Congress

The Trump loyalist at the center of the Senate’s Obamacare talks

Published

6 hours ago

January 12, 2026

If the Senate is going to strike a deal to revive a signature Democratic policy, it will be in part because of an unlikely broker: a freshman Republican from the party’s MAGA wing.

Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio is, on paper, an odd fit in the core group of about a dozen senators in talks to extend Obamacare credits that lapsed on Jan. 1. Most are well-known bipartisan dealmakers, such as Republican Susan Collins and Democrat Jeanne Shaheen.

Moreno, on the other hand, joined the Senate a year ago as a Trump-anointed presidential loyalist who had just defeated longtime Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown with hard-line attacks focused mainly on immigration. But he has a key asset — a close relationship with Trump, who will need to bless or at least tacitly accept any agreement to smooth its passage through Congress.

Asked in an interview about his decision to take a leading role in the politically fraught health care negotiations, Moreno deployed one of Trump’s best-known slogans.

“Putting America first means putting Americans first,” he said. “People are being affected, and I want to help the people who need help. That’s what we should be doing.”

He said his goal is to get roughly 35 of the Senate’s 53 GOP senators to support an eventual deal — not just a handful joining Democrats on a “defection vote” — and that he’s keeping the White House and Senate leaders closely apprised of the discussions.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune praised Moreno in an interview as “whip-smart” and “willing to do the work.”

“He’s willing to sit down with people and try and find common ground, which I think on an issue like this is challenging,” he said. “Around here, that’s worth a lot.”

Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) speaks with reporters as she arrives for a Senate Republican Conference meeting at the Capitol on the 38th day of a government shutdown Nov. 7, 2025.

His involvement is also a sign that a new generation of bipartisan dealmakers might be starting to emerge after some of the Senate’s old hands headed for the exits in recent cycles. Moreno is now in close touch with not only Collins and Shaheen but other Senate pragmatists such as Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Angus King (I-Maine).

Moreno’s text chain with the dozen-member group is labeled the “EPTC OG gang” — a reference to the enhanced premium tax credits, the technical name for the Obamacare subsidies.

At times, Moreno’s new-kid-on-the-block status has been on display. After Moreno and Collins convened a meeting in December near the Capitol Rotunda, the Ohio Republican asked a reporter for directions to the room, inadvertently tipping off its location.

Minutes later, Collins walked toward the meeting seemingly astounded that word had gotten out about what she said was a “secret meeting.” Told about Moreno’s request for help, a bemused Collins put a hand to the side of her face.

Moreno said his freshman status means he doesn’t have “scars” from previous congressional fights.

“‘Oh, I don’t want to be working with this person,’ or ‘They screwed me back in 1972,’ you know?” he said. “I was in Kindergarten, so it doesn’t affect me.”

Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) sprints to a vote at the US Capitol in Washington, on the 41st day of a government shutdown, Nov. 10, 2025.

At 58, Moreno is on the younger side for the Senate, but he is already airing frustrations about the chamber’s growing polarization and making points about addressing it that jibe closely with complaints frequently heard from older generations of senators.

“I don’t think there’s enough muscle memory here about actually going in with good faith, good intentions and getting together and seeing if the deal can be cut,” he said.

The group of negotiators have their work cut out for them. They are discussing a two-year extension of the Obamacare tax credits that were beefed up under former President Joe Biden. Since their lapse at the end of last year, the tax credits — which were used by more than 500,000 Ohioans, according to KFF data — have reverted to their original 2010 levels, benefiting only those with incomes under 400 percent of the federal poverty level.

The Senate group’s proposed extension would include new restrictions including a $5 a month minimum premium payment and an income cap set at 700 percent of the federal poverty level. In the second year, the proposal would also give enrollees to take their subsidy as cash in pre-funded health savings accounts — an arrangement favored by Trump.

Moreno believes the group is in the “red zone,” and could be ready with text as soon as Tuesday or Wednesday. But some Democrats involved in the discussions have been more circumspect, wary about a thorny dispute over abortion.

Many Republicans say they will not be able to support a compromise unless the subsidies are tightened so they cannot fund abortions in any manner. Democrats say the safeguards built into the Affordable Care Act upon its passage in 2010 are sufficient.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) arrives for a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Capitol Hill, on Oct. 7, 2025.

“I think we’ve made clear from the start, the Democrats feel we have to come to the rescue and I hope we can do it,” said Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the No. 2 party leader. But he warned that if the Republicans “decide they want to make this an abortion issue, I’m afraid that’s the end of the conversation.”

Moreno said the group wasn’t trying to relitigate questions over federal funding for abortions but acknowledged there is a “dispute” over whether that is currently happening.

Republicans’ heartburn over the issue flared last week after Trump suggested in remarks to House members that they should be “flexible” on abortion language — sparking outrage from outside conservative groups that ricocheted back on Congress.

A person granted anonymity to discuss the negotiations said Republicans in a larger negotiating group of roughly two dozen senators haven’t yet landed on a consensus position — much less the entire Senate GOP conference.

“There’s no need to come to a compromise because it’s already been dealt with in the Affordable Care Act,” Shaheen said when asked about the issue.

Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio) displays data about major health insurance company stock performance after Obamacare as he speaks with reporters at the U.S. Capitol on the 38th day of a government shutdown, Nov. 7, 2025.

While the abortion question is a powerful force pulling some Republicans away from a deal, there are also compelling reasons for many to embrace a compromise — not least of which is the threat the expiring subsidies pose to the GOP majorities in November.

Among the vulnerable lawmakers is Moreno’s GOP partner in the Ohio delegation, Sen. Jon Husted, who is facing a likely matchup with Brown.

Moreno acknowledged that despite a feeling among negotiators that they are close to an agreement, it could all come to naught. Lawmakers “are on the clock,” he said, and getting a deal is an “if.”

“Capital I, capital F,” he said. “75-point font.”

Congress

GOP angst grows over Powell investigation

Published

10 minutes ago

January 12, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

A growing number of Republicans on Capitol Hill are expressing unease with the Justice Department’s move to investigate Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, a sign that the probe could become a major inflection point over GOP lawmakers’ concerns about central bank independence.

Powell announced Sunday that the DOJ is investigating him over statements to Congress about renovations of the Fed’s headquarters in Washington. He said the issue was a pretext to target him in response to President Donald Trump’s frustration over the Fed’s hesitance to aggressively lower interest rates.

Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), a Powell critic who sits on the Senate Banking Committee, said in a statement Monday that “Jerome Powell is a bad Fed Chair who has been elusive with Congress, especially regarding the overruns of the elaborate renovations of the building.”

“I do not believe however, he is a criminal,” he said. “I hope this criminal investigation can be put to rest quickly along with the remainder of Jerome Powell’s term. We need to restore confidence in the Fed.”

Senate Banking Republicans are expected to meet tonight to discuss major cryptocurrency legislation the panel is aiming to hold a vote on this week — and some members are expecting to discuss the Powell probe as well, according to two Republicans with knowledge of the plan who were granted anonymity to discuss closed-door matters.

“There will be a lot of chatter,” said one of the Republicans.

The investigation is also a concern for some House Republicans. Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), who sits on the House Financial Services Committee, told Blue Light News: “While I fundamentally believe Chairman Powell was late in addressing inflation under Joe Biden and has been woefully slow in lowering interest rates over the past year, the independence of the Federal Reserve is paramount and I oppose any effort to pressure them into action.”

Asked about the Powell investigation on Fox Business on Monday, Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) bashed the central bank chief and said the “president is sending a message to everybody that we’re going to be looking out for fraud, waste and abuse.” But, pressed by host Maria Bartiromo about whether Powell lied to Congress, Marshall said he would “let the system play through here,” and added: “I think there’s other issues that we should be focused on.”

The controversy over the renovations to the Fed’s Washington headquarters has been amplified by Senate Banking Republicans, including Chair Tim Scott (R-S.C.), who pressed Powell about the issue during a hearing last June following a New York Post article about cost overruns on the project.

Now, the DOJ probe is threatening to derail the Senate’s consideration of future Fed nominees. Sen. Thom Tillis, a retiring North Carolina Republican who sits on the Banking panel, said Sunday he will “oppose the confirmation of any nominee for the Fed—including the upcoming Fed Chair vacancy—until this legal matter is fully resolved.”

“If there were any remaining doubt whether advisers within the Trump Administration are actively pushing to end the independence of the Federal Reserve, there should now be none,” Tillis said in a statement. “It is now the independence and credibility of the Department of Justice that are in question.”

Congress

House GOP stock trading ban bill set for Wednesday markup

Published

40 minutes ago

January 12, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

The House Administration Committee will hold a markup Wednesday morning on a closely-watched plan from GOP leadership to crack down on lawmaker insider trading, according to three people granted anonymity to share scheduling plans not yet made public.

The legislation from committee chair Bryan Steil and House GOP leaders would allow lawmakers to hold the current stocks they own but require a seven day notice before making sales, as POLITICO first reported. It also would bar lawmakers and their spouses from buying new stocks.

Speaker Mike Johnson and GOP leaders have been searching for a legislative compromise to appease Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) and other rank-and-file House Republicans, who have for months been threatening to launch a discharge petition effort to circumvent leadership and force a floor vote on a full congressional stock trading ban.

Luna, in a promising sign for Johnson, said in an interview last week she supports the current legislation pending before the House Administration Committee because it would force a “disgorgement” period.

But the bill still faces an uphill climb. Senior House Democrats are deeply opposed to the plan and will seek to make changes, arguing the legislation does not constitute a full ban on congressional stock trading.

Key senators, including many Republicans, also deeply oppose any changes to the current rules around lawmaker stock trading, and it’s possible the Senate doesn’t take up the legislation at all should the measure pass the House.

Congress

Capitol agenda: Trump tests GOP with Fed probe

Published

3 hours ago

January 12, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

President Donald Trump is once again forcing a tough fealty test on GOP lawmakers — this time over the fate of the Federal Reserve and Chair Jerome Powell.

The Fed chair’s Sunday night revelation of a DOJ probe into the central bank immediately rattled a number of Capitol Hill Republicans and raised serious doubts about the confirmation of Trump’s upcoming pick to succeed Powell.

“Will they stop at nothing to force their way on everything?” one senior House Republican granted anonymity told Blue Light News. “The administration is setting a standard they cannot achieve themselves and will haunt us all for a generation.”

The DOJ move is the epic culmination of Trump’s years of enmity toward Powell over interest rates. It may be the point at which Republicans who believe in Fed independence — and who are generally fans of Powell — can no longer stand on the sidelines.

Powell himself, whom DOJ is scrutinizing over Senate testimony about office building renovations, is pushing back like never before. Powell is warning out loud that it all comes down to whether monetary policy “will be directed by political pressure or intimidation.”

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) is now threatening to use his seat on Senate Banking to derail the confirmation of Powell’s successor. Assuming no Democrats voted for the yet-to-be-named nominee, it would only take Tillis to stand in the way of the pick from being reported out of committee.

“If there were any remaining doubt whether advisers within the Trump Administration are actively pushing to end the independence of the Federal Reserve, there should now be none,” Tillis said. “It is now the independence and credibility of the Department of Justice that are in question.”

The latest Trump rift comes as Senate Republicans are poised to defy the president later this week when the chamber votes on whether to check his war powers in Venezuela.

The Senate is currently looking at Wednesday to hold a vote-a-rama before final passage of the war powers resolution. Republican leaders are trying to flip at least some of the five GOP senators who agreed to advance the measure last week and enraged Trump.

“We’ll see what happens,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune told Blue Light News. “I can’t make any predictions at this point, but I think you have to be prepared for all contingencies but also realize you’ve got to pivot and move forward.”

Democrats hope GOP support stays firm — or even increases — as Trump floats the prospect of military action elsewhere, including Iran.

What else we’re watching:

— What’s next in government funding: House GOP leaders want to pass the latest bicameral, bipartisan funding deal as soon as Wednesday, after appropriators nailed down a two-bill package consisting of State-Foreign Operations and Financial Services.

Appropriators were hoping to include a third bill to fund DHS but were unable to reach an agreement after last week’s fatal ICE shooting in Minneapolis created new complications.

Senate leaders are working to clear the previous appropriations minibus the House passed last week for the departments of Justice, Interior, Energy and Commerce.

— Senate negotiators close in on ACA deal: A bipartisan Senate group is poised to release a plan as soon as Tuesday or Wednesday to revive expired Obamacare subsidies, according to Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), one of the negotiators.

The main sticking point is how to address the use of federal funds for abortions. The bipartisan Senate group is expected to meet Monday night to continue talks.

Meredith Lee Hill, Jordain Carney, Jennifer Scholtes and Katherine Tully-McManus contributed to this report.