PROGRAMMING NOTE: We’ll be off next week for the holidays but back to our normal schedule on Tuesday, Jan. 2. WHAT THE SENATE’S DOING INSTEAD OF THE SUPPLEMENTAL Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer brought the Senate back for another week of work, hoping to vote on a supplemental package. Instead, they’re ticking other items off the chamber’s very long to-do list. And Republicans (at least, the limited number who haven’t already left) are irritated. “What have we done? How long have we been here? How many votes have we taken?” Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) said mid-afternoon Tuesday. “I got here Monday night. We've taken one vote today. It's a joke.” Even Schumer has now admitted a vote on a bill that combines Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan aid with border security measures isn’t happening this week, saying negotiators need more time. But he still isn’t sending the Senate home, using the chamber’s precious clock to vote on other items. Those include: Confirming the rest of the military nominations: Schumer indicated he wants to move on the remaining 11 four-star military nominations, which Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) said he would continue to hold up after he dropped the vast majority of his military holds earlier this month. All 100 senators would need to agree for passage to happen this week. Tuberville indicated Tuesday that he may drop his opposition to those nominations. “I'm gonna listen today and if they don't have some good answers, I imagine a lot of us will be leaving, from the Republican side,” said Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.). “There’s nothing we can do.” Extending the current Federal Aviation Administration Act: The Senate still needs to vote on its extension of the FAA, which is set to expire Dec. 31. Schumer has committed to doing it this week, which would extend the current FAA’s authorization until March 8 and give senators more time to negotiate on the next bill. While the House passed its FAA bill with a large bipartisan majority over the summer, the Senate has yet to move its version. Working on more administration and judicial nominations: Par for the course when the Senate is in session, the chamber spent Tuesday afternoon confirming additional nominations for administration and judicial positions. Meanwhile, most GOP senators aren’t sticking around for this. On Monday and Tuesday, 17 Republican senators attended evening votes. What’s left on the table: The Senate is set to leave for the holidays without a supplemental funding package nor a plan on how to pass several spending bills in time to avoid a shutdown in early 2024. The Senate’s work this week seems like it will do little or nothing to change that. “January is not going to be an enjoyable month,” Maine Sen. Susan Collins, the top Republican on Appropriations, told reporters. “Let me just say that. So happy new year to all of you.” — Daniella Diaz and Ursula Perano, with assist from Burgess Everett
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