By Eric Schmutz
With the House and Senate returning to the Capitol this week, and just two and a half weeks remaining before the scheduled end of the first session of the 119th Congress, lawmakers will soon head home for the holidays. This is a good opportunity to look back at the 119th Congress and see how, despite the smallest majority in House history (220-215), a four-seat majority in the Senate, a 43-day government shutdown, and a term-limited president, Washington Republicans and President Donald Trump have still managed to put their stamp on federal policy. Their legacy will likely influence Washington politics for the next generation.
The 119th Congress convened on January 3, 2025, during the final days of Joe Biden’s presidency, with the Republican Party regaining control of both chambers for the first time in six years. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) was re-elected to his first full term as Speaker of the House, and Senator John Thune (R-SD) was elected Senate Majority Leader, succeeding Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who had led the Republicans in the Senate for 18 years.
With the new leadership and narrow margins, Republicans were only able to do this Enact 38 public laws out almost 10,000 notes introduced. This means that most federal policy changes are a result of the 217 executive orders signed by Trump – a number not seen since President Franklin Roosevelt.
Despite the modest number of legislative victories, Republicans in Congress have passed the most important tax legislation Washington has seen in nearly four decades. HR 1, the one big beautiful bill. An insightful summary of this legislation and how it will benefit commercial real estate was written in July by a member of NAIOP’s Tax & Finance Government Affairs Advisory Committee, David Sobochan, CPA, MT. You can read it here: From Deduction to Depreciation: Property Tax Effects of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
The partisan tactics of Trump and Republicans in Congress have significantly hampered bipartisan cooperation, which came to a head with the 43-day government shutdown and ultimately ended on November 12. agreement To reopen the government, Congress passed legislation that funded the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the military build-up, and the Legislature; Funding for the rest of the federal government was extended through January 30, 2026.
As part of that agreement, Senate Majority Leader Thune has agreed to allow a vote on extending increased subsidies for health insurance premiums under the Affordable Care Act. These subsidies are expected to expire on December 31.
During the remaining time, congressional leaders will need to reach a deal on the National Defense Authorization Act, extend Affordable Care Act subsidies and approve the nine remaining projects. credits accounts which were not included in the November continuing resolution.
House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) has publicly outlined a two-part strategy for completing appropriations for fiscal year 2026. The first package would combine the Energy-Water, Interior and Transportation-Housing and Urban Development bills. The success of this package will depend on whether appropriators in both chambers agree on funding levels for “clean energy” programs.
A second package would include the much larger bills to fund the Department of Defense, the Department of Labor and the Department of Health and Human Services. These three departments account for nearly 75% of federal discretionary spending, and the two chambers differ significantly in their desired funding levels. The House of Representatives sought party-line numbers that closely match Trump’s budget, while the Senate has proposed a higher bipartisan level — about $21 billion above the House of Representatives.
Because appropriations bills are subject to Senate filibuster rules, any final appropriations bills will require 60 bipartisan votes in the Senate. Likewise, because of the narrow margins in the House of Representatives, bipartisan support will likely be needed there as well. As the January 30, 2026 deadline approaches, most appropriators are looking toward a full-year rolling resolution so that the FY 2027 process can begin on schedule in February.
Depending on what happens before the Jan. 30 deadline, the window for a bipartisan deal on federal appropriations closes. Since 2026 is an election year and majorities in both chambers will come into play, there will be pressure on both parties to prevent another shutdown. This makes it more likely that federal spending will remain the subject of an ongoing resolution until after the November election.
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