GOP's lame-duck clock is ticking

NPR | By Eric McDaniel,

Scott Simon

Published November 7, 2026 at 7:41 AM EST

The current Congress, under its Republican majorities, must address the National Defense Authorization Act and a government funding bill as Democrats wait to take over.

Eric McDaniel

Eric McDaniel is a congressional reporter for NPR's Washington Desk.

See stories by Eric McDaniel

Scott Simon

Scott Simon is the host of Weekend Edition Saturday and is one of the hosts of NPR's morning news podcast Up First.

See stories by Scott Simon

Support nonprofit, fact-based public service journalism

WEKU depends on support from those who view and listen to our content. There's no paywall here. Please support WEKU with your donation.

Contribute now

Related Content

Google, Meta and TikTok sue to block California youth social media law

Rachael Myrow, Scott Simon

Google, Meta, and TikTok have sued California to block the enforcement of a state law meant to protect children from getting addicted to social media.
Research confirms historic 'mummy medicine' contained real human remains

Pien Huang

Ancient Egyptian mummy remains were once marketed as medicine. Research finds at least some of these products came from real human remains and that mummy materials keep bodies preserved for millennia.
How the new Senate majority shifts control over the federal judiciary

Nina Totenberg, Scott Simon

The change in the Senate's majority party means that starting Jan. 3, Democrats will run federal judicial appointments and may continue to until at least 2030.
Border shift: Hispanic voters drive Texas' historic flip to blue

David Martin Davies, Scott Simon

Once reliably a red state, Texas will turn deep blue following this week's midterms. One of the most notable shifts was along the Texas-Mexico border, where Hispanic voters had a big influence.
Week in Politics: Trump taps Miller for chief of staff; doubles down on Trumpism

Scott Simon, Ron Elving

President Trump's decision to make Stephen Miller his new chief of staff is a rebuke of the midterm results and a doubling-down on Trumpism.