Conservatives back border first, taxes later strategy in major party-line bills next year

Some of the most influential conservatives in Congress are throwing their weight behind a two-step approach to enacting President-elect Donald Trump’s agenda early next Congress. In a letter Wednesday led by Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris (R-Md.), the influential bloc of Republicans voiced support for an initial effort aimed […]

What we’re watching: Trump taps two more ambassadors

Here’s what we’re watching in transition world today: 🗓️ What we’re watching: Congressional leaders released bill text Tuesday night that would fund the federal government into March, allowing the incoming Trump administration to officially weigh in on a final funding deal. House Democrats have largely set their team for countering Trump’s agenda next year with […]

Elon Musk opposes Johnson-backed spending package

Elon Musk, who plans to take a leading role in cutting spending for the incoming Trump administration, indicated early Wednesday that he opposes a spending bill backed by Speaker Mike Johnson. The incoming leader of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency wrote in a post on X at 4:15 a.m. that “this bill should not […]

Former Rep. John Spratt remembered as ‘skilled and deeply principled lawmaker’

COLUMBIA, South Carolina — John Spratt, a former longtime Democratic congressman from South Carolina who successfully pushed for a balanced budget deal in the 1990s but was unseated decades later when his district turned Republican, has died. He was 82. Spratt died Saturday night at home, surrounded by family, due to complications from Parkinson’s disease, […]

House Dems solidify their anti-Trump policy chiefs

House Democrats have largely set their team for countering President-elect Donald Trump’s agenda next year. While the caucus is still making other Democratic committee heads official, they decided several contested panel leader elections Tuesday morning, with uncontested elections for leadership recommendations later in the day. House Democrats largely saw the contested races to lead Democrats […]

Trump eyes donor for Air Force chief

Trump donor Andrew McKenna is a leading contender for secretary of the Air Force, according to three people close to the transition. McKenna, a private pilot who heads a small Washington advisory and investment firm, would be the latest of Trump’s picks to take on a top job at the Pentagon without significant experience inside […]

Generational change meets its limits with Connolly’s win over AOC

Rep. Gerry Connolly’s triumph over Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for the top Democratic spot on the Oversight Committee illustrates the limits of the party’s demand for generational change, with a well-established centrist beating out a progressive standard-bearer. While the victory went beyond ideology, there were simmering fears among centrists about how elevating Ocasio-Cortez, an outspoken liberal […]

Craig wins vote to lead House Agriculture Democrats

Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) will lead Democrats on the House Agriculture Committee in the next Congress after winning a caucus vote Tuesday. Craig, 52, beat out Rep. Jim Costa (D-Calif.), 72, for the role by a vote of 121 to 91, according to five Democrats in the room, granted anonymity to share the private vote […]