The Senate is poised to take up a bipartisan opioid funding package during a short work week in Washington.

Both chambers are out of session on Monday and Tuesday. Lawmakers, instead, will return to Washington on Wednesday for the abbreviated week, where the Senate generally leaves on Thursday afternoon and the House early Friday.

But before they head back out of town, senators are expected to vote on a package aimed at combating the nation’s opioid epidemic. Passage of the bill would give the Senate a bipartisan win months before the midterm election.

A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellPelosi: Trump hurrying to fill SCOTUS seat so he can repeal ObamaCare Senate GOP aims to confirm Trump court pick by Oct. 29: report Trump argues full Supreme Court needed to settle potential election disputes MORE (R-Ky.) announced late last week that Democrats had dropped their objections to taking up the legislation.

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“The Senate continues its fight against the opioid epidemic devastating American families,” McConnell said in a tweet on Friday. “I am proud that my CAREER Act is a key part of the Opioid Crisis Response Act 2018. I look forward to its passage next week.”

The legislation, which includes more than 70 proposals from across five Senate committees, focuses on treatment and prevention as well as curbing the flow of illicit substances into the U.S.

It includes the the STOP Act, which was authored by Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and advocated by President Trump on Twitter. The bill would crack down on the shipment of synthetic drugs like fentanyl to drug traffickers in the U.S.

“It’s time for Congress to move. This should be noncontroversial. It’s common sense. We know where these drugs are coming from. We know they’re devastating our communities,” Portman said from the Senate floor late last week.

The legislation had run into a temporary roadblock over a GOP provision, inserted into the bill after it cleared committee, that Democrats said is an earmark for one advocacy group funded by Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America.

But Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer Chuck SchumerSenate Democrats introduce legislation to probe politicization of pandemic response Schumer interrupted during live briefing by heckler: 'Stop lying to the people' Jacobin editor: Primarying Schumer would force him to fight Trump's SCOTUS nominee MORE (D-N.Y.) sounded optimistic about the legislation's chances during a press conference with reporters last week.

“We're making very good progress. I have to give Sen. McConnell credit. This is something we're working very well together on," Schumer said.

The House passed its own opioid legislation in June. Once the Senate passes its legislation, they’ll need to work out the differences between their two bills before they can send the package to Trump’s desk.

Kavanaugh

More senators are expected to come off the fence this week on Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court nomination after the four-day hearing before the Judiciary Committee.

Kavanaugh emerged from the heated grilling before the committee largely unscathed and having avoided landmines that would pose an obvious threat to his support among Republican senators.

Republicans went “nuclear” last year and nixed the 60-vote filibuster on Supreme Court nominees, meaning Kavanaugh only needs a simple majority to be confirmed. Republicans hold a 51-seat majority, though moderate GOP Sens. Susan Collins Susan Margaret CollinsSenate GOP aims to confirm Trump court pick by Oct. 29: report The Hill's Campaign Report: GOP set to ask SCOTUS to limit mail-in voting Senate GOP sees early Supreme Court vote as political booster shot MORE (Maine) and Lisa Murkowski Lisa Ann MurkowskiSenate GOP aims to confirm Trump court pick by Oct. 29: report Senate GOP sees early Supreme Court vote as political booster shot Pence defends Trump's 'obligation' to nominate new Supreme Court justice MORE (Alaska) have yet to announce how they’ll vote.

Democrats tried to grill Kavanaugh on a range of controversial issues, including executive power and abortion. But Kavanaugh frustrated Democrats by largely sidestepping key questions, citing the need to maintain judicial independence and not tip his hand on an issue that could come before the court.

On NPR’s Morning Edition, Sen. Christopher Coons (D-Del.), a member of the panel, characterized Kavanaugh as “quite artful” at avoiding direct answers to his questions.

“I’ve never been part of a Supreme Court nomination hearing like this past week’s. With so much concealment and so many questions about Judge Kavanaugh’s record, this nomination has a cloud over it,” Sen. Dick Durbin Richard (Dick) Joseph DurbinTumultuous court battle upends fight for Senate McConnell focuses on confirming judicial nominees with COVID-19 talks stalled Senate Republicans signal openness to working with Biden MORE (D-Ill.), the No. 2 Senate Democrat and member of the panel, said in a tweet on Saturday.

But the most explosive fight wasn’t with Kavanaugh but among senators on the Judiciary Committee.

Democratic Sen. Cory Booker Cory Anthony BookerBipartisan praise pours in after Ginsburg's death DHS opens probe into allegations at Georgia ICE facility Democratic lawmakers call for an investigation into allegations of medical neglect at Georgia ICE facility MORE (D-N.J.) sparked a rhetorical firestorm when he released documents from Kavanaugh’s time working as a lawyer for President George W. Bush that had not been cleared for release.

Booker released six sets of documents over two days last week that were marked “committee confidential,” meaning they weren’t supposed to be circulated publicly.

"The public – and the Senators whose responsibility it is to vet this nominee – have the right to know where Judge Kavanaugh stands on important issues of law and justice," Booker said in a statement on Friday evening when he released the latest set of documents.

The move sparked warning from McConnell and Sen. John Cornyn John CornynThe Hill's Campaign Report: GOP set to ask SCOTUS to limit mail-in voting Liberal super PAC launches ads targeting vulnerable GOP senators over SCOTUS fight Senate GOP faces pivotal moment on pick for Supreme Court MORE (R-Texas) — the No. 1 and No. 2 Senate Republicans — that Booker could face an investigation from the Senate Ethics Committee.

“Let me just say this: When you break the Senate rules, it’s something the Ethics Committee could take a look at. And that would be up to them to decide. But it’s routinely looked at the Ethics Committee,” McConnell told radio host Hugh Hewitt on Friday.

Kavanaugh’s nomination will be on the Judiciary Committee’s agenda on Thursday, but a vote is expected to be delayed. Nominations are routinely held over under a committee rule that allows any one senator to request a nomination be held over a week.

The move would set up a Judiciary Committee vote on Kavanaugh’s nomination around Sept. 20. With Republicans holding a majority on the panel, Kavanaugh’s nomination is expected to be sent to the floor, where GOP leadership is hoping to confirm him by the end of the month.

Employer Mandate

The House is expected to vote on a measure that would retroactively remover the employer mandate penalties from 2015-2018 put in place under the Affordable Care Act.

Under the legislation, the definition of a full-time employee that falls under the mandate would change from 30 hours to 40 hours. The Cadillac tax would also be delayed until 2023.

"Minibus"

The lower chamber could potentially take up the appropriations legislation some refer to as a "minibus" bill, that is being worked on by a conference committee.

The legislation is expected to be finalized early in the week and would provide funding for the Department of Energy, the Department of Veteran Affairs and fund the legislative branch through 2019.

It would mark the first fiscal 2019 conference report to get voted on by the House.

Congress has until Sept. 30 to pass legislation to avert a government shutdown.

Republican leadership is hoping to get most of the government funded ahead of the deadline but is expected to need a short-term continuing resolution to keep part of the government open past the end of the month.