Congress returned to Capitol Hill this week with an extensive list of must-pass legislation to enact before the end of the year. At the top of the list is enactment of the seven remaining spending bills for fiscal year (FY) 2019, including the Interior-Environment bill, which funds the Environmental Protection Agency, the Food and Drug Administration-Agriculture bill and the State Department-Foreign Operations bill, which funds global health programs at the U.S. Agency for International Development. Congress and the Administration have until Dec. 7, 2018, when the current temporary spending measure expires, to enact these bills or face a possible partial government shutdown. The possibility of a partial government shutdown remains over the issue of President Trump’s requests for border wall funding, but Congress could also pass another temporary spending measure if agreement cannot be reached by the Dec. 7 deadline.

Congress has already passed and the President has signed the appropriations bill that fund DOD, VA, NIH, CDC and other public health agencies.