Congress faces January logjam

Lawmakers are returning to Washington without a clear strategy to tackle a massive pile-up of unresolved issues that are threatening a government shutdown in just three weeks.

“It seems leadership is taking a wait-and-see approach to how everything is going to work itself out in January,” one skeptical GOP lawmaker observed.

Before leaving town for the holidays, Congress passed a stopgap spending bill to keep the government’s lights on until Jan. 19. But GOP leaders punted contentious fights over immigration, health care, national security and disaster funding into the new year, meaning they’re once again facing a potential crisis of their own making.

With little time to spare, formal talks will resume this week.

The “Big Four” congressional leaders — Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) — will try to map out a game plan at the Capitol on Wednesday when they meet with Trump’s budget director, Mick Mulvaney, and his legislative affairs director, Marc Short.

Then Ryan and McConnell will huddle with Trump at Camp David on Saturday and Sunday to discuss their 2018 agenda.

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/366957-congress-faces-january-logjam