Congress returned to Capitol Hill this week for the first time since the midterm elections, and the to-do list waiting for Republicans before Democrats take the reins in January is not pretty. Current federal funding runs out Dec. 11. The farm bill is unfinished. A debt ceiling deadline looms in January. And leadership races are already heating up on both sides of the aisle.
Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, gave Fox News Digital the quote of the week when asked about the pileup: "The lame duck is like that closet in your house where everybody's throwing a bunch of s--- into it. And the closet is full of s--- now, and now we got to figure out how to get it all out of there."
He's not wrong. ABC News reported Monday that following the midterm elections that swept Democrats into majority control of the House and Senate, Congress is staring down a five-week lame-duck session with a crowded legislative docket. The Senate map flipped dramatically — Democrats gained control 54-44, with seven Republican seats lost, according to projections cited by ABC.
THE SHUTDOWN CLOCK IS RUNNING
Current federal funding levels expire Dec. 11. Without a new deal, the government shuts down. One House Republican, granted anonymity to speak candidly, told Fox News Digital they expect another continuing resolution — a short-term extension of current funding levels — through February or March of next year.
"No one wants a shutdown, I would think," that Republican said. "Not even Dems."
But Democrats may have other ideas. Some signaled to POLITICO that they could use President Donald Trump's military action in Iran as leverage in spending talks — a maneuver that could paralyze federal agencies and put thousands of federal workers in limbo heading into the holidays.
THE REST OF THE PILE
Beyond funding, Republicans are aiming to pass a five-year farm bill that sets food and agriculture policy for the country, a transportation infrastructure package, and a bipartisan tax package before the year ends. Then there's the debt ceiling, which comes due in January — right as Democrats take power.
Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind., told Fox News Digital he's not confident the Senate will handle it before the handoff. "It can be. It should be," he 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 th—"
Meanwhile, leadership races are already consuming oxygen. Fox News Digital reported that several newly elected Senate Democrats are refusing to commit to Sen. Chuck Schumer as majority leader — a fight that will shape how the incoming Democratic majority operates from day one.
THE HEGSETH FACTOR
ABC News noted that a potential impeachment effort against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is also hanging over the session. That's a fight Republicans would rather avoid in their final weeks of power, but Democrats have made clear they intend to use every tool available.
Trump, for his part, is expected to lean on Republicans to handle the debt ceiling before Congress changes hands. Whether Senate Republicans — several of whom have shown open hostility toward the president — will follow through is another question entirely.
Our Take
Here's the thing, folks: Republicans won the White House, won the Senate, won the House in 2024. And now, two years later, they're limping into a lame duck with a funding deadline they've known about for months, a farm bill they've had five years to pass, and a debt ceiling they could have raised in January 2025 when they had the votes and the momentum.
Instead, we get a five-week scramble, anonymous Republicans leaking expectations of yet another continuing resolution, and Democrats already sharpening their knives for the January handoff. If Republicans wanted to prove government could work, this was the window. So far, it looks like they're just cleaning out the closet and dumping it on the next guy.
Americans deserve better than a last-minute CR passed at 2 a.m. while leadership races dominate the headlines. Call your representative. Ask what they're actually going to pass before Dec. 11 — and why it wasn't done a year ago.
