Congress returns after the holidays to tackle a long to-do list: US politics live | US politics

The White House released a statement yesterday about the Fuentes dinner, noting that “bigotry, hatred and anti-Semitism” have no place in America or at Trump’s Mar-A-Lago.

Democrats and Republicans alike called out Republican lawmakers for failing to condemn a dinner party between Donald Trump, white supremacist Nick Fuentes and rapper Kanye West, now calling himself Ye.

Congressmen, including anti-Trump Republicans, have called out members of the Republican party over the Thanksgiving holiday for remaining relatively silent during dinner, Politico reported.

From Washington Representative Liz Cheney, a Republican:

From Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York:

Congress must also pass the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), an annual military spending bill that has met with routine opposition from progress lawmakers.

Lawmakers are behind on the bill, the Washington Post reports, as the Senate has not voted on its version.

Other laws that could be passed before the end of this year’s session include legislation that would codify same-sex marriage and interracial marriage rights.

This month, a dozen Republicans voted with Democrats to remove a major procedural hurdle for the landmark measure.

Schumer said the Senate would take a final vote on the bill after the Thanksgiving break.

With the Thanksgiving break, lawmakers returned to Washington with an ambitious list of things to do before the end of the year, including dealing with a looming government shutdown.

The government funding will expire, once again, on 16 December.

Lawmakers on both sides must now decide whether they can successfully conclude a bipartisan appropriations deal before the deadline or approve a short-term funding plan.

But uncertainty remains over the exact path lawmakers will choose. As veteran embezzlers on both sides are set to retire, the Washington Post reports, there’s a chance they could try to strike a long-term deal one last time.

But such optimism is equally unsupported.

Idaho Rep. Mike Simpson, a top Republican embezzler, laughed in response to questions about meeting the funding deadline, Politico reported.

“I just don’t think that’s going to happen,” Simpson said. “There’s too much confusion going on.”

Democrats in particular also hope to get some of their legislation through this “lame duck” session, with Republicans set to take control of the House next year.

“We will try to have as productive a lame session as possible,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said at a post-election news conference.

“It’s going to be hard work, long hours of trying to do a lot.”

Congress returns after Thanksgiving recess as government shutdown looms