By Richard Hertling and Kaitlyn McClure (July 9, 2017, 10:40 PM EDT) -- The three-week July work period is set to begin on Capitol Hill this week, with members returning from the Independence Day recess only to resume debate on the same issues that have consumed their attention for the first half of 2017. Health care repeal-and-replace efforts are again front and center as the Senate continues to attempt to cobble together a bill that can secure 50 votes from among the 52 Republican senators. The lengthy process of developing legislation to undo President Obama's signature health care law, the Affordable Care Act, has led Republican leadership to put off action on a number of other Republican priorities for the 115th Congress. This deferral is creating a pileup of legislative priorities that have been delayed until the health care issue is resolved. Among the delayed items are comprehensive tax reform and infrastructure modernization. Congress also confronts looming deadlines for a number of authorizations and fiscal year 2018 funding, all set to expire on Sept. 30, 2017. The Senate also has a backlog of executive branch nominees to process. Members of the House are currently scheduled to be in session for only 13 days this month and members of the Senate plan to be in session for 15 days before departing for the annual month-long August recess, leaving a very short window of time for Congress to tackle a growing number of items on its to-do list. Although some members of both parties in both chambers have suggested that Congress forego its August recess, the odds of an August session are still very long....