President-elect Trump is leaving the rest of his GOP trifecta hanging on their reconciliation stalemate.

Why it matters: Republican leaders on both sides of the Capitol have no interest in going against Trump's wishes.

• He has the power to quickly end this debate, but we're no closer after tonight's meeting with Senate Republicans.
• Trump pitched the idea of a single "beautiful bill," Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) told reporters after the meeting. That's where the momentum is headed, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said.
• "[H]e heard from us and from our leader that a two-bill strategy is very much still very interested in," Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) told reporters.

But Trump keeps making it clear: He really doesn't care about the process.

• That apparent indifference on this key question will force the House and Senate GOP members to attempt to resolve their differences among themselves.

Inside the room: Trump went over some of his early executive order plans, two sources in the room told us.

• Stephen Miller walked through the Day 1 immigration orders in detail, three sources told us. On his list is reimplementing Title 42, the pandemic-era rule that allows for the rapid expulsion of migrants at the border.
• About a dozen senators spoke during the meeting, with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) giving the most passionate defense of the two-bill strategy, two sources told us.
• Trump invited the senators and their spouses to Mar-a-Lago but didn't name a date, two sources told us. We scooped his plans for a Senate bash last night.

The bottom line: If the one bill versus two question is hard, agreeing to a topline number should be a real treat.

P.S. Top Trump campaign staffer Alex Latcham will be executive director of the Senate Leadership Fund, with former Sen. Cory Gardner serving as CEO and chairman of the board, we scooped tonight.

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— Stef Kight and Hans Nichols

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is privately pressing his members to create fireworks when they question Trump nominees in the coming weeks, we scooped today.

Why it matters: "Republicans spent four years attacking the Democratic brand and we need to use the hearings to begin returning the favor," Schumer told his top committee Democrats in a meeting this afternoon.

• Schumer reminded senators they have an opportunity to seize the narrative from a GOP that is convinced the public is on its side on the economy, the border and cultural issues.

📺 Watch these Dem senators, who are in prime committee positions to carry out Schumer's orders:

• Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, a combat veteran who lost both of her legs serving in Iraq, has jabbed at defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth on his views about women serving in combat. She's on Armed Services.
• First-term Sens. Andy Kim of New Jersey, Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware and Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland will have a chance to stick out when HHS nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faces Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.
• Sen. Adam Schiff of California made a name for himself in the House for prosecuting the impeachment case against Trump. Watch out for how he approaches attorney general nominee Pam Bondi's hearing.

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— Stephen Neukam

Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) is fresh off his victory over one of the last red-state Democrats and has his next target: fixing how the feds fight wildfires.

Why it matters: Sheehy told us he's focused on passing reforms to the system as his first move in the Senate — as fires ravage Los Angeles County.

• "Our ability to respond to wildfires — which was my job, I'm a water bomber pilot — is fundamentally broken," Sheehy said.
• The senator sees fellow freshmen Schiff and Kim as potential bipartisan partners on the issue.

Zoom in: As a former Navy SEAL, Sheehy has landed seats on the Armed Services committee as well as Veterans' Affairs.

• He wants to reform the Department of Defense, which he believes is dangerously unprepared for war.
• "I would vote in favor of additional defense spending once we have fixed our acquisition process," Sheehy said. He was co-founder of an aerospace company that contracted with the government.

What to watch: Sheehy also says he'd be "happy" if TikTok is banned. He'll have a seat on the Commerce committee.

• "The Chinese government is taking a whole-of-government approach to undermine the integrity of, basically, our national sovereignty, and they're using it to poison the minds of our kids," Sheehy told us.
• Trump tried to ban TikTok during his first administration but has had a change of heart.

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— Stef Kight

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is tapping White House staffer Jon Donenberg as Democratic staff director on the Senate Banking Committee.

Why it matters: Corporate America — not to mention the banking industry — is bracing for Warren's prominent new position as the committee's ranking member.

• Warren wants to help define her party's response to the deep concerns Americans have about the economy and inflation.
• By reuniting with Donenberg, her longtime top policy and political aide, Warren will hit the ground running in the 119th Congress.
• It's another signal Warren will use her high-profile position to advocate for direct subsidies to consumers and eviscerate corporate America if she thinks they are ripping off consumers.

Zoom out: During Obama's first term, Warren played a key role in establishing the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and advocated for holding banks to account for the causes of the 2008 financial crisis.

• After losing to Biden in the 2020 primary, she turned her focus to seeding his administration with some of her trusted protégés.
• At the White House, Donenberg focused on Biden's response to junk fees and price gouging.

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— Hans Nichols