THE LEDE: 2024 election results certified by Congress…Trump sentenced without penalty in hush money case, formalizing his status as first president or president-elect who is a felon…Jimmy Carter honored at Washington National Cathedral…The Biden administration is providing an additional $500 million in weapons to Ukraine… Biden and Netanyahu speak as Gaza negotiations reach critical point…President-elect Trump previewed ambitious plans for 100 executive orders in a meeting with Senate Republicans in the Capitol…The Commerce Department issued AI export controls aimed at ensuring China does not gain access to U.S. tech through third countries…Trump a series of meetings with House Republicans at Mar-a-lago…Trump leans towards single reconciliation bill, though open to whatever can pass…The House passed legislation to sanction officials with the International Criminal Court over its arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister. Dozens of Democrats joined Republicans to pass the bill…Dockworkers reached a tentative deal to avoid a damaging strike…Biden approves sweeping disaster declaration for SoCal fires…House Republicans who are unhappy with a cap on state and local tax deductions cast said they had “positive” talks with Donald Trump over the weekend, although they stopped short of mentioning any firm commitments from the president-elect…DOGE target reduced from $2T to $1T…Speaker Johnson has yet to name a chair of the House Rules Committee or the House Intelligence Committee. He also hasn’t filled any of the slots on either committee…The Justice Department is interviewing former UnitedHealth Group physicians about their experiences working at practices owned by the health care giant… Special counsel Jack Smith resigns ahead of Trump inauguration…
NUMBERS: U.S. payrolls grew by 256,000 in December, much greater than anticipated… Last year was Earth's hottest since instrument record-keeping began — eclipsing 2023's record, and for the first time exceeding the Paris target of 1.5°C above preindustrial levels
THE WEEK AHEAD: The House meets at noon Monday. The Senate convenes at 3 p.m… Thirteen Cabinet nominees will appear before 11 different Senate committees this week…
NOMINATION HEARINGS: Tuesday: Former Fox News host Pete Hegseth will testify at his hearing to be the Department of Defense secretary at the Senate Armed Services Committee. Former Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.) will be on the Hill for his hearing to be veterans’ affairs secretary at the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee. Former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum will be at the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee for his hearing to lead the Department of the Interior. Wednesday: The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee holds a hearing on federal agencies’ telework policy. We reported recently that cracking down on federal employees working remotely is a priority for the panel’s chair James Comer (R-Ky.). South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has her confirmation hearing at the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee to be the secretary of homeland security. The Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing with former Florida attorney general Pam Bondi to be the next attorney general of the U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) heads to his former stomping grounds at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee for his confirmation hearing. Former Rep. Sean Duffy (R-Wis.) also has his transportation secretary confirmation hearing at the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. Russ Vought, who was the head of the Office of Management and Budget during the first Trump administration, will have his confirmation hearing to take the job again at the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Thursday: Former Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) will be at the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee for his confirmation hearing.
BIDEN: Over the weekend, Biden holed up with senior staff to figure out his final words to the American people. And he has multiple bites at the apple during his last few days in office. Monday, he’ll head to the State Department for a foreign policy address at 2 p.m. Tuesday, he’ll deliver remarks commemorating a conservation proclamation. Wednesday, he will give his farewell address from the Oval Office. Thursday, he’ll be at the Department of Defense for a farewell ceremony. Friday, he’ll speak in front of the U.S. Council of Mayors.
RECONCILIATION: House Republicans are passing around a “menu” of more than $5 trillion in cuts they could use to bankroll President-elect Donald Trump’s top priorities this year, including tax cuts and border security. The early list of potential spending offsets obtained by POLITICO includes changes to Medicare and ending Biden administration climate programs, along with slashing welfare and “reimagining” the Affordable Care Act. Cuts to Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act and the country’s largest anti-hunger program would spark massive opposition from Democrats and would also face some GOP resistance. House Speaker Mike Johnson can’t afford any Republican defections if he wants to pass a package on party lines. Even proposed cuts to green energy tax credits, worth as much as $500 billion, could be tricky — as the document notes, they depend “on political viability.” Already 18 House Republicans — 14 of whom won reelection in November — warned Johnson against prematurely repealing some of the IRA’s energy tax credits, which are funding multiple manufacturing projects in GOP districts. A House GOP source said that the “document is not intended to serve as a proposal, but instead as a menu of potential spending reductions for members to consider.” The policy menu suggests Republicans could capture major savings from Medicaid — up to an estimated $2.3 trillion. The list includes so-called per-capita caps on Medicaid for states, meaning the program would be paid for based on population instead of being an open-ended entitlement, and would institute work requirements in the program. The list also includes a policy to equalize payments in Medicaid for able-bodied adults with those of traditional Medicaid enrollment — those with disabilities or low-income children, which would save up to $690 billion. It would “recapture” $46 billion in savings from Affordable Care Act health insurance plan subsidies, which are set to expire at the end of the year, setting up a major policy battle. It would also limit eligibility for plans based on citizenship status. It also finds $146 billion in potential savings from so-called site-neutral payment policy in Medicare, a bipartisan target that has been discussed as a potential pay-for in reconciliation. They’re also eyeing repealing significant Biden administration health care rules, which could include ending a rule requiring minimum staffing levels at nursing homes. Also on the chopping block are President Joe Biden’s climate policies, which are estimated to yield as much as $468 billion. That includes Trump’s repeated promise to repeal Biden’s “EV mandate,” as well as discontinuing “Green New Deal” provisions from the bipartisan infrastructure law and green energy grants from the IRA. The green energy cuts could be particularly tricky from a political perspective. GOP lawmakers have long backed some technologies supported under the climate law, including supporting hydrogen, biofuels and carbon capture.
EXECUTIVE ORDERS: President-elect Trump and top advisers previewed ambitious plans for 100 executive orders in a meeting with Senate Republicans in the Capitol Wednesday night. Trump let senators know he's ready to roll, especially on immigration, even before Congress tackles his aggressive agenda. Stephen Miller — Trump's longtime immigration adviser, and incoming White House deputy chief of staff for policy, and homeland security adviser — dove into how the administration will use executive power to clamp down on the border and immigration starting Day 1. The big push? One big border plan, according to multiple sources: reinstating Title 42, he pandemic-era public health policy allows for rapid expulsion of migrants at the border — preventing them from a shot at asylum. There were millions of Title 42 expulsions from early in the COVID pandemic, until President Biden ended the policy in 2023. Other executive actions and plans outlined by Miller: More aggressively using a part of the Immigration and Nationality Act — 287(g) — which allows some state and local law enforcement to assist in some of the duties of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Building the border wall, constructing soft-sided facilities to hold migrants and implementing other asylum restrictions.
AI EXPORT CONTROLS: The Export Control Framework for AI Diffusion is the Biden administration's final swing at China's AI industry. The new regulation is meant to keep AI from fueling Beijing's military development, administration officials say. The rule will create a new global licensing system for the most advanced AI technology exports. Companies can continue to export to 20 allied nations freely. But they'll face some restrictions for non-allied countries and will be prohibited entirely from exporting to U.S. adversaries. Immediate winners include: China hawks on the Hill pushed the Biden administration to impose clear redlines in the name of national security and winning the tech race. Losers: NVIDIA, Oracle and industry groups say the "Byzantine, burdensome" rules will undermine American competitiveness and hinder innovation. Read Nvidia's statement.
GREENLAND: Denmark sent private messages in recent days to President-elect Trump's team expressing willingness to discuss boosting security in Greenland or increasing the U.S. military presence on the island, two sources with knowledge of the issue tell Axios. The Danish government wants to convince Trump, including through the messages passed to his advisers this week, that his security concerns can be addressed without claiming Greenland for the U.S. One European diplomat told Axios that Denmark is widely seen as one of the closest allies of the U.S. within the EU, and no one could have imagined it would be the first country with which Trump would pick a fight. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and her Greenlandic counterpart Múte Egede met on Friday in Copenhagen to discuss the situation.
TIK TOK: Justices pressed lawyers for TikTok and the government today as the Supreme Court considered whether to strike down a law that could ban the video-sharing app in the U.S. in one of the most high-profile standoffs of the social media era. The case pits national security against free speech, as the court grapples with TikTok’s claim that Congress violated the First Amendment by passing the law last year that forces its sale from China-based owner ByteDance under the threat of a ban. During the arguments, there were signs the justices were considering issuing an “administrative stay” that would have the effect — if not necessarily the stated intent — of punting the ball into President-elect Donald Trump’s court by staving off the law’s Jan. 19 deadline temporarily while the high court works on a more formal ruling.
TITLE IX: A federal judge blocked the Biden administration’s new Title IX rule nationwide, crushing its efforts to strengthen discrimination protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Eastern District of Kentucky Court Chief Judge Danny Reeves in an order today said the regulation on Title IX, the federal law that bars sex-based discrimination, is unlawful. He said the rule is “arbitrary and capricious” and violates the spending clause and the First Amendment, among other issues.
IMMIGRATION: There’s a slew of immigration bills that House Republicans have already telegraphed they plan to push through the new Congress, all of which they passed last term on a bipartisan basis but the Democratic-controlled Senate blocked. Those bills, which were part of a rules package meant to fast-track the votes in the House, include: 1. A bill led by Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.) that would withhold federal funding that goes to so-called sanctuary cities for undocumented immigrants (it passed in 2024, 12 Democrats backed it). 2. A bill from Rep. Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.) bill that would make the assault of a law enforcement officer a deportable offense (it passed in 2023, 36 Democrats supported it). 3. A bill from Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) that would make sexual and domestic violence deportable offenses (it passed in 2024, 51 Democrats backed it). 4. A bill from Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-Ariz.) that would create new criminal and immigration penalties for intentionally fleeing police while operating a motor vehicle (a version passed in 2024, 56 Democrats supported it). All of those have a shot at Senate passage.
ACA: The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to review a challenge to the Affordable Care Act's requirement that insurers cover certain recommended preventive services at no cost. Eliminating the requirement could limit access to services like cancer screenings, preventive medications for heart disease, behavioral health counseling and HIV drugs known as PrEP.
WATCH THIS SPACE: Steve Bannon will "do anything" to keep Elon Musk out of the incoming administration, the former Trump White House adviser said in a new interview. The conservative media firebrand's comments to Corriere della Sera about the tech billionaire whom Trump has tapped to co-lead the Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE) mark an escalation in a MAGA-world civil war over immigration as the president-elect prepares to begin his second term.
Comments