Tag In, Mr. Speaker
Today’s edition looks forward to the week ahead in Washington.
The overnight Senate vote-a-rama was an appetizer. If President Donald Trump gets his way, the main course for a budget blueprint will be served next week in the House.
BGOV legislative analyst Karl Evers-Hillstrom explains the details of what’s inside the House measure (H. Con. Res. 14) and subscribers can catch up on the action in the Senate in this morning’s edition of the BGOV Budget Brief.
Meanwhile, lawmakers are well aware a potential government shutdown is three weeks away, and talks about avoiding that will get a little more urgent the closer we get to March 14.
Senate Appropriations Committee Vice Chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.) told senior budget reporter Jack Fitzpatrick lawmakers are “extremely close” to a preliminary government funding deal, but Democrats are demanding no-impoundment assurances be part of any agreement.
Democrats don’t trust Trump will stick to the priorities set in any bipartisan funding deal — a constitutional fight that’s making negotiations trickier than usual. Murray said her caucus won’t support a funding deal until they’re sure Trump “won’t just take our bill that we worked really hard on and rip it up.”
In Court: Restraining Orders
We’ll be watching cases challenging Trump‘s ability to legally fire whoever he wants, and following the oral arguments when the Supreme Court on Wednesday hears the case of a straight woman who says she was passed over for a job and later demoted so her employer could advance LGBTQ+ employees.
The reverse discrimination case asks the justices to examine whether a higher burden of proof was demanded of the plaintiff because she’s from a majority group. The court has an opportunity to use this case to shed light on what actions constitute illegal bias against a majority group.
The justices were also asked by Trump to lift a temporary restraining order and let him eject Hampton Dellinger, the head of a federal whistleblower agency. The president wants the court to carve out an exception to the usual rule that temporary restraining orders can’t be appealed. Their response could come any time.
And on Monday, a lower court in Virginia will hear arguments about a request to block the ouster of 11 US intelligence officers.
Read More:
- Trump Tests His Sway at Supreme Court in Push to Oust Official
- Firing of 11 US Intelligence DEIA Workers Stayed, Hearing Set
Completing the Cabinet
The West Wing’s Cabinet Room will have one less empty seat after Howard Lutnick is sworn in today to lead the Commerce Department. After that, the next step toward filling out the Cabinet happens Thursday, when the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee votes on sending labor secretary nominee and ex-Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer to the Senate floor.
Her past support for pro-union legislation raised some eyebrows among Republicans, with Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) especially critical. Chavez-DeRemer used this week’s confirmation hearing to signal her policy approach at the Labor Department won’t be swayed by her union ties.
Other hearings to watch next week include one on foreign aid by the House’s DOGE subcommittee and one on reining-in pharmacy benefit managers to lower drug costs by a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee.
Eye on the Economy
Last month, the trend lines were pessimistic in the Conference Board’s survey of consumer confidence. Complaints that jobs are harder to get were up. The number of people saying business conditions are good was down.
The board’s next monthly snapshot will be released Tuesday.
It’s one of three key pieces of economic data due out next week alongside numbers on January’s new home sales coming Wednesday, and the Federal Reserve’s preferred gauge of inflation for January on Friday.
Futile Floor Vote
Democrats can’t control much about what happens in the Senate, but next week offers an opportunity to use what little power they have to make a point
Under the rules, resolutions seeking the termination of executive orders get special treatment — including strict timelines for floor consideration. Senators will vote on ending Trump’s declared energy national emergency.
Sponsor Tim Kaine (D-Va.), who’s among the opponents who predict Trump’s declaration will be good for Big Oil and bad for consumer prices, told reporters he doesn’t expect Republicans to vote yes on his measure (S.J. Res. 10).
“I’m a pretty realistic guy,” he said. “I don’t think we’re going into this thinking that, barely six weeks into the Trump administration, everybody’s gonna say, ‘I’m saying you’re right.’”
— Kellie Lunney
Two More Heads of State Come to Town
French President Emmanuel Macron will visit the White House Monday. He’ll be followed Thursday by UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Ukraine will be a chief topic of discussion at both meetings, which come at a fraught time for Europe, where national leaders are divided on approaches to their defense needs and the best approaches for ending the war.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said during a Bloomberg TV interview Thursday that sanctions against Russia are a bargaining chip, and the US is prepared to either ramp up or take down penalties based on the Kremlin’s willingness to negotiate. “The president is committed to ending this conflict very quickly,” he said. Subscribers can watch the interview here.
Read More:
- US Puts Russian Sanctions on the Table in Ukraine War Talks
- Macron Wants EU to Revamp Defense Strategy
Midterm Flip Hopes Flop
Already parsing the political landscape for 2026?
So is Trump, who told the Republican Governors Association last night that he thinks the GOP will improve on its tiny House majority in the midterm elections: “I think we’re going to do great. I think we’re going to really increase our margins by a lot.”
Of course, that’s just half of the congressional picture. Our election guru Greg Giroux explains that the party in power has every reason to be optimistic about maintaining dominance in the Senate, where Republicans are defending 22 of the 35 races scheduled for 2026.
Democrats would need a four-seat gain to take over — something they haven’t accomplished in almost two decades.
- Republicans Hold an Early Edge to Keep Senate Majority in 2026
- McConnell Senate Seat Likely to Stay Republican With Deep Bench
- Mapping the Senate Scene in 2026: BGOV OnPoint
Before You Go
A hat tip to the Washington Post for this story on the deal that will let one of Elon Musk’s DOGE engineers see anonymized tax data rather than what was first requested: the ability to see and in some cases edit detailed information — including bank accounts, payment balances, Social Security and other personal identification numbers and, in some instances, medical information — on virtually every individual, business and nonprofit in the country.
And from our team, a few stories to get you up to speed on Big Apple aspirations, activists in town, what became of a briefly high-profile DOGE-er, and a scoop by Roxana Tiron and Tony Capaccio on what to watch at the Defense Department:
- Trump Asserts Power Over NYC and Proclaims ‘Long Live the King’
- Ambitious MAGA Republicans Hunt for Trump Bump as Others Skip CPAC
- DOGE Staffer Behind Racist Posts Reinstated at Social Security
- Pentagon Said to Have 55,000 Probationary Workers at Risk of Firing
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