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 holiday season. This is a good opportunity to look back on the 119th Congress and see how, despite the narrowest majority in House history (220–215), a four-seat majority in the Senate, a 43-day government shutdown recess, and a term-limited president, Republicans in Washington and President Donald Trump have still managed to put their stamp on federal policy. Their legacy is likely to influence Washington politics for the next generation.
The 119th Congress convened on Jan. 3, 2025, during the last 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 as the Senate Majority Leader, succeeding Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who had led the Senate Republicans for 18 years.
With the new leadership and narrow margins, Republicans were only able to enact 38 public laws out of nearly 10,000 bills introduced. This means that most federal policy changes resulted from the 217 executive orders signed by Trump – a number not seen since President Franklin Roosevelt.
In spite of the modest number of legislative victories, congressional Republicans did pass the most significant tax legislation seen in Washington in nearly 40 years, with passage of H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill. An insightful summary of this legislation and how it will benefit commercial real estate was written by a member of NAIOP’s Tax & Finance Government Affairs Advisory Committee, David Sobochan, CPA, MT, in July. You can read it here: From Deductions to Depreciation: Real Estate Tax Impacts of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
The partisan tactics of Trump and congressional Republicans have significantly stifled bipartisan cooperation, which came to a head with the 43-day government shutdown and finally ended on Nov. 12. In the agreement to reopen the government, Congress passed legislation that funded the Agriculture Department, the Department of Veterans Affairs, military construction and the legislative branch; funding for the rest of the federal government was extended through Jan. 30, 2026.
As part of that agreement, Senate Majority Leader Thune has agreed to permit a vote on extending enhanced subsidies for health insurance premiums under the Affordable Care Act. These subsidies are scheduled to expire on Dec. 31.
During the remaining time, congressional leaders will need to reach an agreement on the National Defense Authorization Act, renew the Affordable Care Act subsidies, and approve the nine remaining appropriations bills that were not included in the November continuing resolution.
House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) has publicly outlined a two-part strategy for completing FY 2026 appropriations. The first package would combine the Energy-Water, Interior, and Transportation-Housing and Urban Development bills. Success on this package will depend on appropriators in both chambers reaching an agreement 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 pursued partisan numbers closely aligned with Trump’s budget, while the Senate has proposed a higher bipartisan level – approximately $21 billion above the House.
Because appropriations bills are subject to Senate filibuster rules, all final appropriations bills will require 60 bipartisan votes in the Senate. Similarly, due to the narrow House margins, bipartisan support will likely be necessary there as well. As Jan. 30, 2026, deadline approaches, most appropriators are looking to a full year continuing resolution to allow the FY 2027 process to begin on schedule in February.
Depending on what happens before the Jan. 30 deadline, the window for a bipartisan agreement on federal appropriations is closing. Since 2026 is an election year and majorities in both chambers will be in play, there will be pressure on both parties to avoid another shutdown. This makes it more likely that federal spending will remain subject to a continuing resolution until after the election in November.
