Lawmakers are back on Capitol Hill this week for the first time since the midterm elections, and Republicans have a slew of responsibilities in front of them before Democrats take over the reins of power in January.
“The lame duck is like that closet in your house where everybody’s throwing a bunch of s— into it,” Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, told Fox News Digital. “And the closet is full of s— now, and now we got to figure out how to get it all out of there.”
Current federal funding levels run out on Dec. 11, and without another deal in place, Congress risks plunging the government into another shutdown. Some Democrats signaled to POLITICO that they could use President Donald Trumps war in Iran as leverage in spending talks â which could very well lead to a fiscal cliff that could paralyze federal agencies.
But one House Republican, granted anonymity to speak candidly, told Fox News Digital they expect another short-term extension of current funding levels, called a continuing resolution (CR), through February or March of next year. The current CR was passed to cover the end of the last fiscal year ending Sept. 30 through next month.
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“No one wants a shutdown, I would think,” that House Republican said. “Not even Dems.”
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Other legislative priorities Congress will have to reckon with in the next few weeks include the farm bill, which is passed every five years and sets food and agriculture policy for the country. Republicans are also aiming to pass a bill to revitalize the countrys transportation infrastructure and a bipartisan tax package before the end of the year.
Then there is also the looming debt ceiling deadline coming in January, which Trump will likely call on Republicans to deal with before Congress changes hands.
GOP lawmakers shared varying levels of optimism when asked about how productive they would be.
“It can be. It should be,” Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind., said. “But my faith in some of my Senate colleagues is not real high, because I feel like they have a personal vendetta towards the president, and it’s more about that than it is about passing legislation. We should do our business in Congress.”
Rep. Nathaniel Moran, R-Texas, said, “I think it’s gonna be difficult to get a whole lot done. But we have done a lot of work leading up to the lame-duck session to prepare for passing a number of important bills, many of which are bipartisan.”
But first, both House and Senate Republicans will need to face their losses in person â and consider how to rebuild.
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“Its going to feel like a funeral,” Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., told Fox News Digital. “Its depressing even for those of us who won, because we lost so many good, quality members.”
The first order of business this week will be choosing their new leaders for the next Congress.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., is running for the minority leader role unopposed for now.
And House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., is vying for the minori
