Morning Report — Congress braces for first 100 days

In today’s issue:

• Congressional GOP faces January challenges
• From NASA to Treasury, Trump picks keep coming
• Clemency, preemptive pardons: Biden weighs mercy
• French government collapses

As Republican lawmakers gear up for the 119th Congress, the House and Senate are bracing for differing challenges in the first 100 days of President-elect Trump’s administration.

Senate Republicans must contend with a slate of controversial Cabinet nominees. Chief among them: Defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth; former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (Hawaii), Trump’s pick for director of national intelligence; and FBI director nominee Kash Patel.

Hegseth, especially, has drawn increased criticism from Republican senators after skepticism about his qualifications for the job and allegations of sexual misconduct, excessive drinking and financial mismanagement in previous roles. Hegseth faces a very tough path to confirmation in the Senate, and his bleak prospects have been communicated directly to the Trump transition team, which is now mulling other options.

Reports began swirling Tuesday that Trump is considering replacing Hegseth with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis or Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) — the current national security adviser pick. But Hegseth himself said he will not withdraw, writing in a Wall Street Journal op-ed that he “[looks] forward to an honest confirmation hearing with our distinguished senators — not a show trial in the press.”

Senate sources told The Hill’s Alexander Bolton and Brett Samuels there is a block of likely “hard no’s” in the Senate GOP conference and identified Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) as lawmakers who view Hegseth’s nomination very skeptically.

GOP lawmakers told The Hill they don’t want to publicly call for Hegseth to resign on the basis of anonymous allegations. But some Republicans are hoping to be spared the headache and embarrassment of public confirmation hearings that could feature testimony from women who have accused Hegseth of sexual misconduct or former colleagues who have accused him of unprofessional behavior.

“I don’t know that there’s a real clear path,” said one Republican senator, who added that colleagues “are very apprehensive” about Hegseth’s nomination.

“It’s damaging to the president,” the senator added. “It doesn’t help us in the Senate.”

▪ The Hill’s The Memo: Hegseth’s troubles open up Trump World palace intrigue.

▪ The Washington Post: Hegseth’s history with alcohol shadows his Pentagon selection.

▪ Politico: The possibility of making DeSantis secretary of Defense isn’t going over well with everyone at Mar-a-Lago.

The House GOP confronts arithmetic. Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) conference will have zero room for error starting in January — literally. When Rep. John Duarte (R) conceded to Democrat Adam Gray in California’s 13th Congressional District on Tuesday night in the final uncalled House race of the 2024 cycle, he solidified the GOP’s 220-215 majority in the lower chamber. 

But that slim edge is set to narrow even more — and quickly — putting Johnson and his leadership team in a bind as they chart lofty goals for the next two years, write The Hill’s Mychael Schnell and Emily Brooks.

“Do the math,” Johnson told reporters Wednesday morning. “We have nothing to spare.” 

Former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) will not take the oath of office in January after his failed bid for attorney general; Waltz is set to resign on Jan. 20 to become national security adviser; and Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) is expected to leave the chamber to be the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Their absences would shrink the GOP majority to 217-215 early next year — leaving a zero-vote margin for the Republican conference on party-line votes, assuming full attendance. 

That means, for example, if all House Democrats vote against a GOP piece of legislation and one Republican breaks from the party and votes with Democrats, the final tally would be 216-216 — sinking the GOP effort, since a tie loses in the lower chamber.

In response, Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), the chair of the House Democratic Caucus, sent an early message to his troops: Attendance will be crucial given the razor-tight margins.

“It’s important for every member to come to work and to do their job,” Aguilar said during a press briefing in the Capitol. “That’s what we’re telling our caucus.”

▪ The Hill: Here’s a look at the House’s 2025 legislative calendar. 

▪ The Hill: Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) conceded his bid to be the top Democrat on the powerful Judiciary Committee to Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) — a stunning shift on a committee that’s sure to play a considerable role in the oversight of the second Trump administration. 

▪ The Hill: The hardline conservative House Freedom Caucus came out against “unpaid” disaster aid legislation in an official statement on Wednesday, urging “not one more cent to the Biden administration.”

SMART TAKE FROM THE HILL’S BOB CUSACK:

Democrats have recently been dreaming about winning Texas and Florida, but the results have been a nightmare.

Florida used to be a purple state. President Obama won it twice, but since 2012, the Sunshine State has moved right. Democrats over the last several years maintained they could win statewide again. 

In 2022, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) was in an apparently tight match with then-Rep. Val Demings (D-Fla.). The polls showed the race in single digits, though Rubio ultimately triumphed by more than 16 points. This year, Democrats claimed they could take out Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), who won by double digits. 

The last time Democrats won statewide in Texas was in 1994, and party leaders have expressed hope that the state is turning a lighter shade of red and trending purple. But hope isn’t a strategy. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) easily won his race this year by 8.5 points. The worst trend here for Democrats is that like Trump, Republicans in Florida and Texas outperformed the polls. Trump, meanwhile, won each of those two states by more than 13 points on Nov. 5.

Democrats have a lot of work to do after the GOP captured the White House and Congress. They would be wise to focus on the seven battlegrounds they lost to Trump and — perhaps — revisit Florida and Texas down the road.  

3 THINGS TO KNOW TODAY:

▪ Massive data centers built with windowless warehouses that hold rows of energy-guzzling high-speed servers are proliferating among U.S. communities and local communities are unhappy.  

▪ Global food commodity prices this fall were at the highest they’ve been for a year and a half. Vegetable oil, dairy and meat led the surge. Trending downward, however: cereals and sugar. The takeaway: Food prices for consumers are likely to keep climbing in some categories.

▪ The U.S. is on an “unsustainable” fiscal path, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warned during a Wednesday New York Times event. Days after the national debt topped $36 trillion, a record, he called for a course correction. Powell also said inflation is “a little higher” than expected.

LEADING THE DAY 

© The Associated Press | Brandon Bell

Achieving federal “efficiency” will involve months of meetings, consultations and more than a few blockades. Business innovators Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy — who possess no independent power to implement smaller-government goals without the president, Congress and the courts — will meet with House Republicans today on Capitol Hill. Lawmakers anticipate some friction as Trump supporters Musk and Ramaswamy champion“major reform ideas to achieve regulatory rescissions, administrative reductions, and cost savings,” according to Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).

Musk, in particular, has a web of contractual ties to Uncle Sam as well as global business relationships that may collide with Trump’s advertised good-government goals to shrink government and benefit everyday consumers.

Take NASA: Trump said Wednesday he’ll nominate Jared Isaacman to lead the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Isaacman, a tech billionaire, personally funded in 2021 the first civilian mission to space aboard Musk’s SpaceX’s Dragon capsule. Isaacman in September​ led an all-civilian mission that launched on a SpaceX rocket from Florida and completed the first commercial spacewalk. 

Musk’s friendly ties are one thing. His influence over adversaries is another. Musk’s public criticism of Trump’s opponents and industry competitors on his social media platform X and during interviews sparked concerns he will tap his influence with Trump to reward and punish.

The president-elect Wednesday named a slew of individuals to serve in his incoming administration, most of whom will require Senate confirmation. Some of Trump’s Cabinet selections have muddied a “smooth” transition the president-elect recently pledged during an Oval Office meeting with President Biden.   

Treasury: Trump said he wants economist Michael Faulkender to be deputy secretary of the Treasury, the No. 2 position at the department. Faulkender would serve under Scott Bessent, nominee to be secretary, if both are confirmed.

SEC: The president-elect announced his intention to nominate Paul Atkins, who served as a commissioner with the Securities and Exchange Commission during the Bush 43 administration, to lead it as chair. Atkins, a pro-business conservative, would be expected to take a lighter regulatory approach than current SEC Chair Gary Gensler.

Justice Department and antitrust: The president-elect tapped Gail Slater, a former adviser to Vice President-elect JD Vance, to lead the Justice Department’s antitrust division. “Big Tech has run wild for years, stifling competition in our most innovative sector and, as we all know, using its market power to crack down on the rights of so many Americans, as well as those of Little Tech!” Trump said in a statement. 

IRS: Trump named former Rep. Billy Long (R-Mo.) as his choice to lead the Internal Revenue Service, if confirmed by the Senate. Long, an auctioneer and business adviser, served in the House from 2011 to 2022.

U.S. Army: Trump on Wednesday announced his intention to nominate North Carolina businessman and former Army cavalry scout platoon leader Daniel Driscoll, a senior adviser to Vance and friend of the senator’s from their Yale Law School days, to serve as secretary of the Army.

Small Business: Former Sen. Kelly Loeffler (R-Ga.) is Trump’s pick to be administrator of the Small Business Administration. Loeffler was among the wealthiest lawmakers during her year on Capitol Hill during Trump’s first term. Her husband, Jeffrey Sprecher, is the CEO of the Intercontinental Exchange, which owns the New York Stock Exchange. Loeffler helped raise millions of dollars for Trump’s campaign this year.

Diplomacy and negotiations: The position of special presidential envoy for hostage affairs does not require Senate confirmation. Trump said Adam Boehler, who helped him forge a deal with the Taliban during his first term, is his choice for the post. Boehler also served from 2019 to 2021 as chief executive officer of the U.S. International Development Finance Corp., a federal agency created by Trump. 

State Department: Turning again to Fox News to fill positions, Trump tapped former network contributor Monica Crowley to spearhead promotion of U.S. events for Foggy Bottom. Her title: ambassador, assistant secretary of State and chief of protocol. The president-elect said the position focuses on major U.S.-hosted events, including the 250th Independence Day anniversary in 2026; the FIFA World Cup in 2026 and the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 2028. Crowley was accused of plagiarism during Trump’s first term relating to sections of her bestselling 2012 book and her doctoral dissertation at Columbia University. She denied the accusations.

White House 2025: Trump on Wednesday appointed Peter Navarro, a trade adviser from his first term who served four months in prison for defying a congressional subpoena, to be his senior counselor for trade and manufacturing. 

“Brain drain”: Federal agencies tasked with public health and environmental protection responsibilities may experience an exodus of experienced workers as Trump’s appointees set about to reverse policies embraced by the Biden administration. The incoming transition team has publicly discussed nudging or attempting to force expert employees who harbor opposing views to exit government jobs. 

WHERE AND WHEN  

• The House will meet at 10 a.m. The Senate meets at 10 a.m. 
• The president arrived at the White House at 12:36 a.m. today, concluding a short trip to Angola. Biden will receive the President’s Daily Brief at 10 a.m. He will participate at 6 p.m. in the lighting of the National Christmas Tree on the Ellipse.
• Vice President Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff will participate in the lighting of the National Christmas Tree at 6 p.m.
• First lady Jill Biden is in Doha, Qatar. 

ZOOM IN

© The Associated Press | Evan Vucci 

PARDON POLITICS prove controversial near the end of most contemporary presidencies. Democrats in Congress want Biden to issue clemency to death row inmates and nonviolent offenders. And Sen. Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.) suggested the president should pardon Trump for the charges he faces. 

Here are some of the individuals Biden has been urged to pardon before leaving office. Meanwhile, his White House is weighing possible preemptive pardons for individuals in Trump’s crosshairs. 

The Hill: Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told The Hill Wednesday, “I support the president,” when asked her reaction to Hunter Biden’s pardon from his father on Sunday. 

RNC: Trump asked Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley on Wednesday to stay on for another term in his position following GOP successes in the 2024 election.

DNC: Democrats vying to be the next national party chair have lined up ahead of a Feb. 1 vote.Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, state party chairs Ken Martin of Minnesota and Ben Wikler of Wisconsin, New York state Sen. James Skoufis and former Maryland Senate candidate Robert Houton have all announced bids to be the next Democratic National Committee (DNC) chair. The field may expand. Here’s the latest on the contest.

Politics are never far from courtrooms, including the Supreme Court. The conservative majority on the bench Wednesday seemed likely to uphold Tennessee’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors. The question is whether the state law violates the Constitution because it discriminates on the basis of sex, a decision that could have widespread implications for transgender care in the U.S. because half the states now have similar bans in place. Three Tennessee families and the Biden administration challenged Tennessee’s law, which bars minors who feel their gender doesn’t align with their sex at birth from having access to puberty blockers and medications needed to transition.

In Georgia state court, Trump and his lawyers moved Wednesday to toss the state’s criminal election interference prosecution against the president-elect.

In federal court today, former Proud Boys national chairman Enrique Tarrio is expected to testify amid the Justice Department’s prosecution of a retired Washington, D.C., police officer accused of leaking confidential information to the far-right extremist group leader.

ELSEWHERE

© The Associated Press | Aurelien Morissard

NO CONFIDENCE: Lawmakers in France passed a no-confidence measure against Prime Minister Michel Barnier and his Cabinet on Wednesday, sending the country into political turmoil as it triggered the collapse of the government. France’s lower house of Parliament passed the measure after Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally joined moves by the chamber’s leftist coalition to oust the government. It was France’s first successful no-confidence vote in more than 60 years and made Barnier’s three-month-old government the shortest in the history of France’s Fifth Republic.

There’s no obvious cast of lawmakers who could form a stable government in Paris, and new legislative elections that might alter the political dynamics can’t happen before summer. 

MARTIAL LAW: Calls are growing for South Korea’s president to resign or face impeachment after he briefly imposed martial law over the country. Opposition parties filed a motion Wednesday to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol, signed by every one of their lawmakers, while civic groups in most major cities are planning to hold large-scale rallies urging Yoon’s ouster.

▪ NBC News: What’s next for South Korea after a night of political drama and turmoil.

▪ The New York Times: Why Yoon, desperate and frustrated, made the fateful decision.

UKRAINE: Ukrainian officials are holding high-level talks with the incoming administration, seeking to narrow wide differences on achieving a settlement of the war with Russia even before Trump takes office.

SYRIA: Senators on both sides of the aisle are holding back from cheering rebel gains against Syrian President Bashar Assad, following a lightning offensive over the weekend led by Hayʼat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a U.S.-designated terrorist group, writes The Hill’s Laura Kelly. HTS’s surprise capture of Syria’s second largest city, Aleppo, and large swaths of territory in the northwest over the course of a few days, has punctured the idea that Assad, backed by Iran and Russia, had a firm grasp over territory in his control. 

“Nobody here spends a second rooting for Bashar al-Assad,” said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), chair of the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee on the Middle East. “We’re all assessing what the agenda of this rebel group will be, it has some real dangerous elements that are part of this group.”

Reuters: Hamas threatens to “neutralize” hostages in Gaza if Israel launches a rescue operation.

OPINION 

■ Democrats don’t need to abandon transgender rights in order to win, by Matthew Chilliak, opinion contributor, The Hill.

■ Can’t afford a smartphone? That’s going to cost you, by Marc Fisher, columnist, The Washington Post.

THE CLOSER

© The Associated Press | Santiago Mejia, San Francisco Chronicle

Take Our Morning Report Quiz

And finally … It’s Thursday, which means it’s time for this week’s Morning Report Quiz! Inspired by the holiday season, we’re eager for some smart guesses about festive travel.

Be sure to email your responses to asimendinger@thehill.com and kkarisch@thehill.com — please add “Quiz” to your subject line. Winners who submit correct answers will enjoy some richly deserved newsletter fame on Friday.

Thanksgiving travel once again broke records this year. According to AAA, how many people traveled at least 50 miles from home for the holiday?

1. 50 million
2. 80 million
3. 75 million
4. 90 million

Dec. 1 broke records as the busiest day ever for commercial air travel in the U.S. How many passengers did the TSA screen in one day?

1. 900,000
2. 1 million
3. 3 million
4. 550,000

Increased travel means more Americans are transporting some of their holiday foods on planes. Which of these foods does the TSA allow past the security checkpoint?

1. Green bean casseroles 
2. Cooked mac and cheese in a pan
3. Cooked or uncooked stuffing in a bag or a box
4. All of the above

Ahead of Thanksgiving, a stowaway managed to sneak onto a Delta Airlines flight in New York. Where was she headed?

1. London
2. Rome
3. Montreal
4. Paris

Stay Engaged 

We want to hear from you! Email: Alexis Simendinger (asimendinger@thehill.com) and Kristina Karisch (kkarisch@thehill.com). Follow us on social platform X: (@asimendinger and @kristinakarisch) and suggest this newsletter to friends!

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