Washington's Yuletide Countdown: Can Congress Finally Fund the Government?

There’s a familiar chill in the air, isn't there? And no, I’m not just talking about the December frost settling over the nation’s capital. I’m talking about that perennial Washington drama: the looming government funding deadline, casting its long, somewhat predictable shadow over Congress. It’s a dance we’ve seen countless times before, this last-minute scramble to keep the lights on, but this year, there’s a new urgency—and a very specific holiday wish from one key player.

Enter House Majority Leader Tom Emmer, a man who, you could say, has his sights set firmly on a very particular Christmas gift for the American people: a fully funded government, squared away before Santa even thinks about loading up his sleigh. Honestly, he wants to ditch the eleventh-hour continuing resolutions (CRs) and, for once, sidestep the specter of a government shutdown that always seems to hover just out of sight, yet always feels dangerously close.

In truth, the current situation is a bit of a legislative pretzel. Congress, after much hand-wringing and political chess, passed a stopgap funding measure in November. This pushed the real crunch dates into early 2024, with two distinct deadlines: January 19th for some agencies, and February 2nd for the rest. But Emmer, it seems, isn't content to simply kick the can down the icy road. He sees an opportunity, a moment to actually get the 12 individual appropriations bills passed—the proper way—instead of relying on those often-maligned, massive omnibus packages that few truly love.

His optimism, or perhaps it’s more accurately described as a strategic hope, seems to stem from the relatively fresh face in the Speaker’s chair, Mike Johnson. Johnson, Emmer believes, brings a new kind of energy to the appropriations process, emphasizing transparency and, crucially, a willingness to collaborate. It’s a departure, to be sure, from the tumultuous period under the previous Speaker, Kevin McCarthy, whose tenure, you might recall, was abruptly cut short amidst deep divisions over spending priorities.

The task ahead is monumental, to be frank. Johnson and the Republican leadership are now working to forge a concrete strategy, one that can actually navigate the treacherous waters of partisan negotiations, especially with a Democrat-led Senate. Getting 12 separate spending bills through both chambers, reconciled, and signed by the President before December 25th? Well, that's certainly ambitious. But Emmer’s stance is clear: this is the path forward, and the time for half-measures and endless extensions needs to end. It’s about more than just avoiding a shutdown; it’s about restoring a sense of functional governance. And who wouldn’t want that for Christmas?