Republican electoral victories in both the presidential race and the Senate are changing the landscape for government funding as Congress prepares for a battle over federal spending when lawmakers return next week.
With the possibility of a Republican trifecta in Washington increasing, Republican leaders have decided to either complete their annual fundraising efforts this year or move away from the current Dec. 20 closure deadline next year when President-elect Trump takes office. He will be squarely in the driver's seat in deciding whether to postpone the event. At the office.
A short-term stopgap would be that a potentially Republican-controlled Congress and a Republican president could have more say in how the government is funded for most of 2025, while You may end up with a huge to-do list over the next few months. Leaders are considering reining in spending, considering the national debt ceiling and other priorities for Trump's first 100 days in office.
Republicans are likely to control 53 seats in the Senate, giving Trump a decisive victory in the White House. The House majority has not yet been decided, but Republicans are increasingly optimistic they will maintain their slim majority in the chamber.
Congress currently has until Dec. 20 to pass legislation that would prevent a government shutdown before the holidays. But this means there is serious time left for both sides to rush a deal to keep the lights on, even though most lawmakers have not said which option they prefer. .
House Republican leadership aides said Thursday that lawmakers could try another stopgap during the lame duck period and explore disaster relief measures that include funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Small Business Administration (SBA). He said it was highly sexual. ).
Outgoing Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Wednesday that he believes it is “important” to “decide how to spend the discretionary money that we have.” .
“And I would like to see a higher priority than the current Senate to do the basic job of government, which is to decide how much to spend and get it done in as close to a normal order as possible. ” he said.
But McConnell added that lawmakers will soon be thinking about “how we end this year,” adding that “that always includes conversations among members.” [Senate Majority Leader Chuck] Schumer and I are talking about how to put it together, but those conversations haven't started yet. ”
One factor in this debate may be who Republicans will choose to replace McConnell as leader after his historic term in office. The Senate and House Republicans are scheduled to hold leadership elections next week.
Another factor could be the ambitious agenda Republicans already have planned for President Trump's first 100 days and whether they and the president-elect want to add to it. Both parties said they must address the nation's debt limit when they meet in January, prioritizing an extension of the Trump tax cuts that expire at the end of 2025, among other plans.
President Trump has not expressed any priorities regarding the timing of the government funding bill.
The question of how long to extend government funding has emerged as a central sticking point in negotiations ahead of the Sept. 30 shutdown deadline. The original plan called for keeping government funding at last year's levels until early next year, but House Republicans failed to pass the bill, and leaders ultimately settled on a Dec. 20 deadline. .
Conservatives believed at the time that this strategy was key to avoiding being saddled with an omnibus funding package packed with items and funding levels favorable to Democrats. They also argued that pushing the deadline to next year would give President Trump, if elected, a chance to get more input on how the government will be financed for much of next year.
But the six-month strategy drew opposition from multiple corners of the council. Defense hawks at the time argued that a six-month funding freeze at the fiscal year 2024 level would hurt the military. While some fiscal hawks opposed the idea of a stopgap altogether, they were also critical of a stopgap meant to continue funding at levels they already felt were excessive.
Some appropriators also called for fiscal year 2025 funding work to be completed this year.
House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole (R-Okla.) said in September that he believed lawmakers should focus on getting the funding job done and do it “as quickly as possible.”
“Personally, I don't think it's a good idea to give a new president — and there will be a new president — an impending fiscal crisis,” Cole said. “But to be honest, it's probably going to depend on the winner of the election. Congress is always happy to hand the ball over if that's what they want.”
Similar rifts within the party could pose similar obstacles in the coming months as both sides seek solutions to avoid a party shutdown next month.
Republicans in both chambers are pushing the possibility of a Christmas-time omnibus funding package combining all 12 government-funding bills, amid concerns from conservatives about the direction Congress should take after setting a Dec. 20 funding deadline. I draw the line at sex.
“We killed the Christmas omnibus, and we're not going back to that horrible tradition,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) said in September, dismissing the possibility of a minibus package. . Buses will not be running. ”
Still, Democratic votes will likely be needed to pass government funding, although the election results have significantly reduced Democratic influence over the funding process. Democrats currently control the Senate, and House Republicans cannot pass their own funding legislation without Democratic votes.
This could still be the case in January, with the Republican Senate majority unable to withstand a filibuster.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Thursday that the Biden administration plans to spend its remaining days focusing in part on cleaning up unfinished spending on disaster relief and other spending. said.
“I'll tell you what our focus will be over the next 74 days. We're going to make sure we keep the government open,” Jean-Pierre said. “We will be delivering aid to communities devastated by Hurricanes Helen and Milton and other recent disasters.”
But he offered further details on how he would prevent a government shutdown next month, as questions remain about how he will tackle government funding and disaster relief before Congress takes up a new session in January. was not mentioned.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, said Thursday that Congress should pass a bill by the end of the year that covers most of 2025.
“It doesn't matter who's in the White House or who controls the House and Senate. Given the close margins in the House next year and the lack of a Republican majority in the Senate, it will take Democrats to pass a funding bill. “It means Republicans need to continue to work together,” she said. “Whether we wait now or wait until next year, no single chamber or political party can act alone to fund the programs and services that hardworking Americans depend on. It's a mistake to leave work unattended.”
