Republicans Face a Legislative Pileup With Just Weeks Left in Power

Senate Republicans have a long laundry list of to-dos in their final weeks with unified control of Congress — but little agreement on what is most important to accomplish or the best way to do it with a crowded schedule looming.

GOP lawmakers are looking to pass a government funding measure, advance the National Defense Authorization Act, renew the controversial Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, deal with expiring health care measures and move a slate of Trump nominees through the Senate before relinquishing their grip on power.

And, an increasing number of Senate Republicans are also calling on leadership not to send the upper chamber home until the conference advances a third budget bill through the party-line reconciliation process to address Iran war funding and other priorities they might not otherwise be able to pass.

Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) told The Washington Sun that Republicans should be looking at every avenue available to advance their legislative agenda while they still enjoy control of both chambers of Congress.

“We should clear the calendar and just work here day and night for as long as it takes,” Moreno said. “We gotta figure out how we can do reconciliation, we gotta look at some of the other things that are possible with unified control of government.”

Moreno noted that the Senate is expected to leave Washington on Tuesday evening after just two days in session.

“We should not cede all of that because we want to take Wednesday and Thursday off,” Moreno continued. “That, to me, is insane. If it means 24/7 between now and the end of the year, then so be it.”

Sen. James Lankford (R-Oklahoma) told The Sun that in order to accomplish all of their outstanding priorities, Republicans should add a thirteenth month to the calendar “and then just get busy.”

“Oh wow!” Lankford said. “Let me count … 12 appropriations bills, farm bill, transportation bill. 702 … That’s the problem, we’ve got so much stuff that’s undone. It all needs to be done.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters on Monday that his biggest priority in the remaining weeks of the 119th Congress is to confirm Trump-appointed judges, noting that the upper chamber will also have to deal with must-pass bills like government funding and the defense authorization.

“A lot of it’s going to revolve around getting the judges across the finish line,” Thune said. “There’s a number of them that we’ve got that’ll be available for consideration on the floor, both district court and circuit, and then a whole lot of executive branch noms too that I think the administration would like to get cleared.”

But, many GOP senators agreed with Moreno that Republicans need to be more focused on passing a third partisan reconciliation bill in their final weeks with unified control, noting that it could be the only way for Republicans to fund the Pentagon’s Iran war costs.

Funding the Department of Defense may be nearly impossible in a Senate controlled by Democrats; it is already a difficult prospect with just a few weeks left of the session, Sen. John Kennedy (R-Louisiana) said.

“I would like to see us do a reconciliation bill that provides money to our military,” Kennedy said. “They’re running out of money, and my Democratic colleagues are not going to provide money for defense unless we agree to provide equal, if not greater, levels of money for domestic spending.”

Retiring Sen. Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina) echoed Kennedy, though he also said the odds of a reconciliation package passing during the lame-duck session remain slim.

“There’s funding,” Tillis said, listing off a number of the other must-pass bills that Republicans have to contend with. “[Pete Hegseth] is not a good salesperson for the Department of Defense, and they do need resources. But how on earth does he think he’s going to get 60 votes for that? And does he think we’re going to do it in reconciliation over the next three weeks?”

Plus, other Republican senators are demanding that Republicans tack on a slate of other priorities that would likely complicate even a potential party-line measure. Senate Budget Committee Chair Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin), for one, is advocating that any reconciliation bill deal with the country’s debt.

“From my standpoint, the most important thing is trying to get our debt under control, and we haven’t done that,” Johnson said. “I’m ready to move on it. We need the White House and leadership to fully engage.”

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Florida) sent a letter to senators on Monday advocating for Republicans to pass a reconciliation bill balancing the budget and including a voter ID bill that President Donald Trump has called his No. 1 priority,

“What we ought to do is do everything through reconciliation,” Scott said, reiterating those concerns to reporters. “It’s probably the only thing that works.”

Thune said on Monday that he is open to advancing a reconciliation bill, but he cast doubt on the idea that the Senate’s jam-packed legislative schedule and divided GOP conference might be able to advance a party-line measure before losing control of the upper chamber.

He reiterated his commitment to prioritizing the Senate’s must-pass bills and moving through outstanding nominations.

“If there is a path forward on reconciliation, I’m open to that,” Thune said. “I’ve said this all along … but we’ll see if there is a political appetite to do it. It takes a lot of time, and to get all of this other stuff done, and right now, the priority is going to be getting the judges across the finish line.”