Congress returns to brutal lame-duck stretch with shutdown deadline, leadership races: 'Closet is full of s—'
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...
By Fox News · Fox News
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 Trump’s war in Iran as leverage in spending talks — 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. TRUMP SIGNS GOVERNMENT FUNDING BILL, AVOIDING A SHUTDOWN AHEAD OF MIDTERMS "No one wants a shutdown, I would think," that House Republican said. "Not even Dems." HOUSE GOP VOTES TO PUNT GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN BATTLE TO AFTER NOVEMBER MIDTERMS 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 country’s 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 w…