Congress returns after the 2022 midterm election with a hectic year-end agenda

With the 2022 election over, Congress will return to work Monday with a packed to-do list for the final weeks of the year.

The list includes reaching a government funding agreement, reauthorizing the Defense Department, passing a major election overhaul measure, codifying federal recognition of same-sex marriage and voting on nominations. And the House Jan. 6 committee is poised to wrap up its work before it dissolves.

Republicans underperformed expectations in the midterm elections and failed to deliver a red wave. NBC News has projected that Democrats will keep control of the Senate for two more years, while control of the House is yet to be determined.

“All I can tell you is that we are going to try to have as productive a lame-duck session as possible,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., told reporters Sunday, notifying colleagues that there will be “heavy work” that includes “long hours.”

“I’m going to talk to my caucus. I’m going to talk to the Republican leadership and see what we can get done,” he said.