The United States Congress has returned to work with very little time before the August break. The government is facing significant instability and the sudden death of Senator Lindsey Graham.

美國國會在八月休會前僅剩極少時間恢復工作。政府正因情勢嚴重不穩以及參議員 Lindsey Graham 的突然逝世而面臨挑戰。

The death of Senator Graham, caused by a heart issue, has reduced the Republican Senate majority to 52 seats. Consequently, it is now more difficult to pass controversial laws. This loss is especially problematic for the Senate Budget Committee, which Graham led, and may stop the administration's plan for a third budget reconciliation effort. The government wants a package including $350 billion for defense and the SAVE America Act; however, Senate leaders are skeptical because the majority is so small and Senator Mitch McConnell is absent.

參議員 Graham 因心臟問題逝世，使共和黨在參議院的多數席位減少至 52 席。因此，目前通過爭議性法律的難度增加。這次損失對 Graham 曾領導的參議院預算委員會尤其不利，並可能導致行政部門第三次預算協調方案的計劃停擺。政府希望推出一個包含 3500 億美元國防預算及《拯救美國法案》（SAVE America Act）的方案；然而，由於多數席位過少且參議員 Mitch McConnell 缺席，參議院領導層對此持懷疑態度。

Meanwhile, Republicans in the House of Representatives are divided. A group led by Representative Anna Paulina Luna has blocked progress on the SAVE America Act, a bill about voting rules. Speaker Mike Johnson tried to include this bill in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), but strict party members rejected it. Furthermore, Democratic senators, such as Brian Schatz, oppose the NDAA due to concerns about defense spending and the conflict with Iran. The administration has also tried to link the renewal of a surveillance program (Section 702) to the passage of the SAVE America Act, though this remains unresolved.

與此同時，眾議院的共和黨人內部出現分歧。由眾議員 Anna Paulina Luna 領導的群體阻撓了關於投票規則的《拯救美國法案》之進展。議長 Mike Johnson 曾試圖將此法案納入《國防授權法案》（NDAA），但遭到黨內強硬派拒絕。此外，如 Brian Schatz 等民主黨參議員因擔心國防開支及與伊朗的衝突而反對 NDAA。行政部門還試圖將監控計畫（第 702 條）的續期與通過《拯救美國法案》掛鉤，但此問題仍未解決。

Finally, President Trump has asked the Senate to pass the Clarity Act, a law for cryptocurrency regulation, as a tribute to Senator Graham. The administration claims this law is necessary to stay ahead of China in technology. However, critics point out that Graham was not a primary author of the bill. Banks oppose the act because they fear losing deposits, and Democrats are demanding stricter ethics rules because the president owns $1.2 billion in cryptocurrency. Other lawmakers argue that passing a sanctions package against Russia would be a better way to honor Graham's legacy.

最後，川普總統要求參議院通過關於加密貨幣監管的《清晰法案》（Clarity Act），以紀念參議員 Graham。政府聲稱該法案對於在技術上領先中國至關重要。然而，批評者指出 Graham 並非該法案的主要起草人。銀行擔心失去存款而反對該法案，民主黨則因總統持有 12 億美元的加密貨幣而要求更嚴格的倫理規範。其他立法者則主張，通過一套針對俄羅斯的制裁方案將是紀念 Graham 遺產的更好方式。

The current legislative situation is defined by narrow margins, disagreements within parties, and connected policy disputes that threaten the administration's goals before the recess.

目前的立法局勢由微弱的席位差距、黨內分歧以及相互牽制的政策爭議所定義，這些因素威脅到行政部門在休會前達成目標。