Florida's Rick Scott urges daily Senate work as Dec. 11 funding deadline looms

Florida Sen. Rick Scott wants the Senate to skip the usual schedule and work every day until Democrats take over in January. Congress returned to Capitol Hill on Monday for the first time since the midterm elections, with a Dec. 11 government funding deadline ahead, according to Florida's Voice.

The House was scheduled to gavel in at midday, followed by the Senate at 3 p.m. Republicans keep their majorities only until the new year.

Rick Scott: stay in session

Scott took to social media as members headed back to Washington. He urged the Senate to drop business-as-usual schedules and stay in session through the end of the year.

"We owe it to the American people to get as much done as possible," Scott wrote on Instagram.

In a separate post on X, Scott said Democrats have an agenda he called radical and no plan to pay for it. He urged Republicans to pass the SAVE America Act, confirm President Donald Trump's nominees and enact the president's agenda.

Conservative leaders see federal judges as the top priority for the Senate's remaining weeks. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is among the conservative attorneys general across the country who have called on senators to clear the backlog of judicial nominees. They want conservative judges confirmed to lifetime appointments before Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats reclaim the majority. Because those seats are for life, the judges confirmed now will outlast this Congress.

A defense fight in the House

Trouble could come fast on the House floor. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., is expected to try to formally introduce articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. That could set off a showdown inside the Republican conference over foreign policy and Pentagon leadership.

Hegseth has been making his case to lawmakers directly. He wants Congress to approve a defense spending package of more than $350 billion to rebuild combat readiness and support troops during ongoing operations abroad. In a message to members, he urged them to put military funding first before the Republican majority ends.

Leadership questions this week

Leadership changes are also taking shape in both chambers, Florida's Voice reported. In the House, Rep. August Pfluger is challenging Majority Whip Tom Emmer.

In the Senate, leadership elections are set for Tuesday. Scott is part of a bloc of conservative senators that wants deeper discussion first. The group includes Sens. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Mike Lee of Utah and John Kennedy of Louisiana.

Johnson wrote to Senate Republican Conference Chair Tom Cotton of Arkansas and asked for a conference meeting before any vote. He argued that Republicans need to examine the midterm results and discuss their long-term strategy. In his view, the party should not rush through votes without a clear mandate.