The House of Representatives may have gone quiet over the summer break, but the chaos didn’t stop. And now, as Congress returns to Washington, Republicans are walking straight back into the flames they tried to escape — with the Jeffrey Epstein scandal quickly climbing back to the top of the headlines.
Back in July, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) abruptly adjourned the House for recess. The move came just as pressure was mounting over the Trump administration’s stonewalling on Epstein-related documents. At the time, Republicans avoided tough questions. That break is now over. The headlines are back. And this time, there’s nowhere to run.
The reality for congressional Republicans this fall isn’t about pushing an agenda — it’s about political survival.
With a government shutdown looming on October 1, Republicans are in the uncomfortable position of needing Democratic help to get a budget deal passed. Despite controlling both chambers, they’ve failed to pass next year’s appropriations. Meanwhile, the national debt continues to balloon, and the clock is ticking.
Democrats are coming into this fight with receipts. Their top demand? Reverse the devastating cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) — cuts made possible by Trump’s recently passed tax and budget reconciliation bill.
The politics here are brutal. If Democrats let the government shut down, they’ll take heat. But if they cave, they’ll answer to millions of voters facing higher health insurance premiums. The gamble? Most Americans, even across party lines, already agree with Democrats on this. And Trump — who once served as a useful shield — isn’t polling well enough to offer cover anymore.
His numbers are underwater, particularly on inflation and health care. And everyone in the GOP knows: Trump’s name won’t be on the 2026 ballot. That means congressional Republicans are exposed. And they’re nervous.
“You Are Always Running Against History”
Trump pollster Tony Fabrizio didn’t sugarcoat it in July: “Midterms election are always a slog” for the party in power, and “you are always running against history.” He would know — Republicans lost 40 House seats during Trump’s first midterm.
This time around, they could lose even more. The MAGA base may still be loud, but it can’t carry everyone. And Trump’s not exactly helping unify the party.
Before the break, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Trump tried — and failed — to cut a deal on speeding up presidential nominations. Schumer offered to move things along if Trump would end a hold on already-approved spending. Trump’s response?
“GO TO HELL!”
That rage didn’t stop with Schumer. Trump’s fury soon turned to Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), who Trump accused of being weak and disloyal. “I got [him] re-elected to the U.S. Senate when he was down by a lot,” Trump posted. He slammed Grassley for not having the “courage” to solve the so-called “Blue Slip” issue — a Senate tradition that’s become a logjam for judicial nominations.
Grassley didn’t let it slide. “I’m offended by what the president said, and I’m disappointed that it would result in personal insults,” he said.
The feud is slowing everything down. GOP leadership is trying to cool things off — or at least redirect the fire. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told Politico, “At some point, obviously… there are certain things they are just going to have to figure out, because on some of these things where we need 60 [votes], there are going to have to be conversations.”
Schumer didn’t miss the chance to twist the knife. He said Trump is “going to have to learn that he has to work with Democrats if he wants to get deals… going at it alone will be a failed strategy.”
And then there’s the Epstein scandal — simmering all summer, now threatening to boil over.
The president’s team tried to tamp down the heat by dispatching the deputy attorney general to interview Epstein’s imprisoned partner, Ghislaine Maxwell, who claimed Trump “did no wrong.” But the move backfired — drawing even more attention, since hardly anyone buys that for a second.
Republicans in the House are now calling on former Labor Secretary Alex Acosta to testify.
Acosta, of course, was the U.S. Attorney in Miami when Epstein first got his sweetheart plea deal — a deal that allowed him to avoid federal charges and shield his alleged co-conspirators. Acosta has long been criticized for that move. But there’s more: Investigative journalist Vicky Ward reported that during Trump’s transition, Acosta told vetting officials he had been told to “back off” Epstein because Epstein “belonged to intelligence.”
That claim has never been definitively confirmed. But it hasn’t been denied either.
Acosta’s testimony is crucial. Every news outlet should be leading with the question: Was Epstein protected because of intelligence ties? The answer could explode into a full-blown scandal — and not just for Trump.
Democrats, meanwhile, are ready to pounce. With the 2026 midterms fast approaching, they see a chance to build momentum. And if they retake the House next year, talk of a third Trump impeachment is already floating around.
They’ve also learned from earlier mistakes. In March, they gave Republicans the votes to avoid a shutdown. They were hammered for it. Senate Dems didn’t fight back, even as Trump’s cuts went into effect.
Now? They’re coming back swinging.
But it gets worse.
Trump’s decision to deploy troops to Washington D.C. this summer rattled swing voters and alienated independents. Suburban districts — the key to keeping the House — are shifting. The GOP knows it.
And yet, instead of unity or a clear plan, Republicans return to Washington with a fractured party, a looming shutdown, a health care disaster, and the most toxic scandal of the decade roaring back into the spotlight.
