Congress returns to work with crammed legislative calendar

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 27 November 2017

Just 12 scheduled legislative days remain before the end of the year, and Republican lawmakers are sweating over their substantial remaining to-do list. "To every Republican senator: The fate of the party is in our hands, as well as that of the economy," Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told CNN's State of the Union on Sunday.

Congress must reach a budget deal by Dec. 8 to avoid a government shutdown; negotiations involve thorny issues like military spending caps, the flood insurance program, and protections for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients who came to the U.S. illegally as children. Republicans are also seeking a win on their tax reform plan, with leadership warning that lawmakers may be kept "until close to Christmas" to get it all done, The Wall Street Journal reports.

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.

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