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Following the highly contentious November 5 general election, a new era of unified political control of Washington appears imminent as Republicans close in on retaining their razor-thin advantage in the House of Representatives. With Donald J. Trump set to make his return to the White House next year and Republicans flipping the Senate, a GOP House majority would put the Party on track to control both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue for the first time since 2017-2018. During that time, congressional Republicans were successful in sending then-President Trump several major pieces of legislation, including the $1.5 trillion Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. 

Before Republicans can flex their newfound political muscle in the New Year, lawmakers will attempt to put the finishes touches on several major items that are pending before the current Congress. To be sure, the GOP’s significant electoral gains will set the tone for the lame-duck session, which begins in earnest on November 12.  

The single most consequential item for lawmakers to address in the post-election session is the fiscal year 2025 budget. Ahead of adjourning in October, Congress approved – and President Biden signed into law – a Continuing Resolution (CR) extending FY 2024 spending levels through December 20. While many rank-and-file members have pushed for passage of a full-year appropriations package, it appears that GOP leaders will look to extend the current stopgap measure into March of next year. The move would allow a unified Republican Congress to craft a spending bill that aligns more closely with President Trump’s fiscal priorities. Lawmakers may, however, advance a standalone disaster relief measure in the coming weeks to address the fallout from Hurricanes Milton and Helene.

Aside from approving another CR, Congress will look to finalize the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2024, which is expected to be the vehicle for several other priority measures, including a reauthorization of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). Other bills that could be considered in the lame duck include a package of health-care extenders and an extension of the National Flood Insurance Program. 

With regard to the Special District Grant Accessibility Act (SDGAA, H.R. 7525), the legislation is currently awaiting consideration by the full Senate. With roughly 20 legislative days remaining in the session, the champions of the bill – Senators Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) and John Cornyn (R-TX) – are working in an effort to ensure that the legislation will receive a vote before lawmakers adjourn for the year.

Looking ahead, H.R. 7525 could move as a stand-alone measure via Unanimous Consent as long as there are no senators who raise objections to the bill. Another potential avenue for advancement is for the measure to be included as part of a broader legislative package.

NSDC continues to work very closely with Senators Sinema and Cornyn, as well as other congressional supporters of the bill, in an effort to ensure that the SDGAA is approved by the full Senate. Because H.R. 7525 was cleared by the House earlier this year, Senate passage would send the bill to President Biden for his signature.

In addition to the aforementioned items, another bill that could gain traction in the lame-duck session is the bipartisan Energy Permitting Reform Act of 2024 (S. 4753), which remains outgoing Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Joe Manchin’s (I-WV) top priority. The legislation, which was approved by the committee on a 15-4 vote, would support the development of both clean energy and traditional fossil fuel projects via various streamlining and permitting reforms. Chairman Manchin is expected to make an aggressive push to attach the bill to the NDAA or another must-pass piece of legislation. 

To follow is this week's schedule and agenda for the House and Senate.

The House reconvened earlier today and is set to consider more than a dozen bills on the suspension calendar (requires two-thirds majority), including legislation (H.R. 82) that would repeal two provisions in law – the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO) – that result in lower Social Security benefits for certain public servants. The WEP reduces the earned Social Security benefits of an individual who also receives a public pension from a job not covered by Social Security. Similarly, the GPO affects the spousal benefits of people who work as federal, state, or local government employees, if the job is not covered by Social Security. The GPO reduces by two-thirds the benefit received by surviving spouses who also collect a government pension. A similar measure – the Equal Treatment of Public Servants Act (H.R. 5342) – under consideration this week would replace the WEP with a new formula, create a transition period for current employees; and provide relief to retirees subject to WEP.

The full House schedule can be accessed here.

Across Capitol Hill, the Senate is expected to focus on nominations. The Senate daily schedule is available here

Leadership Elections

Later this week, GOP lawmakers in both chambers are slated to pick their leaders for the next Congress. This includes the much-anticipated race for Senate Majority Leader, as well as a competitive race for House Republican Conference chair, which was recently vacated by Representative Elise Stefanik (R-NY), who was tapped by Trump to be to the next ambassador to the United Nations.

Relevant Hearings

House Oversight: On Thursday morning, the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic will hold a hearing entitled, “Preparing for the Next Pandemic: Lessons Learned and the Path Forward.” More details on the hearing can be found here.