This week I returned to Capitol Hill following the August break. August is not just a time for members to have some vacation and spend time with their families but it is also a time when members engage with constituents and even make trips to foreign countries to engage with leaders around the world.

After not being on the Hill for five weeks I was greeted with lots of hugs and smiles. After my arrival on Tuesday afternoon, I began the delivery of my notes of encouragement to offices in the Cannon building. Within ten minutes I greeted a representative who is on my “paper route,” one of the over 200 members who receive my handwritten notes. The representative shared how when he returned home, his wife had left with their child and their dog. Once again, I was reminded about the stresses and strains of working on Capitol Hill. It was humbling to stand in the hallway and pray for this man and his family. 

Not more than 10 minutes later I was invited into the office of another representative and with the door closed had a time of prayer with his open Bible in front of us. While I was there to encourage this man, he made a point of encouraging me as I left his office.

Upon entering another office, the representative and the entire staff came to the reception area to welcome me and have a time of prayer. There are some great folks working on Capitol Hill who are there to serve the nation and to serve God.

As I passed the large caucus room on the third floor of the Cannon, I saw my friends, David, Cheryl, and Tim Barton of Wallbuilders.  David and Tim are probably the preeminent historians of our nation and its religious roots. I have great respect for these folks and the great work that Wallbuilders does in educating people, especially pastors of the deep religious history of our nation.

Following dinner and a time of strategizing with my colleague, Dan Cummins, I retired to my hotel to watch the Presidential debate. There were watch parties all around town but I chose to watch from my hotel room.

Wednesday morning I headed out to visit more offices. As I walked through the Cannon tunnel to the Capitol, I heard an alarm sound followed by an announcement of the observance of September 11th. I looked at my watch and noted that it was 8:46 am.

Most congressional staffers were thankful that Congress was back in session. The five-week break was a bit too long and too quiet for most of them. But among the Republicans, there was a general feeling of disappointment on how the debate had gone the previous evening. 


As I walked through the Capitol, I noticed that the nine doors on the first floor were being replaced with more secure doors with ballistic glass. The work was supposed to have been completed by this week but will definitely be completed by November 5th.

Of major importance on the House side was a government funding bill that was scheduled to be voted on Wednesday. Once again, the spending bill was a “continuing resolution” which many believe is a way to avoid passing separate spending bills, which is the way the House is supposed to function.

The Republican leadership had decided to tie the “Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act,” or “SAVE Act” for short, to the funding bill. The Save Act is designed to ensure that only U.S. Citizens vote in federal elections. Many were under the impression that this act was less about election security and more about getting Democrats on the record about voting against election integrity and being able to accuse them of shutting down the government.

There was a total lack of consensus among Republicans on supporting the Save Act and tying it to a spending bill as well as the value of doing a six-month continuing resolution. If it sounds complicated, it’s kind of the way the game is played now.

There were lots of lobbyists back on the Hill. I even noticed a group of Amish visiting the office of a representative from Pennsylvania.

I also noticed that the sign in one hallway continues to be updated with the number of days that American hostages have been held in captivity. Four of the hostages have been confirmed as deceased. As of Wednesday, September 11, 2024, the remaining Americans had been held for 341 days.

As I went from office to office, I began to hear rumors that the vote on the bill was being pulled by Republican leadership because they didn't have the votes to pass it.

It was interesting how a couple of Republican members expressed their frustration about the situation. One member used a hockey analogy saying that he wanted to “check” (bump an opposing player) some members who wouldn’t support the legislation. “We only have a four-seat majority. I’m willing to check someone and wind up in the penalty box.” 

As I chatted with another member he said, “The place is full of crap.” Tensions were high and the vote on the bill was postponed until next week while leadership hopes to do more work on the legislation and secure more support over the weekend.

In our Wednesday evening service, Representative Gary Palmer of Alabama preached. Representative Palmer is one of the solid and stable Representatives on the Hill and a strong man of faith. You don’t see him doing lots of interviews on television but he is a great man doing great work. He shared some thoughts from the devotional emails that he sends out. As he closed his remarks, he said the phrase used when members finish their speeches on the House floor, “I yield back.”

Yielding back is what those of us who are Christ followers should do daily. We should yield back control to our Heavenly Father and allow Him to be in charge.

My plan is to return to Capitol Hill in two weeks just before members hit the campaign trail in October before the November election. There are ten extremely vulnerable seats of both parties in the House and the majority is at stake. I anticipate that tensions will remain high as November 5th approaches.

I anticipate that there will be increased security around the Capitol Hill complex as November approaches and will most likely remain through January 20th regardless of the election outcome.

Pray for members of Congress. Pray for the President. Pray for the Supreme Court Justices. Pray for our nation. Pray for peace.

Steve