Republicans

The Washington Post reports: Oklahoma Republican Reps. Stephanie Bice and Tom Cole, the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, just told reporters that Republicans have struck a funding deal. “There is a deal, and the details are forthcoming,” Bice told reporters as she left House Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-Louisiana) office. She said the vote is expected later Thursday. Neither Republican …

The Hill reports: President-elect Trump on Thursday encouraged Republicans in Texas to consider a primary challenge to Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) after he blamed the congressman for “getting in the way” of a push to raise the debt ceiling as part of government funding talks. “The very unpopular ‘Congressman’ from Texas, Chip Roy, is getting in the way, as usual, …

Politico reports: Sen. Joni Ernst is rolling out her next step on Thursday to overhaul the federal workforce as she embraces President-elect Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency. The bill from Ernst, known as the DRAIN THE SWAMP Act, would require each executive agency to relocate at least 30 percent of employees currently working at a Washington, D.C., headquarters to …

“Chris Murphy, the execrable senator from Connecticut, Democrat, he put out a statement, quote, ‘Remember what this is all about. Trump wants Democrats to agree to raise the debt ceiling so he can pass his massive corporate and billionaire tax cut without a problem. Shorter version, tax cut for billionaires or the government shuts down for Christmas.’ “So Democrats are …

Raw Story reports: Fans of President-elect Donald Trump blasted House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) as a “coward” after he suddenly canceled his speech at a major weekend conference with other MAGA celebrities. Steve Bannon’s War Room first reported that Johnson had decided not to speak at AmFest, a conservative conference organized by Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA. The president-elect, his …

“I’d be open to supporting Elon Musk for Speaker of the House. DOGE can only truly be accomplished by reigning in Congress to enact real government efficiency. The establishment needs to be shattered just like it was yesterday. This could be the way.” – Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, in an X post echoing a call by Sen. Rand Paul to …

Former Rep. Loony Louie Gohmert writes: From where have the drones come? What is their purpose? Is it possible the U.S. Government would lie to the American people? The answer to the first two questions is that we in the public cannot be sure, nor can Congress. The answer to the third is an unqualified “Yes!” Whether they come from …

“This is the same old, same old. This bill right here would add hundreds of billions of dollars to the deficit, and the worst part is, it is all for Dem priorities. Why would you saddle Donald Trump with this terrible spending bill before he even gets into office? “It is 1500 pages of pork barrel spending and worse than …

Fox News reports: President-elect Donald Trump told Fox News Digital that House Speaker Mike Johnson will “easily remain speaker” for the next Congress if he “acts decisively and tough” and eliminates “all of the traps being set by Democrats” in the spending package. Fox News Digital spoke exclusively with the president-elect Thursday morning, just hours after the bipartisan deal to …

Mediaite reports: Amid the looming chaos of a failed spending bill designed to avoid a government shutdown, Senator Rand Paul offered a unique solution: name the world’s richest man the Speaker of the House. In a Thursday morning message on X, the social media platform owned by said “world’s richest man,” Senator Paul suggested that Elon Musk replace Rep. Mike …

The Hill reports: Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) handling of an end-of-year spending deal is throwing his grasp on his gavel into uncertain territory ahead of a critical Jan. 3 Speaker vote, as some GOP lawmakers question their support for the Louisiana Republican. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) on Wednesday came out against Johnson in light of the spending deal, pledging to …

“President Musk this morning made it clear – with all his vast government experience, which is basically, he became rich on the federal government – that he doesn’t want Republicans to pass this. And seemingly, Vice President Trump kind of backed him up at that point. And what it says about the politics is this is going to be a …

NBC News reports: Former Rep. David Rivera, R-Fla., was indicted Tuesday on charges that he violated the Foreign Agents Registration Act and laundered funds in order to “conceal and promote his criminal conduct,” the Justice Department said on Wednesday. In the indictment, Rivera is accused of working “as an agent” of Raul Gorrín Belisario, a Venezuelan national who the Treasury …

Media Matters has the transcript: SEN. TOMMY TUBERVILLE (GUEST): But the problem is I got with the farm bill is it’s gonna be $1.5 trillion and $200 billion goes to the farmers in a five year period, and $1.3 trillion – STEVE BANNON (HOST): Food stamps. TUBERVILLE: Goes to food stamps. Now we need to start cutting and, and you …

The Huffington Post reports: The Oklahoma State Department of Education proposed a new administrative rule on Tuesday that would require school districts to collect data on undocumented students in the state. The agency that oversees the state’s public and charter schools announced the proposed rule about a month before President-elect Donald Trump, who has promised an unprecedented crackdown on undocumented …

NBC News reports: Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody on Wednesday announced the state has obtained an arrest warrant for attempted felony murder against Ryan Routh, who is already being held in federal custody on charges of attempting to assassinate Donald Trump. It’s a continuation of a back-and-forth between the Biden administration and Florida Republican leaders over the state’s role in …

“I think that he’s been transparent. You know, the problem that we had with the Bidens, they never were transparent with where their money came from. We know that Donald Trump owns properties in foreign countries. We know what he owns in the United States. “You know, I think the American people knew that when they voted to reelect. So …

Raw Story reports: Outgoing Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) is not taking news that the House Ethics Committee will release what is expected to be a highly damaging report on him before Christmas lightly, and has posted a warning to his soon-to-be ex-colleagues on X on Wednesday afternoon. After posting a long screed on X earlier professing his innocence while also …

Newsweek reports: The Senate approved a defense bill on Wednesday that includes substantial pay raises for junior enlisted service members and increases overall military spending to $895 billion. The legislation also eliminates coverage for transgender medical treatments for children of military personnel. The annual defense authorization bill, which has passed Congress without fail for nearly six decades, typically enjoys strong …

CNN reports: The House Ethics Committee secretly voted earlier this month to release its report into the conduct of former Rep. Matt Gaetz before the end of this Congress, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the matter. The report is now expected to be made public after the House’s final day of votes this year as lawmakers leave Washington …