Congress: The Senate & The House

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Republican Senator Calls BS on Pentagon Pete’s Absurd Response to Devastating Report

The defense secretary is facing calls to resign for sharing secret information on a planned airstrike in Yemen via Signal.

A senior Republican senator has rejected Pete Hegseth’s claim to have been completely exonerated by a watchdog report into the “Signalgate” scandal.

An Inspector General report found that the defense secretary risked endangering the lives of American troops when he used the messaging app Signal to discuss secret plans to launch airstrikes targeting Houthi fighters in Yemen.

Hegseth—who is also facing war crime accusations over the killing of two survivors after a strike on a suspected Venezuelan drug boat—quickly dismissed the report’s findings on X. “No classified information. Total exoneration. Case closed. Houthis bombed into submission. Thank you for your attention to this IG report,” he wrote.

Speaking to CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins, Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina said the Pentagon chief is not out of the woods, noting that the report found a foreign adversary could have intercepted the information he shared on Signal.

“Anytime you release mission-set information before the strike, you run that risk, and thank goodness that we did not tarnish one of the most extraordinary precision strikes in recent history,” Tillis said. “It’s a mission-critical piece of information that our adversaries could have used to blow those planes out of the sky. You just don’t do that.”

“No one can rationalize that as an exoneration. We know that mission information was outside of the classified setting that it was trusted to be in,” the senator added.

The Signal chat where Hegseth openly discussed attacking Houthi rebels in Yemen included Trump administration and intelligence officials, such as Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, as well as The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, who was accidentally added to the group chat.

According to CNN, the Inspector General’s report notes that Hegseth has the authority to declassify information. However, it is unclear whether he did so before sharing airstrike plans in a chat that Goldberg was able to read.

Hegseth also refused to sit for an interview with the Inspector General, instead providing a short written statement.

Democratic Sen. Mark Warner, vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has called on Hegseth to resign or be fired for putting U.S. service members at “unacceptable risk” by using a personal phone app to discuss the attacks.

“It reflects a broader pattern of recklessness and poor judgment from a secretary who has repeatedly shown he is in over his head,” Warner said.

In July, Tillis also said Hegseth, a former Fox News host, was “out of his depth” at the Pentagon after taking it upon himself to halt shipments of military aid to Ukraine, and questioned the wisdom of his confirmation as defense secretary.

When asked by Collins on Wednesday night if he would vote to confirm Hegseth now, Tillis said he did not want to answer a hypothetical question.

“I’ve got a real problem with some of these decisions, not malicious intent, it’s about being tight on execution,” Tillis said. “This president deserves people who are concerned with his legacy.

“At the end of the day, people may forget who Pete Hegseth is; people will not forget who Donald Trump is. And when they make decisions that are below the standards that I think President Trump wants, I’m going to hold him accountable because I care about his legacy.”

The Daily Beast has contacted the Pentagon for comment.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/republican-senator-thom-tillis-calls-bs-on-pentagon-pete-hegseths-absurd-response-to-devastating-report/?

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Bipartisan House Resolution Seeks to Block Trump War With Venezuela

With President Donald Trump mulling military action, lawmakers in the House of Representatives introduced a war powers resolution to block strikes on Venezuela.

https://theintercept.com/2025/12/02/house-block-trump-venezuela-war/?

Admiral says there was no ‘kill them all’ order in boat attack, but video alarms lawmakers

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Navy admiral commanding the U.S. military strikes on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean told lawmakers Thursday that there was no “kill them all” order from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, but a stark video of the attack left grave questions as Congress scrutinizes the campaign that killed two survivors.

https://apnews.com/article/pete-hegseth-boat-strike-admiral-congress-521606d39c04dcc040ea232dc9cfeeda?

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? MAGA, meet MAAA

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is working with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to develop a coordinated strategy to make the 2026 election a referendum on affordability.

Why it matters: Making America affordable again (you could call it MAAA) will run through nearly every part of their effort to draw a sharp contrast between their economic plans and President Trump's record.

• The goal is to isolate — and amplify — the affordability issue at nearly every turn.

Driving the news: Eleven months from Election Day, Schumer and Jeffries met yesterday to fine-tune their coordinated strategy.

• Schumer then relayed the plan to senators in a closed-door meeting, urging them to focus on the affordability crisis — as we scooped earlier today.
• Schumer wants lawmakers to push legislation aimed at lowering costs in four areas: health care, housing, food and energy.
• He also tasked senators with forming working groups to drill into each policy area.

The intrigue: Schumer and Jeffries watched the crushing weight of inflation under former President Biden drag down their party in 2024.

• Now they're seizing on nearly every negative inflation data point as proof that Trump isn't focused on Americans who are struggling.

The other side: White House officials know they have a political problem and insist relief is coming.

• Last month, Trump lifted reciprocal tariffs on several grocery staples, including coffee, tea and beef. Officials also tout low gas prices and insist prices are leveling off.
• But Trump has also dismissed Democrats' focus on cost-of-living issues, saying on Tuesday that affordability is a "con job" and "doesn't mean anything to anybody."

Zoom out: Earlier this year, Schumer and Jeffries began discussing how to build a unified message ahead of the midterms, initially centered on a populist attack on Trump's tax cuts.

• Their goal has always been to seize on the right messaging opportunities — not every possible one.
• They meet at least once during each work period to help coordinate their strategy, according to a House aide.

Zoom in: A short-term spending fight in March exposed differences between the two leaders' approaches to government funding.

• Senate Democrats, including Schumer, supplied Republicans the votes needed to keep the government open — enraging House Democrats.
• Schumer and Jeffries then held a somewhat rare Sunday meeting for an "honest conversation," according to one senior Democrat.
• But after the November government shutdown, Jeffries gave Schumer his full support — even amid a fresh wave of anger directed at the Senate leader.

The bottom line: The Democrats' goal is to convince incumbents and challengers to run on a message that's easy to tout — and difficult for Republicans to flout.

— Stephen Neukam and Hans Nichols

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? Dems rattled by security incidents

Rep. Jamie Raskin had his security increased this week after a pardoned Jan. 6 defendant, who was previously convicted for an incident involving threats against Raskin and former President Obama, allegedly showed up near the Maryland Democrat's house.

Why it matters: It's the latest in a string of frightening security incidents rattling Democratic lawmakers, as members of Congress already face a surge of threats against them and their offices.

• Schumer said Monday that his offices in New York received multiple bomb threats via emails with the subject line "MAGA."
• A group of House and Senate Democrats who urged military service members to defy illegal orders have also reported a spike in threats since Trump appeared to call for their executions.

Driving the news: Taylor Taranto was spotted by local police near Raskin's home on Monday night, probation officer Sean Stallman told a federal district court in Washington, D.C., at an arraignment today.

• Taranto, a Washington state resident, was "living out of his van" while in D.C. and streaming on Rumble as a self-described "independent journalist investigating major crimes," Stallman said.
• Raskin informed his colleagues of the alleged incident the following day, according to a House Democrat familiar with the matter.
• He had his security temporarily increased soon after and was escorted home from votes yesterday by the Capitol Police as part of his heightened protection.

The other side: Taranto's lawyer, Carmen Hernandez, told the court he disputes the alleged parole violations that prompted the court hearing.

• Hernandez told us she specifically disputes that he was outside Raskin's home, but declined to offer further details.
• Taranto declined to comment on the allegations.

— Andrew Solender

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Republican Secretly Gives Mike Johnson Bombshell Warning as MAGA Mutiny Spirals

GOP lawmakers are increasingly furious with the House Speaker’s leadership.

House Republicans are privately fuming at Speaker Mike Johnson over his failure to lead on issues such as the cost-of-living crisis and skyrocketing healthcare premiums, according to CNN.

GOP lawmakers were already on edge over voters’ economic concerns, President Donald Trump’s falling approval ratings, and Democrats’ success last month in a slate of crucial statewide races—not to mention the administration’s efforts to block the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files and the president’s risky nationwide gerrymandering campaign.

This week, they received yet another wake-up call after the Republican candidate in a special election in bright-red Tennessee vastly underperformed against his progressive challenger, winning by just single digits.

Privately, a GOP lawmaker told Johnson, 53, his leadership was “slipping away,” and that frustration was “boiling over” among the members of his caucus, CNN reported.

“Morale has never been lower,” the lawmaker, whose identity was not revealed, told Johnson.

House members returned from their Thanksgiving break expecting to vote on a bill that would show Republicans are taking their constituents’ economic concerns seriously, according to CNN. Instead, they were told the week’s main legislative effort would involve regulating college athletics.

In the meantime, Republicans still don’t have a plan for bringing down healthcare costs after the latest GOP spending bill cut nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid spending and failed to extend health insurance subsidies under the Affordable Care Act.

Premiums for about 22 million Americans will skyrocket next year after the ACA credits expire, with the average recipient seeing their premiums double.

Although Johnson keeps saying he’s working on a plan, some House members are frustrated because they don’t see any progress. GOP Rep. Carlos Gimenez insisted to CNN that he had confidence in the speaker.

Johnson promised on Thursday to unveil a plan next week, but many members of his own party still have no idea what it will include.

They also worry that it’s too late to pass legislation by the end of the year, and unless the plan includes some version of extending the enhanced subsidies—which is seen as unlikely—millions of Americans could be priced out of their healthcare plans.

“We’re trying to get consensus on it. It’s a complicated matter. Lots of opinions on it,” Johnson told reporters.

The Daily Beast has reached out to Johnson’s office for comment.

GOP lawmakers are frustrated that the House has been “missing in action,” as one California representative put it, thanks in part to Johnson’s willingness to cede power to Trump, CNN reported.

Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, who has clashed repeatedly with the president, accused Johnson of being a “rubber stamp” for Trump, and warned that a flood of Republican retirement announcements was coming.

“You have a lot of intelligent, hard-working people who gave up a lot of things to be here in Congress, only to find out that all they get to do is come here and rubber-stamp whatever Donald Trump wants, and that’s kind of humiliating,” he told CNN.

“That’s why you have so many people running for statewide office and retirements being announced, because nobody wants to be a rubber stamp. You could get a monkey to do this job,” he added.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/republican-secretly-gives-mike-johnson-bombshell-warning-as-maga-mutiny-spirals/?

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?️ Dems bet on affordability

Illustration: Natalie Peeples/Axios

Congress' top Democrats want to make next year's elections a referendum on affordability under President Trump, Axios' Stephen Neukam and Hans Nichols report. Making America affordable again will run through nearly every part of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries' efforts to pit their economic plans against Trump's record. ? Their goal: isolate and amplify the affordability issue at nearly every turn. Schumer wants lawmakers to push legislation aimed at lowering costs across health care, housing, food and energy. The other side: White House officials know they have a political problem, and they insist relief is coming. Trump recently lifted reciprocal tariffs on several grocery staples, including coffee, tea and beef. ⛽️ Officials also tout cheaper gas, and insist prices generally are leveling off. But Trump has dismissed Democrats' cost-of-living focus, saying earlier this week that affordability is a "con job" that "doesn't mean anything to anybody." Go deeper.

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⚡️ GOP's health care mess

Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson are both considering votes on GOP health care priorities next week — if they can figure out what those priorities are.

Why it matters: Democrats are unified in their demand for a three-year extension of the Affordable Care Act's enhanced subsidies, which expire Dec. 31. Republicans are still divided and debating their counteroffers.

• Johnson hopes to reveal a House GOP health care package early next week, though some sources are skeptical that will happen.
• Thune has promised Democrats a vote on their health care bill next week. But his conference is still in the idea stage on their counters, which are more likely to come as amendment or unanimous consent votes rather than a single broader GOP package.

Between the lines: Don't expect any health care package to pass next week.

• The real question is whether the voting exercise in the Senate and maybe the House fuels ongoing bipartisan dealmaking — or hampers it.

Zoom in: Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) is circulating a plan that would extend the expiring subsidies — but with a $200,000 income cap and no zero-dollar premium packages, Semafor's Burgess Everett reports.

• Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) told us he hopes a GOP package will include moving the expiring subsidies into health care savings accounts and adding his bipartisan bill requiring more price transparency.
• Republicans are also again eyeing changes known as cost-sharing reductions, aimed at lowering premiums, but that could cut subsidies for some enrollees.
• Multiple senators described the conversations as broad and fluid, with no real consensus this week on any single GOP package. And Hyde protections continue to be a sore spot, with some Republicans demanding increased assurances that subsidies aren't used for abortions.

In the House, Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) has been holding "listening sessions" with committee leaders and rank-and-file Republicans for weeks to find a consensus GOP plan.

• A bipartisan group of 35 centrist lawmakers, led by Reps. Jen Kiggans (R-Va.) and Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) unveiled a two-year extension of the ACA subsidies yesterday, but it doesn't have buy-in from leadership.
• "We're going to come up with something that I think even people like Jen would support," Scalise said yesterday.
• House GOP leaders have also discussed proposals that would not extend the enhanced subsidies but instead expand association health plans, in which employers band together to purchase health coverage for workers.

House Democrats, meanwhile, filed a discharge petition for a clean three-year extension — the same approach Senate Democrats say they'll put on the floor next week. No Republicans have signed on, and few seem willing to do so.

• Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) is also floating a plan that mirrors a White House proposal that was postponed after conservative pushback.

Reality check: A sizable bloc of Republicans in both chambers remains ideologically opposed to extending the subsidies in any form.

• Getting a plan with only GOP buy-in through the House looks nearly impossible — if Johnson omits an extension of the ACA subsidies, he'd lose vulnerable Republicans who are fighting to extend them.
• And even if House GOP leadership opted to bring up a bipartisan bill under suspension, they'd still need to find 80 willing Republicans.
• It will also take time for leadership to familiarize members with the proposal.

The bottom line: With only 10 session days to go, it looks increasingly likely the health care fight will continue into next year.

— Stef Kight, Kate Santaliz and Hans Nichols

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? Republicans turn on legal immigrants

In Congress, the GOP's immigration crackdown increasingly includes more scrutiny of people who have already navigated the lengthy legal process.

The big picture: After two National Guard personnel were shot last week in D.C., the Trump administration has paused asylum, vowed to expand its travel bans to more than 30 countries and called for a review of green card holders from 19 countries.

• The suspected assailant arrived in the U.S. from Afghanistan under a Biden-era parole program and was granted asylum this year.
• Another Afghan national was arrested this week on suspicion of making a bomb threat online.

Driving the news: Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) introduced legislation on Monday banning dual citizenship — forcing immigrants to choose just one citizenship.

• Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) announced a new bill on Wednesday that, among other restrictions, would allow the Homeland Security secretary to strip citizenship from immigrants if they join riots or violent protests.
• Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) has been pushing his "PAUSE Act," which would freeze all legal immigration and end automatic birthright citizenship.

Zoom out: Online, MAGA influencers and candidates have been promoting their own aggressive anti-immigration wish lists — from shutting down the refugee program to mass denaturalization, as Axios' Tal Axelrod reported.

• President Trump on Sunday said he would "absolutely" denaturalize certain Americans if he could.
• Multiple Senate Republicans were not ready to weigh in on such an idea, citing unfamiliarity with the legal arguments.

What's next: The Supreme Court announced today it will take up a case on Trump's executive order to end birthright citizenship. If the justices agree with the president, the court could overrule a constitutional right it has previously upheld, Axios' April Rubin reports.

— Stef Kight

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? Primary losing streak

Add Texas to the list of states where Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer couldn't hold off a messy, contested primary.

Why it matters: Democratic leaders got their Senate candidates of choice in Ohio and North Carolina. But in other critical states, the party base — and some of their political up-and-comers — are rejecting leadership guidance on primaries.

• Rep. Jasmine Crockett jumped into the Texas Democratic Senate primary this afternoon, just hours after former Rep. Colin Allred dropped out.
• Crockett represents a deep-blue district and has made a number of controversial comments that Democrats fear would turn off swing voters. These include calling Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who uses a wheelchair, "Hot Wheels" and suggesting conservatives are "inherently" violent.
• She'll face state Rep. James Talarico, who has impressed mainstream Democratic officials, sources told us, even as many backed Allred instead.

Zoom in: In Maine's Senate Democratic primary, a number of polls have shown oyster farmer Graham Platner still competitive against Schumer-endorsed Maine Gov. Janet Mills. This is after news came out that Platner made several controversial comments on social media and had a Nazi-linked tattoo, which he has since covered up.

• In Michigan, mainstream Democrats have complained that Rep. Haley Stevens, the favorite of party officials, has run a lackluster campaign against state Sen. Mallory McMorrow and doctor Abdul El-Sayed.
• In Iowa, where the party's pickup odds are slimmer, establishment favorite Josh Turek likewise faces a large primary field.
• "Leader Schumer does not have a preference of candidate and always intended to stay out of the primary. Nothing changes that," Schumer spokesperson Allison Biasotti told us in a statement about the Texas race.

The bottom line: Some senators are also openly questioning their party's leadership and working against Schumer in primaries.

• Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) has spoken to, or has plans to speak to, candidates challenging the party establishment's picks in Maine, Michigan and Iowa, a source familiar with the discussions told us. Progressive groups have floated Van Hollen as a potential leadership alternative.
• Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), who is rumored to be considering both a leadership bid and a presidential run, has also been meeting individually with insurgent candidates, another source said.

— Holly Otterbein and Stephen Neukam

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? GOP's own unity struggle

Two key Senate Republican chairs introduced their much-awaited health care plan today, which we scooped.

• The plan provides funds to enrollees in health savings accounts instead of extending the enhanced Affordable Care Act premium subsidies.

Why it matters: Republicans are struggling to unite around a health care policy as the Senate prepares to vote on a Democratic-backed three-year extension of the expiring tax credits, which would help lower premium payments for roughly 20 million ACA enrollees.

• That vote is expected to fail.
• It's not clear whether the plan from Finance Committee chair Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and health committee chair Bill Cassidy (R-La.) will also get a vote this week, but Senate Majority Leader John Thune seemed to get behind their offering.

Go deeper: What's inside the plan

— Peter Sullivan and Stef Kight

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Dems face their own Tea Party

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

Hours after former NFL star Colin Allred quit the Texas Senate race yesterday, rabble-rousing Rep. Jasmine Crockett jumped in — the latest sign Democrats are facing a Tea-Party-style revolt from progressives, Axios' Holly Otterbein and Stephen Neukam write. Why it matters: Senate Democratic leaders have tried to tip the scales in favor of their preferred 2026 candidates. But they've lost some power as much of the party's base has turned on them in President Trump's second term. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee "probably could have tried to keep Crockett out" if they "were strong," a national Democratic strategist told Axios. "But they're not. They're the weakest they've ever been." ? Zoom in: Yesterday's filing deadline left Texas with one of the hottest Senate races of 2026. Allred's exit leaves progressive social media stars Crockett and state Rep. James Talarico in the Democratic primary. Sen. John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton lead the GOP field. The Republican standoff was long expected. But the Crockett-Talarico contest showcases a new generation shaped by growing liberal activism in the red state's restless Democratic Party. Crockett, 44, has built a huge online following and fundraising base through her feuds with Trump. But many top Democrats doubt she could win a general election in Texas. Talarico, 36, an aspiring minister who quotes the Bible in his criticisms of Trump and the far right, has appeared on Joe Rogan's popular podcast.

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What to know about the massive defense bill that seeks release of boat strike videos and more

The House is expected to vote this week on a bill authorizing $900 billion for military programs, including boosting pay for service members, cutting Pentagon diversity efforts and requiring footage to be released of forces blowing up alleged drug boats. The National Defense Authorization Act is traditionally a strong bipartisan bill that lays out the nation's defense policies. But it's coming up for a vote as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faces mounting scrutiny over the boat strikes off Venezuela's coast. Read more.

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? Johnson's broken vow

House Speaker Mike Johnson is once again facing blowback from his own members, this time over the must-pass national defense authorization bill.

Why it matters: Johnson made a promise to conservatives this summer to end a revolt that had paralyzed the House floor. Now, conservatives are frustrated that he's not following through.

• It's become nearly impossible for Johnson to keep everyone happy while navigating this tiny House majority.

What happened: In July, Johnson promised a group of conservatives, who were holding the floor hostage during crypto week, that the Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act would be attached to the NDAA.

• Johnson, at the time, said he spoke with Senate Majority Leader John Thune about adding the provision to the must-pass bill, and told reporters he was "hopeful" the Senate would hold the line.
• The Anti-CBDC bill was in the House-passed NDAA, but it's not in the bill that will come to the House floor tomorrow and likely be signed into law.

What they're saying: Conservatives are fuming about the measure's exclusion. "Leadership needs to fix this bill IMMEDIATELY." Rep. Keith Self (R-Texas) posted on X.

• Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) told us he will give "some amount of grace" on tomorrow's rule vote but plans to vote against final passage.
• "t is frustrating, you know, but that does not all fully fall on the speaker. There are a lot of parties involved with that," Roy said.
• Three other House Republicans, Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.), Michael Cloud (Texas) and Greg Steube (Fla.) have already said they plan to vote against the bill for various reasons.

Behind the scenes: House GOP leadership is worried about having enough support for tomorrow's rule vote. House Republicans have increasingly tanked rule votes to register opposition to leadership.

• If it's clear the rule won't have enough support to pass, leadership will have to consider bringing up the bill under suspension, which would require two-thirds support.
• Dozens of House Democrats are expected to support the legislation.

— Kate Santaliz

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⚡️ Health care D-Day

Senators have lined up dueling show votes for Thursday, just three weeks before millions of Americans face major increases on health insurance premiums.

• Both bills are expected to fail, largely along party lines.

Why it matters: Lawmakers have plenty of political mud to sling. But they're on track to depart for the holidays at the end of next week without passing anything on the expiring enhanced Affordable Care Act premiums.

• Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the GOP proposal "junk insurance" in the Capitol today, arguing Republicans are trying to "cover up" for not being willing to extend the ACA credits.
• Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) slammed the Democratic plan as sending billions of dollars "to the bank accounts of insurance companies" and allowing health care costs to continue to rise.
• "I could vote yes on both. I could vote no on both. And you know what? At the end of the day what do we got for anybody? That's the problem," Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) told reporters today.

Between the lines: Democrats are proposing a three-year extension of the ACA credits. An expiration would expose millions of Americans to sharp increases in out-of-pocket premium costs that could lead some to go without insurance.

• The Republican plan — led by key Senate panel chairs Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) — does not extend the expiring credits and instead puts the money into health savings accounts.
• The dollar amount enrollees receive in their HSAs would depend on their age and income.
• Until this afternoon, it was unclear if the GOP would be able to unite around a clear alternative plan, with numerous senators offering their own versions of ACA fixes this week.

Zoom out: Republican leaders this week are vowing to continue to work on health care fixes into the new year.

• Speaker Johnson told Punchbowl News there would be a health care vote before the end of the year, and then "we're going to continue to do improvements along the way in the first quarter, second quarter."
• Democrats will be happy to keep the debate over health care front and center as the 2026 midterm campaigns kick off in earnest.
• Schumer told his Democratic caucus last week that its 2026 messaging will be a referendum on the affordability crisis — including a sharp focus on looming increases in health insurance premiums.

— Stef Kight and Stephen Neukam

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? GOP vs. K Street "rumor mills"

Rep. Tom Emmer during a news conference at the Capitol on Nov. 3. Photo: Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg via Getty Images

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer's office is turning a shutdown-era experiment into a standard practice of how they engage with K Street: During the shutdown, Emmer's (R-Minn.) staffers started holding in-person briefings at K Street offices for lobbyists and clients instead of on Capitol Hill. Why it matters: Emmer's office needed a way to keep information flowing downtown. The briefings offered firms an opportunity to get candid answers from House leadership and for leadership to get constructive feedback from businesses. Emmer's chief of staff Robert Boland and coalitions director Annie Brody held 22 meetings with 14 firms, both Democratic and Republican. Three more are scheduled for January. "We want them to feel comfortable. We want them to know that it is a total open-door policy in our office, and that we are a conduit and a liaison for them to the Hill," Brody told us. "It's a different feel," she added, speaking of going directly to the firms. Driving the news: The sessions helped untangle downtown's "echo chamber," where misinformation can spread quickly, Boland told us. "The more uncertainty there is, the more the rumor mills start expanding and you start losing control of messaging." Between the lines: Emmer's team said the operation wasn't coordinated with Johnson's office, but Boland said they were "always very deferential" to the House speaker and Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.). — Kate Santaliz

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House passes defense bill to raise troop pay and overhaul weapons purchases

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House voted to pass a sweeping defense policy bill Wednesday that authorizes $900 billion in military programs, including a pay raise for troops and an overhaul of how the Department of Defense buys weapons.

https://apnews.com/article/defense-bill-congress-trump-dd67d203accfb65b7604072ebb5da153?

? Duct-tape speaker

House Speaker Mike Johnson narrowly averted another disaster this afternoon:

• He salvaged the $900 billion defense authorization bill after cutting last-minute deals and phoning a friend: Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Why it matters: Conservatives supplied the votes, but they are threatening to tank the next spending bill if Johnson breaks his word.

• "So we made a deal — and actually we talked to the secretary of state directly," Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) told us, saying Rubio vowed to shut down alleged funding from NGOs to the Taliban.
• Johnson also promised to "go to war" to ensure that a ban on a central bank digital currency gets attached to the next appropriations bill, due in late January.
• "It either happens, or a CR goes down," Luna said. "He's promised to be with us on that."

? Luna extracted a promise on getting a future vote to ban members of Congress from trading individual stock. Johnson was noncommittal about the timeline, and Luna is still pressing forward with her discharge petition on the issue.

• Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said she flipped after Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) promised her bill, the Protect Children's Innocence Act, would get a floor vote next week.
• "I made a deal and changed my NO vote on the rule to a Yes in exchange for a floor vote next week on my bill that is one of President Trump's key campaign promises and executive orders," she wrote on X.

Driving the news: The procedural vote to bring the National Defense Authorization Act to the House floor was heading for an ignominious defeat earlier today.

• Johnson, Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) and Conference Chair Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) worked the floor, pressing defectors including Greene and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.).
• Massie held firm as the lone GOP "no." Luna joined Greene — along with Reps. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) and Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) — in flipping to yes.

The bottom line: Johnson kept the vote open for more than an hour — far shorter than his record-setting vote in July, when he held a vote open for seven-and-a-half hours during the "one big, beautiful bill" saga.

— Kate Santaliz and Hans Nichols

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? Impeachment infighting erupts

One of Democrats' most fraught internal fights of the year resurfaced today after Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) introduced articles of impeachment against HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

• "Enjoy your media cycle," said Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.).

Why it matters: Stevens is part of a growing group of House Democrats going rogue with impeachment efforts that aren't backed by party leadership.

• ? House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told us he hasn't taken a look at Stevens' measure.
• "You know what I'm focused on? Making sure that the American people don't have their health care ripped away from them," he told us.

Zoom in: Stevens — who's locked in a competitive Senate primary — told us she "worked closely" with the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which oversees the Department of Health and Human Services.

• But Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), the top Democrat on the panel, told us she "approached us about joining her, and then in the end we declined."

The big picture: This is the third time this year that a House Democrat has launched a rogue impeachment effort.

• Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.) has introduced impeachment measures against President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
• Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) forced a vote on impeaching Trump in June, with most House Democrats joining Republicans in blocking the measure.

The other side: "Look, this is something that I've gone through a real process on. This is not something I've just done fly by the night," Stevens told us.

• She cited congressional inquiries into HHS, efforts to reverse some of Kennedy's public health cuts and conversations with doctors and public health experts.
• "This is beyond political theater. ... This is what Michiganders want to see, and it's what public health experts want to see," Stevens said. "I think there's a real case here."

The bottom line: "We've done this impeachment thing a lot, and it hasn't achieved anything," Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) said. "It's purely performative. ... It makes someone in your base happy, but we need to do real work."

— Andrew Solender

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? Exclusive: Where voters are persuadable on ACA subsidies

Ahead of tomorrow's show votes, new GOP polling shows half of Republicans and 60% of voters overall support extending the Affordable Care Act tax credits, which expire in a few weeks.

• Why it matters: A clear majority likes the subsidies, but there's significant support for the GOP's desired changes, including work requirements and redirecting the funding straight to individual health spending accounts.

Zoom in: About 60% of voters approved of multiple plans for dealing with the tax credits, including redirecting subsidy money into HSAs — the most popular idea on the list.

• This is at the heart of the Senate GOP bill and Trump's demands.
• About half of voters also endorsed Democrats' idea of a three-year extension with no changes, though it received the most opposition in the poll.

The bottom line: Look for Republicans to double down against a "clean" extension of the credits.

• Overall support for extending the tax credits dropped to just 34% after respondents were presented with the GOP arguments and trade-offs.
• The polling was conducted on behalf of a PAC linked to Senate Republican Conference chair Tom Cotton (R-Ark.).

Methodology: The survey was conducted online by Gray House between Dec. 6 and 8, involving 2,058 registered voters. There is a 2.2% margin of error.

— Stef Kight

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Senate rejects extension of health care subsidies as costs are set to rise for millions of Americans

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate on Thursday rejected legislation to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits, essentially guaranteeing that millions of Americans will see a steep rise in costs at the beginning of the year.

https://apnews.com/article/health-care-vote-affordable-care-act-obamacare-6ffc1ea9f878c6b3da995589ef8a012c?

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? Hoosiers reject Trump, Johnson

Indiana Republicans didn't just blow off President Trump today in the 31-19 state Senate vote rejecting a mid-cycle redistricting. They embarrassed him.

Why it matters: They also rejected House Speaker Mike Johnson, depriving him of two additional seats he clearly wanted.

• Johnson made an eleventh-hour push in Indiana, directly calling state lawmakers to urge them to back the new maps.
• But 21 Indiana state Senate Republicans joined the chamber's 10 Democrats to vote against the new maps, Axios Indianapolis reports.

? Johnson tried to shrug off the stinging defeat. "I wouldn't call it a setback," he told us.

• "There's as many as 14 or 15 states now engaged in redistricting efforts, and they all come out however they come out."
• "I've got to deal with whatever maps are finally presented in each state, and we're going to win regardless."

The bottom line: After the vote, GOP Indiana Gov. Mike Braun vowed to work with Trump to "challenge" the Republicans who blocked the redistricting.

• "Ultimately, decisions like this carry political consequences," Braun said.

— Kate Santaliz and Hans Nichols

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? Movement on impeachment

Today's impeachment vote was far less lopsided than one in June, when 128 House Democrats voted with Republicans to block an impeachment motion against President Trump.

• Only 23 Democrats voted with Republicans this time around.

Between the lines: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) and Democratic caucus chair Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) all shifted from voting to block impeachment in June to voting "present" today.

• So did DCCC chair Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.), former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and former House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.).
• The vote was forced by Rep. Al Green (D-Texas), who pointed to Trump saying last month that a video of House Democrats urging military service members to disobey lawful orders was "SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH."

The bottom line: Many Democrats despise using impeachment as a political tool, but don't want to be seen as supporting Trump's actions and risk angering the party base.

• "I hate it," one senior House Democrat told us on the condition of anonymity to speak candidly about a sensitive vote.
• "This is not a team effort," another House Democrat told us. "It puts us in a difficult position."

— Andrew Solender

ps:Lets not waste our time!!!!!

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⚡️ Health care reset

Hope springs eternal for moderate Senate Democrats who want to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits for millions of Americans.

Why it matters: But today's failed vote in the Senate guarantees that health insurance rates will spike Jan. 1, the old deadline to cut a deal.

• "The toothpaste is out of the tube," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told us when we asked him about the chances of bipartisan talks next year.
• Schumer told us Dems are "always open" to talks with Republicans about health care reforms, even as he fumed about the vote.
• Senate Majority Leader John Thune says he's also open to bipartisan dealmaking, but there's deep pessimism about a near-term deal.

Zoom in: Four Republicans voted with Democrats today to extend the ACA tax credits — Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Josh Hawley of Missouri and Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan of Alaska.

• Democrats will need nine or 10 more.
• "There's a commitment on both sides of the aisle" to reach a compromise on health care that can pass the Senate, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), told us today.
• Last month, she helped find eight Democrats to vote with Republicans to end the government shutdown.

What we're watching: The push to extend the subsidies may come from the House, where moderate GOP lawmakers are lining up behind a discharge petition to extend the ACA tax credits, despite their leadership's wishes.

• Democrats this year fractured on how to hold the line against Republicans in negotiations over health care. It's a trend to watch closely in 2026.

The bottom line: Even Senate optimists acknowledge the need for a reset.

• Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), another key moderate, said lawmakers have to "get by some of the noise right now" before they have an "earnest conversation" about reforms next year.

— Stephen Neukam and Hans Nichols

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? Johnson boxed in

House Speaker Mike Johnson is boxed into almost an unwinnable position on health care next week.

Why it matters: His vulnerable moderates are demanding votes on the expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies. But a big chunk of his conference will never support anything tied to the ACA.

• Moderates have shown no sign of folding, and several have signed on to discharge petitions to force action.
• "We've never voted for an extension before, right? So I'm not sure this is the time to do it now," Freedom Caucus member Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) told us today.

Zoom in: Johnson huddled this morning with the "Five Families," a collection of various ideological factions of the conference, as leaders hunt for a path that can keep both conservatives and moderates on board.

• The package includes a series of proposals with GOP ideas aimed at lowering health care costs, according to House GOP leadership aides.
• Members will be able to offer an amendment to extend the ACA subsidies, but it's far from certain that it has the votes to pass.

Between the lines: On Wednesday, moderates grew more concerned after Johnson presented a sparse health care outline to his conference.

• "lf the plan in conference had been, 'Wow, these guys really do have a cohesive plan, and people are, yeah, they're going to get an increase,' it would be something that [moderates] can handle," Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.) told reporters yesterday. "I wouldn't do the discharge petition, but that's not the deal."
• After the GOP conference meeting, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) filed his discharge petition to extend the ACA subsidies, as did Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) and Jen Kiggans (R-Va.).

— Kate Santaliz

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? Dems' Crockett freakout

Rep. Jasmine Crockett has left some of her fellow House Democrats infuriated after launching a bid for U.S. Senate in Texas.

Why it matters: Many in the party fear the anti-Trump firebrand will alienate swing voters and drag down Democrats in the state if she clinches the nomination — including in several key House races that could decide control of the lower chamber.

• "he ain't winning a general in Texas," said a senior House Democrat who spoke on the condition of anonymity to offer candid thoughts about a colleague.
• Crockett fired back in a statement: "It's hard to get a clear picture of who the Texans are from the fog of Washington."
• "My message is one that reaches people who are often ignored by the political class. I'm not running a campaign focused on insider politics. … I'm focused on reaching all 30 million Texans."

Driving the news: Crockett, a second-term House member from a safely Democratic district in Dallas, launched her Senate bid on Monday.

• A superstar among the Democratic base for her no-holds-barred style of political combat, Crockett has consistently cited polling that suggests she's the front-runner in the March 3 primary over her main rival, state Rep. James Talarico.

The big picture: Democrats see a rare opportunity to win statewide office in Texas for the first time in decades.

• While GOP Sen. John Cornyn is likely capable of fending off a Democratic challenger next year, he has to get past his GOP primary first.
• He's in a close race with state Attorney General Ken Paxton, whom Democrats see as beatable because of his many scandals and right-wing views.
• Down the ballot, the party will be trying to defend Democratic Reps. Vicente Gonzalez Jr. and Henry Cuellar, unseat GOP Rep. Monica De La Cruz and compete in several other open races.

The other side: "Crockett is an extremely talented messenger and has engaged millions of Americans across the country," Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.), Crockett's fellow Progressive Caucus member, told us.

• "I know she will work very hard. ... She understands rough and tumble Texas politics and can more than hold her own," she added.
• "I've got a six-word response," said Rep. Al Green (D-Texas). "I believe that she can win."

— Andrew Solender

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? Thune's taste of '28

Add Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) to the list of GOP senators who have strong ideas on the issues Republicans should focus on next year.

Why it matters: He's one of several senators to keep an eye on as the GOP prepares for 2028 and the post-Trump era.

• The dynamic could make Majority Leader John Thune's job even more complicated in the coming months and years.

Driving the news: Sen. Hawley and his wife, Erin Hawley, are launching a new dark money group, the Love Life Initiative, to support anti-abortion rights ballot measures and policies, we scooped earlier today.

• They plan to run national ad campaigns.
• Erin Hawley wants the focus to not just be on abortion, but also on policies providing broader support for families.

Zoom in: Expect the two Yale Law School grads to use their home state of Missouri as a proving ground for the new group.

• Voters there will be voting next year on a constitutional amendment that would restrict abortions and gender-affirming care for minors, though the wording has faced court challenges.

The bottom line: Hawley sees a vacuum in the anti-abortion movement. He has noticed "elected officials have been more and more reluctant to comment, to weigh in, to frankly, do much on the issue of life."

— Stef Kight