Congress stares down slew of deadlines with return to Washington

Washington — The holiday season has arrived, and Congress has gifted itself a lengthy legislative to-do list that includes must-pass bills to keep federal agencies operating and avert a fiscal crisis, as well as President Biden's sprawling social spending and climate change package that has been a source of squabbling among Democrats.

The House and Senate returned to Washington early this week after a Thanksgiving recess, and lawmakers are now turning their attention to navigating a slew of self-imposed deadlines, the most immediate of which is the expiration Friday of a measure that funds the federal government.

But on the heels of the December 3 cutoff to skirt a partial government shutdown comes the need for Congress to extend or suspend the debt limit, which Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said must be addressed by December 15 to avoid a default for the first time in U.S. history.