Right now Democrats still controll the House and Senate….
Come Jan. 1?
They lose control of the House….
Democrats have LOT to do in the end of the year rush…
Some of it won’t make the cut…..
Could we have another goverment shut down drama also?
Lawmakers Return for Lame Duck Session
Playbook: “First up: government funding, which expires Dec. 16. The verdict is still out on whether a bipartisan full-year appropriations deal is within reach — or whether Congress will just kick the can down the road and pass another continuing resolution into next year.”
“All eyes this week will be on Senate Republicans — and especially GOP Leader Mitch McConnell, who will have to decide whether to help put up the 10 needed GOP votes to clear a 2023 omnibus.”
“It’s a close call. On one hand, Republicans will control the House next year, boosting the party’s bargaining hand. On the other, GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy (or whoever wins the speaker’s gavel) will be dealing with a slim, unruly majority — one that might well rally around a government shutdown to signal there’s a new sheriff in town.”
“McConnell has never been fond of shutdowns, and he might decide to clear the decks and spare Republicans one political headache (though he’s likely to punt another, the debt limit, to next year). He also has a crop of allies who are retiring and eager to put their imprint on government policies one last time, including GOP appropriations leader Richard Shelby. Plus there’s Ukraine funding, which many Senate Republicans want to lock in as House conservatives vow to turn off the Kyiv funding spigot.”
Punchbowl News: “The current continuing resolution keeping federal agencies open expires on Dec. 16. We can report that Democratic leaders are already discussing another one-week extension until Dec. 23. But even if they get a one-week CR, we’re not sure they will be able to cobble together a yearlong omnibus by that date, as we told you the other day. Christmas at the Capitol!”
Politicalwire….
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What COULD be done…….
First and foremost, Congress, with a generally supportive GOP minority and a unified Democratic majority, can approve a long-term and ample funding stream for Ukraine. Last week at the Halifax International Security Forum, Politico reported, “congressional Republican leaders are on track to steamroll the growing number of conservative lawmakers who want to stop funding Ukraine’s war effort, a move that’s sure to intensify the GOP divide over U.S. support for Kyiv. … Congress is likely to allocate well more than the $38 billion the Biden administration requested for Ukraine’s military and economic needs as part of a year-end governing funding bill.”
Nearly as important, Democrats should do everything possible to ensure funding for special counsel Jack Smith and for the Jan. 6 investigations more generally. The risk that Republicans would try to cut off Justice Department funding is not insignificant.
There is nothing that prevents Congress from passing a two-year Defense and Justice department authorization bill that would keep funds going after the end of the next fiscal year. Democrats would need 10 Republican senators to go along with such a plan — but that’s not unthinkable, especially on Ukraine. In any case, Democrats should try to lock in spending for both tasks to the greatest extent possible and for the longest time possible…
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In short, Democrats should be delighted if they can protect Ukraine and Justice Department funding, eliminate debt ceiling blackmail, pass ECA reform, and protect same-sex marriage. That’s more than enough to fill the remaining time before the holiday recess. The rest can wait until next year, when House Democrats will be watching Republicans tie themselves up in knots while Senate Democrats spend most of their time confirming judges….