Axios Hill Leaders

January 24, 2025
🔥 We're hitting all four corners tonight. 797 words, 3 minutes.
- 😬 Reality bites Chuck
- 👀 Thune's weekend threat
- 🥊 Jeffries vs. Trump
- ⛔️ Mods warn Johnson
1 big thing: 😬 Reality bites Chuck

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is summoning the entire Democratic caucus tomorrow after a surprise meeting left key issues unresolved.
Why it matters: Republicans are already teeing up their next tough vote, and Schumer's members want a clear strategy from the top on protecting Trump-state Democrats.
- Schumer met for over an hour with about a dozen senators this afternoon to discuss general strategy. We scooped the meeting.
- Now Schumer wants to take the pulse of his full membership.
Zoom in: Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has lined up a vote on sanctioning the ICC as the Senate's next legislative piece of business. It could come as early as next week, depending on the pace of Cabinet confirmations.
- The ICC sanctions bill, which imposes penalties on ICC officials involved in prosecuting Americans or citizens of U.S.-allied countries that are not a party to the ICC, has nearly universal support among Republicans.
- But it puts vulnerable Democrats in a difficult political position between pro-Israel groups and progressive activists who think Israeli officials are guilty of war crimes.
What they're saying: "I am reviewing the bill," said Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) after the meeting, declining to say how he planned to vote.
- "I think folks are still trying to work through some amendments and I am going to have to wait and see," Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) told us after meeting with Schumer.
- "I think all of us would like to see the ICC perform differently but do it in a way that ensures that our allies and partners are still supporting and working with us," said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.).
Between the lines: The House and Senate GOP control their chambers' calendars, giving them a tactical advantage over Schumer and the Democrats who represent districts and states that President Trump won in 2024.
- They used the Laken Riley Act, which allows for greater detention of undocumented immigrants, to divide the Democratic caucus and score a quick political win.
What's next: A House GOP bill banning transgender women from playing in women's sports is in the pipeline.
— Stephen Neukam and Hans Nichols
2. 👀 Thune's weekend threat

Thune is making good on his threat to keep the Senate working after hours, vowing to go straight through the weekend if Schumer doesn't cut a deal to speed things up.
- Pete Hegseth for Defense is expected to get a final confirmation vote around 9pm ET tomorrow, if Democrats take up the full 30 hours of debate time.
- Kristi Noem for Homeland Security is up next, with a cloture vote tomorrow and a final vote landing between 3 and 4am on Sunday.
- Scott Bessent for Treasury follows, then Sean Duffy for Transportation. Their final votes could be pushed into early next week.
Zoom in: Hegseth lost two GOP votes — Sens. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine — in today's procedural vote.
- But some Republicans hope Democrats will be more willing to cut deals on the other nominations.
- Noem, Bessent and Duffy were approved by their relevant committees with bipartisan support.
- Noem had just two "no" votes against her and Duffy's vote was unanimous.
The other side: CIA Director John Ratcliffe also won bipartisan support in committee, but Schumer still allowed Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) to ensure the confirmation process took as long as possible.
— Stef Kight
3. 🥊 Jeffries vs. Trump

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries isn't on board with President Trump's version of bipartisan dealmaking.
- "I have not had any communication with the president or the incoming administration on the issue of the GOP tax scam," Jeffries said today.
- He also called it a "nonstarter" to link a debt ceiling increase to aid for California after the wildfires.
Between the lines: Trump, in a virtual address today to World Economic Forum attendees in Davos, Switzerland, said the GOP is "working with the Democrats on getting an extension of the original Trump tax cuts."
— Erin Doherty
4. ⛔️ Mods warn Johnson

The moderate Republicans who saved Speaker Mike Johnson's majority last fall want health care spending cuts yanked off the table.
Why it matters: Medicaid and Obamacare are some of the only buckets of spending big enough to offset the cost of extending the tax cuts in the GOP's reconciliation package.
- Roughly a dozen moderate House Rs told House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) to stay away from cutting health care, Politico reported this afternoon.
Between the lines: One workaround is to decide that extending tax cuts don't require pay-fors after all, as we told you last week.
— Justin Green
This newsletter was edited by Justin Green and copy edited by Kathie Bozanich.
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