BUDGET CLOCK TICKING DOWN: Congress now has just three days to strike a new deal to fund the military and the rest of the federal government before the current stopgap budget expires on Friday night. Much of the air on Capitol Hill has been sucked into the Republican effort to pass a historic tax reform bill, which passed this morning on a strict
party line
vote 51-48. Senate Armed Service Chairman John McCain remains on medical leave in Arizona, but his vote was not needed. The bill, which had to be changed to comply with Senate rules, now must get a second vote in the House this morning, before being sent to the president’s desk to be signed into law.

Then the race will be on for what Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said will be another continuing resolution
,
or CR. The House introduced an omnibus budget bill last week that includes a CR to fund the government through Jan. 19, but also gives the military a full year of funding. That full-year funding for the military effort now seems doomed. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said this week that the so-called “CRomnibus” bill would be “dead on arrival” in the Senate, and Politico reports House Republicans have lowered their sights, and now just hope to kick the can into next month with third short-term CR for the whole government.