Congress is returning from holiday recess with a number of pressing issues competing for attention. The current budget deal expires on January 19th, leaving only a handful of legislative days to reach a deal to fund the government before a shutdown. It's unclear if the Republicans have enough votes to pass a longer-term budget deal without Democratic support-there are significant divisions within the caucus on issues ranging from defense spending to a permanent fix for DACA recipients.
Congress must also pass a disaster relief package. The House did so in December, but the Senate decided to wait until the New Year.
Some members of Congress have expressed hope that Congress can quickly tackle this year's Farm Bill within the first few months of 2018. However, that depends on how much progress can be made in the midst of an already packed legislative schedule, especially when some Republicans have been pushing to tackle infrastructure, not agriculture, as the next big policy issue.
