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Congress is set to return from an August recess this week. Lawmakers will have a packed agenda, from avoiding a potential government shutdown to a "comprehensive crime bill." Here's what to watch. Pocket rescission pushback President Donald Trump announced last week that his administration will not spend $4.9 billion in foreign aid that has already been approved by Congress. Trump is using a rare maneuver called a "pocket rescission" just before the end of the fiscal year so that lawmakers won't have time to act on the request, effectively bypassing the legislative branch to cancel the funding. "None of these programs are in America’s interest, which is why the President is taking decisive action to put America and Americans first," said Secretary of State Marco Rubio on social media. But Republican Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine), who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, is pushing back."Article I of the Constitution makes clear that Congress has the responsibility for the power of the purse. Any effort to rescind appropriated funds without congressional approval is a clear violation of the law," Collins said in a statement.Government funding deadlineThe pocket rescission is raising tensions ahead of a high-stakes government funding fight. A Sept. 30 deadline to avert a potential government shutdown is fast approaching, and Congress needs to reach an agreement to keep federal agencies funded before then.Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said his Republican counterparts have "repeatedly refused to meet with Democrats to discuss a bipartisan path forward." "If Republicans are insistent on going it alone, Democrats won’t be party to their destruction," Schumer continued in a statement. Republicans currently control both chambers of Congress, but they'll need help from at least some Democrats to clear the 60-vote threshold required in the Senate to pass the government funding bill. The GOP will once again need to balance different factions within the party after some fiscal conservatives made compromises to pass Trump's domestic policy package earlier this year."Here's where the rubber is really going to meet the road, because there's going to be some people who voted for the big, beautiful bill who are going to say no, we want to make sure that these next bills don't spend as much," said political analyst Todd Belt. Crime billTrump wrote on social media last week that he has been working with Republican leadership on a "comprehensive crime bill.""It's what our Country need, and NOW! More to follow," Trump continued. It's broadly expected to build on Trump's crime crackdown in Washington D.C., where the president's authority to take over the city's police department will soon expire without an extension from Congress. That's expected to be an uphill battle as Democrats have signaled they won't support an extension. The details of the bill remain largely unclear. House Speaker Mike Johnson said it will generally address juvenile crime and policing practices that, in his view, have hurt public safety."We're going to handle D.C. first because that's directly within our purview, and then look to other cities around America as well," Johnson told CNN in a recent interview.CDC firing falloutThe top Republican and the top Democrat on the Senate Health, Education and Pensions Committee are calling for oversight after several high-level departures at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is expected to face questions about the shakeup at a previously scheduled hearing before the Senate Finance Committee on Sept. 4. CDC Director Susan Monarez was fired last week because she didn't align with the president's priorities, according to the White House. Her attorneys said it was because she refused to "rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives."Monarez's ouster led to the resignation of three other senior officials at the agency. Epstein oversightThe House Oversight Committee is ramping up its review of the Jeffrey Epstein probe to find out who was connected to the disgraced financier and whether prosecutors mishandled the case. The committee subpoenaed Epstein's estate on Monday, demanding the release of various records in response to public calls for more transparency. Epstein died behind bars in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Conspiracy theorists dispute previous government assessments concluding Epstein died by suicide.