WASHINGTON—Bruised Republican lawmakers limp back into Washington on Monday, trying to decide what to do with the remaining 55 days of their majorities in the House and Senate after being thumped by Democrats in the midterms.

The lame-duck session is an opportunity for some final, single-party power plays and a chance to finish some bipartisan deals, particularly on permitting for major energy projects. But if the sour vibes prevail, expect only a few must-pass bills, a pile of judicial confirmations and an early Christmas for Congress. Here’s a quick look at what’s on tap as Congress returns: The House, prodded by departing Rep. Thomas Massie (R., Ky.), might move to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for waging war without congressional authorization and ignoring laws intended to minimize civilian casualties, among other charges. That would prompt the Senate to consider a trial, and it would require a two-thirds vote to remove him from office.

Senior White House officials are blaming Hegseth for the unpopular Iran war and are pushing President Trump to oust him, but so far Trump still says he likes Hegseth and has no plans to fire him. Hegseth said he wouldn’t back down. Pentagon officials say Hegseth has no plans to leave and will stay and fight. If he does step aside or gets fired, Republicans would want to move quickly to confirm his replacement before the end of the year.

Republicans will hold leadership elections in the House and Senate on Tuesday. The biggest contest is in the House, where House Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.) isn’t seeking the minority leader job. Instead, current House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R., La.) will face off against Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R., Ohio), a favorite of the party’s right flank.

In the Senate, John Thune (R., S.D.) is expected to remain his party’s leader despite the GOP suffering a series of defeats and losing the majority. Sen. Ron Johnson (R., Wis.) has tried to build support for delaying the vote.

The Senate’s Democratic leadership elections are set for early December. Several newly elected Democrats have said they won’t vote for Sen. Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) as majority leader, but he is expected to have plenty of support to win, after Democrats’ strong midterm performance. Sen. Brian Schatz (D., Hawaii) is set to step up into the No. 2 role. House Democrats are also set to pick new leaders before the end of the year. At the start of the next Congress in January, the full House will vote on its new speaker—set to be Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D., N.Y.).

Federal agencies’ funding is scheduled to lapse on Dec. 11, triggering a government shutdown unless Congress passes legislation.

One possibility is a short-term extension that keeps the lights on until early 2027, leaving the new Democratic majority and Trump to hash out a deal for the rest of the fiscal year ending Sept. 30. Lawmakers also might try to pass full-year funding for some agencies, but they need Democratic votes in the Senate. Democrats might insist on conditions, such as a mechanism in law to end the war in Iran or tighter restrictions on the administration’s ability to shift or cancel congressionally approved spending.

Earlier this Congress, Republicans used a special budget-reconciliation procedure to pass party-line GOP measures related to taxes and immigration enforcement. They have since been considering a third reconciliation bill to deliver the military-spending boost that Trump wants. They could also use it to raise the debt limit, removing a must-pass bill from Democrats’ agenda in 2027.

But that effort stalled before the election, and it would take a herculean, coordinated effort in the House and Senate to resurrect it now. Republicans have slim majorities in both chambers. House attendance might be spotty. And lawmakers are divided over the size and contents of any bill.

Lawmakers broke for the election with a handful of bipartisan deals under consideration but none across the finish line.

At the top of the list is a permitting bill that would expedite major construction projects, speeding up environmental reviews and accelerating the build-out of energy infrastructure. Some of its leading Democratic advocates are urging action in the lame-duck session, which gives the measure a chance.

Legislation on college sports, cryptocurrency and agricultural aid could be tougher. There are also a handful of tax measures under consideration. They include extension of a tax credit for semiconductor manufacturing, a collection of tax-administration process improvements, regulation of tax preparers, reversal of tighter deduction limits on gambling losses and a new tax credit for film production.

Senate Republicans will be focused on trying to confirm as many of Trump’s judicial nominees as possible, locking conservatives into lifetime appointments before Democrats take over. They also have a set of executive-branch nominees to confirm. But the chances of a Supreme Court vacancy arising soon are remote. The court’s two oldest and most conservative justices—Clarence Thomas, 78 years old, and Samuel Alito, 76—have signaled that they have no plans to retire soon.

Currently, there are four vacancies on the federal courts of appeals and about a dozen district-court vacancies for which Trump has pending nominees. Conservative court watchers say it is imperative for Senate Republicans to act swiftly to confirm all of those nominees during the lame-duck session.