Christmas trees have been hoisted inside the House and Senate chambers, but lawmakers won't be around to spread the holiday cheer.

Sen. Jack Latvala may still be serving as a state lawmaker, but the allegations he sexually harassed and groped six women seem to have had repercussions on his gubernatorial bid. Last month, the Clearwater Republican’s committee reported only one donation, the slowest month for Latvala in quite some time. 

This week, the U.S. House passed a resolution from U.S. Rep. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., the chairman of the House National Security Subcommittee, expressing concern over the situation in Venezuela and urging the Trump administration to levy additional sanctions on members of the Maduro regime. 

The Republicans' tax legislation is built on economic projections that are as confidently as they are cheerfully made concerning the legislation's shaping effect on the economy over the next 10 years. This claim to prescience must amaze alumni of Bear Stearns and Lehman Brothers, which were 85 and 158 years old, respectively, when they expired less than 10 years ago in the unanticipated Great Recession.