Today on the Hill: Congress Leaves for Thanksgiving as a Second CR Looms; Trump’s Cabinet Begins to Take Shape

After passing bills related to aircraft sales to Iran (H.R. 5711) and midnight rules (H.R. 5982), the lower chamber departed Washington for the Thanksgiving holiday next week. The Senate will hold a pro forma session today and no votes are expected in the chamber until after the Thanksgiving holiday. Both chambers will return to Washington on Nov. 29  for a three-week blitz to close out the 114^th Congress.

The biggest outstanding item for the lame duck session is funding the government beyond the expiration of the current continuing resolution (CR) on Dec. 9. Lawmakers have suggested that another short-term spending resolution is on-tap, allowing for the incoming Trump Administration to play a role in shaping fiscal 2017 priorities. The spending measure due next month is expected to maintain current levels of spending through Mar. 31 of next year and will likely include a supplemental for defense in order to maintain contracts for long-term weapons and research programs. House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-KY) suggested earlier this week that additional items may catch a ride on the CR, including a water resources bill – that would provide aid to Flint, Michigan in its recovery from a tainted drinking water crisis – and the medical innovation bill known as 21^st Century Cures (H.R. 6).

In March, lawmakers will have to grapple with raising the federal debt ceiling – which has been suspended since 2015 – to avoid slipping the country into default. President-elect Trump has held a cavalier attitude toward the debt ceiling and national default in the past, which may only embolden House Freedom Caucus members to demand deep spending cuts as a precondition to any debt ceiling renegotiation. However, many of the incoming president’s priorities – such as a major infrastructure package – would require increased government spending, clouding the position of the White House in any debt ceiling deliberations. Democrats, for their part, have opposed kicking fiscal decisions into next year, with the ranking Democrat appropriator, retiring Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), calling the decision for another CR “absolutely outrageous.” Nonetheless, Congress is expected to go forward with the short-term spending measure, which may see Congress close out the lame-duck session earlier than the original Dec. 16 adjournment date.

Finally, President-elect Trump has continued to identify incoming Cabinet officials, and three key positions were said to be filled this morning. The most notable is the selection of Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) as Attorney General over other reported contenders, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and conservative firebrand Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX). Additionally, Trump’s closest military adviser during the campaign, Lt. Gen. Mike Flynn, will stay on as the new National Security Advisor. Another top security post, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), will reportedly be filled by Kansas Congressman Mike Pompeo. Both Sessions and Pompeo will need to be confirmed by the Senate, which is sure to draw fireworks from Democrats on Sessions’ past statements on race relations and Pompeo’s sharp opposition to the nuclear deal struck with Iran last year.