What's Left on Congress's Calendar

Lawmakers have until Dec. 11 to pass a dozen full-year appropriation bills and avoid a temporary partial government shutdown.

It's widely believed they don't have enough time to broker bipartisan agreement. So it's likely they will use another stopgap spending bill to extend funding into next year, when Democrats will take the lead negotiating with President Donald Trump. 

Senate Republicans are expected to use the rest of their time to confirm nominees before leaving for the holidays in mid-December. Democrats are unlikely to advance Trump’s nominees once they take over the Senate majority. 

A Senate GOP aide told States Newsroom that confirming judicial nominees will be a top priority in the coming session, in addition to funding the government, approving a farm bill and passing the annual defense policy bill. 

The Democrats aren't expected to consider any nomination by President Trump to the Supreme Court, or perhaps to any court. This would be payback for former Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's refusal to schedule a vote on President Obama's nomination of Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court. He held the seat open for 400 days, resulting in the appointment of Neil Gorsuch to the High Court by President Trump.

Sen. Kevin Cramer, however, continues to block confirmation of “any and all” of Trump's nominees to pressure the administration to eliminate a President Joe Biden-era rule dealing with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wetland easements that the North Dakota Republican has said harm his state’s property owners.

After FWS Director Brian Nesvik visited North Dakota in October, Cramer said he would release a few more of his holds, according to his office. 

Overdue farm bill

The farm bill, a substantial package of agriculture aid and nutrition programs, was supposed to become law years ago, but hasn’t amid long-running disagreements between the two parties. 

Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman, R-Ark., said in a statement he hoped to finally reach a deal in the next few weeks, an accomplishment that will require support from Democrats. 

“Family farmers contending with numerous challenges to their viability cannot afford another Farm Bill delay,” he said. “Producers and rural communities are counting on us to deliver the predictability, certainty and support that a modernized Farm Bill provides. Congress has the opportunity to show them we understand how urgently they need these critical updates and I remain committed to helping get them signed into law this year.”

The Senate Agriculture Committee approved its version of the farm bill in September but it didn’t garner bipartisan support. 

House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “G.T.” Thompson, R-Pa., said in a statement that moving “a full, five-year farm bill across the finish line remains a top priority of mine as we look to the remaining legislative days of 2026. American producers and consumers cannot afford to wait any longer.”

Minnesota Democratic Rep. Angie Craig, ranking member on the committee, said in a statement she remains “engaged in bipartisan, bicameral conversations” to address the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, allowing a gasoline blend with 15% ethanol and other priorities.

“I remain deeply committed to addressing the unfunded SNAP mandate that Republicans forced onto states and counties,” she said. “Family farmers across the country are hurting right now and desperately want to see a farm bill that opens up domestic markets, like year-round E15, robustly funds conservation programs which are relied upon to boost farm income, and provides certainty for the next five years. I will continue to work with my colleagues to address these issues and more in the coming weeks."

National Defense

Congress could reach a final deal on the massive defense policy bill, known as the National Defense Authorization Act, that lawmakers have approved annually for more than 60 years. 

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Ala., said in a statement that passing “the NDAA continues to be my highest priority, and I’m confident we can get this across the finish line.”

“This legislation is crucial to our national security, and a failure to pass it would not only weaken American deterrence, but also abandon critical support for our men and women in uniform, including a pay raise and better access to healthcare and childcare,” he said. 

College Sports

House Republican leadership will have to decide whether to put a college sports bill the Senate approved earlier this year up for a vote, a step its supporters say must happen this year. 

A spokesperson for the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee said in a statement there “is no realistic path to secure the same broad, bipartisan support for a new bill in 2027 and beyond. 

“Passing the Senate-approved bipartisan bill through the House and sending it to the President’s desk during the lame duck Congress gives House Republicans an opportunity to close out the 119th Congress with a significant win for President Trump, HBCUs, women’s sports, and student athletes,” the spokesperson wrote. “An attempt to amend it would be a surefire defeat for the colleges and fans counting on PCSA’s enactment.”

House GOP leaders will also have to decide whether to debate and vote on a permitting reform bill that a bipartisan group of senators released in late September. The Senate is scheduled to take its first procedural vote on the legislation, which aims to speed construction of public projects by streamlining regulatory reviews, this week.

This story includes reporting by States Newsroom.