Democrats now in control of Congress and the White House face a string of spending challenges that could shut down the government, tank their agenda, and damage their political prospects in the critical midterm elections.

Party leaders this week juggled an end-of-year funding deadline, expired federal borrowing authority, and their inability to pass a massive social welfare and infrastructure spending package. At the same time, the Biden administration struggles with alarmingly low approval numbers related to the border crisis, COVID-19, inflation, and other factors.