By Emily Goodin

The House of Representatives left last Friday, the Senate left on Thursday, and President Trump leaves today on a 17-day vacation.

August recess has come to Washington.

But there’s a packed agenda awaiting lawmakers when they return on Sept. 5. On their must-do list: raise the debt ceiling and fund the government (both of which must be done by the end of September).

Other possibilities for the agenda: immigration reform and, of course, health care reform. But for these, particularly health care reform, progress is likely dependent on the reception lawmakers receive in their districts in August.

Public approval of the Affordable Care Act stands at 46.5 percent vs. 41.8 percent opposed, a 4.7 percentage-point margin in the RCP average. http://bit.ly/2udqtyQ Congressional job approval is at a -58.3 http://bit.ly/2tjhdIo

In the meantime, the White House will deal with fallout from reports that special counsel Robert Mueller has convened a grand jury in the Russian investigation.  And RealClearPolitics’ James Arkin has a look at how senators in the president’s own party “unveiled two bills Thursday aimed at protecting … Mueller’s investigation and limiting President Trump’s ability to fire him, the latest in a series of moves aimed at asserting congressional authority over the president.” http://bit.ly/2v3gcXT

The president’s job approval is at a negative-17.9 points in the RCP Polling Average. http://bit.ly/2slB9gm

RCP’s Caitlin Huey-Burns examines the tough choices senators up for re-election in 2018 face when it comes to Trump: “In this era of Donald Trump, there is no synchronized playbook for being a Republican. Those running for Congress on the Republican ticket next year are in the process of figuring out a winning strategy, whether that involves shunning the president, embracing him, or walking a tight rope.” http://bit.ly/2vmwAny

And I reported on meetings taking place in the White House between administration officials and the state party Republican chairmen who have big Senate and/or gubernatorial races next year. http://bit.ly/2vfOxDU
 

Topics du Jour

TUNE IN: In the sixth and final podcast episode of “The Future of the Administrative State,” RealClearPolicy editor Tony Mills talks with the Claremont Institute’s John Marini about the origins of the administrative state and the current political scene. Their discussion touches on political philosophy, the decline of party politics, and the rise of Donald Trump http://bit.ly/2u7p5B0

CONGRESS VS. POTUS: At RealClearDefense, Pentagon correspondent Sandra Erwin looks at how Congress is preparing to defy the Trump administration on national security issues. For lawmakers, “on the agenda after the summer break are contentious national security issues such as the role of Congress in authorizing the use of military force, defense and diplomacy budgets, and strategies for the way ahead in North Korea, Afghanistan and the Middle East.” http://bit.ly/2w3zJGv

STEM EDUCATION NOT MAKING THE GRADE: At RealClearEducation, Ford Carson writes on doubts about the future of STEM education. http://bit.ly/2fc9IRn

In Other Originals

REPUBLICANS’ MISSED CHANCE: At RealClearPolicy, the American Enterprise Institute’s James Capretta writes on how Republicans are “making a complete mess” of their opportunity to reset fiscal policy: “The problem starts with President Trump.” http://bit.ly/2uaRdU4
 
Also at RealClearPolicy, the Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Ryan Young writes on how the “single most important step today’s legislators can take to guarantee America remains a land of opportunity is to reduce the regulatory burden. Entrepreneurs, innovators, and consumers can take care of the rest.” http://bit.ly/2uO46Ca
 
TROUBLE IN AFGHANISTAN: At RealClearDefense, retired naval officer James Durso argues Defense Secretary James Mattis and National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster should have 12 months to see if they can succeed in Afghanistan. http://bit.ly/2wehltq
 
Also at RealClearDefense, the Heritage Foundation’s Steven Bucci writes the Department of Homeland Security “is dithering” on cybersecurity issues “at a time when the agency should be leading in this critical area.” http://bit.ly/2wmBoGg

MUDDLED HEALTH CARE MESSAGE: At RealClearHealth, Mark Mackie & Steve Kuzmich note: “Republican efforts to replace Obamacare are themeless and difficult to understand. President Reagan believed in one principal role for government in health care: expand catastrophic coverage. Republicans should join this popular idea to (a) direct funding of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and expanded tax credits and (b) restore the private insurance markets by ending Obamacare’s essential benefits provisions. Together these policies would be three legs of their Obamacare repeal and replace efforts.” http://bit.ly/2hrpus5
 
CONCERNS ABOUT IRAN: At RealClearWorld, the Cato Institute’s John Glaser examines concerns Trump will eviscerate the Iran deal: “Luckily, the Trump administration has an uphill battle in destroying the nuclear deal and putting the United States and Iran back on the path to war. First, several top cabinet officials apparently oppose such a route. Second, the White House will get considerable push-back from European allies, Russia, China and the rest of the international community. And third, if the Obama administration’s failed 2013 push to widen the U.S. war in Syria is any indication, the American people won’t tolerate another costly major conflict.”  http://bit.ly/2vlUVua
 
COLLEGE CHOICES: At RealClearEducation, RAND Corporation’s Charles Goldman argues for the creation of “a searchable national database that could help students and their families make more informed decisions about college.” http://bit.ly/2wiNxvU
 
COLLECTING COLLECTIBLES: At RealClearMarkets, Pomona College economics professor Gary Smith argues people’s collectibles aren’t collecting value: “Some people collect nonsense because they enjoy collecting nonsense. They like looking at hundreds of toy penguins or thousands of bottle caps. They enjoy the challenge of acquiring a complete set of Alfred Hitchcock movie posters or license plates from all fifty states. … Buying worthless objects and hoping that they will become valuable collectibles is seldom a good idea.” http://bit.ly/2u4CNjV
 
PASSING THE SMELL TEST: At RealClearScience, editor Ross Pomeroy examines thioacetone, which has a smell so bad that it once prompted a town to evacuate. http://bit.ly/2ucLwzX
 
BOOK REVIEW: At RealClearBooks, Anna Blue reviews Condoleezza Rice’s new book, “Democracy: Stories From the Long Road to Freedom.” http://bit.ly/2wdzFUB
 
NORTH KOREAN HOCKEY: At RealClearLife, Matthew Reitman has a profile the Midwesterners who play hockey on a North Korean team: “Members of the Pyongyang Ice Hockey League face off against North Korea’s national team in the capital each year as part of a friendly exchange of athletic competition. Their goal is to bring down barriers not necessarily between nations, but between people.” http://bit.ly/2vmeJNv
 
SUMMER SPORTS: At RealClearSports, Ben Krimmel and Jack Beaman discuss baseball heartbreak. http://bit.ly/2hkz8MZ