Congress needs to fund gov and military, pass farm bill and raise debt ceiling
By Ray Bogan (Political Correspondent)
Congress has a list of vital legislation it must approve before the new Congress is sworn in on Jan. 3. Failure to act will result in a government shutdown and a potential default on the nation’s debt.
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Congress returns to Washington as GOP prepares to take control
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There are two key deadlines
The first is Dec. 20 when government funding expires.
Lawmakers need to pass up to 12 bills to fund government agencies and the National Defense Authorization Act which funds the military.
Congress has two options: approve a bill for the rest of fiscal year 2025 or approve another temporary measure, which would mean the permanent solution is finalized when Republicans are in total control of Washington.
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The next deadline is Jan. 1 when the nation hits the debt ceiling, which is the maximum amount of money it’s allowed to borrow without further approval.
The deadline was set in 2023 by the Fiscal Responsibility Act, a compromise between then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and President Biden.
The Treasury Department can use some fancy accounting to push the deadline back a couple of months, but eventually Congress will have to increase the amount of money the government is allowed to borrow because the country spends more than it brings in.
Congress also has to approve the farm bill, which only comes up about once every five years. The farm bill that was approved in 2018 is expiring.
This legislation has a tremendous impact on the nation’s food supply. It covers crop insurance, training for young farmers on sustainable practices and provides assistance for low-income families so they can buy healthier foods.
Congress has a list of vital legislation it must approve before the new Congress is sworn in January 3. Failure to act will result in a government shutdown and a potential default on the nation’s debt.
There are two key deadlines –
The first is December 20 when government funding expires.
Lawmakers need to pass up to 12 bills to fund government agencies and the National Defense Authorization Act which funds the military. Congress has two options – approve a bill for the rest of fiscal year 2025 or approve another temporary measure which would mean the permanent solution is finalized when Republicans are in total control of Washington.
The next deadline is January 1 when the nation hits the debt ceiling, or the maximum amount of money it’s allowed to borrow without further approval.
The deadline was set in 2023 by the Fiscal Responsibility Act, a compromise between then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Biden. The Treasury Department can use some fancy accounting to push the deadline back a couple of months, but eventually Congress will have to increase the amount of money the government is allowed to borrow because our country spends more than it brings in.
Congress also has to approve the Farm Bill which only comes up about once every five years. The Farm Bill that was approved in 2018 is expiring. This legislation has a tremendous impact on our nation’s food supply. It covers crop insurance, training for young farmers on sustainable practices and provides assistance for low-income families so they can buy healthier foods.
Media Landscape
See who else is reporting on this story and which side of the political spectrum they lean. To read other sources, click on the plus signs below. Learn more about this dataBias Distribution
Left
Congress returns to Washington as GOP prepares to take control
Click to see story on CBS NewsU.S. lawmakers prepare for final lame-duck sprint before making way for next Congress
Click to see story on Japan TodayLawmakers return for lame-duck session with new Congress next year
Click to see story on Koco News5Congress returns as GOP tackles leadership and funding in lame duck
Click to see story on The HillLawmakers return for lame-duck session with new Congress next year
Click to see story on KCRA 3Lawmakers return for lame-duck session with new Congress next year
Click to see story on WCVBLawmakers return for lame-duck session with new Congress next year
Click to see story on WLWTLawmakers return for lame-duck session with new Congress next year
Click to see story on WMURLawmakers return for lame-duck session with new Congress next year
Click to see story on WLKYLawmakers return for lame-duck session with new Congress next year
Click to see story on WESHLawmakers return for lame-duck session with new Congress next year
Click to see story on WDSULawmakers return for lame-duck session with new Congress next year
Click to see story on KETVLawmakers return for lame-duck session with new Congress next year
Click to see story on WYFFLawmakers return for lame-duck session with new Congress next year
Click to see story on WTAELawmakers return for lame-duck session with new Congress next year
Click to see story on KCCILawmakers return for lame-duck session with new Congress next year
Click to see story on KMBCLawmakers return for lame-duck session with new Congress next year
Click to see story on WISNLawmakers return for lame-duck session with new Congress next year
Click to see story on WBAL-TVLawmakers return for lame-duck session with new Congress next year
Click to see story on WPTZLawmakers return for lame-duck session with new Congress next year
Click to see story on WMTWLawmakers return for lame-duck session with new Congress next year
Click to see story on WVTMLawmakers return for lame-duck session with new Congress next year
Click to see story on WAPTLawmakers return for lame-duck session with new Congress next year
Click to see story on KOATLawmakers return for lame-duck session with new Congress next year
Click to see story on WPBFLawmakers return for lame-duck session with new Congress next year
Click to see story on WGALLawmakers return for lame-duck session with new Congress next year
Click to see story on WXIILawmakers return for lame-duck session with new Congress next year
Click to see story on KSBWLawmakers return for lame-duck session with new Congress next year
Click to see story on WJCLLawmakers return for lame-duck session with new Congress next year
Click to see story on KHBSRight
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