update, FGS Global’s Insights team evaluates the latest in voter sentiments. Looking at polling by demographic group, they found Harris still has room to catch up to Biden’s 2020 coalition:

• White, college graduates have swung more towards Harris than they did Biden in 2020.

• But Harris still has ground to make up among voters of color, younger voters and women. Although polling is getting better among these groups, it’s not yet at Biden’s peak in 2020. 

• Harris and Trump do equally well among independents. Biden had the advantage among independents in 2020. 

Meanwhile, insights from the FGS Global Battleground Community show swing state independents have very different views on the VP picks. 

Although they like that Vance is younger, he seems untrustworthy: 

• “I don’t know a lot yet other than he’s young. But he does seem like an underwhelming pick.”  – Pennsylvania Independent 

• “He’s the kind of person who feels that poverty is a character flaw.” – Georgia Independent

• “He’s a total suck-up. A few years ago, he compared Trump to Hitler, and now he can’t say enough good about him. Which is it?” – Wisconsin Independent

Waltz on the other hand, strikes independents as a more relatable, affable person:

• “I’m not crazy about some of his policies, but I don’t think he’s dangerous to democracy like the other guys are.” – Georgia Independent 

• “I think he’s straightforward and a hard worker. He’s just a likable guy.” – Pennsylvania Independent 

• “He can relate to the common man. Just a good guy from the Midwest. And I like his military experience.” – Wisconsin Independent

In a landmark decision, a U.S. federal judge has ruled Google violated antitrust law by spending billions of dollars to maintain an illegal monopoly on search functions. The decision marks a significant victory for the Justice Department in its efforts to curb Big Tech's market power and could have far-reaching implications for the industry.

The case centered on Google's payments, exceeding $26 billion in 2021, for anti-competitive agreements with carriers, browser developers and device manufacturers (particularly Apple) that cemented the company’s position as the default search engine. 

By challenging the business model of one of the world's most influential companies, this decision sets a precedent for future antitrust actions against tech giants. The case also highlights growing concerns about monopolistic practices in the digital economy and the need for more robust regulation. As the case continues, the outcome could reshape the competitive landscape of online search and digital advertising.

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