Congress: The Senate & The House

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? New poll: AI fears

Image: CBS News/YouGov More Americans want the federal government to restrict the use and development of AI (44%) than promote it (23%), according to a CBS News/YouGov poll out yesterday. Why it matters: President Trump has embraced leading AI firms that could put his administration at odds with voters during the midterms and beyond. A majority (59%) of Americans surveyed believe AI will decrease the number of available jobs. Just 19% think it will increase them. Go deeper.

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?️ Hill Dems bark back

Congressional Democrats are blasting the Trump administration for its overnight operation in Venezuela, Axios' Hill team reports.

• The lawmakers say the president blatantly overstepped his authority by not seeking congressional authorization for the operation beforehand.

⚖️ Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) said he'd force a vote next week on his bipartisan resolution stipulating that the U.S. "should not be at war with Venezuela absent a clear congressional authorization."

• Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called the operation "reckless" and said the administration "must brief Congress immediately on its objectives, and its plan to prevent a humanitarian and geopolitical disaster."

Multiple Democrats noted that top Trump officials previously testified to Congress that the U.S. was not seeking to oust Maduro, and would seek congressional authorization for any ground operations in Venezuela.

The other side: Top Republican lawmakers praised and defended the operation, with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) calling it "decisive and justified."

• Secretary of State Marco Rubio said today that administration officials called members of Congress immediately afterward. He said this was "not the kind of mission" where "you could pre-notify" because it would have endangered success.
• ?️ Trump said there were concerns about leaks from Capitol Hill, telling reporters: "We don't want leakers."

? Two Republicans were critical of the operation: Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.).

• Greene, who has accused the administration of prioritizing foreign interventions over domestic concerns, said Americans' "disgust with our own government's never-ending military aggression and support of foreign wars is justified because we are forced to pay for it."

Keep reading ...

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✈️ Marathon Venezuela briefing

A member of security peers inside a closed Venezuela briefing in the Capitol Visitor Center on Jan. 5, 2025. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Top congressional leaders emerged from tonight's 2+ hours classified briefing with radically different interpretations of the Trump administration's short- and long-term goals for Venezuela. Why it matters: The two parties are deeply split on legal and constitutional justifications for the action. Republicans insisted the operation did not constitute an act of war. "We do not have US armed forces in Venezuela, and we are not occupying that country," said House Speaker Mike Johnson. Democrats say Trump started a war that will have dire — and perhaps widespread — outcomes. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said they did "not receive any assurances that we would not try to do the same thing in other countries." The briefers included Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Attorney General Pam Bondi and CIA Director John Ratcliffe. A broader congressional briefing is expected Wednesday, Johnson said. The big picture: Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters lawmakers had "lots of questions" for the briefers, but he was "sufficiently satisfied with the answers to the questions." He called it a "a very robust discussion about the operation and ... the path forward." Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) said she now had "a better understanding" of what Trump meant about the U.S. running Venezuela. Between the lines: There are fresh fears on the Democratic side that Trump is eyeing the takeover of territory such as Greenland, after the president said this week: "We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security." Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Az.) introduced an amendment to Congress' annual defense spending bill today to prohibit the use of funds for military force or other hostilities toward Greenland. The bottom line: "The danger in Venezuela is only beginning," Schumer said on the Senate floor. "Donald Trump has opened a Pandora's box and things will get out of hand very quickly." — Hans Nichols, Stephen Neukam and Stef Kight

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? Trump defiance votes

House GOP leaders are teeing up a vote Thursday to override the first two vetoes of President Trump's second term.

Why it matters: It's unusual for the Republican-led Congress to openly defy Trump.

• The measures are expected to pass the House with bipartisan support, two sources told us. Given Trump's vetoes, some Republicans could peel off after initially backing the bills.
• Overriding the vetoes would require a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate — a rarely met threshold.

Driving the news: Trump rejected a measure to ease payments for a long-planned water pipeline supporting southeastern Colorado and another that would have expanded the Miccosukee Tribe's reserved area in the Florida Everglades, the White House announced last week.

• Both bills cleared Capitol Hill in December with bipartisan support. Politico first reported that the House would vote to override the vetoes.

Zoom in: The Miccosukee Tribe has been at odds with the White House over its plans to build its "Alligator Alcatraz" immigrant detention center.

• Florida lawmakers in both chambers backed the bill. Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.) said it was about "fairness and conservation."
• In his veto notice, Trump accused the tribe of obstructing his immigration policies and said the bill benefited "special interests."

The water pipeline legislation, championed by Colorado lawmakers, would provide drinking water to communities in southeastern Colorado, according to the Bureau of Reclamation.

• But Trump said the bill would "continue the failed policies of the past by forcing Federal taxpayers to bear even more of the massive costs of a local water project." He added: "Enough is enough."

What they're saying: "This isn't over," Trump ally Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) posted on X after his veto. The water pipeline project sits in Boebert's district.

• A White House spokesperson referred us to Trump's statement on the veto when asked for comment on Boebert's reaction.

Between the lines: It's the latest example of Trump's clashes with MAGA women.

• Boebert defied Trump late last year when she became one of four House Republicans to sign a discharge petition forcing a vote on releasing Epstein-related files — despite White House pressure to withdraw her name.

— Kate Santaliz

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Farm champion Rep. Doug LaMalfa of California dies, reducing GOP’s narrow control of the House

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Republican Doug LaMalfa, a California rice farmer who served seven terms in the U.S. House and was a reliable vote on President Donald Trump’s agenda, has died at age 65.

https://apnews.com/article/rep-doug-lamalfa-dies-california-house-304d9772c6e2d11f03109e2dae1eeb9d?

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? Johnson's health care mess

House Speaker Mike Johnson is starting the new year in a familiar, uncomfortable predicament:

• He's got a shrinking majority, a loss of control over the legislative agenda, and pressure from President Trump to embrace an issue many in the GOP want to avoid.

Why it matters: Trump is urging Republicans to make health care their issue and to be "flexible" on long-standing red lines.

• ? But many Republicans see health care as a losing issue for the party, especially in the 2026 midterms.

Driving the news: Trump urged House Republicans at their policy retreat today to soften demands for expanded Hyde Amendment protections.

• The vast majority of House Republicans oppose extending Affordable Care Act tax credits without Hyde protections, which bar the use of federal funds for abortions.
• "This is a well settled principle of ours," Johnson said in early December. "We do believe in the sanctity of human life and think it's important that taxpayer dollars not fund abortion."

State of play: The House is expected to pass an extension of the ACA tax credits Thursday, with no additional Hyde protections, after four swing district Republicans in December joined Democrats in signing a discharge petition.

• It has no clear path to becoming law right now, but a group of senators hopes it can be used as a vehicle for a bipartisan bill to send back to the House.

The big picture: A growing number of Republicans are pointing to jarring internal polling by the GOP firm GrayHouse, which shared its findings with Senate Republicans. The polling said:

• 31% said Republicans do a better job than Democrats in handling health care.
• 38% said they approve of how Trump deals with the issue.
• 36% said Republicans are to blame for rising health care costs, compared to 26% for Democrats.

What they're saying: "Our polling shows that if health care is the main focus of 2026, Republicans are likely to fare poorly in the midterms," GrayHouse founder Landon Wall told us last month.

• Another plugged-in Republican told us that if "2026 becomes a 'healthcare election'... we will deserve the midterm catastrophe that follows."

The other side: Republicans facing tough reelection bids say health care can't be ignored.

• "Healthcare is not going away, even if people wish it away." Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), one of the four Republicans to sign the Democratic discharge petition to extend the ACA subsidies, told us.
• Behind the scenes, GOP members and aides say there is widespread doubt that leadership could push through a second reconciliation bill on health care when members will be increasingly preoccupied with re-election.

Between the lines: Johnson can now only lose two votes on party-line legislation, assuming full attendance.

• Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) officially resigned from Congress on Monday night.
• Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.), 65, died unexpectedly on Monday.
• And Rep. James Baird (R-Ind.) will be out of commission for several weeks after a car accident.

— Kate Santaliz and Alex Isenstadt

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?? Deal or no deal for the Senate

Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) knows he has a short window and some hard math to find 60 votes to pass a health care compromise.

• "We're on the clock," Moreno told us today. "We're not going to talk about this past January — like, we either make a deal this month or we don't make a deal."

Why it matters: Moreno is insisting on a base of 35 Republicans for any compromise legislation to restore some of the enhanced ACA tax credits that expired at the end of 2025.

• That means he'll need a majority of the Democratic caucus to join him.
• Failure is a real possibility.

Zoom in: The bipartisan plan would reinstate the ACA enhanced subsides for two years and extend open enrollment into March, Moreno said, walking through policies that he says have "decent consensus."

• It will likely include income caps at 700% of the poverty line, replace $0 premium plans with $5 premiums and allow individuals to choose whether the enhanced subsidies go into Health Savings Accounts or directly toward premiums.
• The group has discussed massive penalties on insurance companies that deliberately enroll people into the Affordable Care Act without their knowledge.

The bottom line: Majority Leader John Thune told reporters: "There is potentially a path forward there, but it's something that would have to get a big vote, and certainly a big vote among Republicans."

— Stef Kight and Hans Nichols

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Schumer's blue chip recruit

Former Rep. Mary Peltola (D-Alaska) is expected to make a formal announcement challenging Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) this month.

• Peltola is taking concrete steps toward a Senate run, including interviewing potential campaign managers, we scooped earlier today.

Why it matters: Landing Peltola in Alaska would give Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer another opportunity to go on offense in 2026, as he looks to recruit his way out of a difficult map.

• Schumer has been trying to convince Peltola to plunge into the race since the summer and sees a plausible path to victory.

Between the lines: Alaska's ranked-choice voting system can allow a Democrat to win statewide even in a red-leaning state.

• Peltola won two House elections in Alaska before narrowly losing in 2024 to Rep. Nick Begich (R-Alaska) under the ranked-choice system. President Trump carried the state by 13 percentage points in 2024.

The intrigue: Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), who developed a close relationship with Peltola when she served in the House, seemed conflicted about who she would support in a Senate showdown.

• "If she were to run against my colleague, yeah – it puts me in a difficult spot," she told the Alaska Beacon today.
• "But I also think it puts a lot of Alaskans in a difficult spot," she said.

— Hans Nichols

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Dems push ICE shutdown

Rank-and-file Democrats are starting to make serious noise about using the threat of a government shutdown to force substantive changes at ICE.

Why it matters: Their anger, after an ICE officer shot and killed a 37-year-old woman today in Minneapolis, sets them on a collision course with party leaders.

• Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said earlier this week that a shutdown was not on the table.
• House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, asked if the appropriations process should be used to constrain ICE, told us: "We're focused right now on … advancing the Affordable Care Act tax credits."

But progressive lawmakers see the end-of-January funding cliff as a leverage point to exploit, as they fume about the Department of Homeland Security under Secretary Kristi Noem.

• "Democrats cannot vote for a DHS budget that doesn't restrain the growing lawlessness of this agency," Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said on X following the shooting.
• Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) said: "We can't just keep authorizing money for these illegal killers. That's what they are, this rogue force."
• "Statements and letters are not enough, and the appropriations process and the CR expiring Jan. 31 is our opportunity," said Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.).

Between the lines: Getting both sides to agree on funding for a department as divisive as DHS was always going to prove challenging.

• Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) told us today: "I'm having a hard time seeing how we're gonna come to agreement on it."
• "We need to arrest that ICE agent for a excessive use of power," Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) told us. "And we should be opposing the hundreds of billions of dollars going to a lawless agency."

The other side: Among the Republicans defending ICE after the shooting are several members of leadership, including House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) and House Republican conference chair Lisa McClain (R-Mich.).

• "Our brave ICE agents put their lives on the line every day to protect our communities from dangerous criminals. May God bless and protect them in their efforts," Emmer said in a statement.
• DHS assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin said: "An ICE officer, fearing for his life, the lives of his fellow law enforcement and the safety of the public, fired defensive shots."

— Stephen Neukam, Andrew Solender and Hans Nichols

ps:Personally I think that would be a bad idea!! I wouldn't being blaming ICE, they should be blaming the criminal-in-charge!!

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? Congress' ICE surge

Data: ICE; Chart: Axios Visuals Members of Congress rediscovered their ICE oversight authority in 2025, making as many visits to ICE facilities as the prior three years combined. "This is the highest number of Congressional visits organized and hosted by ICE since we began tracking this data in FY 2016," ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons told us in a statement. Why it matters: By law, members can visit ICE detention sites at any time. But the agency has tried to limit that access, accusing Democratic lawmakers of using the visits for political theatrics. Some oversight visits have been particularly contentious, including a May incident outside a new ICE facility that led to an indictment against Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.). The bottom line: 31 people died in ICE custody in 2025, according to Rep. Jayapal, whose office receives death reports as she's the top Democrat on the Subcommittee on Immigration, Integrity, Security, and Enforcement. — Brittany Gibson

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? Republicans to watch on Greenland, Venezuela

Some GOP senators are calling on the White House to cool its hot Greenland rhetoric – and tamp down President Trump's Arctic ambitions.

• Why it matters: Hallway criticism is one thing. Voting with Democrats to pass a war powers resolution would mark an escalation.

Driving the news: The Senate will have an opportunity to formally rebuke Trump for his "Don-Roe doctrine" tomorrow. The vote will also serve as a proxy for senators who are queasy over his Greenland talk.

• It would only take 51 votes to pass in the Senate, sending a clear message of dissent to Trump on Greenland and Venezuela.
• A handful of Republican senators are mulling votes to restrict the administration from any future military actions in Venezuela. Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) voted for a past Venezuela war powers resolution last year.

Zoom in: "I hate the rhetoric around either acquiring Greenland by purchase or by force," Murkowski told reporters. "It is very, very unsettling."

• "We should not be threatening to take Greenland either by force or by purchase. It's just completely inappropriate," Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said.
• "I'm sick of stupid," Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said on the Senate floor today. "I want good advice for this president... And this nonsense on what's going on with Greenland is a distraction from the good work he's doing."
• "Threats and intimidation by U.S. officials over American ownership of Greenland are as unseemly as they are counterproductive," Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said in a statement.

— Stef Kight

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House takes step toward extending Affordable Care Act subsidies, overpowering GOP leadership A bipartisan coalition in the House voted Wednesday to push forward a measure that would revive an enhanced pandemic-era subsidy that lowered health insurance costs for roughly 22 million people, but that had expired last month. Read more.

Why this matters: The tally of 221-205 was a key test before passage of the bill, which is expected Thursday. And it came about because four centrist Republican lawmakers joined with Democrats in signing a so-called discharge petition to force the vote. After last year’s government shutdown failed to resolve the issue, they said doing nothing was not an option as many of their constituents faced soaring health insurance premiums beginning this month.   The action of forcing a vote has been an affront to Speaker Mike Johnson and GOP leaders, who essentially lost control of their House majority as the renegade lawmakers joined Democrats for the workaround.   But the Senate is under no requirement to take up the bill. Instead, a small group of members from both parties is working on an alternative plan that could find support in both chambers and become law. One proposal would be to shorten the extension of the subsidy to two years and make changes to the program.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ House considers overriding Trump vetoes as Republicans weigh crossing president   Rep. Steny Hoyer, the longest-serving House Democrat, to retire at the end of term   Trump’s ‘beautiful’ new law means states have big decisions this year on Medicaid, SNAP and taxes

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Senate pushes back on Trump’s military threats against Venezuela with war powers vote

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate advanced a resolution Thursday that would limit President Donald Trump’s ability to conduct further attacks against Venezuela, sounding a note of disapproval for his expanding ambitions in the Western Hemisphere.

https://apnews.com/article/senate-war-powers-venezuela-trump-maduro-greenland-e1c5c8390eb2331779504b710fe85025?

ps:Why now??

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How Congress Blew All Their Chances to Stop Trump’s War With Venezuela

After President Donald Trump’s attack on Venezuela, Democrats publicly criticized him for starting a war without approval from Congress and Republicans privately grumbled that he did not notify them in advance.

https://theintercept.com/2026/01/05/congress-trump-war-powers-venezuela/?

House passes bill to extend health care subsidies in defiance of GOP leaders

WASHINGTON (AP) — In a remarkable rebuke of Republican leadership, the House passed legislation Thursday that would extend expired health care subsidies for those who get coverage through the Affordable Care Act as 17 renegade GOP lawmakers joined every Democrat in support.

https://apnews.com/article/house-democrats-republicans-vote-health-care-subsidies-7d69148c6619a190f8d4abb85a7344b8?

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Senate rejects Trump’s military threats against Venezuela with war powers vote

The Senate advanced a resolution Thursday that would limit President Donald Trump’s ability to conduct further attacks against Venezuela. Democrats and five Republicans voted to advance the war powers resolution on a 52-47 vote. It has virtually no chance of becoming law because Trump would have to sign. Still, it was a significant gesture that showed unease among some Republicans. Read more.

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☘️ Thune's lucky break

House Speaker Mike Johnson solved a problem for Senate Majority Leader John Thune today, sparing the Senate from burning precious floor time on veto votes when they're on the clock for government funding.

Why it matters: The Senate embarrassed President Trump, with five Republicans voting to advance a War Powers Act vote on Venezuela.

• But the House prevented one Trump defeat from turning into three, blocking a pair of veto overrides.

Between the lines: There was some concern in the Senate that the two veto overrides, plus next week's votes on the war powers resolution that advanced today, would prevent them from passing a three-bill spending package before leaving for a week-long recess.

• Now it's possible for the Senate to move on the spending minibus next week, as leaders work in rare harmony to try and prevent another government shutdown on Jan. 31.

Trump's frustration surfaced in a Truth Social Post. He name-checked all five GOP senators and said they "should never be elected to office again."

Chart: Axios Visuals

Zoom in: The House voting to sustain Trump's vetoes was quite a surprise.

• Last week, Trump used the first vetoes of this term on a Colorado water measure and a Florida flood control project. Both bills passed unanimously in the House.
• But rank-and-file Republicans rallied to Trump's defense. In the end, he lost 35 Republicans on the Colorado vote and 24 on the Florida one.

The intrigue: A rump brigade of 17 House Republicans voted to pass a three-year extension of the ACA tax credits that were brought to the floor via a discharge petition.

• Yes, they defied the GOP leadership in siding with the Democrats.
• But they also increased pressure on the Senate to act on rising health care costs, giving Senate negotiators a small window to find common ground to solve a political problem on rising health care costs and affordability.

The bottom line: House Republicans might not have been acting entirely out of magnanimity towards Trump. Fear was also a motivating factor.

• "This had nothing to do with a policy disagreement. Folks are afraid of getting a mean tweet or attack," Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), who represents the district for the water project, said after the failed veto overrides.

— Hans Nichols and Kate Santaliz

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?️ Dems stick to Venezuela

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) wants to keep the war powers resolution that he advanced in the Senate today squarely focused on Venezuela — and not have it drift towards Greenland. Why it matters: Democrats want to turn their surprising procedural victory into clear military restrictions on Trump in Venezuela. But the amendment process on war power resolutions is fairly open and Democrats might be tempted to turn next week's debate on Kaine's resolution into around-the-world critique of Trump's foreign policy. "It's not a good idea to put other countries in," Kaine told reporters, insisting he didn't want to include anything on Trump's efforts to subsume Greenland. "My strategy on amendments is likely to be: Do I think this amendment will hurt the final passage vote? And if it is — even if I kind of like it — if it would hurt the final passage, I would probably be against it." "I think we should just pass it," Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) told us. "There's no need to burden it with extraneous stuff. It speaks volumes powerfully on its own." The other side: Republicans didn't reveal their amendment strategy but made it clear they thought the underlying resolution was flawed. "The resolution is irrelevant because it speaks to removing troops from the country that don't exist," said Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The bottom line: If Kaine's resolution passes the Senate, it will head to the House, where it faces longer odds. And if Congress does somehow pass a joint resolution, Trump will almost certainly veto it. — Hans Nichols

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⏎ Shades of "Abolish ICE"

Sen. Chris Murphy speaks to reporters on the Senate side of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 7. Photo: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Democrats are pushing the most confrontational changes for federal law enforcement since the days of "Abolish ICE." Why it matters: We're only two years removed from the 2024 election losses that Democrats blamed — in part — on the immigration issue. But a majority of Americans said last year that President Trump is doing "too much" on deportations, according to Pew. After the fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) will propose sweeping reforms to DHS, including requiring a warrant for arrests, banning masks during enforcement operations and requiring Border Patrol to remain at the border, we reported earlier today. Murphy's proposal also would limit the use of firearms by ICE when conducting civil matters and require agents to wear identification. Zoom in: Murphy is also trying to build a coalition of Democrats to insist on some restraints on DHS' authority as a condition of their support for a spending bill for the department — with funding set to lapse Jan. 30. Murphy and his staff are in conversations about his new bill with lawmakers from Minnesota, California and Illinois, where DHS has deployed large numbers of agents, a source familiar with the talks told us. "It's hard to imagine how Democrats are going to vote for a DHS bill that funds this level of illegality and violence without constraints," Murphy told us today. "There's gotta be some reasonable constraints." The bottom line: It's hard to see Republicans agreeing to Democratic demands for constraints. Absent a bipartisan agreement, Democrats' other option would be to try to block, or at least vote against, a DHS funding bill or a stopgap measure for the department. — Stephen Neukam

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US Senate with GOP support advances war powers resolution rebuking Trump on Venezuela

WASHINGTON — In a rare rebuke to President Donald Trump, Senate Republicans joined Democrats in advancing a war powers resolution to halt U.S. military action in Venezuela without congressional authorization.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/01/08/repub/us-senate-with-gop-support-advances-war-powers-resolution-rebuking-trump-on-venezuela/?

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? Jeffries vs. Johnson

Photo illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Photo: Alex Wong and Kent Nishimura/Getty Images

House Speaker Mike Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries used to go out of their way to laud their positive working relationship. But those days are done, and the smack talk has gotten personal. Why it matters: The relationship may only further deteriorate this year as Congress tries to keep the gears of government churning during a bruising midterm election. With Jeffries facing pressure from his grassroots to go full #Resistance and President Trump keeping Johnson on a tight leash, neither side has much incentive to de-escalate. The acrimonious dynamic has already resulted in the longest government shutdown in U.S. history and an unprecedented national wave of partisan mid-cycle redistricting initiatives. State of play: The NRCC began referring to Jeffries as the "so-called 'leader'" in an email last spring, seizing on stories about Democrats questioning his leadership. The NRCC continued to hammer the theme throughout 2025, with press releases declaring "So-Called 'Leader' Jeffries Draws Primary Challenger from the Mamdani Wing" and "Hakeem Jeffries is a hostage. Not a leader." The latter release was based on our story about dozens of Democratic congressional candidates refusing to commit to supporting Jeffries as leader or speaker. Despite some grassroots frustration with his leadership, Jeffries has maintained virtually unanimous support from his House Democratic colleagues. The latest: Democrats saw the opportunity to meet fire with fire when the New York Times reported in October that Trump has privately joked about his power over Johnson by quipping, "I'm the speaker and the president." The move came amid a lengthy government shutdown in which Johnson and Jeffries both refused to budge from their positions on extending Affordable Care Act tax credits. Jeffries pounced on the story during a press conference the following month, calling Johnson the "deputy speaker" and saying he has "zero control ... over the House Republican conference." The DCCC has run with the nickname, frequently referring to Johnson as the "deputy speaker" in its press releases and emails since November. Flashback: Admiration between Jeffries and Johnson was mutual back in 2024, as Axios reported at the time. Jeffries spoke glowingly at fundraisers about Johnson, and the two worked through multiple bipartisan deals on must-pass legislation. But Trump's return to power has demolished that dynamic. What they're saying: "It's important to the DCCC that we deal in facts," DCCC spokesperson Justin Chermol said of the group's new insult for Johnson. "The fact of the matter is, by fully submitting to Donald Trump, Mike Johnson is in fact, the deputy speaker, and letting a wildly unpopular president steer his vulnerable members straight into an epic collapse next year," Chermol said. The other side: "The Democrat Party is leaderless, and their so-called 'Leader' Hakeem Jeffries has zero control over a caucus that openly defies him and treats him like he has the backbone of a wet paper straw," said NRCC spokesperson Mike Marinella. "The liberal losers at the DCCC are too lazy and too incompetent to craft a message that works, so they default to whining in a desperate attempt to distract from their pathetic excuse of a boss." Trump publicly praised Johnson in May, calling him a "real unifier" at a Capitol Hill press conference and saying he did a "fantastic job" pushing the One Big, Beautiful Bill, which passed later that month. — Andrew Solender

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Congress is debating the possible consequences for ICE and even Noem after Renee Good’s killing The killing of a Minnesota woman by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer is reverberating across Capitol Hill where Democrats, and certain Republicans, are vowing an assertive response as President Donald Trump’s aggressive deportation operations spark protests nationwide. Lawmakers are demanding a range of actions, from a full investigation into Renee Good’s shooting death and policy changes over law enforcement raids to the defunding of ICE operations and the impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, in what is fast becoming an inflection point. Read more.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Wife of Minnesota woman killed in ICE shooting: ‘We had whistles. They had guns’ New video of fatal Minnesota ICE shooting, from officer’s perspective, brings fresh scrutiny

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Sen. Kelly sues the Pentagon over attempts to punish him, declaring it unconstitutional

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly sued the Pentagon on Monday over attempts to punish him for his warnings about illegal orders, claiming the Trump administration trampled on his constitutional rights to free speech.

https://apnews.com/article/pentagon-kelly-hegseth-illegal-orders-lawsuit-9c6fe0ed8241f93211a0638a27bfe7d8?

• ? Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) is suing to stop Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth from targeting his Navy rank over a video that President Trump called "seditious." Go deeper.

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Dems' coming ICE war

The "defund ICE" banner that progressives brandished during President Trump's first term is now starting to take hold among the more moderate wings of the Democratic Party.

Why it matters: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has long signaled that resurrecting Affordable Care Act tax credits has priority in the government funding fight. But some of his members are clearly spoiling for a fight over ICE.

• "We need funding reductions. ... Policy is not enough," said Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.), who stressed that "'defund' and 'abolish' are two different things."
• Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.), a leading member of the center-left New Democrat Coalition, said he is "totally open" to trying to reduce ICE's funding.

Zoom in: Jeffries finally waded into the ICE funding debate during his regular press conference today.

• "They're running around out of control, with masks, no body cameras, no accountability, no warrants, arresting and in some cases deporting American citizens," Jeffries told reporters.
• "It's important to understand that a lot of the funding for ICE that is currently being unleashed on the American people ... was provided not through the traditional appropriations process, but in connection with the one big, ugly bill," he said.
• Rep. John Mannion (D-N.Y.), a swing-district centrist, noted the "big, beautiful bill" that became law nearly tripled ICE's funding: "I would support reducing that funding back to fiscal year 2024 levels if I could."

The other side: Some centrist Democrats — while signaling they would support policy changes — drew a clear line in the sand against defunding ICE.

• "I don't know if we need to defund ICE," said Rep. Vicente Gonzalez Jr. (D-Texas), who said the agency has been "overly funded" but that "we don't have the votes for that anyway."
• "I don't believe in defunding an entire law enforcement agency over the actions of a few of them," said Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine).
• Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) said there "are mechanisms in which we should be able to get the administration's attention where our powers can't be ignored," but that he is "not interested in going anywhere near" defunding ICE.

The bottom line: Republicans control Congress, and even progressives on the House Appropriations Committee acknowledged to us that any bill funding the Department of Homeland Security likely won't contain cuts for ICE.

• Some lawmakers are also reticent to take up Sen. Chris Murphy's (D-Conn.) threat to oppose a government funding bill if it fails to contain sufficient policy riders to rein in ICE.
• Mannion said he tries "not to let one thing in a budget" keep him from voting for it, telling us, "I've got to be thoughtful about that."
• Said Golden: "It's on Chris Murphy to decide what he wants to do in the Senate, but I'm not for shutting down the government." 

— Andrew Solender

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? Big 4 reacts to Powell probe

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the Justice Department's probe into Fed Chair Jerome Powell "needs to be resolved quickly, because the Fed's independence in shaping monetary policy in the country is something that we need to ensure proceeds without political interference." House Speaker Mike Johnson defended the DOJ probe and said if "Powell is innocent, then he can prove that." Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement the probe is another example of "Trump's assault on the Fed's independence." Jeffries said on X that there is "zero basis to criminally target" Powell, accusing the DOJ of being "filled with sick political hacks." The intrigue: GOP senators on the banking committee appeared highly skeptical that Powell would have violated the law in his congressional testimony last summer about cost overruns as it related to a renovation project. "I know Chairman Powell pretty well. I would be stunned if he had done anything wrong," Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) told reporters. "We need this like we need a hole in the head." Go deeper — Hans Nichols

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Clintons refuse to testify in House Epstein probe as Republicans threaten contempt proceedings

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Tuesday that they will refuse to comply with a congressional subpoena to testify in a House committee’s investigation of Jeffrey Epstein even as Republican lawmakers prepare contempt of Congress proceedings against them.

https://apnews.com/article/bill-hillary-clinton-epstein-congress-contempt-ad1f880ed716665f210025d8e57ff112?