What to Know in Washington: Moody’s First Election Test in 2026

Florida’s newest senator has a head start on ambitious Republicans eyeing her seat in 2026. But first, you should know:

• #Resist has fewer sharp elbows to throw at Donald Trump 2.0 if Democrats’ recent votes are any indication.
• The Supreme Court could rule today on a law that threatens to shut down TikTok.
• One of Joe Biden’s top economic advisers has a warning for Trump on Fed interference.

Moody Faces First Election Test in 2026

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody (R) — about to take Sen. Marco Rubio’s (R) seat in the Senate — will have almost two years in her new job to burnish her statewide political profile before she faces voters, Greg Giroux reports.

A proven vote-getter and an early favorite in a 2026 special election to complete the remainder of the six-year term Rubio won in 2022, She’ll benefit from incumbency and her state’s rightward trend. As a reliable vote for Donald Trump’s priorities, Moody could ward off opposition in the 2026 Republican primary — the key contest for the seat.

She may face intraparty opposition from Rep. Cory Mills (R), who endorsed Trump over Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) for president. Rep. Kat Cammack (R) also sought the appointment, but DeSantis made it clear he wouldn’t pick someone from the House and further narrow the GOP’s thin majority.

Moody could enter the race with a boost if she gets backing from Trump, whom she courted over the years. She aligned with Trump on the 2020 presidential election, when Florida joined a long-shot lawsuit Texas attorney general Ken Paxton (R) brought in the US Supreme Court to challenge election results in four states Trump lost to Joe Biden.

The state has multiple ambitious Republicans eyeing statewide office in 2026, when DeSantis won’t be defending the governorship because of term limits. Rep. Byron Donalds (R) is interested in that job. Read More

• Also Read: House Special Elections Planned to Stem Shrinking GOP Majority

Democrats Enter Second Trump Era Blunted

Donald Trump faces a much different posture from Democrats in Congress as he prepares to take the oath of office for the second time, Jonathan Tamari reports.

A party that saw his first victory as a fluke of electoral math now faces a president who won the national popular vote and gained ground with traditionally Democratic constituencies. After years of warning Trump was a threat to democracy, some Democrats now say the election results show the need for a more intense focus on what people think about in their everyday lives.

Democratic leaders emphasize voters’ frustration with high costs, while rank-and-file lawmakers jumped on board with early GOP border security bills. “America is too expensive,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said in his opening speech this Congress.

Days later, 48 House Democrats voted for the Laken Riley Act, a bill requiring the detention of undocumented immigrants arrested for crimes such as theft. Another 33 Democratic senators supported a procedural step on the proposal.

The two steps show how Democrats are thinking about two of the issues that cost them — and drove Trump and fellow Republicans to — victory. Read More

Read BGOV’s Congress Tracker for our breakdown of lawmakers’ agenda and the politics driving it.

Biden’s Final Week

Biden Will Commute Another 2,500 Sentences, White House Says

President Joe Biden will commute the sentences of nearly 2,500 non-violent drug offenders whose sentences were longer than they’d receive under current standards, the White House said in a statement on Friday.

Biden Forgives $600 Million of Student Debt in Final-Days Effort

President Joe Biden is canceling $600 million in student loans, the final round of his administration’s piecemeal debt forgiveness efforts after the Supreme Court blocked a sweeping plan to wipe away borrowers’ balances.

Biden Makes Last-Minute Bid to Thwart Arctic Oil Drilling

The Biden administration advanced a plan to limit oil drilling and infrastructure across more of Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve, a bid to lock in land protections and conservation requirements days before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

EPA Bolsters Scientific Integrity Policy Ahead of Trump Arrival

The EPA has issued an update to its scientific integrity policy just days before President-elect Donald Trump returns to office, strengthening protections against abuses alleged during his first administration.

Biden Adviser Warns Trump Risks Inflation If He Meddles With Fed

A top economic adviser to President Joe Biden warned that Donald Trump’s incoming administration risks reigniting inflation if it interferes with the Federal Reserve’s policymaking on interest rates.

The Trump Transition

Supreme Court Sets Friday as Opinion Day With TikTok Pending

The US Supreme Court signaled it is likely to rule Friday on a law that threatens to shut down the TikTok video-sharing platform.

ACLU Gears Up for Legal Skirmishes Over Trump Immigration Orders

The ACLU and immigrants’ rights organizations, along with Democratic state officials, are bracing for quick impact when Trump takes office Monday.

Trump 2.0 to Set Off Fresh Round of Labor Board Flip-Flopping

The start of the second Trump administration will trigger a partisan shift at the National Labor Relations Board, where the accomplishments of the past four years will become the targets of the next board majority and top agency lawyer.

US Audit Board Braces for Agenda Shake-Up in Trump’s Second Term

The pending political transition in Washington is poised to put the US audit watchdog and its agenda in limbo, scuttling efforts to rewrite its outdated rulebook and upending the regulator’s priorities.

FDA’s Califf Applauds Workforce Talent Ahead of Trump’s Return

FDA Commissioner Robert Califf is giving credit to his talent-filled federal workforce at the end of his tenure as the agency braces for a Trump administration that has teased major changes to the nation’s food and drug regulator.

Trump Plans to Designate Cryptocurrency as a National Priority

President-elect Donald Trump is planning to release an executive order elevating crypto as a policy priority and giving industry insiders a voice within his administration, according to people familiar with the plans.

Trump Gets New Tool to Fight China With Findings on Shipbuilding

A US government investigation concluded that Chinese subsidies unfairly benefit the nation’s shipbuilding industry and harm American competitors, a decision that likely sets the stage for tariffs.

Trump Expected to Pick Curran as Director of Secret Service: CNN

President-elect Donald Trump is expected to pick his current Secret Service detail leader, Sean Curran, to be the new director of the US Secret Service, CNN reports, citing multiple unnamed people.