House to return next week to tackle Medicaid package

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) will call House lawmakers — currently in the midst of their August recess — back to Washington next week in order to pass legislation extending billions of dollars in Medicaid and education funding, Pelosi announced Wednesday.

The urgency, the Speaker said, is largely due to the looming school year.

"As millions of children prepare to go back to school – many in just a few days — the House will act quickly to approve this legislation once the Senate votes," Pelosi said in a statement. 

"In consultation with our leadership, I am calling members of the House back to Washington at the beginning of the week to pass this bill and send it to President Obama without further delay."

The Senate on Wednesday voted to end debate on the proposal, which includes $16.1 billion in emergency Medicaid funding and another $10 billion to prevent states from laying off teachers, firefighters and police officers.

The Senate is expected to pass the bill tomorrow, which the House will take up either Monday or Tuesday.