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 Dominique Jacovides/abacapress.com

CONGRESS MAYHEM — A CHEAT SHEET
By Lisa Desjardins, @LisaDNews ([link removed])
Correspondent

Time is nearly running out. As we’ve noted before, Congress has left some of its largest tasks of the year for the final weeks.

We thought a cheat sheet might help you keep track.

But first, some quick notes about timing to keep in mind:
* The House is scheduled to end its year in 5 days. (But lawmakers will extend as necessary.)
* The Senate is scheduled to end its year in 10 days.
* There are 15 weekdays left in this Congress.

Now, five major pieces of legislation to watch this week as they make their way through Congress.

National Defense Authorization Act
* What it does: The NDAA is a sweeping, historic bill ([link removed]) that authorizes $858 billion in defense spending that increases the strength, power and funding of the U.S. military.
* Status: Needs Senate approval
* How long could that take? 2.5 to 3 days in session

A one-week temporary funding bill
* What it does: The short-term bill, known as a “continuing resolution,” would give Congress one more week, until Dec. 23, to fund the government.
* Status: Leaders from both parties generally agree on the measure, but it still needs text and passage by the House and Senate.
* How long could that take? 1 to 3 days


An “omnibus” longer-term funding bill
* What it does: Building onto the one-week funding bill, this longer-term bill would fund the government through September 2023 with agency-specific amounts.
* Status: No deal yet. The omnibus would need text and passage in the House and Senate.
* How long could that take? 7 to 12 days, once a deal for topline figures is reached.


Electoral Count Reform Act
* What it does: The bill, which would reform the 1887 Electoral Count Act ([link removed]) , addresses concerns about the election certification process.
* Status: A bipartisan deal is ready. It needs to be attached to another bill and pass both chambers.
* How long could that take? Unclear. Supporters hope to attach this to an omnibus funding bill.


Emergency funding for Ukraine, domestic disasters
* What it does: The emergency aid includes $37 billion for Ukraine ([link removed]) , plus billions for natural disasters.
* Status: Votes seem to be in place for the Ukraine aid. This measure still needs text and votes in both chambers.
* How long could that take? Unclear. If this passes on its own, 5 to 10 days in session. If this is part of the omnibus, it folds into that timeline.


As is often the case with legislation moving through Congress, things can change with little warning. For the latest and greatest, you can follow my updates on Twitter ([link removed]) .

CORRECTION: Reader Richard Morris flagged an error in last week’s newsletter. We incorrectly reported that if Sen. Raphael Warnock won in Georgia’s runoff, which indeed happened, Democrats would have a 51-50 majority in the chamber. The Senate will be split 51-49, though there’s a new asterisk ([link removed]) on the Democratic seats.
More on politics from our coverage:
* Watch: What Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s defection means for Democrats and for Arizona politics ([link removed]) .
* One Big Question: Despite Sinema’s recent departure from the Democratic Party, the White House said this has been a “very good week” for President Joe Biden. What does that optimism mean for Biden’s reelection hopes? NPR’s Tamara Keith and Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report weigh in ([link removed]) .
* A Closer Look: How multiple presidential administrations failed to stop fentanyl’s rise ([link removed]) in the U.S.
* Perspectives: New York Times columnist David Brooks and Washington Post associate editor Jonathan Capehart discuss the shake-ups in the Senate ([link removed]) .

AMID SURGE OF ANTI-LGBTQ VIOLENCE, DRAG IS A RIGHT-WING TARGET

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Watch the segment in the player above.

By Dorothy Hastings, @d0r0thyh ([link removed])
Associate Producer, National Affairs

It’s been a year of increasing anti-LGBTQ sentiment, threats and attacks on drag events and queer spaces, including the deadly attack on Club Q, an LGBTQ nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado, last month.

A recent report ([link removed]) from the LGBTQ media advocacy group GLAAD found at least 124 drag events across 47 states have been protested, threatened or attacked this year. Several states this year have proposed bills that aim to ban or restrict drag performances. State lawmakers also continue to introduce record levels of legislation that restrict the rights of transgender people ([link removed]) .

Two Club Q shooting survivors are expected to testify ([link removed]) before the House Oversight Committee in a hearing Wednesday about the rise in violence and threats against LGBTQ people.

GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis joined the PBS NewsHour last week after a holiday drag story hour in Columbus, Ohio, was canceled over protests from far-right nationalist groups. She described how anti-LGBTQ rhetoric from far-right groups, repeated and amplified on social media and elsewhere, has real-world consequences ([link removed]) .

Many within queer communities, like drag artist Eureka O’Hara, are working to bring acceptance. O’Hara, a co-host of the HBO series “We’re Here,” spoke with the NewsHour for an upcoming story on how drag is being targeted in the U.S.

O’Hara, who grew up in a small town in Tennessee, said she noticed more pushback against the show, which is in its third season. On “We’re Here,” O’Hara and her co-hosts seek to work with queer residents and allies to put on drag shows in small towns across the country. The show’s production has faced homophobic and transphobic attacks online, and some locals in the towns they visit have protested the events ([link removed]) or attempted to prevent them from taking place. While that pushback has led to safety concerns, they said it has also motivated them to keep performing.

“At the end of the day, without us becoming more visible and without us pushing past all of this negative rhetoric, we are only hurting ourselves if we don't push even harder. So all it does is give me more strength and more will to continue the work that we're doing and continue to show positive visibility for not just queer people, trans people, but of course, also drag entertainment.”

For O’Hara, drag is an art form with immense importance in their own life.

“It taught me how to be my authentic self. It gave me confidence to exist in a world where, as a 6-foot-4, overly flamboyant, young queer male at the time growing up, I didn't understand who I was or where I existed or belonged in the world,” they said. “Drag gave me a reason to belong. And it gave me a reason to exist. And it gave me a platform for myself to be that person, for other people, to learn who they can be.”
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#POLITICSTRIVIA
By Matt Loffman, @mattloff ([link removed])
Politics Producer

Today, Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act ([link removed]) , which officially repeals the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, among other things ([link removed]) .

Eight senators have served in the chamber long enough to vote on both bills.

Our question: How many of those senators voted to support both bills?

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: What sport did Herschel Walker compete in at the 1992 Olympics?

The answer: Bobsledding ([link removed]) . The Republican Senate candidate made his Olympic debut in the two-man bobsledding event at the 1992 Games.

Congratulations to our winners: Dean Gottehrer and Tom Holston!

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