On November 29, Congress passed legislation to extend authorization for the PEPFAR; President Trump signed the reauthorization into law on December 11. Another global health related bill has stalled in Congress: the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act passed the House, but remains in limbo in the Senate and may not be reauthorized until the next Congress, leaving the next Congress to do the work.
On the funding of the government -- On December 6, Congress passed another temporary Continuing Resolution providing temporary funding for seven appropriations bills that remain unfinished for Fiscal Year (FY) 2019, including the State and Foreign Operations (SFOPs) funding bill. The two-week stopgap spending bill avoids a shutdown until December 22 as Congress and the President battle over financing a wall on the Mexican border.
Nearly all Congressional races have been accounted for, and Democrats’ House majority for the 116th is currently 235-199; a race in North Carolina is under investigation for potential voter fraud. On the Senate side, Republicans will maintain a 53-47 majority. On the House side, current Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is all but assured to take on the position of Speaker of the House when Democrats take back control of the lower chamber in January.
The new Congress begins work on January 3, 2019.