Congress: The Senate & The House

[phkrause]

Congress Clocks In

The 119th Congress resumed yesterday for the first time since last week’s wave of Democratic victories (see latest). Republicans have five scheduled legislative weeks left before losing control of both houses in January.  Chief among Republican priorities is to pass a funding bill ahead of a Dec. 11 government shutdown deadline. Garnering support for the Pentagon’s annual policy bill amid an unpopular Iran war is also a priority. It also comes as outgoing Rep. Thomas Massie (R, KY-4) reintroduced a resolution yesterday to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on eight counts, including over his handling of the Iran war; a House vote could come as soon as this week. Massie separately predicts he will amass the 218 signatures necessary to force floor action on the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein files.  Separately, the Senate voted 73-25 yesterday to advance a measure to speed up approval of data center development. Americans voted overwhelmingly last week to restrict data center construction through dozens of ballot initiatives (see the one place that didn't).

[phkrause]

GOP chooses leaders

House Republicans picked Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio as their minority leader for the new Congress, signaling they’re ready for all-out battle against Democrats in 2027. John Thune of South Dakota was reelected as Senate leader. Follow live updates.

🐘 Who is Jim Jordan? New leader has history as combative Trump defender

+ Analysis: A deep dive into the articles of impeachment against Pete Hegseth ps:I can't believe that the GOP could get any stupider, but they did just that!!!!! Dreams, desks and selfies: Newly elected members of Congress learn their way around Rep.-elect LaKesha Womack, a community organizer who stunned her own Democratic Party by defeating a well-known North Carolina Republican on her shoestring $56,000 campaign budget, said she's excited to arrive in Washington and show what's possible. Read More.   Pete Hegseth impeachment effort blocked by House Republicans WASHINGTON (AP) — The House on Tuesday turned aside a resolution to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, halting an effort to remove the Pentagon chief for his conduct in office and his handling of the war in Iran. https://apnews.com/article/hegseth-impeachment-briefing-trump-massie-87a78193502f716e6fb8eee5aef06ac0?

[phkrause]

🏛️ House GOP's power struggle

House Republicans will choose a new leader this morning after last week's devastating election losses, Axios' Kate Santaliz writes.

• Why it matters: Majority Leader Steve Scalise (La.) and Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (Ohio) will headline the battle for control of what's left of the Republican conference — with every other top position also up for grabs.

Scalise is pitching himself as the steady hand who can lead Republicans back to the majority, leaning on his decade of experience in leadership.

• Jordan is casting himself as the candidate for change, tapping into frustration among Republicans who believe last week's devastating losses demand a shake-up at the top.

👂 What we're hearing: Scalise allies are increasingly confident heading into today's vote, with Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) arguing that calls to delay the leadership elections are a sign that Jordan's supporters don't have the votes.

[phkrause]

Bernie Sanders won’t support Schumer for Senate Democratic leader, saying it’s time for change  Sen. Bernie Sanders said Tuesday he would not be supporting Sen. Chuck Schumer as the Democratic majority leader in the new Congress, setting up a seismic confrontation after the party’s sweep to power in the midterm elections. Read more.

What to know: Sanders was joined by Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan at a news conference at the Capitol, and together they said there needs to be a new generation of leadership and a vigorous debate about the party's direction and future. A number of incoming Democratic senators have echoed the call, signaling that they would support another candidate over Schumer.   Democrats, particularly in the party’s progressive wing, have been bombarding congressional offices with phone calls saying it’s time for new leadership. Michigan Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed and other progressives have pushed for Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland as a potential contender. Schumer, 75, has shown few signs of stepping aside.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ WATCH: Hear from Sanders, Slotkin and Schumer Judge weighs lawsuit brought by Peltola campaign over absentee ballots in Alaska’s US Senate race More than a dozen key races remain too early to call House Oversight Committee criticizes Trump administration over release of Epstein records WATCH: Art group installs statue satirizing Trump’s lack of military service ahead of Veteran’s Day How Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s extramarital affair could cause collateral damage in Washington A note to ‘46’: Donald Trump’s private message to Joe Biden emerges in new White House memoir, by Meg Kinnard. Sign up to our politics newsletter Ground Game here where Meg breaks down the latest developments from Washington every weekday.

[phkrause]

🥊 House GOP bets on MAGA "fighter"

House Republicans are turning to one of their fiercest fighters to lead their diminished conference after one of their biggest drubbings in decades, Axios' Kate Santaliz writes.

• Why it matters: Jim Jordan, 62, a founding member of the hard-line House Freedom Caucus, has completed a stunning insurgent-to-establishment turn after spending much of his nearly 20 years in Congress battling Republican leaders from the right.

Jordan's 106-73 win over House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) is a bet by Republicans that they shouldn't move away from President Trump to claw their way back to power.

• "I think when you take a beating like we took, you need to make some changes, and I also think we're gearing up for war," Rep. Randy Fine (R-Fla.), who backed Jordan, told us.

[phkrause]

🏛️ The new Washington

Washington's newest senators got their first taste of life on Capitol Hill this week as Democrats prepare to take control of Congress:

• Above: Sens.-elect Annie Andrews (D-S.C.), James Talarico (D-Texas) and Troy Jackson (D-Maine) walk together as they arrive for orientation.
• Below: Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed (D-Mich.) and his wife, Sarah Jukaku, ride the Senate Subway from the Capitol to the Hart Senate Office Building.

🐘 Republicans in both the House and Senate chose leaders for their next two years in the minority:

• House Minority Leader: Jim Jordan (Ohio)
• House Minority Whip: Tom Emmer (Minn.)
• House Conference Chair: Lisa McClain (Mich.)
• NRCC Chair (House campaign chief): Brian Jack (Ga.), replacing Richard Hudson, who lost his reelection bid.
• Senate Minority Leader: John Thune (S.D.)
• Senate Minority Whip: John Barrasso (Wyo.)
• Senate Conference Chair: Tom Cotton (Ark.)
• NRSC Chair (Senate campaign chief): Bernie Moreno (Ohio), replacing Tim Scott.

More on the Senate ... House.

US House Republicans elect Ohio firebrand Jim Jordan to lead party in next Congress

WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans voted behind closed doors Tuesday to elect Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio as their leader after the party’s stunning losses in the midterm elections, the House Republican Conference announced.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/11/10/repub/us-house-republicans-elect-ohio-firebrand-jim-jordan-to-lead-party-in-next-congress/?

[phkrause]

Democrats hit a new milestone: 100 women in the House

Democrats are projected to win back the U.S. House — and hit a major milestone. For the first time ever, at least 100 Democratic women are expected to serve in the chamber simultaneously.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/11/10/repub/democrats-hit-a-new-milestone-100-women-in-the-house/?

Permitting overhaul advances in US Senate with tepid bipartisan support

A proposal to overhaul the federal process for permits to construct energy projects passed a procedural hurdle in the U.S. Senate on Monday, though several Democratic supporters said the legislation needed more work.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/11/10/repub/permitting-overhaul-advances-in-us-senate-with-tepid-bipartisan-support/?

Incoming chair of US Senate panel will seek healthcare overhaul, but unclear on details

WASHINGTON — Oregon Democratic U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden plans to press for “the boldest” healthcare bill possible after he takes over as Finance Committee chairman next year, but he didn’t commit to Medicare for All, a longstanding policy goal for progressives, during a briefing Monday.  

https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/11/10/repub/incoming-chair-of-us-senate-panel-will-seek-healthcare-overhaul-but-unclear-on-details/?

[phkrause]

Senators probe RFK Jr.'s Samoa trip testimony after AP and Guardian showed documents that refute it

NEW YORK (AP) — Two Democratic senators are launching an investigation into whether Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. lied to Congress about his reason for a 2019 trip to Samoa after The Associated Press and The Guardian published documents in August refuting his testimony.

https://apnews.com/article/samoa-rfk-jr-senate-investigation-measles-vaccines-e4b97becad6d2951d9e84ea584979c41?

Van Hollen to challenge Schumer for Senate Democratic leader

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland said Thursday that he will run for Senate Majority Leader in the next Congress, setting up a challenge to Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer after the party swept to power in the midterm elections.

https://apnews.com/article/van-hollen-schumer-senate-democratic-leader-6d74c189cb6c065c9a810a1cf1a53436?

ps:Personally I do believe it's time for a change??

[phkrause]

🤝 Unlikely Democratic allies

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

Senate Democrats could find some of their most surprising allies next Congress from the right wing of the Republican Party. 🤝 Why it matters: Democrats are on track to need only four GOP votes to break a filibuster next Congress. They could find those votes from a bloc of GOP senators with a shared appetite for taking on corporate power. Enter Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Jim Banks (R-Ind.), Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) and Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.). Each has already worked with Democrats on issues ranging from health care to AI and Social Security. 🎤 Who we're watching: Hawley has co-led multiple pieces of legislation with progressive star Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) this Congress. Hawley is often viewed as a loner in the GOP, pairing populist economics with hardcore culture war issues from abortion to transgender care to religious freedom. He's been scathing in his postelection critiques. "This Congress did not come and work for the people. This Congress came and worked for AI companies, and it worked for data centers, and it worked for big tech companies," he told reporters Tuesday. He's scoping out potential bipartisan deals: "You want to raise the minimum wage? I'm for that. You want to work to get gas prices down? I'm for that. I am open to anything to bring down the cost of health care," he said. 🏥 Zoom in: Watch the health care space, specifically undoing cuts passed in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and drug price controls. President Trump has specifically asked Congress to codify his most favored nations drug pricing deals, which could give Republicans an opening to work with Democrats. Hawley and moderate Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) were among the loudest GOP voices opposing the expiration of enhanced Affordable Care Act credits last year. Both sit on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee, which oversees some health care issues. 💰 Zoom out: Social Security and tech safety issues could also be huge areas of unexpected bipartisan work. Over the summer, Warren and Moreno released a sweeping plan to "save Social Security." Warren and Banks have tag-teamed on numerous tech and AI safety bills, including a joint statement on Nvidia this week. Hawley is also a major critic of AI. Schmitt worked with Warren in 2024 and 2025 to challenge Big Tech's dominance of Pentagon AI contracts, and with Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) in July to crack down on search engine monopolies. What to watch: While there will be fewer this Congress, Democrats will also have a club of more moderate Republicans they can try to pick up too. Murkowski, along with Sens. John Curtis (R-Utah) and Todd Young (R-Ind.), will be top targets. — Stef Kight

[phkrause]

Floor fiasco backlash

Surprise Republican victories on the House floor have created an opening for Democrats to criticize Hakeem Jeffries' leadership team.

🧑‍⚖️ Why it matters: Democrats pride themselves on winning tough votes. But they've been outmaneuvered three times in recent months, including twice this week ahead of the party's leadership elections.

• "It's really unfortunate that this happened this week when, obviously, that is a narrative we hear leadership portray," Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.) told us.
• Rep.-elect Melat Kiros (D-Colo.) said this week has "certainly not given me confidence."
• "We do know that the Democratic caucus has blundered before on things, like whipping the votes to protect NPR last spring," said Rep.-elect Don Leonard (D-Ohio).

😓 The other side: Some Democrats told us the absences were simply an inevitable reality of Congress, noting that several members who were absent have said they were attending to emergencies.

• Others said House Democrats need to do a better job of getting to votes on time: "The general consensus among the new members is on Jan. 3, it's time to lock in," Rep.-elect Matt Little (D-Minn.) told us.

👨‍⚖️ What happened: The House voted 211 to 204 on Tuesday to quash an effort by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) to impeach Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Nearly a dozen House Democrats were absent, many of whom got caught in a traffic jam returning from an Elect Democratic Women event.

• Yesterday, House Republicans passed a veterans bill by voice vote despite Democratic opposition.
• In September, a pair of centrist House Democrats repeatedly broke with leadership to help the GOP advance key bills.

🇺🇸 The bottom line: Jeffries, when we asked about these incidents, pointed to a different veterans bill Democrats were able to force to a successful floor vote today via a discharge petition.

• "House Democrats once again successfully forced a vote on a piece of legislation designed to make life better for the American people," he said.
• House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) did not respond to our question and walked off the House floor into her office.

— Andrew Solender

[phkrause]

Democrats' social media trap

Illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios

Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries are both cautious, calm, compromise-minded leaders fantasizing about a serious, sensible Democratic-run Congress, Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen write in a "Behind the Curtain" column. But social media is a temptress no party leader has tamed. The seduction of attention, likes and followers invariably proves too strong for the savviest, most self-promotional politicians to resist. Why it matters: That's the lesson of the Internet Era of American Politics — the algorithms always win. 💥 A few provocative members of Congress and online activists dominate the national conversation because they master the biggest social media platforms. That creates the impression that their views reflect a party, or a nation, when in reality they don't. And it shapes the party's image and agenda. Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), vice chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, told us: "Governing isn't about getting the most followers on X — it's about delivering actual results ... It's easy to scream and yell, and say no — it's much harder to figure out a way forward." By the numbers: Michigan Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed had 1.6 million Instagram followers as of Sept. 13. Today: 7.6 million and rising. One clip of him pulled an estimated 50 million-plus views across X, Instagram and TikTok. Schumer, who has led Senate Democrats since 2017, sits at 466,000 Instagram followers. A man who hasn't been sworn in has roughly 15x the leader's audience. El-Sayed telegraphed this in July: "If you're Chuck Schumer, I'm pretty damn dangerous!" True. Jeffries has nearly 1 million followers on Instagram. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has 9.8 million on her personal account alone. 📱 Yes, President Trump remade the GOP. But social media sucked in countless others to try to copy him, pushing rhetoric or ideas few politicians would've touched in the past. You see this in the rise of celebrity politicians who do little legislating but lots of instigating. You see this in the explosion of not just Instagram, X and YouTube followers by politicians, but also in the many starting their own shows — unthinkable a decade ago. Several see themselves as content producers: California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas host podcasts while doing pretty important day jobs for big states. Trump started his own social media platform, Truth Social. You see this in the daily media feeding frenzy when someone, somewhere goes viral because they lit up social media with a meme or menacing post. 🪤 The trap is springing before Democrats have even been sworn in: Several incoming senators have publicly said they won't support Schumer as leader, calling for new blood and more fight. James Talarico of Texas has sidestepped the question for months. Petitions to replace Schumer passed 100,000 signatures a day after launch. At Crooked Con, the post-election summit hosted in Washington last weekend by the parent company of "Pod Save America," the crowd booed and jeered his name all day. The pressure worked: Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), who's thinking about a 2028 presidential run, announced last night on MS NOW he'll challenge Schumer for majority leader. (More in next item.) Doug Sosnik, a top official in Bill Clinton's White House and closely followed analyst of Democratic politics, told us: "You would never know it from the internet or press coverage, but the fact is there are only 130,000 members of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)." "It has taken a while, but I think that Democrats have finally figured out that X/Twitter is not the real world," Sosnik added. "The best proof point of Democrats' 'getting this' was our success across the entire country." 👀 What we're watching: The biggest siren song of the algorithm this next year will be impeaching Trump. Schumer and Jeffries have tried to set a disciplined path focused on affordability, not impeachment. Trump is prone to taking provocative actions that would juice talk of impeachment. A crowded presidential primary field will make the topic even more tempting — a massive distraction for the new Democratic majorities. Reality check: Schumer only needs about 29 of his members to vote for him in a secret caucus vote. He'll likely win the room. But he's losing the feed, and the feed sets the narrative. Among the senators-elect who say they won't vote for Schumer are Adam Hamilton of Kansas and Troy Jackson of Maine. Running against your own leader is now a red state play, too. 🪖 Accountability creep: In December, Jeffries waved off a Hegseth impeachment push. On Sunday, he said he was a "hard yes." (House Republicans tanked the effort on Tuesday.) Bernie Sanders, the incoming HELP chair, says Democrats may go after RFK Jr. next, alongside aggressive investigations into Trump's staff and family. To be fair: Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky forced the vote, and Jeffries tied it to an Iran war he says has driven up prices. But removal would take two-thirds of the Senate, which Democrats don't have. The bitter truth is there's little market for moderation or sanity or heads-down, excruciating policymaking. This wasn't always true: Pre-internet, politics wasn't minute-by-minute combat and most media played by similar rules and stuck to daily rhythms. The bottom line: Democrats won the election on prices. They'll lose the majority on posts. Axios' Alex Thompson contributed reporting.

[phkrause]

🏛️ Schumer's new challenger

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) announced last night on MS NOW's "The Briefing with Jen Psaki" that he'll challenge Chuck Schumer for majority leader.

• Van Hollen — who, at 67, is nearly a decade younger than Schumer, who turns 76 later this month — was immediately endorsed by Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan, who said the American people want "bold leadership."

Why it matters: The attempt to oust Schumer underscores deep divisions plaguing Democrats, despite the party's midterm romp, Axios' Kathleen Hunter and Justin Green write.

📺 Van Hollen said his bid was "about answering the call of the American people. ... We saw a huge outburst of democracy on Election Day."

• Voters sent a message to "reject the status quo and to reject business as usual," he added.

Van Hollen acknowledged he's the "underdog." But he told Psaki he has "more than 10" senators on his side.

• At least six senators-elect — El-Sayed, Adam Hamilton (Kan.), Juliana Stratton (Ill.), Peggy Flanagan (Minn.), Troy Jackson (Maine) and Annie Andrews (S.C.) — have said they won't support Schumer for leader.

[phkrause]

🥊 Unlikely MAGA allies

Some of Senate Democrats' most surprising allies in the next Congress could hail from the right wing of the Republican Party, Axios' Stef Kight reports.

• Why it matters: Democrats are on track to need only four GOP votes to break filibusters next Congress. They could find those votes from a bloc of GOP senators with a shared appetite for taking on corporate power.

👀 Enter Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Jim Banks (R-Ind.), Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) and Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.).

• Each has already worked with Democrats, and their votes could put legislation over the top.

Zoom in: Hawley has co-led multiple pieces of legislation with progressive star Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) this Congress.

• He's been scathing in his post-election critiques, telling reporters this week: "This Congress did not come and work for the people. This Congress came and worked for AI companies, and it worked for data centers, and it worked for big tech companies."

Keep reading.

[phkrause]

Jensen Huang summoned to testify before Congress

Jensen Huang, former CEO of Nvidia. (Getty Images)

Lawmakers are demanding answers following a series of scandals that forced Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang to resign Thursday. Three Republican-led House committees have sent Huang a letter requesting his testimony on December 1. The Senate Banking Committee has also summoned Huang and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to address “serious concerns about our national security.”

+ Catch up: Latest in the Nvidia crisis

+ Looking ahead: The AI boom was built around Jensen Huang. Now what?

Schmer faces underdog challenge for leadership Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen announced he would challenge New York Sen. Chuck Schumer for Senate majority leader, launching an uphill battle to lead the chamber’s Democrats beginning in 2027. The move comes as progressive Democrats see their sweeping midterm victory as an opportunity to push for more ambitious reforms and a new direction for the party.

+ Analysis: Senate leadership showdown could fracture Democratic post-election unity

+ For subscribers: JD Vance is considering not running for president in 2028