This Week In Congress
This was the last week of the 118th Congress and the new Congress will convene on January 3, 2025. Our weekly updates will resume in the New Year once the 119th Congress is sworn in. In the interim, we wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Federal government funding was due to expire this Friday at midnight, but Congress worked on a continuing resolution (CR) to avert a shutdown. The CR included a supplemental disaster relief for farmers, along with provisions relating to federal government cost-sharing for repairs to the Baltimore Bridge, new trade rules for imports from Haiti and sub-Saharan African countries, supplemental funding for a new museum on the Mall, and a bill relating to the treatment of criminals following their release from prison. The CR would continue to fund the government through mid-March 2025. Additionally, the CR included riders such as (1) a one-year extension of the Farm bill; (2) a package of bills to reauthorize expiring health programs, including those relating to pandemic preparedness, opioid response, and Medicare telehealth; (3) supplemental disaster aid; and (4) provisions relating to U.S. investment in China and presidential power to enforce sanctions and impose prohibitions on critical technology sectors.
In addition to voting on the CR, the House voted on the Midnight Rules Relief Act (H.R. 115), which would amend the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to allow Congress to pass a single resolution to disapprove of multiple rules finalized during the final year of a presidential term.
Finally, the House voted on 51 measures to be considered under suspension of the rules, requiring a two-thirds majority vote for passage. The list includes legislation relating to healthcare, education, veterans and homeland security programs, federal broadband deployment, temporary federal judgeships, and the federal hiring process.
The Senate voted on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) (H.R. 5009), the House-passed Water Resources Development Act (S. 4367), and on another House-passed bill (H.R. 82) that would repeal rules reducing Social Security benefits for people who receive additional pension benefits. Finally, the Senate voted on the last judicial nominees to be considered this year. If those judges are confirmed, Biden will have secured 235 judicial appointments during his term.