Congress's procrastination catches up to them

Plus: Harvard's president exits her post.   Wednesday, January 3, 2024 Good afternoon, Here’s the agenda today: UP FIRST: Congress’s urgent to-do list CATCH UP: Conservatives and Harvard president’s resignation —Li Zhou, senior reporter   UP FIRST Congress has an urgent to-do list [Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer leans in towards House Speaker Mike Johnson to speak with him privately. The men, seated, wear navy suits and glasses.] Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images Like many people around the country, Congress is getting back to work after a holiday break — and it’s being forced to circle back on quite an urgent to-do list. From funding the government to finding a deal on foreign aid, lawmakers have a stacked agenda that [they procrastinated on last year]( but now need to confront. Their ability to do so will have major consequences, including whether the US government shuts down and whether there will be disruptions to US aid to Ukraine. Enduring dissent in Congress — particularly [among House Republicans]( — is poised to make arriving at a final deal on many of these subjects difficult. Below is a rundown of some of the things Congress still has on its agenda — and why getting them done could prove contentious. Funding the government and keeping it open: Each year, Congress must (and struggles to) pass 12 spending bills to keep the government funded and open. 2023 was no different, with lawmakers failing to approve annual appropriations bills and instead passing short-term spending bills keeping the government funded for a brief period. The new deadlines for the longer-term bills are fast approaching, with government funding for some agencies expiring on January 19 and funding for another set of agencies expiring on February 2. The government risks a partial shutdown after that first deadline, as lawmakers have struggled to arrive at a deal for full-year spending and House Republicans have dismissed a short-term extension. The House GOP’s right flank wants [changes to border policy](, while Senate Democrats are likely to oppose such requests. When the government shuts down, federal workers are either furloughed or forced to work without pay in the affected agencies. Key government services could also see delays in immigration courts, food inspections, and loan approvals. Foreign aid: The Biden administration has requested about $106 billion in aid to Ukraine for its ongoing war with Russia, as well as to Israel as it continues its military offensive against Hamas and Gaza. The administration has stated that US aid to Ukraine may run out if Congress doesn’t act, a development that could undermine the country’s ability to continue combating Russia’s offensive. Meanwhile, a growing number of House Republicans argue that the Ukraine funds would be better spent domestically. While aid for Israel has bipartisan backing, there’s also been growing scrutiny of the idea as Israel has killed more than 22,000 people in Gaza, spurring progressive lawmakers to call for humanitarian conditions on any support. Complicating matters further, House and Senate Republicans have said these aid packages need to be tied to a deal on border security as they seek to make this subject a political flashpoint ahead of this year’s election. A border security deal: Thus far, Republicans have held up the passage of foreign aid packages unless Congress also approves border security proposals. Senate negotiators have been trying to find some kind of agreement that both Democrats and Republicans can get behind, though they’ve yet to find a deal. Republicans have urged more stringent policies at the border including ongoing construction of the border wall and forcing asylum seekers to wait outside the US as their applications are being processed. Democrats have typically pushed for a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, though they’re now more likely to consider harsher policies. For more on the pressing matters in Congress, read Cameron Peters’s in-depth breakdown [here](.   CATCH UP The Harvard president’s resignation, briefly explained [Gay, during her testimony, is seen in a white suit and black boxy glasses, her face serious and hair short, against a black background.] Haiyun Jiang/Bloomberg/Getty Images Claudine Gay resigned as Harvard University's president earlier this week following blowback over allegations of plagiarism and statements she made at a congressional hearing about antisemitism. Her resignation has forced scrutiny of how conservatives targeted Harvard’s first Black (and second woman) president. - A congressional hearing sparked controversy: Gay was criticized for not clearly stating that calls for the genocide of Jewish people on campus would be a violation of the school’s rules. She later apologized for these remarks. While there were calls for Gay to step down at this time, the Harvard Corporation backed her and she did not resign. - Conservatives drove allegations of plagiarism: Conservative outlets and commentators published pieces claiming Gay plagiarized parts of her past journal papers and dissertation. Gay issued corrections in multiple pieces, amid concerns of “inadequate citation.” Multiple scholars whom Gay is accused of plagiarizing have stated they did not [view the allegations to be plagiarism](, [though at least one has said she does.]( - Concerns about targeting: Gay’s resignation has spurred concerns from many [academics]( and civil rights activists that attacks on Gay may have been more about her race and gender than her words. “President Gay’s resignation is about more than a person or a single incident,” [Rev. Al Sharpton]( said in a statement. “This is an attack on every Black woman in this country who’s put a crack in the glass ceiling.” [Nicole Narea]( has more on the initial congressional hearing and how administrators have addressed antisemitism on college campuses.   VERBATIM 🗣️ “Decades ago alcohol use, and really all substance use disorders in general, were sort of viewed as personality flaws or moral failings. We really know now — especially from the past 50 years of increasing amounts of research and data — that these are really brain diseases.” — Carrie Mintz, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Washington University in St. Louis, on the US’s difficulties treating alcohol abuse. [[Vox](]   AROUND THE WEB - Sen. Bob Menendez’s ethics problems deepen. The scandal-plagued New Jersey lawmaker got some more bad news this week when federal prosecutors charged him with helping the Qatari government in exchange for bribes. [[NYT](] - An explosion in Iran. Wednesday, bombs at a memorial for Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani killed about 100 people. Iranian officials have said it was a terrorist attack. [[WSJ](] - A break-up in Bachelor Nation. Rachel Lindsay, the first Black Bachelorette, and her husband Bryan Abasolo, are getting a divorce, a split that surprised many fans. 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