The House and Senate will spend their post-election lame-duck session trying to avoid another government shutdown on Dec. 11, and must also extend farm and surface transportation laws and pass the annual defense policy bill, according to Semafor.
Senate Democrats have to decide next week whether they are ready to advance a bipartisan permitting reform bill, or hold off until next year, when, Semafor reports, their political situation will improve dramatically.
Across the Capitol, House Speaker Mike Johnson has to decide how to handle a Senate-passed college sports bill that his members want to change.
Some Republicans are also preparing to push for one last reconciliation bill, a manoeuvre that bypasses the filibuster, to enact their remaining legislative priorities such as a boost to defense spending. Semafor reports it is not clear the bruised party will have the votes to try.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- A funding lapse after Dec. 11 would mean another government shutdown, and the expiring farm and surface transportation laws and the defense policy bill set policy that reaches well beyond Washington.
- The lame-duck is the last stretch for legislation before the new Congress, so anything left off the list slips to next year.
- Senate Democrats' decision on permitting reform and any Republican attempt at reconciliation show how much political capital either party is willing to spend before the new session begins.
Background
Lame-duck sessions fall between an election and the seating of the next Congress, and they routinely carry a backlog of measures that must pass before the year ends. Annual defense policy bills and extensions of farm and transportation programs are recurring items on that list, alongside the appropriations needed to keep agencies funded. Reconciliation is a budget process that lets the majority pass certain legislation with a simple majority, avoiding the higher threshold that normally applies in the Senate.
What to Watch
- The Dec. 11 funding deadline, and whether Congress moves a stopgap or a full spending package before it.
- The Senate Democratic decision expected next week on whether to advance the bipartisan permitting reform bill or defer it.
- Whether Republicans bring forward a reconciliation package for defense spending and other priorities, and whether the votes exist to attempt it.
Checked
9 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 9 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedCongress has a lame-duck to-do list that includes trying to avoid a Dec. 11 shutdown.Semafor: “The House and Senate will have to figure out how to avoid yet another government shutdown on Dec. 11”
- SupportedCongress must extend farm and surface transportation laws.Semafor: “extend farm and surface transportation laws”
- SupportedCongress must pass the annual defense policy bill.Semafor: “pass the annual defense policy bill during their post-election sprint.”
- SupportedSenate Democrats will decide next week whether to advance a bipartisan permitting reform bill or hold off until next year.Semafor: “Senate Democrats will have to decide next week whether they’re ready to advance a bipartisan permitting reform bill or hold off until next year”
- SupportedIf Democrats hold off, their political situation will improve dramatically by next year.Semafor: “hold off until next year when their political situation will improve dramatically.”
- SupportedHouse Speaker Mike Johnson has to decide how to handle a Senate-passed college sports bill that his members want to change.Semafor: “House Speaker Mike Johnson has to decide how to handle a Senate-passed college sports bill that his members want to change.”
- SupportedSome Republicans are preparing to push for one last reconciliation bill to enact remaining priorities, including a boost to defense spending.Semafor: “some Republicans are preparing to make a push for one last filibuster-bypassing reconciliation bill to enact their remaining legislative priorities, like a boost to defense spending”
- SupportedThe proposed reconciliation bill would bypass the filibuster.Semafor: “one last filibuster-bypassing reconciliation bill”
- SupportedIt is unclear whether the bruised party will have the votes to try for the reconciliation bill.Semafor: “it’s not clear the bruised party will have the votes to try.”