Congress faces a Dec. 11 government funding deadline, making a year-end spending agreement a potential opening for other legislation. For government affairs teams, the immediate job is to decide which priorities need action before January and which would fare better under the incoming Democratic majority. Start with the funding negotiations, but keep watching the defense authorization bill and expiring programs that could move separately.

What Is the Lame-Duck Session?

A lame-duck session takes place after an election and before the new Congress begins. Departing members retain their votes until their terms end, giving the outgoing majority a final opportunity to advance legislation.

This year, control of both chambers is changing. Democrats won the House and Senate on Nov. 3, according to STAT and ABC News. CBS News reported at least 54 Democratic Senate seats as of Nov. 7. Subsequent projections put that number at 55 after Scott Colom won in Mississippi, with Alaska still unresolved as of Nov. 12.

That creates competing incentives. Republican leaders have limited time to finish their agenda. Democrats may see an advantage in postponing decisions until they take control in January. Whether your issue benefits from a deal now or a fresh start next year should shape your outreach.

Congress returned on Nov. 9. ABC News described a five-week session, while the pre-election outlook from No Labels anticipated work continuing until Christmas. The Senate’s tentative calendar targets Dec. 18 for adjournment, with a Thanksgiving break Nov. 23–27. The House’s last scheduled day is Dec. 17. Treat those dates as planning assumptions; floor schedules can change.

What Does Congress Need to Resolve Before January?

Government funding carries the clearest immediate deadline. Other major legislation will have to secure its own floor time or find a place in a broader agreement.

Government Funding Expires Dec. 11

The current continuing resolution keeps the government funded through Dec. 11, leaving fiscal 2027 spending decisions unfinished. Legis1 reported on the unresolved appropriations work, which Congress pushed into December. Negotiations remained unsettled as lawmakers returned.

Congress could complete full-year appropriations or pass another temporary extension. It could also finish some spending bills while extending the rest. Without further action, funding would lapse.

An extension into January would move the remaining negotiations into a Democratic-controlled Congress. Defense spending is one point of disagreement: No Labels reported before the election that the administration sought $1.5 trillion, drawing opposition from Senate Democrats.

For teams seeking a year-end policy change, the important question is where that provision could fit. Identify the appropriations staff responsible for the relevant section and make your case while the language is still being negotiated.

Defense Authorization Remains Unfinished

The fiscal 2027 National Defense Authorization Act remains a major year-end objective, ABC News reported. It stalled in the Senate in July, according to No Labels, and still needs Senate action and a final agreement between the chambers.

The NDAA sets defense policy and authorizes spending; it does not replace the appropriations legislation that funds the government. WilmerHale identified oversight disputes and policy riders as complications for a final agreement.

If your organization has a provision in play, follow the negotiating text closely. Language that appeared in one chamber’s bill still has to survive the final deal.

Farm Programs Face Different Deadlines

The latest broad farm bill extension expired Sept. 30, but the consequences vary by program. Some authorities continue under permanent law or separate legislation. Others need renewal, and certain commodity provisions face a return to older permanent law if Congress does not act by Dec. 31, No Labels reported.

For organizations affected by farm policy, the useful question is which authority your work depends on. Watch whether Congress addresses it through a broader farm bill agreement or a temporary extension attached to another measure.

What Else Could Move During the Lame Duck?

Surface transportation authorities expire Dec. 11, and Export-Import Bank authorization expires Dec. 31, according to WilmerHale’s preview. Temporary extensions could preserve those programs while leaving broader reauthorization to the next Congress.

A debt-limit increase also remains possible, although a path to passage is uncertain. No Labels reported that Senate Majority Leader John Thune had raised lame-duck consideration as an option, and that the government could reach the debt limit as soon as February 2027. WilmerHale described a possible reconciliation route, but that remains a scenario rather than an agreed plan.

The distinction between reaching the borrowing limit and exhausting Treasury’s ability to pay is important here. That February estimate refers to potentially reaching the statutory limit, not a confirmed default deadline.

Tax legislation is another possibility. WilmerHale identified renewal of the Work Opportunity Tax Credit and Taiwan double-taxation relief as potential elements of a narrow package. Neither should be treated as a settled year-end agreement.

Some legislation has already cleared important hurdles. A college sports bill passed the Senate 77–22 and awaits House action, according to No Labels. Permitting negotiations have also advanced: the package introduced as S. 5653 is now moving through H.R. 2347, with substitute amendment 6883 carrying revised language. The Senate voted 73–25 on Nov. 9 to begin debate, and on Nov. 11 Thune filed cloture on the substitute and the underlying bill.

Meanwhile, Republicans are seeking to confirm Trump nominees before losing Senate control, as STAT and ABC News reported. Time spent on confirmations reduces the hours available for legislation, even when a bill has bipartisan support.

How Government Affairs Teams Should Work the Lame Duck

Start by separating priorities that need action this year from those that could benefit from January’s change in leadership. Then assess whether each has a credible legislative vehicle and enough support to survive negotiations.

Decide What Can Wait

For each priority, ask whether the incoming majority improves or weakens its prospects. A Democratic committee chair may offer a better opening in January. Another proposal may have its best chance under the current leadership.

Record that assessment and share it with your executives. A clear decision now helps the team avoid spending December pursuing an outcome leadership would rather revisit next year.

Follow the Bills That Could Carry Your Provision

Year-end negotiations can change a proposal long before a final version reaches the floor. Set email or push alerts for relevant bills and keywords in Quorum Federal to keep legislative developments visible as the calendar tightens (source).

When a large package arrives with little time to review it, the Bill Tracker Agent in Quorum Federal scans every bill, ranks it by relevance to your priorities and suggests a position (source). Your team starts from a first read rather than a blank page.

AI Digest gives Quorum Federal users a daily briefing on activity across Congress and the executive branch. It organizes developments by policy area and links summaries to the underlying records (source). Use it to follow the public discussion around your issue alongside changes to bill text.

Use Voting Records to Prepare Your Outreach

Recent votes can help you understand where members stand before asking for their support. Review the amendment itself as well as the roll call; a procedural vote may answer a different question from final passage.

You can also use Quincy, Quorum’s AI assistant, to research legislative questions.

One question to test: “How did members of the House Agriculture Committee vote on the last farm bill extension?” Check the cited record before using the answer to guide outreach.

Keep December Votes and January Relationships Separate

Outgoing lawmakers retain their votes, so keep departing members on your vote-target list where they can still affect an outcome. Quorum’s Election Status filter separates incoming, continuing and outgoing legislators in officials search (source), which makes it easier to split your December targets from your January outreach.

When January meetings start, the Meeting Prep Agent in Quorum Federal can build a briefing for each office (source).

Before the Thanksgiving break:

Map each priority to a vehicle: the funding bill, the NDAA, an extension or nothing this year.
Identify the staff responsible for drafting each section you want to influence.
Set alerts on those vehicles and the keywords tied to your provisions.
Get leadership’s agreement on what you will press for in December and what waits for January.

Use December to Set Up January

The Dec. 11 funding deadline will shape the remaining session, but it will not settle every issue on Congress’s agenda. Some proposals may secure a place in a year-end agreement. Others will need to return under new leadership.

Make that distinction early enough to act on it. Your team should know where it is pressing for a December decision and where it is building support for the next Congress. See how Quorum Federal helps you follow the legislation that matters and prepare for the 120th Congress.

Frequently Asked Questions About the 2026 Lame-Duck Session

Will there be a government shutdown in December 2026?

Only if Congress does not act by Dec. 11, 2026, when the current continuing resolution expires. Congress can avoid a lapse by passing full-year funding or another temporary extension. Negotiations were unsettled when lawmakers returned on Nov. 9.

What legislation is on the 2026 lame-duck agenda?

Government funding has the immediate Dec. 11 deadline. Defense authorization remains a major year-end objective, and several programs need extensions. Permitting reform has advanced in the Senate, while a tax agreement and debt-limit legislation remain possibilities.

Will the NDAA pass before January?

It remains a major year-end objective, but it is not done. The fiscal 2027 NDAA stalled in the Senate in July and still needs Senate action and a final agreement between the chambers. Oversight disputes and policy riders could complicate the final deal.

What happens to the farm bill if Congress doesn’t act?

Certain commodity programs will revert to older permanent law if Congress does not act by Dec. 31, 2026. The latest farm bill extension expired Sept. 30. Congress could pass a broader farm bill agreement or attach a temporary extension to another measure.

Who controls Congress after the 2026 midterms?

Democrats won control of both chambers for the 120th Congress, which begins Jan. 3, 2027. Republicans retain control during the remaining session of the 119th Congress.

The 2026 Lame-Duck Session: What Can Still Pass Before the New Congress