Senate Republicans are planning to squeeze every remaining day out of their majority before Democrats take over the chamber next year. With leadership elections settled, the conference agreed at the end of a marathon closed-door meeting Tuesday to hold itself to a year-end sprint.

All eyes are again on Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., who was re-elected to another term as Republican leader and immediately promised to extend the calendar, the hours and the votes. The to-do list includes must-pass legislation, dozens of President Donald Trump’s nominees, another attempt at reconciliation, and a defense funding fight with Democrats.

View Comments (0)

Visit your state page to pray.

From Fox News: 

“That means extending the calendar here, the number of days we’re here, the number of hours we’re here, the number of votes we may end up taking,” Thune said. “But we are going to finish this legislative session strong.”

Lawmakers plan to “maximize the 54 days we have with congressional majorities, to confirm every judicial nominee and every executive nominee that the conference approves of, to pass our core Republican priorities, and to do everything humanly possible to pass a reconciliation bill before Jan. 3,” according to a resolution agreed to in the meeting obtained by Fox News Digital.

“I think we’ve got to keep it realistic to probably have any chance of passing, pretty narrow,” Thune told Fox News Digital.

Reconciliation is the hardest piece of the plan and the one that depends most on what Republicans try to load into it. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., who chairs the Budget Committee that builds the framework, said he intended to present his proposal to Republicans at their Wednesday lunch. He also pointed to a final attempt at the SAVE America Act, or a version that could survive the Senate parliamentarian, describing funding for state election integrity measures as part of the effort.

Defense spending is the other flashpoint. Democrats have said they will use Congress’s power of the purse to choke off funding for the Iran war, and Thune acknowledged reconciliation could become a landing spot for Pentagon dollars if Democrats refuse to cooperate. He said he hoped enough Democrats would conclude that munitions and weaponry are a priority, and that Republicans are scoping the alternative now.

As of Tuesday, 23 judicial nominees and nearly 100 executive branch nominees still needed confirmation, many of the judges having yet to clear committee. The lame duck also carries the National Defense Authorization Act, a bipartisan permitting reform package and government funding. Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., said “where we can clear the decks, the better,” while noting that working with Democrats will be necessary. The source carries no comment from Schumer’s office or any Senate Democrat on the plan.

Psalm 90:12 says, “So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.” Fifty-four days is a number, and scripture treats the numbering of days as a path to wisdom rather than anxiety. Pray that Senate Republicans would use this window well, confirming qualified judges and officials without cutting corners on character or competence, and that they would pass what genuinely serves the country rather than what serves a headline. Pray for Thune and his colleagues to work honestly with Democrats where cooperation is possible, and for the Senate to keep faith with the men and women in uniform who depend on timely defense funding.

How are you praying about this issue? Share your prayers and scriptures in the comments below.

(Excerpt from Fox News. Photo Credit: svetlanafoote via Canva).