Congress returns to a new year — and a host of deadlines

WASHINGTON —  Congress often uses the holidays as a self-imposed deadline to pass vital legislation. The logic is that lawmakers’ desire to spend time with their families in their districts will enable them to come to a consensus.

But some disputes are too big for even the promise of Christmas presents and New Year’s Eve champagne to solve.

Although the House opted to push a deadline to fund the government into the new year, the pressure of the holidays did not enable the Senate to come to an agreement on critical legislation to change immigration policy and send Ukraine more funding to fend off Russia’s invasion.

Congress will return next week with those problems still unsolved.

Hello, my name is Erin B. Logan. I cover Congress for The L.A. Times. Today, we are going to discuss Congress, its deadlines and what to expect from Capitol Hill this month.

The House

In just 16 days, the federal government could shut down. Well, at least part of it.

House Republicans last year split their shutdown deadlines: funding for departments and programs the GOP usually wants to cut, including the departments of Housing and Urban Development and Transportation, will lapse on Jan. 19, while funding for agencies that both parties usually deem essential ends on Feb. 2.

Republicans hope that the unusual approach will give House Speaker Mike Johnson more leverage at the negotiating table with President Biden and the Democratic-controlled Senate. But it’s still unclear whether Johnson will be able to wrangle far-right members of his caucus who ousted Kevin McCarthy from the speaker’s chair last year.

The Californian’s removal from leadership ultimately led to the end of his career in Congress.

Johnson in November indicated that if he is unable to manage his party, he would make the next funding extension long-term, as a shutdown would harm the country.

The Senate

Last year, the Biden administration and senators began negotiating a one-time $110-billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies. Though there is bipartisan consensus to send the countries this funding, Johnson and other Republicans have indicated that they want the Biden administration to agree to permanent immigration policy changes in exchange for their votes.

Republicans are said to be pushing for new rules that would enable border officials to expel migrants without screening them for asylum. Though the agreement has not yet been inked, changes to asylum and other policies have enraged Senate Democrats, including California’s Alex Padilla, who told The Times last year he is unlikely to back a bill that does not substantially help immigrants.

Biden has for weeks pressed the Senate to come to a deal and quickly send Ukraine additional funding to bolster its military and fend off Russia’s invasion. The Pentagon has warned that if Ukraine does not get this funding, Russia could win the war.

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