In today’s edition, one of our resident Capitol Hill experts, Scott Wong, analyzes the political fallout from a major leadership shakeup of a key House committee initiated by Chairman Mike Johnson . Plus, Matt Dixon reports from Florida on the nomination to replace Marco Rubio in the Senate – although that hasn’t stopped the GOP from fighting for the seat before 2026.
—Adam Wollner
Mike Johnson has a new headache in a closely divided House
By Scott Wong
Less than two weeks after Mike Johnson narrowly won the presidency after a brief revolt from the right, he is now drawing the ire of the opposing wing of the Republican Party.
Johnson sent shockwaves around Capitol Hill when he moved to oust Rep. Mike Turner, Republican of Ohio – a staunch supporter of NATO who has aggressively pushed for U.S. aid to Ukraine – as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and to replace him with Representative Rick Crawford. R-Ark., a conservative who voted against the latest aid package to Ukraine.
It’s a move that appeased conservatives and allies of President-elect Donald Trump, but infuriated more moderate members of the Republican Party.
A lawmaker who, like Turner, is a member of the Main Street Caucus, said the unexpected exchange on the Intelligence Committee had eroded trust within the Republican conference and could make it much harder to pass Trump’s agenda. With two House Republicans vying for positions in the Trump administration, the party’s majority could soon fall to 217-215, which would give Johnson only a cushion seat on party-line votes.
Those Republicans said they were lending a sympathetic ear to Johnson after Turner’s impeachment became public.
“It hurts us in the reconciliation process,” the lawmaker said, referring to the fast-track budget process that Republicans plan to use to pass legislation addressing Trump’s commitments on taxes, borders and energy costs. “This looks like backroom politics and backstabbing. »
A second Republican lawmaker, who recently had a conversation with Turner, predicted that the ousted president would make life difficult for Johnson in the coming year and may be able to kill the entire Republican agenda if he chooses to do so. Turner did not participate in House votes Wednesday or Thursday.
“I think Turner is going to burn the House down,” the second lawmaker said. “He will vote no on everything. I mean, he got completely screwed.
The intraparty drama, which comes just days before Trump is sworn in at the Capitol, underscores how difficult the next year will be for Johnson.
Read more about Johnson’s move →
➡️ Elsewhere on Capitol Hill: Four of Trump’s Cabinet picks — Scott Bessent for Treasury secretary, Doug Burgum for Interior secretary, Lee Zeldin for EPA administrator and Scott Turner for Housing and Urban Development secretary — have faces Senate confirmation hearings Thursday, while witnesses testified on behalf of Pam Bondi, Trump’s pick. for the Attorney General.
Find all the key moments here →
DeSantis names Rubio replacement, but fight for Senate seat has only just begun
By Scott Bland
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced his long-awaited pick to fill the Senate seat held by Marco Rubio, who is vying to become the next secretary of state. But with vacancies in the Senate — and within Donald Trump’s Republican Party — the nomination is rarely the end of the story.
DeSantis chose state Attorney General Ashley Moody, Matt Dixon reportedelevating a long-time ally. The nomination will run for the next two years, with a special election in 2026 for the final two years of Rubio’s term.
Other Republicans in this blushing state are interested in running for the seat, and appointees are never as secure in that early primary as other incumbents. And what Trump has to say will certainly matter a lot, given his influence in the Republican primaries and the way he seems to relish jumping into those contests.
Republican Rep. Cory Mills, who has already signaled his intention to run in the special election, gave a glimpse of an argument he may well make to Trump in the near future when he spoke to reporters at the Capitol after Moody’s nomination.
“We thought Ashley was going to get it,” Mills said. “She has been a DeSantis loyalist from the very beginning. She supported Governor DeSantis against President Trump in the presidential primary. But it will make for a very interesting 2026.
The same dynamic looms over Vice President-elect JD Vance’s former Senate seat in Ohio, which is now vacant following his resignation. Gov. Mike DeWine, a pre-MAGA Republican serving his final term, has yet to make a decision, with Vivek Ramaswamy, Trump ally entering the mix alongside a longtime ally of DeWineLt. Gov. Jon Husted and a handful of other contenders, as reported by Henry J. Gomez.
Senate nominations can be historic moments, and no governor wants to see their choice overturned by primary politics. There will be two more tests on this front in 2026.
☀️Elsewhere in the Sunshine State: Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., told potential donors and Florida political players that he is running for governor in 2026. Read more →
🗞️ The best stories of the day
- ➡️ Latest ceasefire: Israel’s Cabinet will meet Friday to vote on the ceasefire and hostage release agreement with Hamas, after claiming the delay was because Hamas created a “last-minute crisis.” Read more →
- ⌚ TikTok on the clock: The Biden administration is consider ways to keep TikTok available in the United States if a ban due to take effect on Sunday is enforced. He does not plan to collect billions of dollars in fines against companies that allow access to TikTok in the United States if the ban is implemented.
- ✉️ RSVP: Shou Chew, CEO of TikTok was invited and is expected to attend Trump’s inauguration on Monday. And Elon Musk is listed among the speakers at Trump’s pre-inauguration rally in Washington, D.C., on Sunday.
- 🍴 Skip lunch: Former Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush will not attend Trump’s inaugural luncheon. Read more →
- ✅ First items on the agenda: Trump spent the last two years on the campaign trail making more than a dozen promises about what he would implement on his first day in office. Here are some of his most notable projects from day one: Read more →
- 🎤 Last word: In a farewell speech to Justice Department staff, outgoing Attorney General Merrick Garland appeared to rebuke attacks from Trump and his allies who have “wrongly criticized” the department as politically motivated. Read more →
- 📝 Newsletter: Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee are urging Garland to release the remainder of former special counsel Jack Smith’s report on Trump’s handling of classified materials — even if it means dismissing the charges against his co-defendants. Read more →
- 💲It’s settled: Rudy Giuliani has reached a settlement agreement with former Georgia election officials who were owed $146 million. Read more →
- 🏈 Political football: As in politics, megadonors now have a new way to directly influence another field – college sports – through rules allowing uncapped donations. Read more →
That’s all that’s coming from the politburo for now. Thanks to Faith Wardwell for helping to write today’s newsletter.
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