Now that the Thanksgiving recess is over, the 117th Congress will reopen for business with just a few weeks before the 118th Congress will be sworn in.
Although the 117th Congress has a lot on its plate, such as a government funding bill that needs to be passed to avert a government shutdown, it would behoove the current Congress to respect the will of the voters (as recently demonstrated in the midterm election), by doing as little as possible before the 118th Congress convenes on Jan. 3, 2023.
Historically, this has been the norm. Over the past century, both parties have refrained from passing major legislation during the few weeks after congressional elections, colloquially known as the “lame-duck session.”
