Republicans ready plans for total power

• Barrasso said he and Sens. Lindsey Graham (S.C.) and Mike Crapo (Idaho) — top Republicans on the Budget and Finance committees — have been holding "breakout meetings" over the summer and fall to discuss what they might be able to get done through reconciliation.
• Reconciliation is a process that would allow the Senate to bypass the required 60-vote threshold to pass certain priorities. "We've been moving along on this," Barrasso said.
• Barrasso said he hopes to work on energy policies right off the bat.

Zoom out: With his all-but-guaranteed spot in senior leadership and good relationship with Trump, Barrasso will be a key power broker next Congress.

• He said he would work well with any of the leader candidates — Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.), John Cornyn (R-Tex.) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and did not weigh in on how he thought that race might shake out.
• "If you ask any of the members of the Senate Republicans... they're going to say, 'I'm good friends with all three of them. I like all three of them, and looking forward to having a new leader,'" he said.

• He also told Axios he has confidence that all three have strong enough relationships with Trump to get things done.

What he's saying: Barrasso was effusive in his praise of president-elect.

• "His strength is remarkable," Barrasso said. "I think people were more focused on his record and his rhetoric, and... on his policies, more than a personality. And he carried the day."