Buckle up! Congress has saved its most critical work for last and lawmakers will be on a mad dash to complete their work in the time remaining—about 15 days. Per usual, one of those items includes avoiding a government shutdown, only this time Republicans will be on the hook for stewarding both chambers to a close. Jordain Carney reports on what's on tap for Paul Ryan's first year-end turn as speaker.
The Highway bill
Lawmakers' first deadline falls on Dec. 4, when the short-term funding fix for infrastructure runs dry and a long-term bill will need to be approved. Not only do the House and Senate bills need to be reconciled but conservatives want to scrap reauthorization for the Export-Import Bank and questions remain over the fact that the bill only guarantees funding for three years of the six-year bill.
Reconciliation
Mitch McConnell has fast-tracked a House-approved bill to repeal portions of Obamacare. But McConnell might not even muster the 51 votes needed to pass the bill due to posturing by Republican Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas, Marco Rubio of Florida, and Mike Lee of Utah who have all said they would oppose any bill that didn't provide a full repeal of Obamacare. Without them, McConnell will need every remaining Republican to sign on to the bill.
That could cause problems with Republicans like Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska if the effort to cut funding for Planned Parenthood is linked to the repeal package. Of course, the whole charade could be an exercise in futility since any bill repealing Obamacare is sure to be vetoed by the president.
Syrian refugees
McConnell has also fast-tracked House-passed legislation that would block President Obama's plan to resettle 10,000 Syrian refugees in the coming year. But Harry Reid has vowed to block it and, even if McConnell lines up every GOP senator for the vote, he'll need the help of six Democrats to push it through. But they've got other ideas.
Democrats, meanwhile, are focused on the Visa Waiver Program, which allows residents of nearly 40 countries to enter the United States without a visa. They’re also doubling down on legislation that would close the “terrorist background check” loophole, which allows suspected or known terrorists to buy a firearm or explosive.
Government funding
But of course. The run up to the mid-December deadline to fund the government could include tussles over everything from a rider about Syrian refugees to financial and environmental regulations to the Affordable Care Act. Once again, the base line effort to keep the government funded will not disappoint.