Congress faces a tightening calendar that threatens timely action on two critical deadlines: Dec. 31, when expanded ACA subsidies expire, and Jan. 30, when short-term government funding runs out. Lawmakers are leaving Washington for holiday and district recesses, and the Senate and House schedules leave little January time to resolve funding and health-care issues. Internal GOP divisions and conservative holdouts in the Senate have stalled agreement on subsidy extensions and appropriations. Without swift action or canceled recesses, Americans risk higher health-care costs and another federal shutdown.
Shrinking Congressional Calendar Threatens ACA Subsidies and Raises Shutdown Risk
The calendar is now Congress’ biggest enemy
Congress’s compressed end-of-year schedule is creating real risks: expanded Affordable Care Act subsidies are set to expire on Dec. 31, and short-term government funding runs out on Jan. 30. With many lawmakers heading home for holiday and district recesses, there is limited time in December and January to negotiate durable health-care fixes and full-year appropriations.
Two Deadlines to Watch
Dec. 31: A set of expanded ACA subsidies is scheduled to lapse. Without timely action, millions of Americans could face higher premiums or reduced assistance.
Jan. 30: The short-term funding measure that reopened the government in November expires. If Congress does not pass a continuing resolution or final appropriations, the federal government faces another partial or full shutdown.
Why the Calendar Matters
This week is the last full legislative stretch before the holidays for both chambers. Members routinely depart Washington late Thursday to return to their districts, and the House and Senate calendars offer little uninterrupted time in early January:
- The Senate is scheduled to resume on Monday, Jan. 5.
- The House is scheduled to reconvene on Tuesday, Jan. 6.
- The Senate’s 2026 schedule shows a "State Work Period" beginning Jan. 19, which effectively shortens the month for floor business.
- The House’s "District Work Period" later in January further compresses the window to settle appropriations.
Political Obstacles and Process Questions
Lawmakers face substantive disputes and procedural questions that complicate fast action. House GOP leaders have proposed a package that does not extend the expiring subsidies, and there is no clear consensus in the conference. The Senate has already rejected two health-care proposals, one from each party, and is expected to focus on other priorities in the immediate term.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune has pledged a return to "regular order"—moving the 12 appropriations bills separately rather than packaging them into a single omnibus—but conservative holdouts have stalled progress on a proposed "mini-bus" of five full-year funding bills. Senators Mike Lee, Ron Johnson and Rick Scott have objected to the package’s size and the presence of earmarks and other authorizing provisions.
Consequences and Choices
If leaders do not cancel scheduled recesses or force votes before the deadlines, Congress risks a repeat of the last shutdown’s chaos and a sudden spike in health-care costs for millions. Cancelling holidays is politically costly, but the alternative is last-minute deals or stopgap funding that fail to provide long-term certainty.
Time management has long been a weak spot on the Hill. With so few legislative days left and deep intra-party divisions, compressed negotiations will make durable, bipartisan solutions more difficult.
Bottom line: The calendar is not just a scheduling issue — it is a political stress test. Lawmakers must choose whether to use the remaining days to craft long-term funding and health-care fixes or to rely on short-term patches that punt the problem to the next crisis.
