Trump warns of new tariffs against Canada, Mexico, EU. And maybe Denmark, too. |
President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday repeated his threat to impose tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars worth of goods from Mexico and Canada to pressure both countries to stop the flow of illegal immigration and cross-border fentanyl shipments.
“We're going to put very serious tariffs on Mexico and Canada,” Trump said during a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort, a little less than two weeks before he is sworn into office for a second term as president.
Trump also raised the U.S. trade deficit with Canada, complaining that, "they make 20 percent of our cars. We don't need that. I'd rather make them in Detroit."
“We don’t need anything they have,” he continued, singling out other key Canadian exports to the U.S., such as lumber and dairy.
The president-elect made similar complaints about the trade relationship with the European Union. "We have a trade deficit of $350 billion. They don't take our cars, they don't take our farm product, they don't take anything. And so we're not going to have it with them, either," he said later in his remarks.
Top Canadian officials traveled down to Mar-a-Lago shortly after Christmas for discussion with Trump’s nominees to head the Commerce Department, Howard Lutnick, and the Interior Department, Doug Burgum.
That followed a dinner between Trump and outgoing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in November, not long after Trump first made his tariff threat.
Trump’s proposed tariffs could hit more than $900 billion worth of goods from the two countries, including huge volumes of autos, auto parts and energy products. The two countries account for nearly one-third of U.S. goods imports, which totaled about $3.1 trillion last year.
Trump has joked — seemingly — about making Canada a 51st state. In response to a question, he ruled out doing that by military force, but he did suggest the possibility of using economic pressure to accomplish that outcome.
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He did not, however, rule out the use of force in trying to claim Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, claiming it was in the United States' national security interests to try and make the Arctic island a part of the country. Trump's son, Donald Trump Jr., is currently in Greenland on a "private visit."
The president-elect also threatened to “tariff Denmark at a very high level” if it does not cooperate with his bid to purchase the island. “People really don’t even know if Denmark has any legal right to it, but if they do, they should give it up, because we need it for national security,” Trump said.
Trump's proposed duties would violate commitments under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement that was negotiated during his first term, although he could possibly justify the move under the agreement’s national security exception.
Trump has not specified how he plans to impose the new duties, although many have expected him to rely heavily on the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to carry out many of his campaign tariff threats. That law gives the president broad authority to regulate U.S. commerce after declaring a national emergency.
Ari Hawkins contributed to this report.
Republicans on the Senate Intelligence Committee are racing to schedule confirmation hearings next week for Tulsi Gabbard and John Ratcliffe — though panel Democrats and winter weather are complicating those plans.
Sen. Tom Cotton, the new chair of the committee, wants to convene hearings for President-elect Donald Trump’s two top spy picks before his inauguration on Jan. 20, his spokesperson, Patrick McCann, said in a statement Tuesday.
Trump has nominated Ratcliffe to be head of the CIA and Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence.
“The Intelligence Committee, the nominees, and the transition are diligently working toward that goal,” McCann said.
But reaching that goal might be a challenge.
Committee rules stipulate that vetting paperwork for the nominees must be received by the panel at least one week before the confirmation hearings. But snow and office closures at the Office of Governmental Ethics have slowed civil servants from processing some of the necessary vetting paperwork for the two candidates.
Panel Democrats are unwilling to waive those rules in order to make an exception for the two candidates, a person familiar with the confirmation process told POLITICO. Gabbard’s nomination has drawn sharp scrutiny for her lack of intelligence experience, sympathetic comments about Russia and for once taking a secret trip to meet with Syrian dictator Bashar Al-Assad.
The committee has not yet received Gabbard’s pre-hearing questionnaire, her ethics disclosure or FBI background check, the person said.
Some of that paperwork wasn’t due until Thursday.
Alexa Henning, a spokesperson for Gabbard in the confirmation, said they are “working in lockstep” with Cotton to wrap the hearing before inauguration day.
Ratcliffe, a former member of Congress from Texas who served as DNI during Trump’s first term, is “hopeful his hearing will happen next week,” said a person familiar working on his confirmation who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the process.
Cotton could seek a full committee vote to override the vetting rules. But it would be a tight vote on the narrowly divided committee — which has nine Republicans and eight Democrats — and one that could cast a harsh spotlight on GOP lawmakers wary about one of Trump’s picks.
The panel would still be on track to hold the confirmation hearings late next week if the vetting documents for the nominees come through in the next three days.
The incoming Trump administration plans to offer an expansion of the state and local tax deduction to Republican lawmakers from New York, New Jersey and California who are heading to Mar-a-Lago on Saturday for a sit-down with the president-elect.
While exact details weren't available, one proposal being discussed would allow married couples to deduct $20,000 of their state and local taxes from their federal income taxes. Under current law, married couples can deduct only $10,000, which is the same for single taxpayers.
In return, the so-called SALT Republicans will be expected to fall in line behind a sweeping tax bill the GOP hopes to enact later this year, two sources familiar with the new administration’s thinking told POLITICO, who were granted anonymity to discuss the internal strategizing.
The lawmakers — who represent politically competitive, high-tax districts where constituents have been dinged by the SALT cap — haven't ruled out pushing for other changes, though.
The talks will be just one part of a broader set of discussions President-elect Donald Trump plans to hold in Florida this weekend that will also include members of the House Freedom Caucus and the chairs of important House committees.
However, the outcome of the conversations with SALT Republicans promises to be particularly important for the GOP’s plans to pass an extension of expiring provisions of the tax cuts enacted during Trump's first administration.
Members of the coalition stalled tax legislation in the 118th Congress several times over their demands for SALT relief, which is otherwise widely unpopular in the Republican conference. And, in the GOP’s slim two-seat majority, the group now wields tremendous leverage again — and House leadership knows it.
The issue “will definitely come up. I think that’s a big sticking point for the members that will be there,” said Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.), who is part of the SALT caucus and also a member of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee.
Malliotakis said that New York Republicans would be meeting on Wednesday to go over their strategy ahead of the meetings in Florida.
“We’re going to go over the impact SALT has had in each of our districts, how many people take SALT versus the standard deduction, what are the income levels that are affected,” said Malliotakis.
Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) confirmed to POLITICO on Tuesday that he would also be part of the group of lawmakers making the pilgrimage to Mar-a-Lago.
We’re going to “have broad discussions but obviously SALT will be part of it,” Lawler said.
It’s possible that the group will push for something more than doubling the deduction for married couples, which the lawmakers call a "marriage penalty." The New Yorkers are quick to point out that Trump himself pledged at a campaign rally in Long Island to expand SALT relief — and that the blue districts they represent are some of the most competitive in the country.
Former New York Republican Rep. Marc Molinaro, who lost his reelection last year, told POLITICO in December that voters might have returned him to Congress if Republicans had achieved something on SALT.
“I think the logical way to do it is to, at a minimum, double it and get rid of the marriage penalty elements of it,” said Molinaro. “What I would say is that’s the floor, I think, from a constituent’s perspective, from a voter’s perspective.”
Malliotakis said that changes in the alternative minimum taxes for upper-income taxpayers, which would further erode the value of the SALT deduction and were repealed in 2017, "cannot come back."
"That's a red line for me," she said.
House Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith (R-Mo.), who will lead the charge on tax policies this year, has acknowledged Trump's desire to address the SALT cap. Yet, Smith has also asserted that Republicans cannot fully repeal the limit, which they put in place in 2017 to help pay for their Tax Cuts and Jobs Act in 2017.
The non-partisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimated in 2021 that a full repeal of the cap would cost $900 billion.
“That’s how [Trump] does things differently,” Smith told POLITICO, referring to the meetings scheduled for Mar-a-Lago. “He’s going to have all the committee chairmen down there on Saturday, too, the Freedom Caucus, so being there to listen to him.”
The Senate panel overseeing the confirmation of President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Education Department is waiting on documents from the transition team to proceed further, likely punting the hearing to after Inauguration Day.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, chair of the Senate HELP Committee, said the timeline for Linda McMahon’s confirmation hearing is dependent on getting paperwork. Cabinet nominees have to submit documentation like financial disclosures and conflict of interest forms to the Office of Government Ethics.
“It really depends on us getting paperwork,” Cassidy told POLITICO when asked about the timeline for the confirmation hearing. “Right now the hold seems to be on their side.”
Senate committees have set up a string of confirmation hearings for Trump’s national security and energy-related cabinet picks next week. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona’s confirmation hearing was held Feb. 3, 2021, 14 days after Joe Biden's inauguration, and former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ hearing was held on Jan. 17, 2017, three days before Trump's first inauguration.
The Louisiana Republican has not met with McMahon but said they’ve briefly spoken on the phone. McMahon, who led the Small Business Administration during Trump’s first term, began sitting down with committee members and Senate leadership at the end of last year.
Senate Republicans are strategizing how to land a top party priority in the next two weeks: getting some of incoming President Donald Trump’s nominees confirmed on Day One.
News: Senate Majority Leader John Thune told us in a brief interview on Tuesday that Republicans have started feeling out who Democrats will help confirm on Jan. 20, immediately after Trump is sworn in. Remember that quick confirmation in the Senate will require support from all 100 senators. Senate GOP Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) called Day One confirmations a current “top priority.”
“That process is beginning,” Thune said, asked about efforts to check with Senate Democrats on confirmations they can clear on Jan. 20. He added that “as you might expect, the noms for the national security space are awfully important.”
Who’s potentially on the list: Sen. Marco Rubio’s (R-Fla.) nomination for secretary of State seems primed for quick confirmation — he’s already amassed some Democratic support. Rubio is expected to get a hearing in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee next week on Jan. 15. Barrasso said Rubio is “absolutely” on the docket for nominees who could be ready for confirmation on Jan. 20.
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), Trump’s forthcoming nominee to be ambassador to the U.N., is also viewed as a potential Day One confirmation. Stefanik is expected to get a hearing in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Jan. 16.
Senate Republicans are under public pressure from the base to quickly confirm Trump’s picks, particularly national security nominees in the wake of the attacks in New Orleans and Las Vegas. Other national security picks will likely take at least a bit more time, though Republicans are optimistic they can confirm some the same week as Trump’s inauguration.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) told us that his Judiciary Committee nominees, including those for attorney general, deputy attorney general and FBI director, could still be confirmed that week, but “towards the tail end of the week, that'd be the earliest.” He later added that he’s still waiting on the required background check and ethics paperwork for Pam Bondi, and he wasn’t sure how long it would be delayed.
Meanwhile, former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard is still meeting with members of the Senate Intelligence Committee, including on Tuesday with Vice Chair Mark Warner. Gabbard is expected to get a hearing before Inauguration Day, according to a spokesperson for the committee.
Chair Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) “intends to hold these hearings before Inauguration Day. The Intelligence Committee, the nominees, and the transition are diligently working toward that goal,” the spokesperson added.
Getting confirmation hearings on the schedule as quickly as possible is a goal that extends across the Senate GOP conference, priming a busy news cycle on Trump’s nominees next week.
“We're going to do over a dozen hearings next week,” Barrasso said, in the hopes to “get as many lined up to go on Day One as we possibly can.”
Hailey Fuchs contributed to this report.
Former Senate Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin is asking the Biden administration to withdraw or release some 20 legal opinions regarding presidential war powers after Donald Trump indicated Tuesday that he was open to using military force to take Greenland or the Panama Canal.
“Congress and the executive branch may have differing views in some respects as to the separation of powers between them,” Durbin wrote in his letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland. “However, these opinions are concerning outliers even by the standards of the executive branch’s own legal doctrine.”
Durbin’s request spans a host of legal opinions, ranging from 1953 all the way to “a 2020 memorandum articulating one of the government’s justifications for killing Iranian General Qassem Soleimani.”
In addition, Durbin asked the department to release records related to “the domestic use of the U.S. military.”
“The American people have a right to know how the Executive Branch interprets the President’s constitutional and statutory authority to use the military domestically,” Durbin wrote.
Trump was asked at a press conference Tuesday if he would rule out economic or military coercion to gain control of Greenland and the Panama Canal. He replied: “I’m not gonna commit to that. No. It might be that you’ll have to do something.”
“I can’t assure you — you’re talking about Panama and Greenland — no, I can’t assure you on either of those two,” Trump added. “But I can say this: We need them for economic security.”
The march through Mar-a-Lago (aka the “Winter White House”) continues this week with a dinner for Republican governors on Thursday, according to two people familiar with the plans. It comes as Trump prepares to host a slew of House Republican groups there this weekend to game plan his ambitious 2025 agenda.
The governors’ convening will offer a chance to reaffirm their loyalty — the biggest currency in Trump world. That’s particularly key for those like ally-turned-rival-turned-ally again, Gov. Ron DeSantis, who will make the trip down from Tallahassee, one of the people familiar said.
But it’s not just a one-way street. Trump will also need these leaders to help execute his biggest priority: mass deportation, which will require coordination and resources at the state level. He’s likely to meet some stiff resistance from blue states, making it all the more important that there is no daylight between red states and the White House.
DeSantis told reporters in Tampa on Tuesday that he has already talked to Trump about immigration and said he wants the state Legislature to take additional steps to help the president-elect. DeSantis, who created a transport program that flew migrants from Texas to Martha's Vineyard, said with Trump coming into office "we need to be prepared to act."
The governor did not offer any specifics but said "I think there needs to be some additional legislation to help complement the federal government's now newfound appreciation to stop illegal immigration and to hold people accountable."
The new member: Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.)
How they got here: Sheehy won an incredibly expensive contest to oust three-term Montana Democratic Sen. Jon Tester by a 52.6 percent to 45.5 percent margin.
Inside the campaign: Spending the contest hit record-levels in the state, with an estimated $487 being doled out for each of the state’s 648,000 active registered voters.
As Democrats hoped to hold onto the seat despite the state’s red tinge at the federal level, Sheehy faced scrutiny over how he sustained a gunshot wound in his arm — either during a visit to a national park or while serving in Afghanistan.
Montana voters were bombarded with advertising and mailers throughout the contest, which Sheehy ultimately prevailed in. President-elect Donald Trump carried the state by nearly 20 percentage points.
The issues he’ll focus on: Throughout the course of the campaign, Sheehy said repeatedly his top three issues would be immigration, education and securing the U.S. southern border. He’s voiced support for eliminating the Department of Education, while also saying "public lands belong in public hands.”
Background: Sheehy was a political newcomer before his Senate victory. He served in the Navy SEALs and founded an aerial firefighting and wildfire management company back in 2014. He survived a 2019 fatal airplane crash in which he was a student pilot.
National Republicans, including then-NRSC Chair Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), quickly backed Sheehy as their best shot to oust Tester, a well-liked previous political survivor, in a presidential year.
Campaign ad that caught our eye: One of Sheehy’s spots features a number of Montana ranchers, including one who memorably says, “I know bullshit when I see it.”
Fun fact: Sheehy received a Bronze Star and Purple Heart from Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.) — a fellow Navy Seal — back in 2015.
We’re spotlighting new members during the transition. Want more? Meet Rep. Cleo Fields.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to lead HHS, will meet with Senate Democrats on key health committees this week as he makes his case for why he should lead the sprawling department.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who is the ranking member of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and also has a seat on the Finance Committee that would vote to approve Kennedy, will meet with Kennedy. So will Finance Democrats Michael Bennet of Colorado, Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, and Mark Warner of Virginia, per a Kennedy spokesperson.
HELP Committee member Ed Markey (D-Mass.) will also have a meeting as will Sen. John Fetterman (D-Penn.). The HELP Committee is likely to hold a courtesy hearing.
Why it matters: Kennedy can only lose three Republican votes and still win Senate confirmation so long as the Democratic caucus is united in opposition.
No Republicans have said they’re voting no, but some have expressed concern about Kennedy’s views on vaccines, including most recently the incoming HELP Committee chair, Bill Cassidy (R-La.).
Kennedy has said he doesn’t plan to take away vaccines, but wants to make more data on safety and efficacy available.
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Kennedy has met with dozens of Republican senators and will continue this week with meetings with Cassidy and HELP Committee Republicans Jim Banks of Indiana and Susan Collins of Maine. He’ll also meet with Finance Republicans John Cornyn of Texas and Chuck Grassley of Iowa.
Opponents of Kennedy’s confirmation fear he could win a few crucial Democratic votes because of shared views around pharmaceutical companies, environmental protection and food regulation.
Hawaii Gov. Josh Green, a former family doctor, is so concerned he flew to Washington from Honolulu to lobby fellow Democrats this week to oppose Kennedy.
“There has been some concern that Fetterman and Sanders have a favorable opinion of some of RFK's, for instance, anti-Big Pharma positions,” he said.
But Green says he also believes several Republicans are considering opposing Kennedy.
“I suspect there are at least three to five of them who want this to not go to a vote — at least three to five of them, and that number is probably much larger,” he said.
Green said he’s sending his message as a doctor, not a Democrat — and as someone who has seen what Kennedy’s anti-vaccine messaging did in Samoa. More than 80 people died of measles in the U.S. territory in 2019 after anti-vaccine activists stoked unfounded fears about vaccine safety and vaccination rates dropped.
“We had to watch children die,” Green said, blaming Kennedy for helping to drive down trust in the measles vaccine.
What’s next: A Finance Committee confirmation hearing is expected in the coming weeks.
Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan told reporters that he's meeting with Mark Zuckerberg in the next few weeks, as the Meta CEO plans an upcoming visit to D.C.
Meta announced on Tuesday that it would be getting rid of its fact-checking program, which Republicans have criticized as a way the parent company of Facebook and Instagram has suppressed conservative speech. Jordan said Tuesday he was hopeful that Zuckerberg would now be an ally in his crusade against censorship on social media platforms.
It’s part of Meta’s broader push to make amends with the GOP as Republicans take control of the White House and Congress. Meta recently recruited former Bush White House staffer Joel Kaplan to run its global policy. Jordan said Kaplan informed him of Meta’s policy changes on Monday, before they were announced widely.
Trying to raise the debt limit in a massive reconciliation bill could completely derail an already messy process. Speaker Mike Johnson is insisting it’s still his plan.
Republicans were already worried that passing new policies on the border, energy and taxes via the budget reconciliation process — which they can use to pass bills on a party-line basis — was going to be difficult. Johnson then promised incoming President Donald Trump in December that he would also use a reconciliation bill to raise the debt ceiling, adding another layer of complexity. Conservatives are generally opposed to raising the debt limit and have demanded huge spending cuts in exchange for their support.
Asked about the potential risks to the nation’s credit rating if the package is delayed, Johnson indicated in a brief interview Tuesday that he’s still pushing for the measure and reiterated his optimistic timeline for passage.
“We're gonna get the debt limit handled well before the June deadline. So we're not concerned about that,” Johnson said, referring to a tentative estimate for when the nation could be risking default unless Congress acts.
GOP leaders have been privately discussing several options for the debt limit, including dealing with it via the budget reconciliation process as part of a deal with hardliners to pair it with deep spending cuts. They’ve also raised the option of incorporating a debt ceiling hike in the upcoming federal funding talks — though Johnson acknowledged in a press conference earlier Tuesday that such a move would require bipartisan negotiations, meaning Democrats could make spending demands in exchange for their support.
In the Tuesday press conference, Johnson reiterated to reporters that “the intention is to handle the debt limit in reconciliation.” He added: “That way, as the Republican Party, the party in charge of both chambers, we then get to determine the details of that.”
Not all Republicans are fully settled on a strategy yet, however.
“How we deal with the debt limit is currently unresolved,” Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said. “We’re going to be looking to see what the House is capable of passing.”
President-elect Donald Trump slammed Jimmy Carter’s agreement to transfer ownership of the Panama Canal to Panama as a “disgrace” — on the first day the late former president is set to lie in state at the U.S. Capitol.
“Jimmy Carter gave it to them for $1 and they were supposed to treat us well. I thought it was a terrible thing to do,” Trump said Tuesday at a news conference at Mar-a-Lago.
Carter died last month at 100 years old. On Tuesday, his casket was transferred to Washington, D.C., where he will lie in state at the Capitol before his funeral on Thursday.
The Democrat signed the Torrijos-Carter Treaties in 1977 during his one term in office, setting in motion the 1999 transfer of the U.S.-built infrastructural wonder to the country of Panama. No part of those agreements included a $1 sale.
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“Nobody wants to talk about the Panama Canal now, it’s inappropriate I guess, because it’s a bad part of the Carter legacy,” Trump said later in the press conference. He added that Carter was “a good man” and “a very fine person,” but that “giving the Panama Canal to Panama was a very big mistake.”
“And I believe that’s why Jimmy Carter lost the election in my opinion, moreso maybe than the hostages,” Trump said, referring to American diplomats in Iran who were held hostage for over a year.
Trump has been threatening to take back the Panama Canal — a link between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans essential for global trade — and railed against the Panamanian president, José Raúl Mulino, who has maintained that the canal will remain under his country’s control.
“They laugh at us because they think we’re stupid,” Trump said Tuesday of Panama. “But we’re not stupid anymore, so the Panama Canal is under discussion with them right now. They’ve violated every aspect of the agreement and they morally violated it also.”
Asked by a reporter if he could “assure the world” he would not use “military or economic coercion” in his efforts to bring the canal and Greenland under U.S. control, Trump said “no.”
“I’m not going to commit to that,” Trump said. “It might be that you’ll have to do something.”
Donald Trump said he will change the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America."
"We're going to be changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, which has a beautiful ring. That covers a lot of territory," Trump said. "The Gulf of America. What a beautiful name. And it's appropriate."
It marked Trump's latest pledge to expand the United States' reach throughout the world, following statements about annexing Canada and Greenland.
President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday boasted a new $20 billion foreign investment to build new data centers, blasted the Biden administration for its final policies and promised to reverse a new offshore drilling ban.
In his first press conference of the new year, Trump called the new foreign investment from property development company DAMAC Properties an example of business growth spurred by his election. It "underscores that many of the greatest business leaders on Earth are seeing a very bright future for America," he said.
Trump said he is "inheriting a difficult situation" from President Joe Biden, who has publicly pledged to conduct a smooth transition. "They're trying everything they can to make it more difficult," citing Biden's decision to ban all future offshore drilling in parts of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
Trump pledged to immediately reverse the ban.
"We will drill, baby, drill," Trump added.
An under-the-radar decision to add Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and about half a dozen other members to the House Energy and Commerce is causing some angst among House Democrats, according to three people familiar with the matter who were granted anonymity to detail private discussions.
In an unusual move, the Steering and Policy panel filled six out of the seven open slots on the Energy and Commerce Committee Tuesday morning and left the last position open for a 10-way race. The spots were highly competitive, and some lawmakers are questioning why certain members like Ocasio-Cortez were selected while others were left to compete for the last open spot.
Ocasio-Cortez vied for a position on the panel in 2020, losing out in a lopsided vote to then-Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-N.Y.), who hailed from a more centrist wing of the party. Some Democrats had lobbied against Ocasio-Cortez's attempts to join the panel four years ago, citing her support for liberal primary challengers to sitting lawmakers.
Since then, Ocasio-Cortez has claimed an inside track in the caucus, paying dues to the caucus' campaign arm and making up with other lawmakers. She also backed away from support for primary challenges when she mounted an unsuccessful bid to be the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee last month.
The committee has broad jurisdiction over health care, energy, technology and other policy areas that will be in the spotlight in the new Congress, as the GOP takes full control of Washington. The panel chaired by Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) has a long tradition of bipartisanship.
The other Democratic additions to the committee, — which has seen significant turnover this Congress on both sides of the aisle — include Reps. Kevin Mullin (D-Calif.), Troy Carter (D-La.), Jennifer McClellan (D-Va.), Greg Landsman (D-Ohio) and Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.).
Congressional Republicans are still waiting on more guidance from Donald Trump on their complex legislative priorities, as the incoming president is set to meet with senators on Wednesday.
On the House side: Speaker Mike Johnson pressed his disparate House Republican conference in a closed-door meeting Wednesday morning to stay united, as the party has struggled to get on the same page regarding how to pass GOP priorities including the border, energy and tax cuts.
In the meeting, Johnson didn’t delve into the details of his one-track reconciliation strategy, according to four Republicans in the room who were granted anonymity to discuss the private meeting. Johnson is still trying to hammer out those plans with Senate Majority Leader John Thune — who is pushing for two separate packages.
“We still remain convinced over here that the one-bill strategy is the best way to go. But there are some senators who have a different view,” Johnson told reporters Tuesday morning.
On Trump, Johnson added: “I think the president still prefers one big beautiful bill.”
Johnson’s urging for unity Tuesday morning comes as some House GOP hardliners are planning to raise the benefits of a two-track process in meetings with Trump at Mar-a-Lago later this week, according to two Republicans familiar with the matter who were granted anonymity to candidly discuss it. Some conservatives are wary of one massive legislative package, and are privately raising concerns about quickly tackling the border as a top priority.
House GOP leaders also warned their conference Tuesday morning that the budget reconciliation process — which is new to a wide swath of younger members — is a major undertaking and will require an aggressive House schedule.
On the Senate side: Thune has resisted emphasizing his prior preference for a two-track plan that would separate taxes, allowing lawmakers to pass priorities on the border sooner. But he’s not embracing the one-track plan either, saying he wants to hear from Trump.
“It would be good to get his assessment and kind of the lay of the land and what his priorities are early on,” Thune said in a brief interview.
The two Republican leaders aren’t outright fighting, saying they just need to work out a strategy but are united on the underlying policies. But the one- vs. two-bill plan is critical to passing any GOP priorities, and how quickly Johnson and Thune can come to a decision will have major ramifications for the outlook for Trump’s sweeping agenda. A massive bill means it could collapse under its own weight, given the vast ideological differences within the party, but going with two pieces of legislation could risk failing to pass anything on taxes at all.
Other issues: No matter how many bills Republicans pursue, House hardliners are demanding “transparency” around the process — suspicious of leaders who have a tendency of working out major pieces of legislation in private meetings.
Some House Republicans, including senior members, are expressing private concerns that Trump may “embolden” Freedom Caucus rebels by holding court with them at Mar-a-Lago this Friday night.
A wide array of Republicans are also leery of Trump holding so many one-on-one meetings this weekend with several key House GOP factions — who are all pushing their own strategies and agendas — given Trump’s tendency to agree with people he’s spoken with most recently. That could cause more problems for the ongoing strategy disagreements between House and Senate Republicans over the way forward, as precious legislative days tick by.
“There is a pattern there, isn't there?” said one House GOP lawmaker.
Jordain Carney contributed to this report.
We’re watching Democrats closely today as House Republicans put their first substantive piece of legislation on the floor for the 119th Congress.
It’s the Laken Riley Act, named after a Georgia nursing student murdered last February, and it would require the detention of any undocumented migrant charged with theft or burglary. It's also an early test of how Democrats will approach border issues after losing control of the White House and Senate in last year’s election.
Speaker Mike Johnson challenged Democrats this morning to join Republicans in passing the bill: “It can't be just empty rhetoric. It's got to be action, and we're going to give them the opportunity to take action with us.”
When the House first took it up last March, 37 House Democrats crossed party lines to support it, joining all Republicans who voted. We’re closely watching whether that number grows today.
A whip alert sent to House Democrats this morning said Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the lead Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, “strongly opposes this bill" and outlined the reasons why, including "ratchet[ing] up the number of mandatory detentions without increasing funding to carry them out." But it did not formally urge a no vote.
A Senate vote on advancing the legislation is expected to happen Friday, POLITICO scooped yesterday. With 52 Republican senators expected to support it — Sen.-elect Jim Justice (R-W.Va.) won’t be sworn in until next week — eight Democrats or independents would have to come along to break a likely filibuster and ultimately pass the bill.
On Monday, Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) became the first and only Democrat to co-sponsor the legislation, as Punchbowl News first reported.
“Laken Riley’s story is a tragic reminder of what’s at stake when our systems fail to protect people," Fetterman told POLITICO in a statement. "No family should have to endure the pain of losing a loved one to preventable violence. Immigration is what makes our country great. I support giving authorities the tools to prevent tragedies like this one while we work on comprehensive solutions to our broken system.”
The trio of nominees tapped to lead President-elect Donald Trump’s energy and environment team will get confirmation hearings next week before the Senate, demonstrating the high priority his new administration is putting on implementing its “drill, baby, drill" agenda.
North Dakota Republican Gov. Doug Burgum, Trump’s Interior secretary nominee, will go before the Energy and Natural Resources Committee on Jan. 14, according to Democratic staff with knowledge of the process.
The Energy Committee will hold a hearing for Liberty Energy CEO Chris Wright, nominated to be secretary of Energy, on Jan. 15, the people said.
And the Environment and Public Works Committee is holding a hearing for former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin, Trump’s pick to run the Environmental Protection Agency, on Wednesday or Thursday of next week.
While some of Trump’s Cabinet picks have generated controversy, his top energy and environment nominees so far look like they will be easily confirmed by the Senate — and may even garner a few Democratic votes.
The Senate Commerce Committee is tentatively planning to hold a confirmation hearing for Sean Duffy, the DOT secretary nominee, on Jan. 15, a committee aide confirmed Tuesday.
Further scheduling details weren’t immediately available. Punchbowl News first reported the date.
Background: Duffy is a former House member from Wisconsin and has worked as a personality on Fox Business. He was also a district attorney in his home state.
His path to confirmation, barring some revelation, appears to be smooth. Several Commerce members, both Republicans and Democrats, have so far been positive about Duffy’s nomination.
What to watch: Electric vehicle policies, the next surface transportation bill, Boeing and discretionary grant programs at DOT may emerge as big topics at the hearing.
Here’s what we’re watching in transition world today:
🗓️ What we're watching
👀 What’s Trump up to?
🚨What’s up with the nominees?
📝ICYMI: Here are Trump's latest administration picks