Lawmakers return to new status quo in DC
Republicans, Democrats gear up for GOP trifecta
By: Karissa Waddick
USA Today
WASHINGTON - Republicans won't take full control of Congress until January, [2025] but lawmakers on both sides of the aisle returned to a new status quo on Capitol Hill this week. [11/12/2024] GOP leaders are gearing up to pass President-elect Donald Trump's priorities - and Democrats are digging into their 2024 losses.
.....
As sun rays hit the marbled steps of the capitol building Wednesday [11/13/2024] morning, House speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, stood behind a white lectern with the words "New Day" printed in bright red letters.
..... The sunny weather, Johnson said, was a "reflection" of how Republicans were felling.
..... "We're gonna raise an "America First" banner above this place, he said.
..... The speaker declared a mandate to implement Trump's agenda after the president-elect swiftly defeated Vice President Kamala Harris in the race for the White House, while Republicans kept their control of the House and flipped enough seats to take hold of the Senate.
..... The trifecta gives the GOP sweeping power to enact major policy changes next year. [2025] Johnson, for example, told a crowd of supporters on the campaign trail last month [10/2024] there would be :no Obamacare" and "massive reform" to health care if Republicans controlled the White House, Senate and House.
..... Democrats, meanwhile, largely ducked questions about how they plan to move forward as they returned.
..... "We're just on Day One, so let's hold that," Senator Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, joked on Capitol Hill on Tuesday. [11/12/2024]
..... Representative Jared Golden, D-Maine, who won reelection in a district that also backed Trump, advised his colleagues to "take a deep breath."
..... Others on the left who won tight races in swing states offered limited advice for their colleagues about how to regain the trust of voters.
..... Senator Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisconsin, who narrowly won reelection 49.4% to 48.5% in the battleground that Trump carried, suggested Democrats needed to listen to voters of all backgrounds - and not count out any potential supporters ahead of the midterm elections.
..... Republicans weren't shy about explaining their agenda for Trump's second administration.
..... Enthusiasm among the party soared Wednesday [11/13/2024] morning when Trump appeared at the House Republican's conference's meeting, greeting his fellow lawmakers in a hotel ballroom and telling them it was "nice to win."
.....
Members beamed as they filed into the lobby of the Hyatt Regency on their way to the Capitol building, just a few blocks away after listening to Trump speak. Many said they were eager to green-light Trump's agenda.
..... Representative Troy Nehis, R-Texas, was decked out in a red Trump tie and $399 gold Trump-branded sneakers. "Everybody here should be smiling," he said, with a grin on his face. Nehis argued Republicans needed to embrace "every single word" of Trump;s mission.
..... "A lot of hard work went into this election cycle. People were very, very happy with it ... and really just taking a minor victory lap," said Representative Byron Donalds R-Florida, one of trump's most steadfast supporters in Congress.
.....
As far as policy priories, GOP lawmakers told USA Today they're still ironing out details, but they pointed to plans that mirror Trump's signature talking points on the campaign trail: ramping up border security, cutting taxes and axing environmental regulations in an effort to lower energy costs as some of their first priorities.
..... To state, the Republican trifecta could pave the way for Trump to appoint cabinet picks of his choosing.
..... Trump has already put forward a slew of loyal sitting senators and House members for posts in his next administration, including Sean tor Marco Rubio, R-Florida, as secretary of state; Representative Matt Gaetz, R-Florida, as attorney general; and Representative Elise Stefanil R-New York, as ambassador to the United Nations. He's also proposed creating a Department of Government Efficiency led by Tesla CEO Elon Musk and former biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, though it's not clear if the new initiative would require Senate confirmation.
.....
The DOGE received widespread praise form House Republicans.
..... Democrats didn't jeer at all of Trump's choices. Senator Mark Warner, D- Virginia, praised Rubio's nomination. Warner, who works with Rubio on the Senate Intelligence Committee, told USA Today his colleagues was a "very strong choice" shortly before trump officially announced Rubio.
..... Other nominees - namely Gaetz - received more push-back, and not just from Democrats, Senator Susan Collins, R-Maine, a more moderate Republican, told reporters she was "shocked" by his nomination to the Justice Department, which previously investigated Gaetz for sex trafficking.
..... Senator Thom Tillis, R-North Carolina, said the Florida Republican would have "a to of work" to get Senate confirmation.
..... "We got 53 members, not a Democrat that's going to vote for him,' Tillis said. "I'm sure it'll make for a popcorn-eating confirmation."
..... Contributing: Riley Beggin, Savannah Kuchar and Sudiksha Kochi, USA Today.