GOP/TAXES: “Lawmakers returning to Washington face a tight calendar and a dizzying list of legislative tasks, from a major tax overhaul to a new federal spending agreement, with the added complication of sexual harassment allegations that are reverberating in the halls of the Capitol…
The Senate could vote on its version of the overhaul this week after the House recently approved its own bill. GOP leaders say they expect the two chambers to hash out an agreement on one bill before year’s end.
But the tax bill’s passage could be affected by the outcome of other, lower-profile negotiations, most notably over where spending levels should be set for the remainder of fiscal year 2018, which ends Sept. 30. Once a budget deal has been reached, lawmakers will then need a few weeks to fill in more detailed spending legislation.
Because the government’s current funding expires after Dec. 8, lawmakers and aides expect Congress will have to pass a short-term spending patch that would stretch for just two or three weeks until a longer-term spending bill is completed.
President Donald Trump is expected to meet with leaders of both parties in both chambers Tuesday to discuss legislative priorities, aides said.”
-Kristina Peterson, “Congress Prepares for Year-End Legislative Sprint,” The Wall Street Journal online, Nov. 26, 2017 10:11pm