House Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-La.) spending deal was already on life support Wednesday. President-elect Trump may have just pulled the plug by coming out against it.
Why it matters: Many GOP lawmakers were waiting to see what Trump said before taking a position on the bill. As one senior House Republican told Axios earlier Wednesday, "If he tweets against this thing, it's dead."
President-elect Trump on Wednesday came out against the 3-month spending stopgap introduced by House Speaker Mike Johnson to avoid a government shutdown.
Why it matters: Trump's opposition could torpedo the bill just two days before the deadline to keep the government running. He further complicated matters for GOP leadership on the Hill with a surprise demand that they raise the debt ceiling.
The big picture: The virus, which has now spread among dairy cattle in 16 states, was detected in 645 California dairies — almost half of them in the last 30 days.
Elon Musk, one of President-elect Trump's closest allies, railed against the bill to avert a looming government shutdown Wednesday, calling on lawmakers to strike down the stopgap measure in a series of tweets.
Why it matters: Musk's discontent is another pressure point on House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) as the Tesla CEO's influence has grown among MAGA-minded lawmakers.
On top of the anticipated conservative opposition to House Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-La.) deal with Democrats to fund the government, consternation is emerging from unusual corners of Congress.
Why it matters: Provisions raising congressional pay and allowing members of Congress to opt out of the Affordable Care Act have some lawmakers sweating the potential political fallout.
The number of first-year Black and Hispanic students enrolled at Harvard Law School this year plummeted almost by half, according to enrollment data released this week.
The big picture: The class of 2027 is the first to be admitted after the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action last year, which many education advocates feared would lead toa decline in diversity in higher education.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) will unveil on Wednesday his list of Senate Democrats who get top committee positions, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: These Senate Democrats will Schumer's top lieutenants to fight against Republican nominees and legislative priorities starting next year.
House Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-La.) deal with Democrats to avoid a government shutdown until March would give members of Congress their first pay raise since 2009 and let them opt out of the Affordable Care Act.
Why it matters: The provisions — particularly the pay raise — are part of a push to make serving in Congress more accessible to those who lack independent wealth.
House Republicans in a new report pushed for former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) to be criminally investigated over her work on the House Jan. 6 select committee.
The big picture: The Republican party's years-long recasting of the deadly U.S. Capitol attack has culminated with the possibility that the rioters themselves are pardoned and those who sought to penalize President-elect Trump for his role in the attack face retribution.
House Democrats on Tuesday elected Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) as the new ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee.
Why it matters: Raskin's ascension is the final piece of a generational shift that has seen several new Democratic committee leaders swept into office ahead of the incoming Trump administration.
An Italian-born nun who confronted Billy the Kid, calmed angry mobs, opened New Mexico territory hospitals and later gave refuge to immigrant children is getting closer to Sainthood from the Roman Catholic Church.
Why it matters:The survey includes the views of more than 300 global public company CEOs, plus 380 institutional investors representing approximately $10 trillion of company and portfolio value.
One reason CEOs are so keen on becoming Donald Trump's new besties: The incoming president could make their profits go poof.
Why it matters: The president-elect's proposed tariffs are so high they could entirely wipe out the annual profits of some large companies, per an analysis from consulting firm PWC.
After years of dire warnings about Americans' diet, the political winds appear to be shifting to a more critical view of what we eat.
Why it matters: The concerns were evident at a Senate health committee hearing this month as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle dug into the connection between ultra-processed foods and obesity and chronic illness.
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is charting a new, more detached course for working her will on the Democratic caucus she once ruled with an iron fist, numerous lawmakers familiar with the matter tell Axios.
Why it matters: Pelosi's colleagues described a laissez faire approach to backing candidates in committee leadership elections that gives House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) space to settle into his role.
Agreeing to a three-month bill should not be this hard.
House Speaker Mike Johnson is about to drag his rank-and-file Republicans to the finish line on a government funding stopgap after a day filled with grumbling.
Why it matters: The fact it was this painful and prolonged is a bad sign for next year's big legislative fights, from tax reform to funding the government. The House GOP's margin shrinks in January.
Kamala Harris (R) speaks with Old San Juan Cafe owner Diana de la Rosa (C), with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) (L), during a campaign stop on November 4, 2024 in Reading, Pennsylvania. Photo: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
She lost today, but Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's (D-N.Y.) colleagues are already pitching her for another leadership bid in the near future.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries thinks Ocasio-Cortez will make it into leadership in the near-term, he told us today.
Why it matters: Ocasio-Cortez, 35, has transformed from a progressive bomb-thrower to member-in-good-standing of the Democratic establishment.
In not-so-good news for Schumer, Senate Dems are abandoning an anti-crypto SEC nominee, leaving the slot open for Republicans to fill in the new year.
Why it matters: Schumer can't count on the support of Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema for high-stakes nominees in the final days of his majority.
Banking Committee Chair Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) won't hold a committee vote to advance Democrat Caroline Crenshaw's nomination for another term as an SEC commissioner, sources tell us.
/2024/12/17/1734466083092.gif?w=3840)
