Sept. 2 (UPI) -- Congress returns Tuesday from its August recess to a long to-do list and a looming deadline to prevent a government shutdown.

The deadline to keep the government running is Sept. 30. The House and Senate both introduced funding bills before the recess, but getting them passed won't be easy.

Also on the agenda are other Republican priorities, including cracking down on crime, approving President Donald Trump's nominees and the battle over releasing the convicted child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein files.

There are 12 appropriations bills awaiting approval that would have to make it through both chambers by Sept. 30. The chances of getting them all through are slim, so lawmakers will likely have to pass a short-term funding measure.

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