For all the latest developments in Congress, follow WTOP Capitol Hill correspondent Mitchell Miller at Today on the Hill.
Congressional leaders are racing to finish up this session’s legislative work, including a short-term spending bill that will need to be approved this week to avoid a government shutdown right before the holidays.
The continuing resolution is expected to be agreed upon soon and must be approved by the House and Senate by Friday at midnight.
It’s 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 waiting for funding from the Small Business Administration, which has run out of money for loans.
The legislation is also expected to include funding for replacing the Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, which collapsed earlier this year when it was struck by a container ship.
Unlike in past years, it appears the legislation will pass ahead of the deadline, with minimal political drama.
Congress this year has continually punted on approving a budget for the full year and approved a stopgap spending measure in September, ahead of a break before the November election.
Republicans are eager to incorporate President-elect Donald Trump’s legislative priorities next year, now that they control the White House and both chambers of Congress.
House Speaker Mike Johnson appears to have little opposition as he seeks reelection in January as the GOP leader.
Johnson has the backing of Trump and attended the Army-Navy game in Landover over the weekend with other prominent Republicans.
But GOP lawmakers are still undecided about how they will address Trump’s top priorities.
They agree they want to utilize budget reconciliation legislation, which would allow them to get legislation through the Senate on a majority vote, avoiding the 60-vote filibuster.
But they remain divided over whether they should put all their priorities into one reconciliation bill or two.
Johnson has indicated he favors two, with one including immigration reforms and another focusing on renewing tax cuts implemented during Trump’s first term.
Others worry that if immigration is taken up first, it could drag out the legislative process and endanger efforts to get tax cuts approved.
The tax cuts expire at the end of the year.
But before lawmakers can focus on next year, they still need to wrap up 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.
It 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 head 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 desire to remove fluoride from the water supply.
A lawyer who advises Kennedy has called on federal regulators to withdraw the polio vaccine from the market.
That led 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 the Senate’s consent to serve in the incoming administration would do well to steer clear of even the appearance of association with such efforts.”
Trump’s nominee for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, got another public boost from the president-elect on Saturday. Like Johnson, Hegseth attended the Army-Navy game with him in Maryland.
Hegseth’s nomination had a rough start after reports of public drunkenness, an allegation of sexual assault and questions about his management of a veterans organization.
But his supporters mounted an offensive on his behalf and for now it appears he has steadied his path toward confirmation
He and other nominees will still face lots of tough questions when Senate confirmation hearings begin early next year.
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