Lawmakers Can’t Be Bothered To Work One Extra Day As Unfinished Business Piles Up

Lawmakers began their Christmas recess a day early on Thursday with a long list of unresolved issues remaining on the table.

As it departs for an early break, Congress has yet to resolve several pieces of legislation that House Republicans promised to bring to the table — including a second reconciliation package and the codification of several executive orders signed by President Donald Trump.

In addition to the one big, beautiful bill (OBBB), a handful of Republicans were hoping to pass another legislative package to address affordability concerns, including tax and regulatory reforms and healthcare measures. Speaker Mike Johnson indicated he wanted to pass another reconciliation bill in the fall of 2025, though the legislation never materialized as Congress became consumed by the government shutdown fight.

Federal spending is also still a major issue on the table. While the OBBB includes approximately $1.4 trillion in specific spending cuts, it also will add an estimated $3.4 trillion to the national deficit by the 2034 fiscal year, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.

Lawmakers are allowing Biden-era Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies to expire by Dec. 31. Senate Republicans promised Democrats that a vote would be held on these subsidies in exchange for reopening the government, though Johnson never committed to such a vote.

Senate Democrats’