Of course, Congress always is racing at this time of year, with unfinished spending bills invariably crammed into a year-end package that includes who knows what.
And then there’s this year, with uge issues colliding with the uge unpredictability of the president.
Let’s just go with the rundown of Andrew Taylor, longtime reporter for The Associated Press.
"The crush of unfinished business facing lawmakers would be daunting even if Washington were functioning at peak efficiency,” he says. "It’s an agenda whose core items — tax cuts, a potential government shutdown, lots of leftover spending bills — could unravel just as easily as advance in factionalism, gamesmanship and a toxic political environment.”
"Taxes have gotten all the attention so far, but the showdown over a potential shutdown right before Christmas could soon take center stage,” he says. "Democrats are counting on GOP fears of a holiday season closure to ensure Republican concessions during December talks."
Congressional leaders meet with President Trump on Tuesday to talk about the potential government shutdown and to work though the legislative to-do list.
Talks on spending caps are stuck, with a GOP offer to increase the Pentagon budget by more than $54 billion next year and nondefense limits by $37 billion being rejected by Democrats demanding balance between the two sides of the ledger.
Many Democrats whose votes are needed on the spending bills say they won’t vote for any legislation that includes Trump’s promised border wall. And he's "dead set" on his $1.6 billion request for a down payment on the project.
Those same Democrats also say Congress must act by year’s end to protect immigrants who were brought to the United States illegally as children and whose protected status is to lapse next year. Trump backs the idea despite issuing an executive order reversing Obama administration protections, starting next spring. Conservatives oppose involving the immigration issue in legislation to keep the government running.
Also on the agenda: hurricane relief, health care for children, the flood insurance program that expires Dec. 8, a program allowing warrantless electronic surveillance of foreigners by U.S. intelligence agencies that faces renewal.
"Trump has not really engaged on the year-end agenda, however, and his impulsiveness could be a liability,” says Taylor. Oh, yeah. That.
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