Here’s What Congress Plans to do Before Donald Trump Takes Office

Lawmakers will return to Washington, D.C., on Monday to take care of some last minute legislating before wrapping up the 114th Congress for good in the next few weeks. It’s the lame-duck Congress, so-called because some members will be writing and passing laws, despite having been voted out of office on Election Day.

Congress’ top priority before the end of the year is to pass legislation that funds the government, which is currently slated to run out of money on December 9. It remains to be seen whether the spending package will run through the end of fiscal year 2017 (September 30) or if it will take the form of another, short-term stopgap bill.

Republicans could pursue a longer term extension to avoid having to deal with funding the government in the first 100 days of President-Elect Donald Trump’s term, though some have pushed for a clean extension (keeping the government funded as-is) to avoid having to negotiate funding levels with President Obama. They could then make changes to federal spending, including cuts and changing funding for different programs, under President Trump sometime after he’s sworn-in in January. It’s also unclear how cooperative Senate Democrats are willing to be in the process, which means that it’s likely Congress will kick the can down the road again with a short-term bill.

Congress will also need to pass a revised version of the $602 billion National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2017 before they adjourn for the year. The House and Senate passed their own versions of the bill during the summer, after Democrats objected to a House amendment they claimed would let federal contractors discriminate against current or prospective employees based on their religion or gender identity. That amendment is still in the House version of the bill and both chambers will have to come to an agreement.

Another bill on congressional leadership’s list of "must-pass" bills before the 114th Congress ends is the 21st Century Cures Act, which would reform the Food and Drug Administration’s process for approving new drugs and medical devices. While the bill does not need to pass this year, it’s a high-priority for Republican leaders in the House and Senate. The bill seeks to accelerate the discovery, development, and delivery of innovative healthcare solutions. It passed the House on a 344-77 vote before Congress took their summer break in July 2015, but hasn’t gotten a vote in the Senate.

There’s also some leftover work that Congress didn’t quite get around to before they took their pre-election fall break, which they could bring up again: providing funding for those affected by thee Flint water crisis. In late September, the House approved a $170 million amendment to a larger $5 billion spending package that would go toward fixing the water system in Flint, but the Senate hasn’t considered the bill.

Criminal justice reform has been discussed periodically during the 114th Congress and the lame duck session may give members an opportunity to bring those bills up for a vote. Several have been introduced in this House, including bills to shorten sentences for nonviolent federal inmates, offer inmates more mental health support, and let young, nonviolent offenders expunge their records.

Congress is scheduled to leave for the year by December 16, for the holidays. The new Congress will be sworn-in in early January, giving them about two weeks to work with President Obama before Donald Trump is sworn-in as president on January 20.

— Eric Revell