LIVE MARKETS-So lame: What to expect in the last days of a Republican Congress

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SO LAME: WHAT TO EXPECT IN THE LAST DAYS OF A REPUBLICAN CONGRESS

On Tuesday, the Grand Old Party was taken behind the woodshed for a good, old-fashioned thrashing, handing Democrats their most resounding victory since Watergate.

So, with 20 or so legislative days remaining until the left side of the aisle takes the reins, what can be expected from the lamest lame duck Congress in decades?

Chris Krueger and Justin Soto of TD Cowen published a note on Thursday asking that very question.

First, considering that at least 71 representatives and around 20 senators were fired at Tuesday's ballot box, Krueger and Soto predict poor attendance will likely weigh on the Republican agenda.

"Expect partisan/GOP-only efforts to stall given likely attendance issues," they write.

Second, the note says it expects judges and nominations will probably top their list of priorities, along with government funding issues, including the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

Krueger and Soto call government funding a "must-do," noting that the debt ceiling must be raised, but that can will probably be kicked down the road into the new year.

Budget reconciliation "needs to move now or probably dies," the note says.

TD Cowen expects a GOP-introduced move to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will succeed with a simple majority vote.

Beyond that, a "cabinet shuffle" is seen as a distinct possibility in the wake of the blowout. Aside from Hegseth, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and Health Secretary RFK Jr, could all find pink slips in their inbox.

(Stephen Culp)

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