WASHINGTON - Congress increasingly is being defined by what it's not doing this election year.

The Senate returns this week with a strong majority of Republicans saying no to any consideration of President Barack Obama's nominee to the Supreme Court.

No hearings, no vote and, for some lawmakers, not even a meeting with federal appeals court Judge Merrick Garland.

Leaders insist that the decision on filling the vacancy rests with the next president after voters have their say in November's election.

A bipartisan bill to aid Flint, Michigan, where residents are struggling with lead-contaminated water, is being blocked over a dispute about how to pay for it.

The House returns April 12, and conservative opposition probably will make it impossible to pass a budget - a major embarrassment for Speaker Paul Ryan.