Week Ahead in Washington: January 4

WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - Congress returns to Capitol Hill for the first time in 2026 as fallout continues from U.S. military action in Venezuela.

Early Saturday morning, President Donald Trump ordered U.S. forces to strike the Venezuelan capital, Caracas. They captured President Nicolas Maduro, flew him and his wife to New York, where the couple faces federal narco-terrorism charges.

Trump said the plan is for the U.S. to run Venezuela in the short term until a safe transition of power. However, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday the U.S. would not take a day-to-day role in governing the country beyond enforcing current sanctions Venezuelan oil.

The strike, which was conducted without congressional authorization, has drawn mostly praise from Republicans, while Democrats have largely criticized the move.

House and Senate Democratic leaders have called on the Trump administration to brief Congress on the strike and what comes next. The president plans to do so for House Republicans who are reportedly meeting with Trump at the Kennedy Center on Tuesday.

Lawmakers return without a deal on health care. The enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits expired at the end of 2025 without a deal to extend them.

However, before Congress left for its holiday recess, enough House Republicans signed onto a discharge petition requiring a full vote on a Democratic-led bill extending the subsidies for three years. That vote is expected to take place soon.

The House Oversight Committee will hold a hearing on the allegations of fraud in the Minnesota childcare sector. The accusations made headlines at the end of 2025.