Will Congress solve budget, farm bill, immigration reform before 2014?

U.S. Capitol Building
The U.S. Capitol Building dome in a file photo.
Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images

After averting a default on debt and reopening the government, Congress has some major issues to resolve.

President Barack Obama is laying down a three-item to-do list for Congress that seems meager when compared with the bold, progressive agenda he envisioned at the start of his second term.

But given the capital's partisanship, the complexities of the issues and the limited time left, even those items -- immigration, farm legislation and a budget -- amount to ambitious goals that will take political muscle, skill and ever-elusive compromise to execute.

"Those are three specific things that would make a huge difference in our economy right now," Obama said. "And we could get them done by the end of the year if our focus is on what's good for the American people."

In the wake of the shutdown, we'll discuss how Congress and the White House can move forward and pass major legislation. Can elected officials rebuild trust with each other and the public?

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT'S NEXT FOR CONGRESS:

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Five reasons Republicans lost -- and one reason they won (Washington Post)

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Now, instead of sharpening their attacks on Democrats, Republicans on Capitol Hill are being forced to explain why they are not to blame and why Americans should trust them to govern both houses of Congress when the one they do run is in such disarray. (New York Times)