Congress is staring down big deadlines on stimulus and government funding in December

It’s almost the end of the year and Congress is, once again, staring down several major deadlines.

First and foremost, the increasingly severe pandemic means there’s huge pressure to pass more coronavirus relief prior to December 31, when multiple aid programs — including unemployment insurance coverage for 12 million people — are poised to expire.

Second, the deadline to approve an annual government funding package is fast approaching on December 11, with lawmakers expected to pass another one-week extension.

And finally, Congress still needs to pass the National Defense Authorization...