# Congress Lame-Duck Chaos > Republicans scramble to fill judicial vacancies as Democrats prepare for Senate leadership battle. - Title: Congress Lame-Duck Chaos · Slate Magazine | Shortify - Summary: Republicans scramble to fill judicial vacancies as Democrats prepare for Senate leadership battle. - Keywords: congress, senate, judicial vacancies, chuck schumer, chris van hollen, republican leadership, democratic leadership, lame-duck period, federal judges, reconciliation bill, debt limit, iran war funding - Source: Slate Magazine — https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2026/11/congress-lame-duck-judges-leadership.html?via=rss - Author: Jim Newell - Published: 2026-11-14T10:45:00+00:00 - Read time: 1 min - Topics: congress, senate, judicial vacancies, chuck schumer, chris van hollen, republican leadership, democratic leadership, lame-duck period, federal judges, reconciliation bill, debt limit, iran war funding ## Republicans' Lame-Duck Agenda Republicans plan to fill 20+ federal judicial vacancies before Democrats take over. > It’s gone overlooked among postelection analysis, but Republicans have a sizable lame-duck agenda planned between now and the end of the year. ## Judicial Committee Snags Home-state senators and White House jockey over final judicial appointments. > Most Senate floor time will be devoted to this ## Reconciliation Bill Debate Republicans weigh last party-line reconciliation bill with $350 billion Pentagon funding demand. > Donald Trump is still demanding that congressional Republicans give the Pentagon an extra $350 billion on top of its annual funding ## Senate Majority Leader Race Chris Van Hollen challenges Chuck Schumer for Senate majority leadership. > After decades serving as a perfectly adequate workhorse, especially on budget and appropriations matters, he got a taste of national fame early in Trump’s second term ## Red-State Senate Democrats Democrats win Mississippi Senate seat with Scott Colom defeating Cindy Hyde-Smith. > It’s the most jaw-dropping pickup Democrats had in a year filled with red-state Senate flips in Texas, Iowa, Kansas, South Carolina, Ohio, and (probably) Alaska ## State Demographic Shifts Georgia, Texas, South Carolina, Ohio, Iowa, and Kansas show potential for Democratic shifts. > Texas, if Democrats can maintain the trust with Latino swing voters ## Senate Leadership Timing Senate Democrats can't elect new leaders until December 1. > House and Senate Republicans have already worked through their battles and elected leaders for the next Congress ## House Republican Leadership Jim Jordan becomes House Republican leader after GOP tsunami. > All House Republican candidates who had to spend even one joule of energy trying to appeal to swing voters lost their elections in the tsunami ## Impeachment Delay 11 House Democrats miss impeachment vote due to traffic. > They got stuck in traffic returning from an off-campus event held by Elect Democratic Women, a PAC co-founded by Clark ## Commerce Secretary Target Republicans target Howard Lutnick for Commerce Secretary resignation. > Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who has fought regularly with Lutnick throughout the administration, threw Lutnick directly under the bus on Friday ## Polling Misunderstanding Mike Johnson admits polls were inaccurate. > The polls were indeed inaccurate, underestimating Democrats significantly ## Senate Leadership Stakes Most senators support Schumer over Van Hollen challenge. > Right now there are a lot more of the latter ## Presidential Primary Chaos Democratic primary becomes focus after leadership vacuum. > But in the absence of a president or presidential candidates, that energy has been directed at congressional leaders ## Red-State Senate Dynamics Mississippi's Democratic shift possible with new white voters. > If Colom can find a way to keep just enough white voters in his coalition, particularly newer white entrants to the state who come to work in defense hubs ## Lame-Duck Consequences Republicans face debt limit crisis if reconciliation bill fails. > Otherwise, the debt limit will come up in the next Congress, Democrats will try to leverage it to force concessions from the Trump administration ## What's Next Senate leadership election decides Democratic strategy for next Congress. > Unless they’re saying directly that they will support Van Hollen, count them as a vote for Schumer ## Key takeaway Republicans plan to confirm 20+ federal judges before Democrats take over, while Chuck Schumer faces challenge from Chris Van Hollen for Senate majority leadership.