Congress races to avoid government shutdown before the holidays

Congressional leaders are racing to finish this session’s legislative work, including a short-term spending bill that must be approved this week to avoid a government shutdown just before the holidays.

The continuing resolution is expected to be passed soon and must be approved by the House and Senate by midnight on Friday.

That is likely to include tens of billions of dollars in federal disaster aid to help states ravaged in recent months by hurricanes Helene and Milton, as well as severe storms.

Parts of Virginia are still recovering from storm damage and awaiting funding from the Small Business Administration, which has run out of loan money.

The legislation is also expected to include funding to replace the Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, which collapsed earlier this year when it was hit by a container ship.

Unlike previous years, it appears the legislation will pass before the deadline, with minimal political drama.

Congress this year has been steadily pushing to pass a full-year budget and approved a spending measure in September, ahead of a recess before the November elections.

Republicans are eager to incorporate President-elect Donald Trump’s legislative priorities next year now that they control the White House and both houses of Congress.

House Speaker Mike Johnson appears to have little opposition as he seeks re-election in January as GOP leader.

Johnson has the backing of Trump and attended the Army and Navy parade in Landover over the weekend with other prominent Republicans.

But GOP lawmakers remain unsure how to address Trump’s top priorities.

They agree they want to use budget-vote legislation, which would allow them to get legislation through the Senate on a majority vote, avoiding a 60-vote filibuster.

But they remain divided on whether to focus all their priorities on one or two reconciliation proposals.

Johnson has indicated he favors two, one including immigration reform and another focused on renewing tax cuts passed during Trump’s first term.

Others worry that bringing up immigration first could drag out the legislative process and jeopardize efforts to pass tax cuts.

The tax breaks expire at the end of the year.

But before lawmakers can focus on next year, they still need to end the lame duck session.

The Senate will vote this week on the $895 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which was approved on a bipartisan vote last week by the House.

That includes a 14.5% pay increase for junior enlisted personnel as well as a 4.5% increase for the military overall.

Trump nominees prepare for hearings

Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., will be on Capitol Hill this week to meet with lawmakers.

Many want to ask him about some of his controversial views, including opposition to various vaccines and wanting to remove fluoride from the water supply.

A lawyer advising Kennedy has urged federal regulators to withdraw the polio vaccine from the market.

That prompted Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a polio survivor, to issue a strong statement in support of the vaccine last week.

“Efforts to undermine public confidence in proven cures are not just uninformed — they’re dangerous,” McConnell said. “Anyone seeking Senate consent to serve in the incoming administration would do well to avoid even apparent association with such efforts.”

Trump’s candidate for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, received another public boost from the newly elected president on Saturday. Like Johnson, Hegseth attended the Army-Navy game with him in Maryland.

Hegseth’s nomination got off to a rough start following reports of public intoxication, an allegation of sexual assault and questions about his leadership of a veterans organization.

But his supporters launched an offensive on his behalf, and for now it appears he has stabilized his path to confirmation

He and other nominees will still face a lot of tough questions when Senate confirmation hearings begin early next year.

Get the latest news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

© 2024 WTOP. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users within the European Economic Area.