Congress Faces Packed End-Of-Year Agenda
Congress is heading into a critical two-week stretch before the holidays after the Senate adjourned today without taking a procedural vote on a package of appropriations bills.
According to Punchbowl News, disagreements between Republican appropriators and fiscal hawks stalled progress, leaving a number of key funding questions unresolved.
When senators return next week, they will face a substantial year-end workload: making headway on outstanding government funding bills, advancing the annual must-pass National Defense Authorization Act and voting on legislation to extend expiring healthcare tax credits.
Following the recent prolonged shutdown, Congress passed a short-term continuing resolution (CR) that funds the government until Jan. 30, 2026.
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The CR provides full-year funding for three appropriations bills: Agriculture; Military Construction and Veterans Affairs; and the Legislative Branch.
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However, the remaining nine FY2026 bills still require action to avoid another potential shutdown early next year.
What's next: A major pressure point in the coming weeks is the fate of Affordable Care Act (ACA) premium subsidies.
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These enhanced subsidies expire soon, and Senate Democrats plan to propose a three-year extension for a vote, which is expected on Dec. 11.
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Under the agreement that ended the shutdown, Democrats control the proposal the Senate will consider.
However, Senate Minority Leader John Thune has signaled that a clean three-year extension is "designed to fail," noting that any bill will need 60 votes to advance and Republicans aren't in favor of extending the healthcare subsidies.
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Some Republican senators, including Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Thom Tillis (R-NC), have expressed support for a shorter two-year extension, but only with income caps or other guardrails.
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Disagreements over whether to include abortion-related funding restrictions remain another major hurdle.
This article was provided to OSAP by ASAE's Power of Associations and Inroads.