Congress will return to possible government shutdown showdown

Congress returns Monday and will only have a few weeks to avoid a government shutdown — which could be complicated by legislation related to federal elections.

Members of the House and Senate have been back in their districts for much of the summer, campaigning ahead of the November election. But when lawmakers come back into session next week, they’ll face a Sept. 30 deadline to pass a short-term spending bill to keep the government up and running.

House Speaker Mike Johnson has...