Okay… here we go.
Man, congress in action right now — January 2026 — is honestly giving me heart palpitations and I’m not even kidding.
I’m sitting here in my little apartment outside D.C. (okay fine, like 45 minutes outside), wearing the same hoodie for three days, staring at C-SPAN like it’s gonna personally explain why my rent went up another $180 last month while they’re still arguing about whether we should maybe think about maybe touching the debt ceiling again.
What Congress Is Actually Doing Right This Second (That Affects My Bank Account) Congress in Action
So apparently the big thing dominating congressional decisions affecting the nation this month is the continuing resolution drama + early budget skirmishes for FY2027. Yeah, I know, thrilling stuff.
But listen: Congress in Action
- They just barely passed a short-term CR on December 20th, 2025 that runs out March 14th, 2026
- There’s already screaming about whether disaster relief money should be tied to border security funding (again)
- Some Republicans are pushing hard to attach work requirements to Medicaid expansion parts that got slipped into previous bills
- And the whole vibe is “we might shut down government in spring unless we get our way”
I swear I felt my blood pressure spike when I read that last bullet on Politico’s live updates page.
The Night I Yelled at My Television About Farm Subsidies (True Story) Congress in Action
Last Tuesday I was eating cold lo mein at 1:14 a.m. watching the House Agriculture Committee markup. They were debating whether to increase crop insurance subsidies for soybean farmers in districts that… surprise… are represented by very powerful committee members.
And I just started yelling.
At my television.
Alone.
About how my cousin in Iowa is still waiting on last year’s drought relief while they’re apparently ready to write bigger checks to people who own way more land than him.
I’m not proud of it. But also… I’m kinda proud of it? Like at least I care enough to scream at inanimate objects at 1 a.m.
Anyway.
How Congressional Decisions Affecting the Nation Hit Different When You’re Just a Regular Person
Here’s the raw, ugly truth from someone who’s definitely not an expert but pays taxes and bills:
- When Congress delays infrastructure money → my commute stays trash because the bridge near my place has been “under repair” since 2019
- When they play chicken with the debt limit → interest rates tick up → my credit card APR laughs at me
- When they can’t pass a full budget → federal workers I know start panic-saving just in case another shutdown happens
It’s not abstract policy debate when the possible government shutdown means your friend who works for the Park Service might not get paid to tell tourists where the bathrooms are.
Here’s a quick chaotic list of things I personally care about in rough order (January 10, 2026 edition):
- Will my student loan forgiveness program survive the next reconciliation fight?
- Are they actually gonna do something about insulin price caps before my mom’s next refill?
- Can we please get more housing money before rent eats me alive?
- …okay and yeah national security stuff too I guess
See? Selfish. Human. Messy. Welcome to my brain.
Final Rambling Thoughts Before I Go Back to Doomscrolling Congress in Action
I don’t have answers. I mostly just have questions, anxiety, and too many tabs open about congressional decisions affecting the nation.
But I do know this: the second we stop paying attention — even if we’re just yelling at our screens at 1 a.m. — is the second they stop feeling pressure to do anything at all.
So maybe keep watching. Maybe keep yelling (quietly, if your neighbors are mean). Maybe keep voting like your rent depends on it… because it kinda does.
What’s the one congressional decision affecting the nation right now that’s making YOU lose sleep? Drop it in the comments — I’ll probably reply at 3 a.m. because apparently that’s who I am now.
Talk soon (or not, depending on whether Congress implodes again), — me, tired American with too many browser tabs
