Tipsheet: Congress returns to nightmare December

View in your browser     Congress returns to nightmare December By Jordain Carney   Lawmakers are bracing for chaos in December as they plunge into several high-stakes legislative fights. Both chambers are expected to be in session for roughly 15 days before leaving town until January, but the looming battles could push their exit date closer to Christmas. Republicans want to get a key agenda item, tax reform, to President Trump’s desk by the end of the year. Read the full story here     CFPB deputy director sues Trump to block Mulvaney as interim leader By Sylvan Lane   The deputy director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) on Sunday night sued President Trump in order to block Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney from taking over as acting director of the agency. Read the full story here     Two politicians of the year By Juan Williams OPINION | Alert the judges, we have a tie! In the seven years I have been writing this column for The Hill, I have had a year-end tradition of recognizing the member of Congress who, for better or worse, made the biggest impact on national politics in the preceding year. Read the full story here     Tax reform and the debt By Judd Gregg OPINION | The federal deficit is a growing, real and significant threat to the wellbeing of this nation — especially to the millennials, Generation X-ers and those yet-unlabeled kids who are under 20 or still to be born in the next decade or so. Read the full story here       Conyers stepping aside as ranking Dem on House Judiciary Committee By Rebecca Savransky and Olivia Beavers Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.) announced he is stepping aside as the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee pending an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment. Read the full story here     Trump draws criticism for position on Roy Moore By Mallory Shelbourne President Trump on Sunday drew criticism from fellow Republican lawmakers for his apparent support of Alabama Republican Senate nominee Roy Moore, who has refused to drop out of the special election race despite mounting accusations of sexual misconduct. Read the full story here     For Trump, GOP tax bill could have big downside By Melanie Zanona The GOP tax plan that is speeding through Congress could deliver a much-needed win for the White House, but it could also kill one of Trump's other top priorities: legislation to rebuild U.S. infrastructure. Read the full story here     This week: Senate Republicans take up tax reform By Cristina Marcos Senate Republicans are aiming to move their tax reform legislation this week as they race to get a bill on President Trump’s desk by the end of the year. Read the full story here     Clock ticking down on NSA surveillance powers By Katie Bo Williams Congress will return from its weeklong Thanksgiving break facing a rapidly-shrinking timeline to reform and renew an authority the intelligence community says is critical to identifying and disrupting terrorist plots. Read the full story here     Time Inc. to be acquired by company backed by Koch brothers By Brett Samuels Meredith Corp., a publisher backed by GOP mega-donors Charles and David Koch, announced on Sunday it was buying Time Inc. for $1.8 billion, according to multiple reports. Read the full story here     Congress poised to jam through reauthorization of mass surveillance By Jason Pye and Sean Vitka OPINION | Congress doesn’t have much time left on the legislative calendar for the year, but there’s still a lot on the agenda to get across the finish line. In the few remaining days, Republicans hope to pass a tax reform bill and either another short-term continuing resolution or an omnibus to fund the government. Read the full story here     Goodbye, Republican Congress By Earle Mack OPINION | After a promising start, the tax bill approved by the House of Representatives this month could prove an absolute disaster for our country and for Republican electoral hopes in 2018 and beyond. The bill is not so much tax reform as it is tax deform, with many provisions of the bill reinforcing the stereotype of a Republican Party held hostage by the wealthy and Wall Street. The bill as it stands, contrary to President Trump’s promises, freezes inequality. Read the full story here     The New York Times: Congress faces calls to reveal settlements for harassment By Sheryl Gay Stolberg and Yamiche Alcindor Members of each party have called for transparency in dealing with harassment claims, which are kept confidential under a 1995 law. Settlements are kept confidential as well. Read the full story here     Reuters: 'Ashamed' Franken says he won't quit Senate over groping accusations By Reuters staff U.S. Senator Al Franken, trying to salvage his political career amid accusations of groping or inappropriately touching women, said on Sunday he does not plan to resign but called himself “embarrassed and ashamed.” Read the full story here     The Washington Post: Senate GOP tax bill hurts the poor more than originally thought, CBO analysis finds By Heather Long   The new Congressional Budget Office study shows large, harmful impacts to families earning $30,000 or less from the Senate GOP tax bill by 2019, and by 2027 those earning $75,000 or less would be worse off. Read the full story here     The Associated Press: Trump’s Mar-a-Lago stay a welcome break from DC challenges By Jill Colvin   President Donald Trump draws a wiggly line between work, play and business at the private club he calls his “winter White House.” Read the full story here     The Wall Street Journal: AT&T-Justice Department clash puts outspoken judge back in spotlight By Jacob Gershman In 2011, U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon nearly torpedoed a settlement between the Justice Department and Comcast Corp. over the company’s takeover of NBCUniversal. Read the full story here         Did a friend forward you this email? Sign up for The Hill Tipsheet       Forward this Tipsheet     You might like         Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  |  Email to a friend  |  Sign Up for Other Newsletters   The Hill 1625 K Street, NW 9th Floor, Washington DC 20006 ©2016 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.