Tiring of Democrats’ pleas for patience, some White House officials advocated for sending Congress the implementing bill as soon as this week, which would start mandatory timelines for a vote. Moderate and progressive Democrats warned that such a move would backfire.

Even if a deal is reached, some members say the speaker should demand Senate action on House-passed bills, allowing measures regarding health care and gun safety to actually become law.

“We need to use the momentum behind updating Nafta to pass a key domestic priority,” said New York Representative Gregory Meeks. “I think that we should be able to get bipartisan agreement on some of the domestic priorities.”

Impeachment

These policy initiatives and necessary deals risk getting overshadowed next week by Mueller’s made-for-TV testimony at a joint session of House committees.

Mueller himself has made clear that he is appearing under subpoena and has no intention of going beyond his April report on his 22-month investigation. How his testimony plays out could set the tone for what House members hear from constituents on the topic of impeachment, when they go home.

“There’s no guarantee Mueller’s testimony will jump-start anything,” says Samuel Everett Dewey, a former congressional lawyer who led investigations in key committees in both the House and Senate. “Maybe there will be some sort of dramatic testimony, but we’re not sure.”

Pelosi has deflected calls from roughly 80 Democrats for impeachment, and her leave-it-in-limbo strategy has left six committees dealing with witness defiance and relying on uncertain court outcomes. White House stonewalling has been met with little, if any, tangible consequences, and that has frustrated Democrats who believe a consolidated Trump investigation under the single tent of impeachment would be more effective.

With the Democrats’ discontents continuing to simmer, Representative Mark Meadows, the North Carolina Republican who leads the conservative Freedom Caucus, predicted they would squander July’s legislative days, leaving them little to talk to their constituents about in August.

“Democrats will continue to hold multiple hearings in an attempt to demonstrate some nefarious motives on behalf of the president,” Meadows said. “Most of the town halls will be lacking substance because of the failure to address jobs, pensions, trade, transportation and prescription drug prices.”