PBS News Hour

the U.S. Senate instead decided last night to# close up shop and head home for a holiday break.

This means critical work and tough debates# over Ukraine funding, Israel's support,## border security and keeping the# government itself open will all## get jammed into what looks to be a# very intense January on Capitol Hill.

Lisa Desjardins is here with me# in studio to make sense of it all.

Hi, Lisa.

Good to see you.

LISA DESJA (LAUGHTER) AMNA NAWAZ: We're going to do our LISA D AMNA NAWAZ: Well border negotiations all week.

What does it# mean that we have still not had a LISA DESJARDINS: This is a Rorschach test.# There are a couple ways to look at this.

You could say they haven't been able to come# up as the negotiators like to say, the most# complicated area of U.S. law.

The fact that## they're still there shows the determination,# not just of the negotiators, but the leaders.

Let's look at who was still meeting in the# Capitol today.

It is DHS Secretary Mayorkas,## along with the three senators, Democrat# there Senator Murphy, independent Sinema,## Republican Lankford.

They have decided now not# to do in-person for a few days.

They're going## to continue to meet virtually so they can go# home, celebrate the holidays, all of that.

But I think it's clear what they're up# against.

We're seeing the surge at the## border.

You have covered it.

We have been seeing# this coming, now thousan at the border and problems in U.S. policy# that was not equipped for this.

So they're## tackling nothing less than perhaps an incredible# rewriting of asylum policy, to name other things.

So it makes sense it's taking this# long.

However, they are going to be## jammed up against the calendar in January.

They# wanted a deal by now, and they don't have i AMNA NAWAZ: So what about January?# This does kick a deal into January.## They have other deadlines that they're# facing.

What does LISA DESJARDINS: I, as you know and our viewers# know, have seen many intense mo I really have not seen this kind of stack# of major issues coming together at one time.

It is a basic calendar nightmare.

Let's# look at what's ahead.

So January 8,## that's when Congress returns, then,# after that, their first deadline for## government funding January 19.

That# is when funding for Ag Department,## Housing, Veterans runs out.

Then there's a second# government funding deadline coming up February 2.

So while they're trying to process this border# deal, they also have to figure out how to fund## government in two separate deadlines.

And oh,# Amna, by the way, what else is happening?

H about the presidential elections?

January 15, Iowa# caucuses, and the 23rd, the New Hampshire primary.

So think of it this way.

The# Senate generally needs a week,## a week-and-a-half to do anything because of# its calendar.

They'r within two weeks, already have a funding# deadline, and they're trying to, oh,## accomplish the biggest immigration deal# in perhaps 20 years at the same time It's really hard to get my head around how they# do this, but they say they're going to try.

AMNA NAWAZ: Meanwhile, as you know, all# of this is unfolding with a fairly new,## relatively inexperienced speaker# of the House in Representative## Mike Johnson.

How critical is he# to moving all of this forward?

LISA DESJARDINS: He is a linchpin,# because, obviously, you need both## chambers to agree.

And he is the head# of but one of the trickiest Republican# Conferences in modern history to navigate.

He has members of his conference that# are ardently for parts of Ukraine aid,## parts of the border deal, and some who are# ardently against it.

And underneath all of this,## as he also tries to negotiate spending,# above him hangs that sword where any## single member of the Republican Conference# can still move to oust him from his job.

His job is on the line in these major tasks# that they are now squeezed into a few weeks## to handle.

What's more, it's gotten even# harder.

Why?

The former speaker of the House,## Kevin McCarthy, has resigned.

He leaves office# officially at the end of this year.

By leaving,## that means their very slim# margin is now even smaller.

George Santos, also a Republican now out# of office.

So, essentially they have got## three votes, one way or the other, that they# can spare.

And all of this i this brand-new speaker, who's never# been chairman of a House committee,## has to figure out in a very short period# of time.

The stakes are It 's hard to see how he navigates it,# but he has to.

And there has to be some## kind of bipartisan deal, I think,# on all of this for it to succeed.

AMNA NAWAZ: Busy January for Congress and for you.

Lisa Desjardins... LISA DESJARDINS: W LISA DESJARDINS: You're welcome.