Congress returns to Capitol Hill for post-election battle

Democrats, meanwhile, face a more pressing question as they shift into defensive mode after losing the Senate: Should they fight hard now for party priorities while they still control the upper chamber, or focus on must-pass bills and leave the tougher battles for the next Congress?
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is eyeing a packed schedule, with a focus on essential items like a Defense authorization bill, an omnibus spending proposal, a popular tax-extenders package and renewal of the current ban on Internet-access taxes.

But he’s also facing pressure from inside his ranks to expand the lame-duck agenda, including a high-profile push by Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) to rein in surveillance programs at the National Security Agency — a move opposed by the White House.

“There is no excuse for inaction,” Leahy said last month in a statement urging a lame-duck vote.