It’s Tuesday, the traditional day for elections and for our pause-and-consider newsletter on politics and policy.

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Photo by Tom Brenner/Getty Images

It’s Tuesday, the traditional day for elections and for our pause-and-consider newsletter on politics and policy. We think of it as a mini-magazine in your inbox.

HEY, LAWMAKERS. LET’S TALK.
By Lisa Desjardins, @LisaDNews ([link removed])
Correspondent

Congratulations, members of Congress, on making it through an intense and exhausting — especially for voters — election.

Now, we need to talk about money.

The U.S. government is set to run out of it on Dec. 20. Oh, you must remember that, because you set that deadline. Excellent.

Here is the problem. You, our lawmakers, had a full year to pass appropriations bills. But now, you have just a few weeks to sort this out. Thus, you have few options here.

Option 1: Pass another continuing resolution to kick funding into early next year.

What’s that, you say, Speaker Mike Johnson? This is the plan you are backing? ([link removed]) Kicking the can down a short road? Hmm.

Why, some might ask?

One response is because you want to wait for Donald Trump to be in the White House.

That is an argument. But many Republicans also think it is a problem, for you and President-elect Trump. Who wants a messy funding fight in their first few months as president? And when Republicans have a small margin ([link removed]) in the House? This is why, as you know, very few of your fellow Republicans like this plan.

Defense hawks and others have also pointed out ([link removed]) that a temporary, continuing resolution is actually a spending *cut* for the military. And they are digging in against this for that reason.

This brings us to the real issue, Mr. Speaker. I’m going to just say it: You still need to be elected speaker in January. And a larger bill would mean you would have to make choices that would almost certainly rub one group of Republicans or another the wrong way. And you can only lose a tiny handful of votes and become speaker.

So, you want to punt.
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Option 2: Pass an omnibus, a giant full funding bill, that gets government funded until next fall. (Or a few “minibuses” that add up to an omnibus.)

This brings me to you, the larger group of Republicans who disagrees with the speaker. You want a larger, long-term solution.

As you see it, this makes sense: The military would have stable, good funding, and it kicks the funding fight far down the road, allowing room for you to tackle the things you really care about in Trump’s first 100 days.

In your view, Republicans don’t need that messy (and it will be very messy) funding fight in the spring.

But Speaker Johnson feels differently. See my note to him above. He does not want a long-term solution now.

Option 3: Democrats, you can get involved.

Democrats, let me turn to you. You still control the Senate and with the increasingly small Republican margin in the House, you still have significant sway there, too.

I know. I know. You see this as Republicans’ mess. Let them figure it out, you say.

But at the same time, you also see that in the end, you will likely need to step in here and help bring in this ship.

But if you do want that, you need to get moving.

After Thanksgiving, Congress is only in Washington for three weeks. ([link removed]) So if you want an omnibus, you need to get going.

Option 4: Do whatever Trump wants.

As you know, the president-elect has not weighed in on this fight yet. (Though I understand many of you have left him voicemails.)

But should he wade into this fight, it would give Speaker Johnson political cover. For you other Republicans, it could help set a direction.

The problem here, as you lawmakers know best, is that Trump likes to keep allies and enemies alike in a state of vibrating uncertainty about what he will do. He likes to hear you make your arguments and assess who of you has the strongest or weakest hands. And that assessment can change with a single encounter.

This is also a political solution. As your smart staff members may be telling you, a Trump-decides solution could have larger policy problems. He may want a version of funding that comes with other serious ripple effects.

What will happen?

One thing all of you Republicans and Democrats share is that you truly don’t want a government shutdown.

Republicans: You see the start of the second Trump administration as a chance to focus on policies, including massive tax cuts (although, as some among you have suggested, it won’t be as easy to do ([link removed]) as you think).

Democrats: I know you are happy for Republicans to be their own worst enemies and reveal underlying chaos. But to you, this is a chance for one more funding bill that you can influence.

I don’t know how you get through this. But you have just more than a month.

And this holiday season, it would be nice to not worry about a government shutdown.

Thank you for your consideration,
Lisa
More on politics from our coverage:
* Watch: What Republicans could do with their power ([link removed]) as they secure control of the House and Senate.
* One Big Question: Will the Senate serve as a check on Trump’s power or pave the way for his agenda? Congressional correspondent Lisa Desjardins looks at the Senate’s check on presidential power. ([link removed])
* A Closer Look: How divisions and narrow margins in Congress could present challenges ([link removed]) for Trump.
* Perspectives: Sarah McBride reflects on becoming the first openly transgender person ([link removed]) elected to Congress.

#POLITICSTRIVIA
By Joshua Barajas, @Josh_Barrage ([link removed])
Senior Editor, Digital

President-elect Donald Trump is assembling his Cabinet. Fast. ([link removed])

Within two weeks of winning the election, the soon-to-be 47th president of the United States has announced who he wants in several key roles to steer and execute his policies.

The word “Cabinet” itself isn’t in the U.S. Constitution, though its role is established in Article 2, Section 2 ([link removed].) of the founding document.

Our question: Who was the first U.S. president to use the word “Cabinet”?

Send your answers to [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) or tweet using #PoliticsTrivia. The first correct answers will earn a shout-out next week.

Last week, we asked: Whose portrait did Trump choose to hang in the Oval Office in the early days of his first administration?

The answer: Andrew Jackson. ([link removed]) The seventh U.S. president, who was a slave owner who also played a key role in American Indian removal, rode a wave of populism ([link removed]) to the Oval Office.

Congratulations to our winners: Carol Rutz and Eleanor Ridley!

Thank you all for reading and watching. We’ll drop into your inbox next week.
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