Congress is returning to Capitol Hill this week for the first time since the midterm elections. Republicans have a crowded agenda to tackle before Democrats take control in January.
Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio compared the coming lame-duck session to an overfilled closet: lawmakers, he said, will have to sort through a pile of unfinished business.
Federal funding is set to expire Dec. 11. Without an agreement, the government could shut down. Some Democrats have suggested using President Donald Trump’s war in Iran as leverage in negotiations, raising the prospect of a budget standoff that could disrupt federal agencies.
A House Republican, speaking anonymously, said lawmakers are likely to approve another short-term funding extension, known as a continuing resolution, to keep the government operating through February or March. The current measure funds the government through Dec. 11, following an extension that began at the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30.
“I don’t think anyone wants a shutdown,” the Republican said, adding that Democrats probably don’t want one either.
Other items on Congress’s agenda include the farm bill, which sets national food and agriculture policy and is renewed every five years. Republicans also want to advance legislation on transportation infrastructure and a bipartisan tax package before the year ends.
Lawmakers will also face a debt ceiling deadline in January. Trump is likely to urge Republicans to address it before control of Congress changes hands.
Republicans offered mixed assessments of how much they could accomplish. Rep. Marlin Stutzman of Indiana said they should be able to make progress, but questioned whether some senators would put legislative work ahead of their disagreements with the president.
“We should do our business in Congress,” he said.
Rep. Nathaniel Moran of Texas was less certain that lawmakers could get much done. Still, he said, they had spent time preparing for the session and were ready to take up several significant bills, including some with bipartisan backing.
Before turning to legislation, Republicans will have to absorb their election losses and decide how to regroup. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis of New York said the mood would be somber, even among Republicans who won, because the party had lost many capable members.
Choosing leaders for the next Congress is an early task this week. Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota is currently running unopposed for minority leader. In the House, Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana is competing with Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio for the role.
Moran and Stutzman said they expect Republicans to come together once the leadership contest is settled. Stutzman said the party needed to focus on voters rather than leadership disputes and personal rivalries.
Moran said Republicans recognized the need to reunite, regroup and prepare for the next election, as well as what he described as the defense of democracy.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York is expected to become speaker after Democrats’ strong election showing. The party plans to hold its leadership elections the week after Republicans do.
Stutzman also urged the Senate to pass the SAVE America Act, an election security bill Republicans are seeking to advance through budget reconciliation, a process that would not require Democratic support. The House approved a blueprint for the measure in July.
Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, who chairs the Senate Budget Committee, has been working on the package. But he said the election results could affect whether Republicans have enough political support to complete it.
Permitting reform is another unresolved issue. Prospects for a deal had looked uncertain before Election Day, but the White House and Senate Democrats reached an agreement allowing several wind projects to proceed. It remains unclear whether Democrats will continue supporting the effort now that they are preparing to take power.
Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma said the workload was so large that lawmakers could use an extra month in the calendar.
