News and updates

The House and Senate return to Washington, DC today after a weeklong break for the Thanksgiving holiday. They are expected to be in session for approximately 15 days, giving them limited time to finish work on an several critical pieces of legislation, including an omnibus bill before the current continuing resolution expires on December 11^th. But that omnibus is still mired down by issues such as addressing any last-minute funding requests for security after the Paris terrorist attack, resolving disputes on potential policy riders such as the treatment of Syrian refugees, and potentially blocking funding for Planned Parenthood.

All of these issues and others related to EPA regulations and water rights have some DC insiders speculating that lawmakers will miss the December 11^th deadline and instead approve another short term CR – possibly running through March 2016 or even the end of the fiscal year on September 30^th.

Before the Thanksgiving recess, congressional aides insisted that they would finish the omnibus by December 11^th. The next few days may determine whether appropriators can still meet that deadline.

Read more here.

Congress is in recess this week for the Thanksgiving holiday, but not all is quiet in Washington, DC. On Tuesday, French President Francois Hollande is visiting the White House in the wake of the Paris Attacks. At the Capitol, the clock is still ticking for deadlines on reauthorizing highway and transit programs and an FY 2016 omnibus spending bill. The coming days will be critical in determining whether appropriators will be able to strike another $1.1 trillion government-wide spending agreement. But national security concerns following last week’s Paris attacks and disagreement over whether or not to allow Syrian refugees to enter the U.S. add another major layer of complication to the negotiations. Lawmakers will return from their Thanksgiving break with just two weeks to reach a deal before the December 11^th deadline when the current continuing resolution runs out. Read more here.

The refugee dispute is only one of a host of controversial policy provisions, known as riders that could doom speedy passage of the omnibus bill. Among the contentious riders yet to be resolved is a fight over whether to strip funding from Planned Parenthood, a measure to block EPA water regulations, the implementation of the Dodd-Frank financial overhaul, and e-cigarette regulations. Even if the fights over riders can be resolved, funding levels remain in doubt, particularly after the Paris attack, which could trigger new spending requests for defense, homeland security or intelligence.

But this week will be quiet with most action taking place behind the scenes as appropriators continue to negotiate a final bill.