House struggles to pass major bills before recess

Washington

THE US House of Representatives is set to depart for a five-week summer recess, and the Republican majority could be leaving with a whimper.

Hopes of passing a 2018 budget remain in limbo - a crucial prerequisite to the tax overhaul House Speaker Paul Ryan has promised to deliver before year's end, and one that White House officials are pushing to finish this month.

It also remains unclear whether the chamber will be able to clear a US$790 billion spending bill with funding for the Mexican border wall that is favoured by President Donald Trump or a package of financial sanctions targeting Iran, Russia and North Korea that is not.

Passing only some - or even none - of these bills could make it an uncomfortable summer for GOP lawmakers, who are part of a federal government under unified Republican control for the first time in a decade yet…