Coming off an election in which voters unleashed their fury over Washington's perceived inability to grapple with tough issues, lawmakers spent much of the first week of the lame-duck session going after low-hanging fruit while leaving a number of big-ticket items on the table.

As a result, when they return from their Thanksgiving break on Nov. 29, they'll have four weeks before Christmas to tackle a slew of spending and tax-related issues that have divided party leaders on Capitol Hill for months.

Atop the to-do list is how to fund the federal government through the end of the year. Lawmakers passed a stopgap bill before the election that will keep the government from shutting down through Dec. 3...