Both the House and Senate are in session this week before Thanksgiving recess

Both the House and Senate are in session this week before Thanksgiving recess

The House and Senate are in session this week and in recess for Thanksgiving next week. Both chambers reconvene with only 15 legislative days scheduled for the remainder of the 118th Congress, which is an incredibly short period of time to complete its unfinished business: The current Continuing Resolution (CR) expires on December 20th, which means Congress must act in some fashion to prevent a government shutdown. Congress also needs to complete the FY2025 National Defense Authorization Act and intends to take up a disaster supplemental that addresses damage from recent hurricanes and wildfires.

The House has a light legislative schedule this week, with:

• Committing Leases for Energy Access Now (CLEAN) Act (H.R.1449), which would require the Department of the Interior to increase the frequency of lease sales under the Geothermal Stream Act to at least once a year and establish 30-day deadlines for considering geothermal drilling permits.
• Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act (H.R.9495), which would postpone tax filing deadlines for U.S. nationals who are wrongfully detained or held hostage abroad and, more notably, authorize termination of the tax-exempt status of designated terrorist supporting organizations. The legislation received over 250 votes when considered under a suspension of the rules last week but fell short of the needed two-thirds majority.

The House also plans to take up over a dozen suspension bills and resolutions from the Oversight, Veterans’ Affairs, and Foreign Affairs Committees, including:

• Grant Transparency Act (H.R.5536), which would establish transparency requirements for competitive grants and notices of funding opportunities.
• Vote by Mail Tracking Act (H.R.5658), which would require mail ballots to contain a U.S. Postal Service barcode for tracking, adhere to relevant USPS requirements, and include an official election mail logo.
• Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act (H.R.8371), which contains a package of bipartisan and bicameral proposals to reform and improve the VA’s delivery of healthcare, benefits, and services for veterans, their families, and survivors.
• Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts Authorization Act (H.R.8368), which would require the Secretary of State to appoint a Coordinator-level position responsible for relocating and resettling eligible Afghan allies and ensuring integrated support across federal departments and agencies.

Congressional Agenda 

Appropriations: Speaker Mike Johnson indicated over the weekend that while he is hopeful the FY2025 spending bills could be completed by the December 20th funding deadline, he is not optimistic and believes another short-term CR will be needed, which would push the FY2025 process into the 119th Congress where, he acknowledged, Republicans will have majorities that provide leverage in spending negotiations. However, pushing the Appropriations process into next year will add a difficult and divisive item to the top of Republicans’ legislative agenda and potentially delay efforts to move quickly on a reconciliation package that extends large parts of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and addresses key priorities, including border security and energy production.

If Congress does not reach a comprehensive FY2025 government funding agreement next month, a short-term CR is unlikely to carry many (if any) additional measures that were looking to a spending package as a vehicle. Beyond simple extensions, Congress usually does not attach significant authorizing legislation to short-term CRs.

FY2025 National Defense Authorization Act: The process of completing the NDAA Conference Report continues, with meetings still underway between the House and Senate on the underlying provisions. Because NDAA appears to be the last moving vehicle of this Congress, there will be heightened pressures to attach various legislative items, with Speaker Johnson pushing for a “China package” that contains outbound investment legislation, the House-passed BIOSECURE Act, de minimis reforms, and China-related AI legislation, though outgoing Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries have not yet indicated their priorities. We expect this negotiation to continue and go well into next month.

Leadership: The House Democratic Caucus will hold its leadership elections today, with Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, Whip Katherine Clark of Massachusetts, and Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar of California all currently running unopposed.

• The Senate Democratic Caucus is expected to finalize its leadership roster after the Thanksgiving recess. While it remains to be seen whether Leader Schumer decides to reorganize the structure, there will be at least a few changes as it stands now:
• Retiring Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan is Chair of the Policy and Communications Committee, which is the third-highest position after Leader and Whip, and Sens. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, who is currently Chair of the Steering and Outreach Committee (the fourth-highest position), and Cory Booker of New Jersey, who is currently Vice Chair of the Policy and Communications Committee, are considered in the running for the post.
• Democrats have paired relative progressives and moderates as Vice Chairs of the Caucus (Mark Warner of Virginia and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts) and Policy and the Communications Committee (Booker and Joe Manchin of West Virginia), so Manchin’s retirement would create an opening.   
• Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan was Chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in the 2022 and 2024 cycles but is up for reelection in 2026. Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Alex Padilla of California have both expressed interest in leading Senate Democrats’ campaign arm. Padilla is currently one of two DSCC Vice Chairs, alongside Tina Smith of Minnesota, who is running for reelection in 2026. 

The House and Senate Republican Conferences convened last week for internal elections to select their respective leaders for the next Congress:

• House Republicans voted for the following leadership slate:
  • Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana, who is elected following a majority vote of the full House
  • Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana
  • Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota
  • Conference Chair Lisa McClain of Michigan
  • Policy Committee Chair Kevin Hern of Oklahoma
  • National Republican Congressional Committee Chair Richard Hudson of North Carolina
• Senate Republicans voted for the following leadership slate:
  • Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota
  • Assistant Majority Leader and Whip John Barrasso of Wyoming
  • Conference Chair Tom Cotton of Arkansas
  • Policy Committee Chair Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia
  • Conference Vice Chair James Lankford of Oklahoma
  • National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair Tim Scott of South Carolina 

House Committee Assignments: Members are in for a busy week as planning for the 119th Congress kicks into full gear. After last week’s elections in the House Republican Conference, the focus now turns to the process for filling out committee assignments, which is expected to last until at least the end of next month. On Wednesday, House Republicans will hold elections for regional positions on the Steering Committee, which determines most chairmanships and recommends Members to serve on standing committees. These elections mean the Steering Committee for the 119th Congress will be in place once Congress returns from the Thanksgiving recess, and it plans to begin the process of selecting committee chairs that first week back.

Oversight: Over a dozen notable oversight-related hearings are lined up this week, including:

• National Institutes of Health: Director Monica Bertagnolli appears before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (on Tuesday, at 10AM).
• Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster response and funding needs: Administrator Deanne Criswell appears before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management (on Tuesday, at 10AM) and House Oversight and Accountability Committee (on Tuesday, at 2PM). Criswell will also appear alongside Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Small Business Administrator Isabel Guzman, and the Deputy Secretaries of Agriculture and Housing and Urban Development Adrianne Todman at a hearing of the Senate Appropriations Committee (on Wednesday, at 10AM) on disaster funding needs.
• Impacts of emergency authority cybersecurity regulations on the transportation sector: Officials from the Transportation Security Administration, Government Accountability Office, and industry representatives (Association of American Railroads and American Gas Association) appear before the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Transportation and Maritime Security (on Tuesday, at 10AM).
• Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and 2025 tax policy debate: Former House Ways and Means Committee Chair Kevin Brady, American Action Forum President Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities Deputy Director of Federal Tax Policy Samantha Jacoby, and Small Business Majority Founder and CEO John Arensmeyer appear before the Joint Economic Committee (on Tuesday, at 2:30PM) while AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler, National Urban League President and CEO Marc Morial, and Center for American Progress Senior Director for Economic Policy Brendan Duke appear before the Senate Banking Subcommittee on Economic Policy (on Wednesday, at 2PM).
• Worldwide threats: Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, FBI Director Chris Wray, and National Counterterrorism Center Acting Director Brett Holmgren appear before the House Homeland Security Committee (on Wednesday, at 10AM) and Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (on Thursday, at 10AM).
• Prudential regulators: Federal Reserve Board Vice Chair for Supervision Michael Barr, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Chair Martin Gruenberg, National Credit Union Administration Chair Todd Harper, and Acting Comptroller of the Currency Michael Hsu appear before the House Financial Services Committee (on Wednesday, at 10AM).
• Veterans Health Administration: Undersecretary of Veterans Affairs for Health Shereef Elnahal appears before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies (on Wednesday, at 10AM) for a hearing on VHA’s potential FY2025 budget shortfall.
• Social Security Administration: Commissioner Martin O’Malley appears before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (on Wednesday, at 10:30AM).
• Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Refugee Resettlement: Secretary Xavier Becerra appears before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement (on Wednesday, at 2PM).

Biden Administration

• The President is in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, through today for the G20 Leaders’ Summit.