Congress returns for final 2024 lame duck sprint

Washington — Congress returned from the Thanksgiving recess this week 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 lame-duck session’s to-do list in the coming weeks, while Republicans brace for leadership in Washington next year.

But first, Congress must focus on government funding, as lawmakers only have until Dec. 20 to approve new spending. And while a shutdown is unlikely, leaders will need to reach an agreement on short-term funding measures in the coming weeks.

Government financial assistance

In September, lawmakers Approved a continuing resolution To continue funding the government until Dec. 20, setting a pre-recess deadline to prevent a shutdown has become common for Congress. With frustration among some conservatives over the process, House Speaker Mike Johnson made clear at the time that he opposed an omnibus package to fund the government, suggesting that the House spend 12 of the entire year after the election. Will work to pass individual bills of expenditure. But a favorable outcome for Republicans in the 2024 election changed the calculus.

Republicans appear likely to push for the deadline to be lifted in the early days of President-elect Donald Trump’s administration, though the exact timeline for the stopgap initiative remains a key question. The deadline will set off a major battle over government spending, with Republicans poised to control the House, Senate and White House — and want to significantly cut spending while extending Trump’s 2017 tax cuts.

Lawmakers also have to consider disaster relief after the Biden administration requested $98 billion in aid to deal with the aftermath of Hurricanes Milton and Helene in the Southeast.

The funding fight comes as Johnson looks to hold on to the New Year, holding a narrow House majority that has proved problematic for Republicans seeking the speakership in recent years. Republicans have. Johnson has already been selected. They will have their nominees for speaker in January, and the full House will elect a speaker when lawmakers are sworn in next month.

Senate Republicans are meeting with Trump administration picks.

Senate Republicans are expected to continue meeting with Trump’s picks for top administration posts this week, seeking to win support in the upper chamber to confirm the nominees. There is character.

Ahead of his recess, Senate Republicans met with Trump’s picks, including Pat Hegseth and former Rep. Matt Gaetz, who are attorneys after intense scrutiny over a House Ethics Committee investigation into alleged sexual misconduct and drug abuse. chose to withdraw his name for the general. . On Monday, Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa is scheduled to meet with the former Florida attorney general. Palm BondiJoe Trump An application was made for the Attorney General. After Gaetz withdrew.

Trump continues to announce his picks for top jobs, including Kash Patel, 44, who served in Trump’s first term. I played intelligence and defense roles and his reputation Controversial personalityFor the director of the FBI. The announcement comes as Trump nominee Christopher Wray’s term does not expire until 2027.

Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, tapped by Trump to lead the newly created Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, will also be on Capitol Hill this week, meeting with Senate and House Republicans on Thursday.

House Ethics Committee meets to consider Gaetz’s report

The House Ethics Committee will meet Thursday to further consider whether to release a report on its investigation into Gaetz, after an evenly divided bipartisan panel failed to do so. Reach an agreement In a one-hour meeting last month.

A day later, Getz Took it back Given its name, it complicates the ethics committee’s decision whether to release a report. Gaetz’s resignation from the House after his election for attorney general ended the committee’s jurisdiction over him, making the release of the report impossible. was made more controversial. Republican committee chairmen said they voted against releasing the report on the jurisdictional issue.

Still, some see the release of the report as necessary if Gaetz is eyeing other offices, such as another post within the Trump administration or a run for Florida governor down the road.

An ethics committee investigation first began in 2021, but was put on hold as the Justice Department investigated Gaetz’s sex trafficking and obstruction. Last year, the ethics committee resumed its work after prosecutors declined to indict Gaetz, who has denied all wrongdoing.

Senate Democrats are holding a leadership election.

Senate Democrats, who will be the minority in the new Congress, are expected to meet on Tuesday to choose their leadership for the next two years, while Republicans flip the chamber in the 2024 election. was

While Democratic leadership is expected to remain unchanged at top positions, Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and Whip Dick Durbin are seeking to remain in their roles, the no. Sen. Debbie Stabeno is set to get the 3rd post as she prepares to retire.

Stabeno, who is leaving the Senate after more than two decades, chairs the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee. This post was spotted by Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota.

The leadership races come as Senate Democrats are finalizing their agenda, which focuses on confirming President Biden’s remaining nominees to the nation’s courts. Democrats are hoping to match or surpass Trump’s 234. Judicial confirmations From his first term during the lame-duck session, but has faced resistance from Republicans who want to block and drag out the process.