Lawmakers have been racing against the clock to fund the government and avoid another shutdown by the month’s end, but they are now facing an irregular opponent: Mother Nature herself.
Weather forecasters are predicting that the Washington, D.C., area might become the bullseye of a winter storm that could blanket the area in double-digit inches of snow this weekend.
And as most senators typically fly back into the District for Monday evening votes earlier that day or over the weekend, the incoming storm could result in schedule changes next week for the Senate.
Senate leadership is actively monitoring the weather and how it will impact senators’ ability to travel safely this weekend.
Most senators will be traveling from their home states, as the chamber returns from a weeklong recess, but a few lawmakers from international delegations will also be landing back stateside.
The snow is adding a layer of complications for senators, too, as they already are facing a Jan. 30 deadline to fund the rest of the government and keep the lights on.
The House on Thursday passed its final package of remaining spending bills: Defense, Labor-HHS-Education, Transportation-HUD and Homeland Security, putting the onus on the Senate. Lawmakers have cleared only six of the 12 annual appropriations measures.
The snow’s impending arrival could shorten that already tight deadline if floor time and votes are impacted.
The Senate is scheduled to convene Monday afternoon with an evening cloture vote on the motion to proceed to a bill that would increase protections and resources for college students who carry a pregnancy to term. Action on the bill comes on the heels of the annual anti-abortion rally, March for Life, which is slated for Friday.
A snow day on Capitol Hill has become somewhat of a rarity: The last major snow storm was 2016’s “Snowzilla” that dropped around 20 inches on D.C. and even more in its suburbs. That storm prompted the Senate to postpone votes by a day.
But smaller storms have also caused headaches for traveling senators, like when a few inches in 2022 pushed back Senate votes to the following day.
Most recently in 2024, a snowstorm led to the House canceling votes and federal offices to close, but the Senate stayed in session.
Their reasoning? A tight deadline to fund the government and avoid a shutdown.
The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch through Monday.
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