As Washington heads toward the midterm elections, it is worth remembering that some of Congress' busiest and most consequential work often comes after Election Day.
Lame-duck sessions — the period after an election and before the new Congress is sworn in — have frequently become a sprint to complete major pieces of unfinished business.
In 2020, Congress used the post-election session to complete government funding, pandemic relief and the annual defense authorization bill. In 2022, the lame-duck Congress completed the FY2023 omnibus appropriations package, the National Defense Authorization Act and other significant legislation.
2026 is shaping up to have its own substantial year-end agenda.
Government funding will be front and center. The current continuing resolution funds federal agencies only through Dec. 11, creating a year-end deadline for Congress to complete FY2027 appropriations or approve another extension.
The FY2027 National Defense Authorization Act will also require additional work. The House has passed its version, while the Senate has been advancing its own legislation, leaving a need for the two chambers to reconcile their bills before a final measure can become law.
Water infrastructure will be another item to watch. The House overwhelmingly passed the Water Resources Development Act of 2026 in September, sending the legislation to the Senate. The Senate will need to pass its own version before the two chambers can agree on a final bill, a process that could stretch into the lame-duck session.
Agriculture policy remains on the agenda as well. Congress has already made significant farm policy changes through budget reconciliation, but additional Farm Bill provisions and expiring authorities are still unresolved. In particular, the current suspension of longstanding "permanent law" provisions is set to expire Jan. 1, 2027, unless Congress acts.
As is often the case at the end of a Congress, these must-pass measures can also become vehicles for other priorities, including disaster assistance, tax provisions, program reauthorizations and bipartisan policy initiatives that have been moving through committees throughout the year.
The legislative to-do list is substantial. But the agenda itself is only part of what makes a lame-duck session so consequential.
More on the political and practical bipartisan dynamics that can create a year-end "race to the finish line" in Part 2.
Why can a lame-duck session become such a productive period for Congress?
Beyond the legislative deadlines themselves, several political and practical dynamics can create additional momentum after Election Day.
If there is a change in control of the House or Senate, members of the outgoing Congress may have an added incentive to finish legislative work before the new Congress convenes with a different set of priorities.
Even without a change in control, the prospect of new committee leadership, new members and a reset of the legislative calendar can create a genuine "race to the finish line" as both parties look to clear as much of the year-end backlog as possible.
Retiring members — and members who will not be returning in the next Congress — can also change the dynamics of the institution. Freed from the pressures of another campaign, some may be more willing to engage on difficult compromises or issues that had previously been politically challenging.
For longtime members in particular, the final weeks of a Congress can represent a last opportunity to advance legislation they have worked on for years.
Then there is the very practical end-of-year reality: everyone wants to get home for the holidays.
That deadline has historically helped create momentum behind large year-end legislative packages, where appropriations and other priorities can converge in a final round of negotiations. And there may be no better physical reminder that time is running short than departing House members moving out of their regular offices as incoming members prepare to take over.
Taken together, unfinished legislative business, hard deadlines, potential changes in congressional control, legacy considerations, post-election dynamics and the calendar itself can make lame-duck sessions far more consequential than the name might suggest.
For organizations with priorities before Congress, that means the work has to begin well before the lame-duck session itself.
At Banner Public Affairs, our bipartisan lobbying and public affairs team has been working throughout the year to position client priorities for this critical period — engaging policymakers and staff on both sides of the aisle, tracking legislation and funding opportunities, building coalitions and ensuring our clients' priorities are understood as Congress prepares for year-end negotiations.
Whether the objective is securing federal funding, advancing a policy provision, protecting an important program or building the broader public affairs environment necessary for legislative success, our approach combines bipartisan government relations with strategic communications and public affairs.
The lame duck may be short. The preparation for it shouldn't be.