What to Know in Washington: Fast Trump Start Hits Congress Snag

Donald Trump’s unstoppable force just hit Washington’s immovable object — Congress. But first, you should know:

Lobbyists with ties to new GOP committee chairs are ready to schmooze.
Trump expanded ICE’s authority to arrest migrants and closes avenues for asylum seekers.
Trump is open to Elon Musk or Larry Ellison buying TikTok.

Trump’s Fast Start Hits Congress Snag

The blistering pace President Donald Trump set enacting his agenda since his inauguration hit the same snag congressional Republicans have been caught on since the start of the year.

His first meeting with congressional Republican leaders Tuesday produced little clarity as the clock ticks on government funding deadlines and the often fleeting momentum of a new leader’s first months in office, Jonathan Tamari reports.

Republicans are still split on how to pass an extension of Trump’s 2017 tax cuts and enacting tough border policies, showing that making permanent policy will be far more challenging and delicate than the executive actions the president barreled through so far. One thing was clear: Trump wants the debt limit off his plate as he pushes the rest of his agenda.

Here are three takeaways from the first big White House-Congress meeting of Trump’s second term:

Unity Still Absent: Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Republicans have “a plan pretty well formulated” to maneuver their tax cuts and border measures through Congress. But he wouldn’t say what the plan is. Senate Majority John Thune (R-S.D.) said Republicans are “all interested in getting to the same destination” but they have to “figure out how to stage it.”
Legislating is Hard: Trump has yet to show he can manage the finer details of working complex legislation through Congress. The meeting was more about “strategy” rather than specific policy details, said House Republican Conference Chair Lisa McClain (R-Mich.). Trump and GOP leaders touched on “everything,” from the debt limit to government funding, to wildfire aid for California, she added. Trump isn’t known for policy nuance, but the GOP might need him to be to resolve their differences.
Debt Limit Looms: Trump is angling for a two-year debt limit suspension like the one that’s been in place since then-President Joe Biden negotiated a bipartisan deal in 2023, Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.) said. Lawmakers discussed suspending the debt limit in reconciliation, a proposal that’s sure to cause heartburn with the dozens of conservatives who’ve never voted for such an increase. It’s a rare area that could produce a clash between the GOP’s hard right and the president they follow. Read More

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

Lobbyists Lean on Ties to Panel Chairs

A new set of lawmakers stepped into powerful chairmanships in the 119th Congress. A new slate of lobbyists may be informally elevated alongside them.

When a former boss or long-time pal ascends the hierarchy of appropriations, banking, energy, and tax-writing panels, lobbyists can benefit, Kate Ackley reports. That’s because corporations and industry groups seek to hire consultants with policy insight and deep ties to those holding the gavels and setting the agendas.

“Being close to a chairman, when you’re a lobbyist, means money,” said McGehee Strategies founder Meredith McGehee, who’s advocated for revolving-door restrictions.

Those relationships can prove helpful to clients. Lobbyists with ties to chairs are more likely to secure meetings. That can be a first step in influencing a policy outcome, lobbyists and those who study Congress and K Street interaction said.

New House Financial Services Chair French Hill (R-Ark.) said he seeks advice from former colleagues and old friends. Lobbyists connected to House Energy and Commerce Chair Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) and Senate Environment and Public Works Chair Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) also said they’ve met with them over the years.

Recent former lawmakers and top aides are subject to cooling-off periods when they’re not permitted to lobby. Many ex-aides, though, have been in the private sector long enough that they don’t face any restrictions. Read More

Trump Expands ICE’s Power to Arrest

President Donald Trump vowed to enact the largest mass deportation operation in US history. Two days into his second term, he’s showing how he plans to make that promise a reality.

Acting Homeland Security Secretary Benjamine Huffman expanded immigration agents’ authority Tuesday, allowing them to make arrests at previously protected locations like schools, churches, and places of worship. The move eliminates safeguards meant to ensure immigrants could access essential services without fear of arrest. It’s the latest expansion of Trump’s immigration crackdown, targeting an estimated 11 million people in the country illegally.

Trump is also disbanding Biden-era task force that worked to reunite roughly 4,600 children with their parents — families who were separated due to Trump policies from his first term. As of March 2024, about 70% were reunited with their families, according to a DHS status report.

The administration is slowing legal immigration. The Trump team reinstated a controversial policy that forced asylum seekers to wait in Mexico while their cases are adjudicated in US immigration courts. Most migrants subjected to the policy were ultimately denied asylum. The administration also abruptly ended the CBP One app system, which allowed migrants to schedule appointments along the southern border. The moves close legal avenues for most asylum seekers. Read More

The Justice Department has also ordered criminal investigations into state and local actors that obstruct federal immigration orders, Ben Penn and Ellen M. Gilmer report. A “newly established Sanctuary Cities Enforcement Working Group,” which involves the Civil Division, will focus on identifying state and local laws that clash with executive branch immigration initiatives and to challenge those policies in court where appropriate, according to an internal memo obtained by Bloomberg Law..

“The Justice Department’s responsibility” includes “aggressive enforcement of laws enacted by Congress, as well as vigorous defense of the President’s actions on behalf of the United States against legal challenges,” says the memo from Emil Bove, who had been Trump’s criminal defense lawyer and was installed Jan. 20 as DOJ’s interim second-in-command and top political appointee. “The Department’s personnel must come together in the offices that taxpayers have funded to do this vitally important work.” Read More

GOP Health Care Agenda Faces Steep Obstacles, Wild Card in Trump

Health policy-focused Republicans contend lawmakers are ready to capitalize on the opportunity to enact sweeping health agenda items the party has wanted for years, despite the barriers.

Ted Cruz to Convene Committee Hearing on Panama Canal on Jan. 28

Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, will convene a full committee hearing on the Panama Canal on Jan. 28 at 10:00am ET, according to a statement.

Hegseth’s Ex-Sister-In-Law Details Claims of Abuse, Drunkenness

Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth’s former sister-in-law alleged he was emotionally abusive to his ex-wife, one time causing her to hide in a closet for her safety, and had a history of drunken and aggressive behavior, according to a sworn affidavit submitted at the request of a top Democrat.

Trump Orders and Actions

Trump Puts Federal DEI Staff on Paid Leave as Cuts Take Shape

Federal employees in diversity, equity and inclusion roles will be placed on paid leave Wednesday as their offices related to those programs are being ordered to shut down after President Donald Trump’s executive orders, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed in a post on X.

Trump Orders Federal Agency Scrutiny of Corporate DEI Programs

President Donald Trump ramped up his criticism of the private sector’s use of diversity, equity, and inclusion principles in a sweeping executive order issued late Tuesday.

Trump Guts Contractor Watchdog’s Anti-Discrimination Power

President Donald Trump revoked the executive order underpinning the Labor Department office responsible for ensuring government contractors comply with anti-discrimination law and maintain affirmative action programs.

Trump Climate Pullback Endangers Crucial Funds for Poor Nations

President Donald Trump pulled the US out of a key climate pact, threatening billions of dollars in support to developing nations.

Trump Energy Order Taps Permitting Power of Water, Species Laws

President Donald Trump’s Energy Emergency declaration is a back door to permitting reform that harnesses emergency provisions of the Clean Water Act and Endangered Species Act to fast-track fossil fuels projects.

H-1B Workers’ Kids Would Lose Citizenship Under Birthright Order

President Donald Trump’s birthright citizenship executive order would encompass the children of immigrants who lawfully live in the US on temporary work visas, including those participating in the H-1B program popular with the tech sector.

Big Companies to See IRS Audit Relief Under Trump Hiring Freeze

The largest and most complex companies will likely catch a break from the IRS with the Trump administration’s new hiring freeze.

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