Congress faces crammed lame-duck session with little bipartisan appetite

Congress returns with government funding, Pete Hegseth and the debt limit on the agenda

Republicans have less than two months left with majorities in both the Senate and the House — and a long list of legislation to take up in the coming weeks.

Congress returns with a Dec. 11 funding deadline, a stalled farm bill and a defense bill in doubt. Here is what Western New York has riding on it

Republicans still control both chambers for five weeks. The calendar, the committee chairs' own words, the White House and Democratic positions, and the places where Western New York has a direct stake. The post Congress returns with a Dec. 11 funding deadline, a stalled farm bill and a defense bill in doubt. Here is what Western New York has riding on it first appeared on The Buffalo Chronicle.

House Republicans return to Capitol Hill with limited time left in power

House Republicans left Washington in September hoping to preserve their majority. They return Monday having lost control of the chamber, with just 20 legislative days to finish their business before Democrats take power. Among the unfinished business left behind in September are the annual defense authorization bill, government funding, and the reauthorization of a key […]

Democrats Weigh Shutdown Over Iran War

Punchbowl News: “What was supposed to be a hectic lame-duck session is now a power struggle between ascendant Democrats and President Donald Trump. The odds of a government shutdown have increased dramatically since Democrats’ big win on Tuesday – fueled in part by the public’s opposition to the Iran war – with a Dec. 11 […]

Congress returns to brutal lame-duck stretch with shutdown deadline, leadership races: ‘Closet is full of s—’

Lawmakers are back on Capitol Hill this week for the first time since the midterm elections, and Republicans have a slew of responsibilities in front ...

Congress returns for crowded lame-duck session as Hegseth impeachment, government funding deadline loom

Volunteers applaud as US House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries gives a thumbs up at a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee midterm election night phone bank and watch party at a hotel in Washington, November 3, 2026. (Tom Brenner/Getty Images) Following the historic midterm election sweeping Democrats into majority control of the House and Senate, Congress returns Monday for a five-week lame-duck session, with a long to-list to tackle b…