3 minPolitics
Congress returns to lame-duck session with December 11 shutdown deadline looming
Lawmakers return to Capitol Hill after the midterms facing a federal funding deadline on Dec. 11, a looming debt ceiling fight in January, and leadership contests in both chambers.
Congress returned to Capitol Hill after the midterm elections for a lame-duck session that lawmakers expect to be crowded and difficult, with a government funding deadline on Dec. 11 hanging over the work ahead. Current federal funding expires that day, and the risk of a government shutdown is real unless Congress acts before then.
Some Democrats may use Trump's Iran war as leverage in the spending fight, a move that could complicate negotiations over the coming weeks. A House Republican has said he expects Congress to pass a short-term continuing resolution that would carry government funding into February or March, which would push the most contentious decisions into the new year.
The funding deadline is not the only item on the agenda. Lawmakers also face a debt ceiling deadline in January, along with a set of pending measures that includes the farm bill, transportation infrastructure, and a bipartisan tax package. Each of these items competes for limited floor time in a session that is already compressed by the calendar.
Leadership contests are also shaping the return. Senate Majority Leader John Thune is running unopposed to become Senate minority leader. In the House, Rep. Steve Scalise is facing Rep. Jim Jordan in the race for minority leader. On the Democratic side, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries is expected to become House speaker after his party's gains in the midterm elections.
Republicans have indicated they want to advance the SAVE America Act through budget reconciliation, a process that would allow passage with a simple majority in the Senate. The House passed a budget blueprint for the measure in July, setting up a possible next step later in the session.
Permitting reform has also returned to the table after the White House and Senate Democrats reached a deal on wind projects. That agreement has revived a bill that had stalled, and it is one of several items that could move if negotiators can find common ground before the year ends.
Sen. James Lankford has called for an extra month on the congressional calendar to finish the work ahead, arguing that the existing schedule is not enough to address the backlog. Lawmakers have described the mood in the Capitol as somber, with many members having lost their seats in the midterms, a development that some have compared to a funeral atmosphere as the session begins.
Source: foxnews.com
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