Congressional turnover and deadlines cloud legislative agenda

Congress faces a Dec. 11 funding deadline with no FY2027 appropriations bills passed, amid a crowded lame-duck agenda. Democrats reportedly aim to use the NDAA and funding negotiations to resist Trump’s proposed $1.5 trillion defense budget, but figures and outcomes remain unsettled; the overdue Farm Bill and year-round E15 push also face uncertain prospects and expected agriculture committee turnover.