2026 brings legislative hangover for Republicans on Capitol Hill

As the U.S. Congress returns to work next week, Republicanleaders would love to start off with a fresh legislative agenda for a midterm election year. Instead, they are likely to be playing defense on leftovers from 2025.

Three months behind schedule already, nine of the 12 yearly government funding bills remain unfinished — including money for the Pentagon — as a partial shutdown deadline looms on Jan. 30.

That failure is nothing new. A year ago, Congress didn’t wrap up the 12 government funding bills until just before Easter. No matter which party has been in charge, that work hasn’t been finished by the Sept. 30 end of the fiscal year since 1996.

Only one lawmaker from Georgia — U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop, D-Albany — has seen that happen. Bishop is one of 19 current House members who were on hand for those votes 29 years ago.

Current House Republicans are so cavalier about the Jan. 30 spending deadline that their legislative schedule gives them a week off at the end of the month when a partial shutdown might happen again.

At this point, we don’t even know how much GOP leaders want to spend in 2026. Key Republicans cut a deal just before Christmas, but they have only told us that spending will be less than a year ago. How much less? Stay tuned.

Trying to pass nine funding bills before the end of the month would be hard enough for the GOP. But House Republicans also are being forced in January to address expiring health insurance subsidies under the Obamacare health law.

A House vote is expected soon on a three-year extension of the subsidies, a bid by Democrats to hold down costs for more than 20 million Americans who are losing the extra aid.

“It will allow them to be able to have affordable health insurance and access to the health care system,” said Georgia U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Lithonia.

But there is no guarantee that a three-year extension will become law, just like there’s no guarantee that any compromise plan on health insurance will become law.

Those aren’t the only issues which might crowd out GOP legislative plans. The complaints over the release of the Jeffrey Epstein sex abuse files could also get in the way. And a House GOP maneuver banning votes on President Donald Trump’s tariffs expires at the end of January.

Republicans wish they had a clean slate to start off 2026 in Congress. Remember those two months off that the House took during the government shutdown fight? That time sure could have been used a lot differently.