Before the Trump administration takes office and the new Congress convenes, lawmakers have unfinished business to deal with in a lame-duck session. The main must-pass measure is a spending bill to keep most federal agencies and construction programs operating deeper into the current fiscal year. Construction and other industry officials also are pushing for Congress to finish a new Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) in the session. But it remains to be seen whether that measure will hit the finish line by the end of December. Also in the mix is a wide-ranging energy-policy bill, now in a House-Senate conference.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Nov. 9 said a priority in the lame duck is funding the government past Dec. 9, when a stopgap lapses. It was unclear at press time how long the bill would extend. A new extension into March is one option, observers say.