Axios Hill Leaders

December 12, 2025
Buckle up! 703 words, 2.5 minutes.
- ๐ Hoosiers reject Trump, Johnson
- ๐ Movement on impeachment
- โก๏ธ Health care reset
1 big thing: ๐ Hoosiers reject Trump, Johnson
Indiana Republicans didn't just blow off President Trump today in the 31-19 state Senate vote rejecting a mid-cycle redistricting. They embarrassed him.
Why it matters: They also rejected House Speaker Mike Johnson, depriving him of two additional seats he clearly wanted.
- Johnson made an eleventh-hour push in Indiana, directly calling state lawmakers to urge them to back the new maps.
- But 21 Indiana state Senate Republicans joined the chamber's 10 Democrats to vote against the new maps, Axios Indianapolis reports.
๐ฌ Johnson tried to shrug off the stinging defeat. "I wouldn't call it a setback," he told us.
- "There's as many as 14 or 15 states now engaged in redistricting efforts, and they all come out however they come out."
- "I've got to deal with whatever maps are finally presented in each state, and we're going to win regardless."
The bottom line: After the vote, GOP Indiana Gov. Mike Braun vowed to work with Trump to "challenge" the Republicans who blocked the redistricting.
- "Ultimately, decisions like this carry political consequences," Braun said.
โ Kate Santaliz and Hans Nichols
2. ๐ Movement on impeachment
Today's impeachment vote was far less lopsided than one in June, when 128 House Democrats voted with Republicans to block an impeachment motion against President Trump.
- Only 23 Democrats voted with Republicans this time around.
Between the lines: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) and Democratic caucus chair Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) all shifted from voting to block impeachment in June to voting "present" today.
- So did DCCC chair Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.), former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and former House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.).
- The vote was forced by Rep. Al Green (D-Texas), who pointed to Trump saying last month that a video of House Democrats urging military service members to disobey lawful orders was "SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH."
The bottom line: Many Democrats despise using impeachment as a political tool, but don't want to be seen as supporting Trump's actions and risk angering the party base.
- "I hate it," one senior House Democrat told us on the condition of anonymity to speak candidly about a sensitive vote.
- "This is not a team effort," another House Democrat told us. "It puts us in a difficult position."
โย Andrew Solender
3. โก๏ธ Health care reset
Hope springs eternal for moderate Senate Democrats who want to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits for millions of Americans.
Why it matters: But today's failed vote in the Senate guarantees that health insurance rates will spike Jan. 1, the old deadline to cut a deal.
- "The toothpaste is out of the tube," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told us when we asked him about the chances of bipartisan talks next year.
- Schumer told us Dems are "always open" to talks with Republicans about health care reforms, even as he fumed about the vote.
- Senate Majority Leader John Thune says he's also open to bipartisan dealmaking, but there's deep pessimism about a near-term deal.
Zoom in: Four Republicans voted with Democrats today to extend the ACA tax credits โ Sens. Susan Collins of Maine, Josh Hawley of Missouri and Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan of Alaska.
- Democrats will need nine or 10 more.
- "There's a commitment on both sides of the aisle" to reach a compromise on health care that can pass the Senate, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), told us today.
- Last month, she helped find eight Democrats to vote with Republicans to end the government shutdown.
What we're watching: The push to extend the subsidies may come from the House, where moderate GOP lawmakers are lining up behind a discharge petition to extend the ACA tax credits, despite their leadership's wishes.
- Democrats this year fractured on how to hold the line against Republicans in negotiations over health care. It's a trend to watch closely in 2026.
The bottom line: Even Senate optimists acknowledge the need for a reset.
- Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), another key moderate, said lawmakers have to "get by some of the noise right now" before they have an "earnest conversation" about reforms next year.
โ Stephen Neukam and Hans Nichols
This newsletter was edited by Justin Green and copy edited by Kathie Bozanich.
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