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Hey everyone,
Welcome to State of the Day,
Don’t mistake the post-election lull for a change of heart in Washington,
The Swamp’s Last Hurrah
The political world has largely moved past the midterms and set its sights on 2028.
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world → welcome → 2028
But before we get ahead of ourselves and check out for the holidays, there’s still something worth our attention — Congress.
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we → get → holidays
Republicans may have lost their majorities, but they still control both chambers until next year, and lawmakers are already making it clear they want to use every last minute to legislate.
uncertain
they → lose → minute
The legislation they’re trying to hammer through isn’t what they campaigned on — it’s the stuff lawmakers shelved when the political backlash got too hot to handle.
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backlash → try → what
Whether it’s renewing deep state surveillance powers, pushing another costly reconciliation package, or a controversial agricultural reform package that shortchanges American workers, Republicans are gung-ho on showing up for the establishment.
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Republicans → renew → establishment
It’s all about timing: with the midterms behind us and most Americans focused on everything but Congress, the GOP majority now sees an opportunity to pass legislation that’d regularly anger attentive Americans — and it’ll have serious ramifications long after this lame-duck session ends.
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session → ’ → ramifications
Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, otherwise known as FISA, is back on the table after Congress failed to pass the measure earlier this year.
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Congress → know → measure
The program essentially allows intelligence agencies to spy on foreign targets overseas — Americans occasionally get caught in the middle too, without a warrant, of course.
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Americans → allow → course
If that sounds unconstitutional to you — that’s because it is!
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it → sound → you
But while Congress failed to renew the authority, the surveillance collection itself never stopped because existing court certifications allowed it to continue.
Convenient, isn’t it?
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it → fail → authority
The Trump administration has already asked Congress for more of our tax dollars to fund the war and replenish expended weaponry, and it’s no small ask.
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it → ask → weaponry
The request runs to the tune of $67.1 billion for the Pentagon, including $21 billion specifically for replenishing munitions.
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request → run → munitions
Essentially, the Trump administration is asking for billions of your money that’ll go to weapons manufacturers who will inevitably end up kicking back some of that money to the very members of Congress pushing for the deal in the lame duck.
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who → ask → duck
They’re playing a shell game with your money.
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They → play → money
All for a war that’s done nothing for the common man besides drive up the price of gas, diesel, and everyday necessities.
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that → do → gas
It’s absolutely disgusting.
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It → ’ → ?
To add insult to injury, they’re looking for other ways to recklessly spend more of our tax dollars — namely, reconciliation.
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they → add → dollars
The House Freedom Caucus, the purportedly “hard-line conservatives” in the House, is explicitly demanding a third reconciliation package before they hand the gavel to Democrats in January.
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they → demand → January
In a letter sent to congressional leadership Monday, the group of “rebels” laid out their lame duck wishlist.
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group → send → wishlist
It features additional defense funding as their first ask.
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It → feature → ask
When Daily Caller News Foundation Congressional Correspondent Nicole Silverio asked Freedom Caucus leader Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland about the spending request, he retorted, “Asking that on Veterans Day is a little interesting …”
What a great, illuminating answer.
The sneaky reasoning behind reconciliation is to ensure the legislation can pass without support from any Democrats because, in the Senate, reconciliation doesn’t need the typical 60 votes to move past a filibuster — just a simple majority to pass the chamber.
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reconciliation → ask → chamber
President Trump has his own wishlist too.
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Trump → have → wishlist
His proposal calls for another $350 billion in mandatory defense funding through reconciliation for fiscal year 2027.
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proposal → call → year
I’ll let that one speak for itself.
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one → let → itself
Last but certainly not least, the GOP may be gearing up to pass an egregious agricultural bill — the Securing Agriculture’s Workforce Act of 2026, H.R. 9535.
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GOP → gear → 2026
Introduced by House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn Thompson of Pennsylvania, the bill is a gift to big Ag — and he wants to get it across the finish line this year.
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he → introduce → line
The bill would essentially create a pathway to temporary legal status for illegal immigrants who can prove they’ve worked in the U.S. agricultural industry for at least 180 days over the last two years.
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they → create → years
It would also shield employers from liability for previously employing these workers.
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It → shield → workers
Notably, the bill would cap annual increases in the Adverse Effect Wage Rate at 3.25 percent, a benchmark used to determine wages for H-2A visa holders.
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bill → cap → holders
And since American workers employed alongside H-2A visa holders are entitled to the same wage floor, capping its growth doesn’t just suppress wages for immigrant workers — it also holds down pay for Americans doing the same job.
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it → employ → job
All that policy gobbledygook boils down to making it easier for agricultural corporations to access a larger pool of foreign labor, while simultaneously limiting the growth of wages for American workers and illegal immigrants alike.
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corporations → boil → workers
So who’s benefiting here?
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who → benefit → ?
In short, Rep. Thompson and the people who line his campaign coffers.
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who → line → coffers
The Pennsylvania legislator received more than half a million dollars from agribusiness PACs during the last election cycle — the same businesses that stand to gain a get-out-of-jail-free card, along with a cheaper, expanded workforce if this legislation passes — definitely, totally unrelated.
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legislation → receive → workforce
President Trump floated amnesty-like reforms to national immigration policy earlier this week, and Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin parroted some of the president’s talking points too.
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Mullin → float → points
None of these proposals are guaranteed to get signed into law, and that’s exactly why the final stretch before the new Congress deserves our attention.
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stretch → guarantee → attention
Washington has moved on from the midterms, and lawmakers know the public’s attention is elsewhere.
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attention → move → midterms
They have a few more weeks to push through legislation that will still be a thorn in the side of everyday Americans years from now.
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that → have → Americans
After two years of failures, the political establishment is looking to capitalize on its last opportunity to take care of its friends before the curtain call.
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establishment → look → call
Nvidia CEO Resigns After Alleged Affair With Chinese Spy —
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CEO → resign → Spy
…and 12 more, not listed.
The Aporia
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