Post-Midterm “Divided Government” Sets In as Lame-Duck GOP Races on Funding and Judges, Raising Shutdown Risk
The 2026 midterm elections gave Democrats control of both chambers of Congress, while Republicans retained the White House, setting up divided government from January 3.
UNITED STATES,POLITICS
Global N Press
11/9/20261 min read
After the 3 November 2026 midterm elections, Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress, producing a divided government with the White House held by Republicans and Congress by Democrats; the new Congress is sworn in on 3 January 2027. Lawmakers returned on 9 November for a lame-duck session of roughly five weeks, during which Republicans aim to add Pentagon funding to replenish munitions expended in the Iran conflict and to confirm dozens of Trump-nominated judges. The most urgent cross-party task is government funding: existing appropriations expire on 11 December, and Congress must pass a funding bill or stopgap to avert a shutdown.
President Trump is pressing Senate Majority Leader John Thune to move a $350 billion defense reconciliation package on a party-line vote; Republican senators warn this would “absolutely” raise shutdown odds by complicating talks with Democrats, who will control the appropriations process in January. Democrats favor a short-term patch into January to preserve leverage. The standoff signals that while major legislation will stall under divided government, the power of the purse and the debt ceiling will become the central arenas of confrontation through late 2026 and early 2027.
