The House adjourned for the year on Thursday and is scheduled to re-convene on Tuesday, January 9.
ON THE SENATE FLOOR: The Senate was scheduled to adjourn for the year last Friday, but Majority Leader Chuck Schumer opted to keep the Senate in session in the hope that the chamber would approve an emergency supplemental appropriations bill that includes funds for Ukraine and Israel. The biggest stumbling block to an agreement remains language dealing with immigration policy to address the U.S.-Mexico border situation. While negotiators worked over the weekend, an agreement has yet to be nailed down, and it appears unlikely that the Senate will approve a bill this week. Even if the Senate were to act this year, the House does not plan to come back until January.
In the meantime, the Senate will turn to nominations and Schumer is also hoping approval will be given to the promotions of 11 high-ranking military officers who were not part of the package of some 400 military promotions approved earlier this month after an extended delay imposed by Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL).
Also on the Senate agenda is an extension of FAA programs, which are scheduled to expire December 31. On December 11, the House approved an extension of aviation programs through March 8. Last Thursday, Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) objected to a request that the House bill be approved by unanimous consent, arguing that the Senate should stay in session to complete work on the supplemental funding bill for Ukraine and Israel. Bennet doesn’t have a substantive problem with the FAA extension, and the measure is expected to be approved before the Senate adjourns for the year.
One way or another, with the foreign aid supplemental and two funding deadlines (January 19 and February 2) on the line - as well as the Iowa caucuses mid-month, January is shaping up to be a month for the record books.
GEOPOLITICS: SPANNING THE GLOBE | ToDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2023 AT 11:00 AM ET
Join our Washington chief J.T. Taylor and Hedgeye's geopolitical advisor Col. Jeffrey McCausland for a discussion on defense spending and what the recently passed National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) means for nuclear modernization, shipbuilding, the U.S. industrial base as well as Ukraine in light of stalled national security assistance on Capitol Hill coupled with a hold up in assistance from the EU. We'll continue our discussion with Israel and mounting tension with the Biden Administration and the state of play in the Middle East. We'll cover new tensions between China and the Philippines and the continued lack of military communications with the U.S. And more..including predictions for 2024.
***Please submit your questions in advance***
CLICK HERE for event details (includes video and materials link).
