What the Democrats Got
As the record-long government shutdown nears its end, Democrats can celebrate at least one small victory in their bipartisan negotiations: RIF reversals.
The Senate package would rescind more than 4,000 federal worker layoffs executed during the shutdown and includes language on back pay for those furloughed. In addition, it would bar further reductions in the workforce until temporary funding expires Jan. 30.
Score that as a loss for Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought, who President Donald Trump previously crowned as the “grim reaper” when it came to slashing federal jobs. Vought previously said the administration was aiming to ax “north of 10,000" federal jobs. OMB didn’t respond to a request for comment on RIF reversals.
The legislation also follows a decision by a federal judge last month that halted further layoffs of federal workers, declaring such moves unlawful.
Democrats remain deeply divided on the deal and how far it goes on their health care fight and extending Affordable Care Act subsidies set to expire at the end of the year. But the party was unified and vocal against the Trump administration’s mass layoffs of federal workers. Some moderate Senate Republicans, like key negotiator Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), are also in favor of rolling back federal firings.
In the House, Leader Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.) is whipping the Democratic caucus against the new CR due to its shortcomings on extending the ACA subsidies. House conservatives may be disappointed by the deal blocking some of Vought’s firings, but aren’t expected to be an issue when it comes to the floor vote set for tonight.
The House is in the House
House lawmakers return to Washington today. Speaker Mike Johnson has got a lengthy to-do list for them after seven weeks away.
He’s starting at 4 p.m. by swearing in Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva. The Democrat was elected by Arizonans in September, but Johnson’s refused to swear her in while the House was out of session, Maeve Sheehey reports. Read More
The House is scheduled to vote tonight on the Senate-passed stopgap bill (
In BGOV’s Congress Tracker, Sheehey breaks down what else to expect as the chamber gets moving again.
The pressure’s on to get the government open fast. The Supreme Court extended its pause on federal food aid, likely ensuring that millions of low-income families won’t get assistance until the government reopens.
The administration’s pushing for that to happen. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned air travel could “radically slow down” this weekend if the government remains closed, adding, “the House has to do its work.” This morning, however, saw fewer flight cancellations since Duffy ordered flight cutbacks.
See Also:
- House Poised to End Historic Shutdown Over Democrats’ Objections
- Crypto Regulations Bill Timing Slips on Delays During Shutdown
Trump’s Dinner Dates Tonight
Trump will welcome Wall Street to the White House tonight, when JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon and other financial industry executives join the president for dinner.
The dinner comes as Trump faces rising political pressure on the economy and affordability. And while he won the finance industry’s support in 2024, actions like his sweeping tariffs, immigration crackdown on visas for top international talent, and attacks on Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell have tested those ties. Read More
The president may still have olive branches to offer. In a Fox News interview that aired last night, Trump said he plans to lower some tariffs. He also defended H-1B visas, saying the US needs skilled workers from abroad.
“You don’t have certain talents” in the US, Trump said in the pre-taped interview. “And you have to, people have to learn. You can’t take people off, like an unemployment line, and say, ‘I’m going to put you into a factory. We’re going to make missiles.’” Read More
See Also:
- Fed’s Barr Calls for Guardrails as Financial Sector Adopts AI
- Trump’s 50-Year Mortgage Loses Steam as Industry Questions Costs
How a Growing Lobby Shop Stays Curious
As Monument Advocacy approaches its 20th anniversary, founder Stewart Verdery is reflecting on his firm’s journey from a one-person shop to a multi-city enterprise. The one-stop lobby shop has kept that small-firm approach as the advocacy ecosystem required for engaging with Congress continues to expand.
“Advocacy means a lot more than lobbying,” he writes in a lobbying insight for Bloomberg Government. “The days when a well-connected lobbyist in a smoke-filled room could cut a deal with a senator have been over for a while.” Read More
Before You Go
New Base, Who’s This: The US military is exploring whether to build a temporary base capable of housing 10,000 people near the Gaza Strip as part of its push for a stabilization force of troops from other countries to monitor a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. A White House spokeswoman downplayed the request, calling the document “a single piece of paper produced by random people within the military.” Read More
‘Turn the Volume Up': New York City’s incoming mayor Zohran Mamdani encouraged Trump to ‘turn the volume up’ in his victory speech last week. Now, White House officials say they’re gearing up to do just that, reviewing federal funds that benefit the city to potentially suspend or cancel. Read More
Climate Rebuttal: California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) swept into the COP30 climate summit in Brazil with all the fanfare of a head of state, and cast himself as the antidote to Trump. He also declared a planned Trump administration proposal to sell new oil drilling rights off the West Coast “dead on arrival.” Read More
Add Us To Your Inbox
To get Starting Line for free on weekday mornings, sign up here.
To contact the reporter on this story:
To contact the editors responsible for this story: