Congress
Ethics Committee meets amid mounting Gaetz pressure
Here’s what we’re watching in transition world today:
🗓️ Mark your calendar/what we’re watching
- The House Ethics Committee will meet today as the panel faces pressure to release its report on attorney general nominee Matt Gaetz. Just one GOP vote could trigger the release of the report.
- Trump’s pick for Treasury secretary is still up in the air. But, a leading contender for the job, Kevin Warsh, holds views that could clash with the president-elect’s, such as the importance of free trade, the political independence of the Fed and a strong dollar.
🚨What’s up with the nominees?
- Just because MAGA world is excited over Pete Hegseth’s nomination as Defense secretary, it doesn’t mean Senate Republicans are feeling the same. GOP members are offering a tepid defense of President-elect Donald Trump’s pick and seem to be taking a wait-and-see approach for confirmation heading into the new year.
📝ICYMI: Here are the latest Cabinet picks
- Howard Lutnick, a longtime friend and chief executive of the financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald, was nominated as Commerce secretary
- Linda McMahon, Trump transition co-chair and former wrestling executive, was nominated as Education secretary
⏱️What Cabinet secretary announcements are we still waiting on?
- Treasury
- Agriculture
- Labor
- HUD
- Trade
Congress
Another DHS meeting
A meeting is now underway seeking potential paths for ending the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security.
Tom Homan, President Donald Trump’s border czar, is meeting with top Senate appropriators and other key senators. It’s the second meeting of the same group in as many days.
Congress
Another DHS funding vote coming to House floor
Speaker Mike Johnson is planning to put a stalled Homeland Security funding bill on the House floor a third time next week, according to three people granted anonymity to discuss private plans, as the GOP moves to further pressure Democrats to end the five-week closure.
Two versions of the bill have already passed the House, each time with just a few House Democrats breaking from party lines to back it. But the bill is still held up in the Senate, where Democrats have refused to approve DHS funding without adding new restrictions on immigration enforcement.
The House will also vote on a resolution next week in support of DHS workers, including TSA officers who have gone without pay as the spring break travel crush stresses U.S. airports.
Congress
House GOP leaders punt controversial FISA vote to April
House GOP leaders are punting a reauthorization vote for the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that they had hoped to hold next week until mid-April, with a GOP hard-liner revolt over warrantless surveillance threatening to tank the legislation, according to three people with direct knowledge of the matter granted anonymity to discuss the conference dynamics.
GOP leaders are still dealing with a dozen or so Republican members who want reforms to the spy powers extension, as Speaker Mike Johnson is trying to pass a clean, 18-month extension without any changes. President Donald Trump has also asked for the clean extension.
Johnson and GOP leaders will instead work through the remaining issues over the upcoming two-week recess and try to put the extension on the floor the week of April 14, the people said.
Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) and a group of ultraconservatives have warned GOP leaders that the reauthorization would fail if Johnson tried to push it through next week.
Another House Republican told Blue Light News there was “no way” a rule to advance a clean FISA extension would pass next week.
Johnson can lose only two votes on a rule to advance the measure, and already a handful of GOP hard-liners have told Blue Light News they would oppose it.
The FISA reauthorization deadline is April 20, and the delay leaves barely any time for the Senate to act.
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