5 things on Congress’s agenda right now

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Just three days later, the year 2026 brilliantly announced itself as a Bravo Housewife.

The arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and President Donald Trump’s pledge that the United States would “run” the country changed history in the Western Hemisphere. We are at the beginning of this story.

But this is not the only pressing issue for our lawmakers.

We thought it might be helpful to put together a rough list of tasks members of Congress should do when they return from their holiday recess.

1. Monitoring US movements abroad

This of course includes briefings and questions about Venezuela. When and why will the troops be sent? Does Trump propose to spend US dollars on its oil industry? What lies ahead for Venezuelans in this new political era?

Watch the clip in the player above.

But Congress must also stay relevant and connected regarding the list of other countries that the Trump administration is now threatening with U.S. action: Colombia, Cuba, Greenland, Mexico, and Iran.

2. Avoid a government shutdown

Almost no one in Washington believes there will be a partial government shutdown at the end of the month when the latest funding bill runs out.

But how will lawmakers avoid this? There are some difficult unresolved disagreements, including over the length of the next funding bill and a slew of specific cuts or additions that various lawmakers would like to see.

On the plus side, lawmakers funded the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Agriculture for the remainder of the fiscal year. This means that all VA operations will continue and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, formerly known as food stamps, will flow regardless.

3. Health care processing

Enhanced subsidies from the Affordable Care Act have expired.

But Congress could still — and some are passionately working to — restore it retroactively. We expect action in the House of Representatives this week to extend this support for three years. (Four Republicans teamed up with Democrats to force this vote.) Moreover, this vote is likely to be upvoted.

But it will hit a marble wall in the Senate, where the idea already failed on a vote last year.

A handful of senators are in the middle of bipartisan talks aimed at finding something that could pass that chamber.

But it’s not clear whether that can happen soon, or whether anything the Senate approves will pass the House.

4. Retirement. Or don’t do it. But decide

As mentioned, this Congress is on pace to achieve a near-record number of retirements, and there could easily be more to come.

As application deadlines approach, members must decide in the coming months whether to try to stay or leave.

5. Deal with difficult things

Consider this (because Congress doesn’t seem like it): Both Social Security and Medicare face total bankruptcy in just eight years. Eight years. Specifically, this happens when the Social Security Retirement Trust Fund and Medicare Hospital Insurance Trust Fund run out of money.

In addition, the national debt continues to rise to levels unprecedented in peacetime.

These are problems that current lawmakers in Washington have created or ignored (and by ignoring have fueled). These issues are fraught with political risks. The current Republican thinking is that the party is weak in 2026.

Therefore, it seems foolish to think that Republicans in power will work with Democrats to address these coming crises. But my task here is to create a list of what needs to be done, not what will be done.

And addressing long-term issues that are quickly approaching should be in the top five.