Washington — Congress returns this week from a Thanksgiving recess with a number of priorities to get through before the end of the year, while a deadline to fund the government looms over lawmakers.
With the new Congress set to be sworn in on Jan. 3, lawmakers are pushing through a list of to-dos in the coming weeks in the lame-duck session, while Republicans gear up for leadership in Washington next year.
But first, Congress must address government funding, since lawmakers only have until Dec. 20 to approve new spending. And although a shutdown remains unlikely, leaders will need to reach an agreement on a short-term funding measure in the weeks ahead.
Funding the government
In September, lawmakers approved a continuing resolution to keep the government funded through Dec. 20, setting a pre-holiday deadline to prevent a shutdown that has become commonplace for Congress. With frustration among some conservatives over the practice, House Speaker Mike Johnson made clear at the time that he opposed an omnibus package to fund the government, suggesting that the House would work to approve the 12 full-year spending bills individually after the election. But the favorable results for Republicans in the 2024 elections appeared to change the calculus.
Republicans appear likely to push to punt the deadline into the early days of President-elect Donald Trump’s administration, though the exact timeline for the stopgap measure remains a key question. The deadline will tee up a larger fight over government spending, with Republicans set to control the House, Senate and the White House — and looking to make significant spending cuts while juggling the extension of Trump’s 2017 tax cuts.
Lawmakers also have disaster aid to consider after the Biden administration requested $98 billion in aid to address the aftermath of Hurricanes Milton and Helene in the southeast.
The funding fight comes as Johnson is looking to hold onto his gavel in the new year, with a narrow House majority that’s proven problematic for Republicans seeking the speakership in recent years. Republicans have already selected Johnson to be their nominee for speaker in January, and the full House will elect a speaker when lawmakers are sworn in next month.
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Senate Republicans meet with Trump’s administration picks
Senate Republicans are expected to continue meeting with Trump’s picks for top posts in his administration this week, looking to secure support in the upper chamber, which has the role of confirming the intended nominees.
Ahead of their recess, Senate Republicans met with Trump picks including Pete Hegseth and former Rep. Matt Gaetz, who then opted to withdraw his name from consideration for Attorney General following intense scrutiny over a House Ethics Committee investigation into alleged sexual misconduct and illicit drug use. On Monday, Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa is set to meet with former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, who Trump tapped for Attorney General after Gaetz withdrew.
Trump has continued to announce his picks for the top posts, including Kash Patel, a 44-year-old who served in intelligence and defense roles in Trump’s first term and has a reputation as a controversial figure, for FBI director. The announcement came as Trump-nominated Christopher Wray’s term isn’t set to expire until 2027.
Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who Trump tapped to lead the newly coined Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE, will also be on Capitol Hill this week, meeting Thursday with Senate and House Republicans.
House Ethics Committee meets to consider Gaetz report
The House Ethics Committee is set to meet Thursday to further consider whether to release the report about its investigation into Gaetz, after the evenly split bipartisan panel failed to reach an agreement in an hourslong meeting last month.
A day later, Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration, further complicating the ethics committee’s decision about whether to release the report. Gaetz’ resignation from the House after his selection for attorney general had ended the committee’s jurisdiction over him, making the release of the report all the more controversial. The Republican committee chairmen said he voted against the release of the report over the jurisdiction issue.
Still, some view the report’s release as essential if Gaetz is eyeing other offices, like another post within Trump’s administration or running for Florida governor down the road.
The Ethics Committee’s investigation first began in 2021, but was put on pause as the Justice Department conducted a sex trafficking and obstruction probe of Gaetz. Last year, the Ethics Committee resumed its work, after prosecutors declined to charge Gaetz, who has denied all wrongdoing.
Senate Democrats hold leadership elections
Senate Democrats, who will be in the minority in the new Congress, are expected to meet Tuesday to elect their leadership for the next two years, after Republicans flipped the chamber in the 2024 elections.
Though the top posts in Democratic leadership are expected to remain unchanged, with Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and whip Dick Durbin seeking to remain in their roles, the no. 3 post is up for grabs as Sen. Debbie Stabenow set to retire.
Stabenow, who is leaving the Senate after more than two decades, chairs the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee. The post has been eyed by Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota.
The leadership races come as Senate Democrats are making a final push on their agenda, with a focus on confirming President Biden’s remaining nominees to the nation’s courts. Democrats are hoping to meet or surpass Trump’s 234 judicial confirmations from his first term during the lame-duck session, but have run into resistance from Republicans looking to hold up and drag out the process.