NDAA Glidepath
Military policy negotiators will see the first fruits of their labors tonight when the House Rules Committee sets up the parameters for a fast floor debate.
The $901 billion compromise National Defense Authorization Act was tailored to minimize hiccups and move as fast as possible to President Donald Trump’s desk.
It includes a victory for China hawks with language that would block some Chinese biotechnology companies from US government-funded contracts. It also would let the Trump administration bar US investment in Chinese artificial intelligence and advanced computing.
In response to concerns about the military actions off the coast of Venezuela, the bill would require Secretary Pete Hegseth to submit all unedited videos of the strikes against alleged drug-running boats. And a provision with a particularly widespread constituency would authorize a 3.8% pay increase for the troops.
Today’s rules meeting is intended to set up a full House vote tomorrow. For more detail on those and other major provisions, see the BGOV Bill Analysis: Fiscal 2026 Defense Authorization Agreement
Also Read: Trump Warns Maduro Days Are Numbered, Politico Reports
Trump Hitting the Road
Trump is headed to the Poconos today for the first foray in a domestic travel push designed to address persistent voter frustration over inflation and affordability concerns, Courtney Subramanian and Jarrell Dillard report.
The trip to the Mount Airy Casino Resort is part of a White House attempt to execute a reset following a string of political defeats and growing signals Americans are feeling the pinch of high costs and a slowing job market.
For Trump — who returned to the White House on a promise to bring down the cost of living — the risk is running into the same economic headwinds that bedeviled his predecessor, Joe Biden. Read More
Also Read: US Farmers Say $12 Billion Bailout Won’t End Industry Slump
Campaign Finance Test
The Supreme Court will hear arguments today in a campaign-finance case that could end up weakening limits on coordination between party committees such as the NRSC and DCCC and individual campaigns.
Those caps were enacted in 1974.
As Justin Wise previewed, the case is the latest test of how the conservative-dominated court views campaign finance regulations and whether they violate constitutional speech rights.
Texas-Sized $$
Super PACs and other outside groups are already spending money to influence next year’s Senate race in Texas.
Filings show that Texans for a Conservative Majority already has spent $13.3 million, Kate Ackley reports. That group backs incumbent John Cornyn (R), who faces a Republican primary challenge from Rep. Wesley Hunt and state Attorney General Ken Paxton.
“Given the importance of the Texas Senate seat and given how expensive it is to compete statewide in Texas, with so many expensive media markets, I certainly expect hundreds of millions of dollars to be spent, when all is said and done,” said former Federal Election Commission Chairman Michael Toner. “It has the potential to be the most expensive Senate race in the country.” Read More
Two-term Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett has thrown her hat in the race to unseat Cornyn. She joins what’s now a baker’s dozen of House members who are running for seats in the less-crowded chamber on the other side of the Capitol. In today’s Congress Tracker newsletter, Greg Giroux looks at how the House has long served as a launching pad for senators.
Abortion Politics
FDA Commissioner Marty Makary and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have told lawmakers and state attorneys general for months that they are actively conducting a review of the abortion drug mifepristone. But behind the scenes, Makary has told agency officials to delay the safety review until after the midterms, Charles Gorrivan, Riley Griffin, and Rachel Cohrs Zhang report.
Pushing that study beyond next year’s elections has the potential to help minimize the role of abortion in the campaign debates. A 2024 Pew survey found majorities of moderate or liberal Republicans say abortion should be legal in all or most cases.
Though many leading medical organizations have long deemed the drug safe, some lawmakers want the new study as part of an effort to roll back Biden-era policies that made the abortion pill available without an in-person doctor’s visit.
HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon said assertions of slow-walking for political reasons are baseless. “FDA’s comprehensive scientific reviews take the time necessary to get the science right,” he said. Read More
Redistricting Update
The Indiana Senate Elections Committee has advanced a Republican redistricting bill favoring the GOP in all nine districts.
Giroux reports that several Republicans who voted to advance the map said it still needed more vetting and debate in the full Senate, which plans to to take up the measure tomorrow and vote on final passage Thursday.
OPINION: Redistricting Case’s Repercussions
Looking ahead at some of the potential consequences of Texas’ redistricting victory in the Supreme Court, NYU professor Rick Pildes writes for Bloomberg Law that the decision could have broad implications for election law.
By shutting down federal court oversight so early in the election cycle, state legislatures appear to gain a path to game federal law, according to Pildes: If they change election policies close to the election, federal courts might be prohibited from interfering. Read More
More on the Economy
Today’s the drumroll, tomorrow’s the cymbal crash. Federal Reserve decision-makers will open a two-day meeting that’s widely expected to end with a vote to lower interest rates.
“Expectations for a quarter-point rate cut have been cemented by continued signs of weakness in the employment market, although it’s certain to be one of the most contentious rate decisions in recent history,” according to BMO strategist Ian Lyngen.
As for what to anticipate next, White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett — a top candidate to succeed Jerome Powell when the Fed chair’s term is up in May — said it would be irresponsible for officials to lay out a plan for where the Fed aims to take interest rates over the next six months. Read More
See Also: Risk to Fed Independence Troubles Kavanaugh in Trump Firing Fight
Tariff Watch
Two developments on the Mexico tariff front to know about this morning:
First, Trump is threatening to add an additional 5% tariff on imports if that country doesn’t release water for south Texas farms. The administration says the release is required under a 1944 treaty, Josh Wingrove reports. Read More
Separately, Mexico’s Congress is trying to get Trump’s attention with a vote on a proposal to impose tariffs of up to 50% on imports from Asia, and China in particular. Gonzalo Soto, Eric Martin, and Alex Vasquez report that the proposed levies would apply to a wide range of products, icluding clothing, footwear, steel, aluminum, and auto parts. Read More
In addition, Trump signaled he could impose fresh tariffs on agricultural products. The president said he would “take care” of alleged dumping of Indian rice into the US, and suggested he could target fertilizer imported from Canada to boost domestic production. Read More
The National Defense Authorization Act is one of Congress’ pieces of must-pass legislation, worth a total of $900.6 billion.
Join BGOV’s reporters and analysts on Dec. 11 at 1 p.m. for a deep dive webinar into the bill, what its policy choices mean going forward, and how it fits into the larger spending debates in Washington. Register Here
Before You Go
Bargaining Chips: Trump’s decision to allow Nvidia Corp. to sell advanced chips to China marks more than just a shift in US tech policy. It also raises questions about how far he’ll go to steady ties with Xi Jinping. Read More
Lobbying: Zach Williams reports that retailers are objecting to legislation (
Executive Order Setback: A federal judge has ruled that an executive order directing government agencies to halt issuing new wind leases and permits was illegal. Mark Chediak and Ari Natter report that the litigation challenges one of the edicts issued on Trump’s first day in office. Read More
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