Government funding, the defense bill, the farm bill, and more. Here’s where each item stands and when it’s due.

Congress left Washington without finishing its biggest jobs. It will take them up in a lame-duck session that starts November 9, 2026, six days after Election Day.

The list includes annual government funding, the annual defense bill, the farm bill, and a lapsed surveillance law. The House left in September, and the Senate followed on September 30. Senate Republicans admit they are piling a lot onto a short calendar that ends at Christmas.

Here’s what’s on the list and where each item stands.

Key takeaways

  • Congress returns on November 9 for a lame-duck session expected to run until Christmas, with a Thanksgiving break in between.
  • Federal funding runs out on December 11 unless Congress passes the full-year spending bills or another stopgap.
  • The farm bill expired on September 30, and the surveillance authority known as FISA Section 702 has been lapsed since June.
  • The Senate passed a college sports bill 77–22, and four senators introduced a bipartisan permitting bill before leaving. Both still need to pass the House.
  • The election results could shape how much gets done, especially if control of the House or Senate changes hands in January.

What is a lame-duck session?

A lame-duck session is the period between Election Day and the new Congress taking office in January, when members who lost or are retiring still vote. This year’s runs from the week of November 9 until Christmas, and it could be the last weeks of unified Republican control of Congress and the White House.

Will the government shut down in December?

Only if Congress fails to act before December 11, when the stopgap funding bill runs out. The main fight is over defense: the Trump administration wants a record $1.5 trillion, which Senate Democrats reject. Congress can pass an omnibus, one bill combining all 12 spending bills, or another short-term extension.

What happens to the defense bill?

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which sets Pentagon policy, stalled in the Senate in July. Congress has passed one every year for more than six decades, and leaders expect a deal after the election.

What happens now that the farm bill has expired?

The farm bill covers crop programs and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and it expired September 30. Crop insurance and SNAP benefits continue for now, but conservation, research, and rural development programs face funding uncertainty.

If Congress doesn’t act by December 31, farm programs revert to permanent law written in the 1930s and 1940s. That means more spending on some crops and none on others. Those old formulas would require the government to support some commodities at prices far above market value. Modern crops such as soybeans, peanuts, and canola would lose their safety net entirely.

What is FISA Section 702?

Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) allows warrantless collection of foreigners’ communications abroad. It lapsed in June, but a court approval from March keeps collection going into early 2027.

Which bipartisan proposals are closest to the finish line?

Two bills have bipartisan support in the Senate. The college sports bill has passed, and permitting still needs a Senate vote. Both will need the House to finish the job.

  • Permitting reform. A bipartisan bill introduced in the Senate on September 30 from Sens. Shelley Moore Capito, Mike Lee, Sheldon Whitehouse, and Martin Heinrich would speed up permits for energy and infrastructure projects. Capito wants it to be the Senate’s first vote after the election.
  • College sports. The Protect College Sports Act passed the Senate 77–22. It would write National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) rules into federal law and set rules for paying athletes. House Republicans want changes.

These two bills are the clearest test this fall of a simple idea: hard problems get solved when both parties sit at the same table.

What else could come up?

  • Reconciliation 3.0: Budget reconciliation lets a bill pass the Senate with a simple majority instead of the usual 60 votes. Republicans have discussed a third package this Congress that would fund the Iran war and give states up to $10 billion for stricter voting rules. Some GOP aides expect it to slip to January.
  • Debt limit: Majority Leader John Thune has said an increase could come in the lame duck. The limit could be reached as soon as February 2027.
  • Regulatory rollbacks: Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolutions to overturn recent federal rules.

Conclusion

December 11 is the only hard deadline. How much else gets done depends on November, and the bills with the best odds are the ones both parties already support.