Axios Live: House Majority Whip Emmer and Sens. Tillis, Slotkin and Hawley join Axios News Shapers

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Lawmakers addressed a range of current issues, including the Jeffrey Epstein files and redistricting efforts to Trump 2.0 and AI, at an Axios News Shapers event on July 23.

Why it matters: After a busy season on Capitol Hill, lawmakers are heading into August recess and will pick back up on key policy issues in September.

Axios' Stephen Neukam, Hans Nichols and Stef Kight spoke with House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) and Sens. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) at the event, sponsored by Bank of America.

What they're saying: Catch up quickly with our biggest takeaways from the event.

• Emmer said he's confident the Senate will pass a crypto market structure bill. "This is a nonpartisan issue," he said.
• While Tillis called for the Epstein files to be released, Emmer said the situation is a "non-issue."
• Slotkin said she is prepared to "go nuclear" over GOP redistricting efforts in Texas.
• Democrats are divided on Trump 2.0, Slotkin said, with some viewing him as an existential threat to democracy, and others thinking he's "bad, but survivable."
• Hawley called for more attention to AI's impact on working people. "If we can get AI to make workers more productive, fantastic," he said. "But I'm worried that's not the trend line that we're on."