National

Rep. Elise Stefanik, who became a GOP favorite by aggressively defending former President Trump, is in position to be a bigger player on the national stage — possibly as his 2024 running mate.

Why it matters: Stefanik (R-N.Y.) will be a prominent voice on the high-profile House panel investigating what Republicans call the "weaponization" of U.S. law enforcement and security agencies against conservatives.

The panel, which began hearings Wednesday, aims to probe federal law enforcement and national security agencies over what Republicans see as government bias in investigations of Trump, school board protesters, and other conservatives.

In an interview with Axios, Stefanik said the panel — led by House Judiciary chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) — will do "some of the most important work of the 118th Congress, and these federal agencies are ripe for oversight."

Democrats have cast it as a "tin foil hat" subcommittee whose mission is to settle scores for Trump and advance far-right conspiracy theories.

Driving the news: Trump recently fueled speculation in GOP circles about his interest in Stefanik, 38, by saying she could be elected president in 2028. He called her a "rocket ship" and a "strong boss."

“I want to congratulate Elise on her success," Trump said at a fundraiser in Florida. "Man, is she moving fast. At this rate she’ll be president in about 6 years."

The big picture: Stefanik, widely seen as a moderate Republican when elected as the House's youngest member (30) in 2014, became one of Trump's top defenders at his first impeachment trial, putting herself at the forefront of the MAGA movement.

She has embraced much of Trump's rhetoric, backing his efforts to overturn the 2020 election and accusing U.S. law enforcement of illegally targeting him and other conservatives.

Several people in Trump’s orbit told Axios that he and Stefanik have a good personal relationship, and say he has mentioned he may want a woman as his running mate in 2024 to try to win support among suburban women — a potential weakness for him.

Behind the scenes: Stefanik's appointment to the 21-member "weaponization" panel was celebrated among some Republicans who were investigated during the congressional and criminal probes into the Jan. 6 insurrection and alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election on Trump's behalf.

Trump "is fond of her because, you know, tough likes tough," said Mike Caputo, a Trump friend and adviser. "The president respects her because he sees himself in her." 

Stefanik has a direct line to Trump, a person familiar told Axios, and they speak on the phone regularly.

Flashback: During Trump's first impeachment hearings in 2019, her fiery defense of him on cable TV brought her more grass-roots contributions in a week than she had received during the previous five years of her congressional career, according to the New York Times.

“Elise really does excel at these types of hearings.  It’s how she first built her name in MAGA world," Andy Surabian, a Republican strategist, told Axios.

 "If you’re a conservative who wants to make a name for yourself or increase your name ID, the weaponization of government committee is the place to be," he said.

What we're watching: Republican members of the committee met for the first time last Friday, where they discussed possible subpoenas and investigative topics, according to a person familiar with the matter. 

Democrats just named their members, including Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.), who was a lead lawyer on Trump’s first impeachment, and longtime oversight members Reps. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) and Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.). 

The panel's creation fulfilled a key promise House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) made to a group of right-wing holdouts to become speaker.

GOP investigations could launch Stefanik in 2024

Democrats have cast it as a "tin foil hat" subcommittee.

Photo illustration of Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) and the US Capitol.

Photo illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios. Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Elise Stefanik

Donald Trump

Policymaking

President Biden has made the COVID-19 crisis and a post-Trump return to national unity and traditional democratic ideals his top priorities. From vaccinations to stimulus to schools, Biden is seeking bipartisan compromise while showing a willingness to use executive authority and bare Democratic majorities in the U.S. House and Senate to implement his policies. Republican leaders are navigating deep party divisions over if and how to move beyond former President Trump.

Politics & Policy

Sneak Peek

Axios Sneak Peek

President Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy enter their talks on the debt ceiling today with remarkably similar lines about each other: Nice guy, but totally captive to his party’s base. 

Why it matters: Biden and McCarthy, who will meet at the White House this afternoon, are leaving space for their relationship to develop, but ready to blame any failure to get along — or get a deal on raising the debt ceiling — on the other’s internal party dynamics. 

Biden makes clear he thinks McCarthy needs to prove he can get House Republicans to back a deal—and show he can pass a budget—before serious talks on any spending cuts Republicans want. 

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has warned of a "catastrophe" and a financial crisis if the U.S. doesn't raise the $31.4 trillion debt ceiling by early June. 

What they're saying: Biden called McCarthy a “decent man” at a fundraiser in New York on Tuesday, before quickly adding that the California Republican had to make “commitments that are just absolutely off the wall” to get elected speaker. 

McCarthy insists that Biden might be ready to make a deal, if only his advisers would let him. “I know his staff tries to say something different, but I think the president is going to be willing to make an agreement together,” McCarthy told CBS’s Face the Nation on Sunday. 

“I am looking forward to sitting down with the president to negotiate for the American public, for the people of America, how we can find savings,” McCarthy told reporters Tuesday.

Driving the news: Like two presidential campaigns preparing for a debate, the run-up to today’s meeting has involved a debate about the terms of the debate. 

Team Biden doesn’t want the debt ceiling on the table for their first meeting since McCarthy became speaker. Team McCarthy wants everything on the table.

Tuesday morning, the White House tried to box in McCarthy, blasting out a memo demanding that McCarthy commit to “the bedrock principle that the United States will never default.”

The memo also called on McCarthy to release a budget and specify where his party would make spending cuts.  

The other side: The speaker responded on Twitter: “Mr. President: I received your staff’s memo. I’m not interested in political games."

McCarthy’s team has noted President Biden’s 2023 posture is at odds with Senator Biden's 2006 position, when he voted against raising the debt ceiling.

The big picture: In the last four administrations, presidents and speakers from opposite parties have had to figure out how to govern in tandem after divisive campaigns against each other.

Some pairings have produced major pieces of legislation, like Bill Clinton’s welfare reform in 1996 or Barack Obama’s Budget Control Act in 2011. 

But with little common ground for potential policy changes between them, the main interaction between Biden and McCarthy will be on new government spending and old government debt. 

Flashback: Democrats are scarred by their 2011 debt ceiling brinkmanship, when credit agencies downgraded the U.S.'s rating and financial markets stared into a potential abyss.

Then-Vice President Biden was among the lead White House negotiators, leading to a deal that raised the debt ceiling while imposing spending cuts. 

Democrats felt burned by the experience. In future showdowns, President Obama refused to negotiate over raising the debt ceiling. Biden now has adopted a similar position. 

What we're watching: Before heading to the White House this afternoon, McCarthy will meet with House Republicans to discuss how to cut spending. 

Biden and McCarthy: A clash of strategies

McCarthy and Biden around a table with other congressional leaders and a painting of Teddy Roosevelt presiding

Biden meets with Congressional leaders at the White House on November 29, 2022. Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Joe Biden

Data: Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget; Chart: Axios Visuals

Negotiations to raise the country's debt ceiling will likely put Republicans in a vise, torn among competing conservative pressures, the inevitable need to work with Democrats and the realities of basic budgetary math.

The big picture: Fiscal conservatives want to balance the federal budget. Former President Trump has warned his party to leave Medicare and Social Security untouched. It’s basically impossible to do both — and every way House Republicans could try to square that circle comes with political risk.

Driving the news: House Republicans have said they’ll refuse to raise the debt ceiling unless it’s accompanied by reductions in federal spending. But the party appears to be deeply divided as to what programs should be on the chopping block.

Former President Trump warned against Medicare or Social Security cuts, urging Republicans to instead “cut waste, fraud and abuse everywhere that we can find it and there is plenty of it.”

“But do not cut the benefits our seniors worked for and paid for their entire lives. Save Social Security, don’t destroy it,” he said in a video message posted to Truth Social.

Reality check: If you take off the table cuts to Medicare, Social Security, veterans and defense spending, and if you’re also not going to raise taxes to bring in more revenue, you’d need to cut about 85% of the rest of the budget in order to make it balance, according to a recent analysis by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.  

“​​The numbers can’t work,” said Chris Campbell, a former Treasury official and GOP Finance Committee aide.

That sets up a scenario in which either moderates or conservatives will have to cave in order to pass anything just through the House — never mind getting it through the Democrat-controlled Senate and White House.

State of play: Conservatives have said they secured a commitment from House Speaker Kevin McCarthy  to create a budget that balances over the next decade, an exercise that would likely precede a vote on the debt limit.

McCarthy reportedly agreed to freeze discretionary spending at 2022 levels, which has already rankled some GOP members who worry that would effectively mean less Pentagon funding.

Some conservatives have said defense cuts weren't part of the deal. Republicans could theoretically get to 2022 spending levels just through non-defense spending cuts.

The looming question is which cuts included in a budget would then be included in House Republicans' debt limit demands.

“This is shaping up to be a tough vote to balance in 10 years,” said a former House GOP leadership aide. “Where are the cuts going to be? Is it going to be on defense, entitlements or both? Both could cause problems.”

The intrigue: The House could always fake it. Budget resolutions are just frameworks; they don't become law. So the House GOP could pass a non-binding budget that includes steep cuts, then pursue only modest reductions when it’s time to actually set federal spending levels and negotiate over the debt ceiling.

But some hardliners will push for the biggest cuts to be real. 

Flashback: Former Rep. Paul Ryan's 2012 plan to partially privatize Medicare only ever existed in a non-binding budget resolution — you don't have to actually make the cuts in order to open yourself up to a barrage of attack ads.

“You’ve got to protect Medicare and Social Security. And the path the Democrats are going, they are going to go bankrupt,” McCarthy recently told reporters, per the Washington Post. 

“Let’s sit down and find a place that we can protect Medicare and Social Security for the future generations, let’s put our house in order on how we’re going to spend, and let’s make the investments we need to make America stronger.”

What they’re saying: Most ultra-conservative members represent safe congressional districts, giving them little incentive to compromise. More moderate members in swing districts will likely want to take fewer political risks.

“For those committed conservatives, they have a little more wiggle room than the more moderate members of...the Republican party, where the voters tend to be a little less forgiving on some positions that can be seen as — and would be characterized by Democrats, I’m sure — as extreme,” Campbell said.

Kevin McCarthy's math problem

It's nearly impossible to balance the budget without cutting Medicare or Social Security spending

House Republicans

Size of spending cuts necessary to balance the budget

ZURICH, Switzerland — Janet Yellen plans to make her first trip to China in the "near future" as Treasury secretary, according to the Treasury Department.

Why it matters: The visit will mark another step in the Biden administration’s effort to improve communications with China after relations deteriorated over the last two years.

Driving the news: The Treasury Department announced the trip after Yellen held a more than two-hour meeting with China's vice premier Liu He in Zurich, Switzerland.

The two made time to meet before Yellen flies to Africa. Liu was in Switzerland after addressing the World Economic Forum in Davos on Tuesday, where he urged leaders to avoid a "Cold War mentality."

"During the candid, substantive and constructive conversation, they exchanged views on macroeconomic and financial developments," according to the Treasury Department's official readout of the meeting.

What they are saying: At the beginning of the meeting, Yellen laid out areas where the two countries could cooperate more closely. But she also indicated that she wouldn't sugarcoat their differences.

"We should not allow misunderstandings, particularly those stemming from a lack of communication, to unnecessarily worsen our bilateral economic and financial relationship."

Liu said (through a translator): "We have to always bear in mind the bigger picture, try to manage our differences appropriately and seek common ground."

The big picture: As Yellen and Liu discussed the world economy and bilateral relations, business and political leaders held their annual confab in Davos, a few Swiss train connections away.

China's population is declining, its economy is slowing and international investors are wondering how the U.S. is going to avert an economic catastrophe if President Biden and congressional Republicans don't reach an agreement to raise the debt ceiling by early June.

Go deeper: Treasury is working to refine a new executive order that will restrict American investments in Chinese companies and projects.

Yellen's planned trip to China follows a mostly positive meeting between Biden and President Xi Jinping at the G20 in Bali last November.

Secretary of State Tony Blinken is expected to visit China next month, but the date for his trip hasn't been officially announced. Yellen's visit will likely be after Blinken's.

Yellen plans first trip to China as Treasury secretary

The trip is the latest effort by both countries to improve relations and avoid misunderstandings.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen meets China Vice Premier Liu He in Zurich, Switzerland, today. Photo: Michael Buholzer/Keystone via AP

Janet Yellen

World

Axios World

The power of Davos is its guest list. Attendance this week at the first full-fledged gathering in three years appears robust — though many of the biggest names in global politics and business are missing.

Why it matters: Beyond the panels and Alpine views, the World Economic Forum's annual meeting is basically the world's greatest hotel lobby: Power players can pack their schedules with high-level meetings, sip champagne with clients and keep up with their competitors.

The Forum faces growing skepticism and competition, leading some to contend that it could slide, or has already slid, into irrelevance.

But Davos still holds an allure for companies and countries seeking global investment and respect — the new presidents of Colombia and the Philippines are attending, for example, and startup founders are competing for attention with blue chip companies.

The big picture: The forum's celebration of globalization and core premise of bringing the international elite together to solve global problems can feel like a relic of the post-Cold War haze. Quips about taking private planes to a ski resort to lament climate change have become an annual tradition.

Yet according to the organizers, this year’s forum will host a record number of business and government leaders, including 50 heads of state, 56 finance ministers, 19 central bank governors and more than 600 CEOs. 

A WEF official told reporters ahead of the annual meeting that they'd never had so few cancellations.

Yes, but: A clear majority of the world leaders are from Europe at a time when global power is seeping away from the continent, and just one G7 leader — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz — made the trip. 

President Biden isn't coming, while Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen is traveling to Switzerland to meet Chinese Vice Premier Liu He on Wednesday, but not stopping in Davos. Climate envoy John Kerry and Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh are among the U.S. attendees.

Liu is leading the Chinese delegation, but President Xi Jinping isn't coming and relatively few of China's tech and industrial giants are represented. Russian officials and oligarchs dropped off the invite list after the invasion of Ukraine.

Many of the usual suspects are here: the CEOs of JP Morgan and Goldman Sachs; European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde; U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres.

One of the more surprising attendees is new Colombia's new leftist president, Gustavo Petro, a former Marxist rebel. New Philippines President Bongbong Marcos is also here. 

New leaders often visit Davos for a coming-out party, perhaps because the Forum's stage guarantees a high-level audience without any awkward questions (about the Marcos family's corruption, for example).

However, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won't be in Davos and chose a different annual gathering, COP27, to reintroduce himself to an international audience.

The annual UN climate conference is now arguably a bigger draw for prime ministers and executives, leading to the question of whether COP is "the new Davos.”

There's other competition as well. George Soros, the billionaire financier and philanthropist whose dinner party was a staple on the Davos calendar, is skipping this year in favor of next month’s Munich Security Forum.

Zoom in: Several CEOs and executives who did make the trip tell Axios that the guest list is still a huge draw.

"It hasn't even started and I've had five great meetings. Usually, I would have to do a lot of traveling to see all these people," Andres Gluski, CEO of energy firm AES and a first-time Davos attendee, told Axios on Monday.

Andy Baldwin, global managing partner for EY, says the professional services giant keeps coming back to Davos because of the unique “constellation” of high-level attendees across sectors. He'll be seeing clients from around the world all week, and "I’ll see the CEOs.”

The programming can feel like a sideshow compared to the networking, but one billionaire attendee told Axios he goes every few years and listens for ideas that could impact his industry. This year's agenda is heavy on climate concerns and AI.

The bottom line: Davos is a self-perpetuating phenomenon. As long as global elites keep coming, global elites will keep coming to meet them.

Davos isn't dead — yet

Illustration of a collage featuring a lanyard with a mountain on it, two disembodied arms shrugging, and colorful rectangles and white circles.

World Economic Forum (WEF)

After a record economic expansion, the coronavirus pandemic sent the U.S. economy into a recession as unemployment soared to staggering heights. The country now faces urgent questions about how much stimulus is needed for reeling consumers and businesses, and what a recovery might look like.

Economy & Business

China is becoming the most formidable rival America has faced, and the risk of confrontation with Russia, North Korea or Iran still looms. Authoritarians are rising, the chaotic Afghanistan exit revealed the limits of U.S. power, and the pandemic, climate change and other critical challenges continue to pose grave threats.

 Sen. Joe Manchin’s chief of staff, Lance West, is joining the American Petroleum Institute as vice president of federal affairs, Axios has learned.

Why it matters: As Manchin’s top aide for the last two years, West knows the politics – and the players — of the energy and climate change debates. His hiring indicates that API is preparing to play offense and defense in the new Congress.

Through the on-again and off-again Build Back Better negotiations, he developed a reputation as a fierce advocate for Manchin's positions.

A former Division I golfer, West worked closely with White House officials and other senate offices on a deal that Manchin ultimately — and somewhat surprisingly — supported: The Inflation Reduction Act, which included some $370 billion to combat climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

What we're hearing: West’s departure is unrelated to Manchin’s decision on whether to run for reelection in 2024, which still has much of Washington waiting.

Wes Kungel, Manchin's current legislative director, will replace West as the new chief of staff. 

What they are saying: “Lance joins API at a critical time for our industry,” API president and CEO Mike Sommers said. 

“His position on Capitol Hill placed him at the center of some of our country’s more important legislative debates, and his deep relationships on both sides of the aisle will be a tremendous asset to our organization and the industry we serve,” Sommers said.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity to help shape a commonsense energy future that benefits all Americans,” West said. “API and its members are leading the world with innovative solutions to ensure we have reliable, affordable, and cleaner energy the country and world needs."

The big picture: With the passage of the IRA, the Biden administration will turn to implementing the climate provisions to ensure the new spending will help the U.S. achieve its goal of cutting emissions 50% below 2005 levels by 2030. 

Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Manchin were unable to pass the permitting reform legislation that Manchin demanded for his vote for the billions in green energy subsidies. 

Permitting reform, as well as getting the Mountain Valley Pipeline project approved, will remain key priorities for Manchin.  

Joe Manchin's top aide to join oil and gas lobbying group

“His position on Capitol Hill placed him at the center of some of our country’s more important legislative debates."

Two men in suits walk purposefully down a white corridor 

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) walks through the Capitol with his chief of staff, Lance West, on June 14, 2022. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Joe Manchin

The Biden administration is plotting to make a fresh push on immigration reform in the new year, looking for ways to provide legal status for so-called "Dreamers" and increase the labor supply to help lower inflation, according to people familiar with the matter.

Why it matters: Biden’s political advisers know the situation at the border — with up to 14,000 migrants expected to be crossing every day if Title 42 ends — presents an urgent humanitarian emergency and a long-term political dilemma. 

At the same time, top economic aides are concerned that the lack of immigrant workers is leading to labor shortages, which will continue to keep inflation high.

But finding a legislative compromise that’s acceptable to the GOP-controlled House, as well as the president’s progressive base, will be a massive challenge. Biden officials are willing to try.

What they're saying: Immigration reform is "harder in the divided Congress, but it's so clearly necessary in light of what we're seeing in the job market," Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told Axios.

“The thing that's underpinning inflation still — that’s driving inflation still — is this tight labor market,” she said. 

"Immigration is a lever,” she stressed. "We're down a million immigrants a year. That's a workforce that we need."

What we're watching: The president, like the rest of Washington, doesn’t know who the next speaker of the House will be — and how much space he or she will have to maneuver on immigration or any other legislation.

Leading up to next year’s State of the Union, Biden officials will continue to mill and refine the president's 2023 agenda, considering what's legislatively possible and what they need to include to please their progressive base. 

By the numbers: Inflation has cooled from its June high of 9.1%, with the Consumer Price Index reading 7.1% in November. 

Job growth continues to be robust, with employers adding 263,000 jobs last month.

But wage growth has also accelerated: Average hourly earnings for private-sector workers were up 0.6% in November, translating to a 5.8% annual rate over the past three months. That will make the Fed's job of taming inflation more difficult. 

The big picture: The contours of a grand immigration bargain have been in view for several years, but only if you squint.  

Republicans would receive increased funding for border security; Democrats would win permanent protection for the roughly 2 million undocumented migrants who were brought here as minors, and the business and agricultural communities would get more visas for high- and low-skilled workers. 

 An actual political compromise has been maddeningly difficult. 

The most recent bipartisan effort by Sens. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) foundered late in the legislative cycle, after some hope that their framework could find 60 votes in the Senate and pass the House while Democrats still controlled it. 

Go deeper: Biden outlined his plan to modernize the immigration system on the first day of his presidency and has continued to call it a priority. 

Asked about the prospects for immigration reform in the new Congress, Jared Bernstein, a member of the Council of Economic Advisers, told CNBC that "the legislative agenda can always surprise you.”

“And President Joe Biden is pretty masterful at pulling legislative rabbits out of hats,” he added. "So I wouldn't count anything out."

Between the lines: The White House also wants to increase the labor supply by convincing Congress to provide billions in new programs for elder and child care, two planks of Biden's Build Back Better agenda that were knocked out by Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.).

In addition, the administration is seeking to expand the workforce by helping younger Americans learn skilled labor and enabling older workers to retrain in new fields. 

Scoop: Biden's inflation-immigration pitch

Top economic officials know that they need more immigrant workers.

Photo illustration of President Biden with immigrants walking towards the Texas border in the background and stripes

Photo illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photos: Jeff Swensen, Brandon Bell via Getty Images

Inflation

Immigration

President Biden on Friday signed into law legislation to force a rail labor agreement, blocking workers from striking ahead of the busy holiday season.

Why it matters: Some railroad workers have argued the deal doesn't adequately address concerns over workplace conditions, most notably the lack of paid sick leave.

Biden has said he was reluctant to override union votes but emphasized that a strike would pose a major economic disruption and called on Congress to step in.

Details: The Senate passed the legislation on Thursday but rejected a House-drawn measure that would include seven days of paid sick leave for workers.

The provision's failure is a loss for many union members and progressive lawmakers who have slammed the fact that rail workers have no guaranteed paid sick days.

Between the lines: The rail workers' battle is emblematic of some of the most critical worker issues of the post-pandemic era — revolving not around money, per se, but worker leverage, quality of life and paid sick leave, Axios' Emily Peck writes.

The contract was brokered by union leadership, and they had a tough time selling the deal to rank-and-file members. Many workers are angry about how they've been treated in recent years — particularly during the pandemic.

The other side: The White House pointed to elements of the deal that it views as a win for workers, including a 24% pay bump, no increase in health insurance costs and one additional day of paid time off.

What they're saying: "Our nation's rail system is literally the backbone of our supply chain," Biden said before signing the bill. "So much of what we rely on is delivered on rail."

"Without freight rail, many of the U.S. industries would literally shut down," he added.

Biden said he would continue to fight for paid sick leave.

The big picture: The bill caps off a tense few months during which the Biden administration has had to balance its pro-labor stance with the need to avoid an economically disastrous strike ahead of the holiday season.

Worth noting: The rail industry has been struggling with a worker shortage for months.

Go deeper: Railroad workers are fed up but hoping to avoid a strike

Biden signs rail agreement into law, thwarting strike

Some railroad workers have said the deal doesn't adequately address concerns over workplace conditions.

Photo of Joe Biden's face among silhouettes

President Biden speaks at a campaign rally on Nov. 7, 2022 in Bowie, Md. Photo: Nathan Howard via Getty Images

Transportation

The Respect for Marriage Act, a historic bill to codify the right to same-sex and interracial marriages, cleared its main obstacle on Tuesday after it passed the Senate — but the measure's provisions don't go as far as many had hoped they would.

Why it matters: Lawmakers crafted the legislation after Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas suggested the court reconsider Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, in a concurring opinion overturning Roe v. Wade. The bill, which the Democratic-led House is expected to vote on in December, would not necessarily preserve the status quo as currently dictated by Obergefell.

What the bill does: Ensure federal recognition of marriage regardless of sex, race, ethnicity or national origin and require all states to recognize valid marriages conducted in places where they are legal. 

The legislation notably repeals the Defense of Marriage Act, which established a federal definition of marriage as a "legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife."

What the bill doesn't do: Require all 50 states to allow same-sex marriage as is held under the 2015 Supreme Court decision Obergefell v. Hodges.

It also does not prohibit states from taking steps to ban or restrict same-sex marriage if Obergefell were overturned. 

Worth noting: Under the religious freedoms amendment, nonprofit religious organizations — including churches, faith-based social agencies and religious educational institutions — would not be required to "provide services, accommodations, advantages, facilities, goods, or privileges for the solemnization or celebration of a marriage," the text of the bill states.

Any such refusal "shall not create any civil claim or cause of action."

What the Respect for Marriage Act does and doesn't do

The Respect for Marriage Act, which now awaits a vote in the House, would not necessarily preserve the status quo.

Sen. Susan Collins speaks at a news conference after the Senate passed the Respect for Marriage Act on Nov. 29, 2022 in Washington, D.C. Photo: Anna Moneymaker via Getty Images

Policymaking

The big picture

Yellen plans first trip to China as Treasury secretary

What the Respect for Marriage Act does and doesn't do

Biden signs Democrats' $740 billion tax, climate and health care bill into law

The case for creating more of everything

First look: Yellen, Raimondo lobby business for Biden

Biden's latest executive order: Buy American

All Policymaking stories

GOP investigations could launch Stefanik in 2024

Biden and McCarthy: A clash of strategies

Kevin McCarthy's math problem

Yellen plans first trip to China as Treasury secretary

Davos isn't dead — yet

Joe Manchin's top aide to join oil and gas lobbying group

Scoop: Biden's inflation-immigration pitch

Biden signs rail agreement into law, thwarting strike

What the Respect for Marriage Act does and doesn't do