SMT-10 | In addition to the looming funding fight, which has twice been pushed off this year amid seemingly intractable differences on top-line numbers, a standoff over a national security supplemental package that most notably would provide military aid for Ukraine is adding to the long list of time-consuming to-dos.
A deal to approve that spending is now linked to a fight over enhanced border security measures that has been pushed into the new year.
Despite delaying their recess earlier this month, Senate negotiators failed to reach an agreement on the border ahead of the holidays, putting the issue on a collision course with the broader spending talks that have burdened lawmakers for months and further complicating the weeks ahead in Congress.
And hanging over all of it is an investigation into a potential impeachment of President Joe Biden that is a priority for House Republicans at a time when legislators are struggling to keep the federal government functioning.
“We’ve got plenty of work to do in January,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said ahead of the recess.