The House and Senate return to Washington on Monday facing a crowded agenda in the closing weeks of the 119th Congress. Government funding, the National Defense Authorization Act, permitting rules, college sports compensation and congressional stock trading all remain unresolved.
The political landscape has shifted sharply after Republicans suffered substantial losses in the midterm elections. Democrats secured at least 255 seats in the 435 member House and could emerge with as many as 56 seats in the Senate.
Those looming majorities give Democrats little reason to compromise with Republicans before the new Congress takes office. Attendance may also complicate Republican efforts because dozens of members lost their seats and some no longer face another election.
Government funding presents the most immediate deadline, with current appropriations expiring Dec. 11. Congress must approve another continuing resolution at current spending levels or pass a full year of appropriations bills to prevent a shutdown.
Both options require bipartisan support because the Senate’s filibuster threshold stands at 60 votes. Democrats are unlikely to negotiate a full year of funding before taking control of Congress, where their new majorities could provide greater leverage over the White House.
Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the presumptive chair of the Appropriations Committee, signaled that confrontation was coming. “This former preschool teacher is going to teach President Trump a simple lesson: The power of the purse belongs to CONGRESS!” she wrote Tuesday.
Murray continued, “It’s NOT Trump’s money. Taxpayer dollars belong to the American PEOPLE.” The spending negotiations also lost a central participant after Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, the current Senate Appropriations Committee chair, lost reelection to Democrat Troy Jackson after five terms.
The federal debt limit is another potential flashpoint. Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota is among the lawmakers calling for Congress to raise the ceiling before Republicans surrender control.
Federal debt reached $40 trillion for the first time in September, approaching the $41.1 trillion ceiling established in the Republican Party’s 2025 budget reconciliation law. The Bipartisan Policy Center expects Treasury to reach its maximum borrowing capacity by the middle of summer.
A Bank of America estimate dated Nov. 6 said the United States may be unable to meet all its obligations by November 2027. Democrats may prefer to reserve the debt limit as a bargaining tool after they take control of Congress.
Republicans could attempt to raise the ceiling through another budget reconciliation package, which can move through the Senate without clearing the filibuster threshold. That approach would require nearly complete Republican unity despite narrow margins, electoral defeats and potential attendance problems.
A permitting agreement reached by senior senators on energy committees before the election also faces an uncertain future. The Senate plans a procedural vote Monday evening, according to an aide familiar with the schedule who requested anonymity because the move had not been announced.
Democrats’ strong election results could encourage them to abandon the agreement and seek different terms after taking power. The proposal was already facing resistance before the election, with leading House Democrats declining to support the version accepted by Senate negotiators.
Politico reported Thursday that Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the likely next House speaker, did not support the permitting agreement. Democrats want faster construction of clean energy projects, while Republicans argue that federal permitting procedures and environmental laws obstruct critical infrastructure.
The House passed its version of the National Defense Authorization Act in July, authorizing more than $1 trillion in defense spending. Senate Democrats blocked their chamber’s version that month because of concerns surrounding the Iran war.
The legislation also faced opposition from businesses over a provision restricting Pentagon contractors from conducting stock buybacks or paying dividends without War Department approval. War Secretary Pete Hegseth now faces a vote on articles of impeachment when Congress returns, creating another potential obstacle for the bill.
The Senate approved bipartisan legislation in September to establish federal rules governing compensation for college athletes. The measure faces significant opposition in the House, especially among Democrats, making final passage more difficult during the abbreviated session.
Lawmakers may also revisit proposals barring members of Congress from owning or trading individual stocks. The House passed the Republican led Stop Insider Trading Act with some bipartisan support in July, but Democrats opposed its failure to cover the president or require lawmakers to divest existing holdings.
Sen. Todd Young of Indiana urged Congress to act during the lame duck session. “We have a great opportunity in the lame duck session to restore a small amount of trust by banning Members of Congress from trading stocks. I’ve been talking about this for many months, and it should be a no-brainer,” he wrote.
Jeffries has also listed a congressional stock trading ban among Democratic priorities. “We must root out corrupt price gouging, clean up the mess at the Supreme Court and ban Members of Congress from trading stocks. Accountability begins at home,” he wrote to House members.