Congress is set to close out the November legislative session today amid a looming government funding deadline. Despite a push to pass the continuing resolution (CR) yesterday, Senators will look to pass the stopgap funding bill this morning in order to place the bill on President Donald Trump’s desk for a signature ahead of the midnight deadline. In addition to the CR, the Senate will resume consideration of Dan Brouillette’s nomination to be Secretary of Energy.

The House will reconvene for legislative business today at noon following its passage (231-192) of a stopgap funding measure that would avert a government shutdown yesterday. On the floor, House lawmakers have queued up nine suspension bills out of the Natural Resources Committee. This includes a measure that would direct the Department of Interior to conduct a special resource study in portions of the Los Angeles coastal area to evaluate alternatives for protecting resources of that area, as well as legislation that would extend funding for approved wetlands conservation projects under the North American Wetlands Conservation Act though fiscal year (FY) 2024. The lower chamber will also consider a rule that will govern debate on an Education and Labor bill that seeks to address workplace violence in the health care and social services sectors.

The House will reconvene for legislative business today eyeing action on Thursday's government funding deadline. Members will vote on a highly anticipated continuing resolution (CR) that would avert a funding lapse and create a new deadline of Friday, Dec. 20. In addition to a pay raise for the military and a funding boost for the Census Bureau, the bill addresses several expiring Medicare, Medicaid, and public health programs, and kills a $7.6 billion cut in federal transit funding. Additionally, the lower chamber will vote on a Financial Services suspension bill that would require public companies to disclose annually information on the racial, ethnic, gender, and veteran composition of their boards of directors. 

Both chambers of Congress will return to action later this afternoon as the government funding deadline approaches. Action a continuing resolution (CR) that would fund the government through Dec. 20 is expected in both chambers early this week as lawmakers look to avert a funding lapse ahead of Thursday’s deadline. As negotiations for FY 2020 spending continue, early indications are that the spending bill for Energy-Water will likely move first during this end-of-the-year funding blitz.

House lawmakers have reconvened for legislative business and are continuing work on Financial Services Chairwoman Maxine Waters’ (D-CA) bill to reauthorize and reform the Export-Import bank. After approving five amendments to the underlying measure, the House is expected to pass the 10-year reauthorization bill on party-lines later this morning. However, Chairwoman Waters’ bill is not expected to be taken up in the GOP-controlled Senate after the White House issued a veto threat, saying the legislation was not the right "bipartisan, bicameral approach" to deliver a long-term reauthorization.

House lawmakers are set to begin consideration of a measure out of the Financial Services Committee that would reauthorize the Export-Import Bank. The bill — which was approved (30-27) by the Committee on a near party-line vote — would: (1) reauthorize the bank for 10 years; (2) increase the agency’s lending authority to $175 billion; (3) rename it the United States Export Finance Agency; and (4) make a number of tweaks to the bank’s operations. Final passage of the bill is expected tomorrow after lawmakers consider 21 amendments to the underlying legislation today.

House and Senate Appropriations leaders made progress toward averting a government shutdown and funding the government for fiscal year (FY) 2020 during a meeting late yesterday. In a press gaggle following the meeting, House Appropriations Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D-NY) and Senate Appropriations Chairman Richard Shelby (R-AL) announced that the forthcoming continuing resolution (CR) will fund the government through Dec. 20 to provide for additional time to hammer out a broader deal for FY 2020 bills. Lawmakers in the House and Senate are expected to take up the stopgap funding measure early next week prior to next Thursday’s deadline.

Both chambers of Congress will reconvene for legislative business this afternoon while government funding talks off the floor continue. With less than two weeks left to avert a funding lapse, House Appropriations Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D-NY) and Senate Appropriations Chairman Richard Shelby (R-AL) are expected to meet today to continue negotiations on another continuing resolution (CR), as well as broader spending allocations for each one of the fiscal year (FY) 2020 spending bills. While “poison pill” issues —namely border security — have largely stymied FY 2020 funding talks, lawmakers have coalesced around another stopgap measure that would fund the government through Dec. 13 or Dec. 20 in hopes of providing appropriators with more time to hammer out a deal.