Welcome to the online version of From the political officean evening newsletter that brings you the latest reporting and analysis from the NBC News Politics team from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.
In today’s edition, our Capitol Hill team breaks down the latest on Congress’ last-ditch efforts to avert a government shutdown before the holidays. Additionally, senior White House reporter Pete Nicholas files a dispatch from a conference of conservative activists in Phoenix. And chief foreign affairs correspondent Andrea Mitchell reports on concerns over tech billionaire Elon Musk’s recent interactions with foreign leaders.
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House passes bill to avoid shutdown, sends it to Senate hours before deadline
By Scott Wong, Sahil Kapur, Ali Vitali, Julie Tsirkin and Kyle Stewart
The Republican-controlled House passed a short-term bill Friday evening to prevent a government shutdownjust hours before a deadline that would force U.S. troops, Border Patrol agents, air traffic controllers and millions of other federal workers to work without pay during vacation.
The vote was 366 to 34, capping a tumultuous week in the House that foreshadowed how the new Congress, in January, might handle Donald Trump’s return to the White House. A two-thirds vote was needed because the bill was submitted under an expedited process.
The bill now goes to the Senate, which must pass it before 12:01 a.m. to avoid a shutdown.
The plan funds the government at current levels through March 14 and includes disaster aid and a farm bill — while removing a debt ceiling extension demanded by Trump earlier in the week.
Just three days ago, bipartisan leaders in the House and Senate reached a deal to keep the government lit, but Trump and his billionaire confidant Elon Musk killed the dealinsisting at the last minute on the need to extend or abolish the debt ceiling to make way for Trump’s agenda next year.
A relief plan – lighter than the initial agreement and approved by Trump and Musk – then fell in flames in the House, criticized by Democrats as well as 38 Republicans opposed to the debt extension.
That left Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., who is fighting to retain his leadership post, with few good options. After huddling privately with rank-and-file Republicans for more than two hours, Johnson told his party he was moving forward. with plan C: the same package presented a day earlier, but without Trump’s debt increase.
Johnson said he spoke to Trump and Musk on Friday. “I have spoken to President Trump in detail and he knows exactly what we are doing,” the speaker said.
Musk appeared to approve the plan as the House voted, writes on his social media site X that Johnson “did a good job here, given the circumstances.”
MAGA activists advocate “hyperpartisanship” and reject compromise
By Pierre Nicolas
PHOENIX — Amid the fight in Congress for a deal to keep government open, the message from the beating heart of the MAGA world is clear: Don’t compromise.
Speakers at a conference of conservative activists this week said Donald Trump’s election victory should be a warning to those trying to block his agenda — Republicans and Democrats alike — that they must concede.
“We don’t need partisanship now; we need hyperpartisanship now,” Steve Bannon, Trump’s former senior White House adviser, told a raucous audience gathered at the Phoenix Convention Center for AmericaFest.
Another speaker, Donald Trump Jr., took aim at the 38 House Republicans who voted Thursday against a spending measure aligned with his father’s priorities. He urged grassroots activists to “remove as much as possible” Republican lawmakers who obstruct the president-elect’s policy goals.
In Washington, the younger Trump declared: “It’s not just the Democrats who are our enemies. It’s a large majority of Republicans.”
“It’s no longer because they have the ‘R’ next to their name,” he added. “Honestly, the Republican Party of a few years ago is no more. It is now the America First party. Donald Trump is in charge!
Musk’s turn as Trump diplomat raises conflict of interest concerns
By Andrea Mitchell
Elon Musk has been a constant companion to Donald Trump when the president-elect meets with foreign leaders – a ubiquitous figure at Mar-a-Lago since November, even accompanying Trump to Paris on his first foreign trip since winning the election .
Musk’s proximity to the new president has given him invaluable access to heads of state, including French President Emmanuel Macron at the Notre Dame reopening ceremony and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in New York, calling her a “precious genius” and “even more beautiful inside than out” in her introductory remarks at a black-tie meeting.
Most notably, Musk joined Trump’s first crucial post-election call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Musk’s interactions with world leaders alongside Trump raise questions about the tech leader’s potential influence on U.S. foreign policy over the next four years and the potential for conflicts of interest, Washington insiders say. Musk maintains significant investments around the world, including in China, the United States’ most powerful adversary, and has openly supported far-right political movements around the world.
“It’s on a level that is so foreign to me that I can’t understand,” said a former national security official in President Barack Obama’s office. “By participating in these meetings alone or with Trump, who knows what ethics violations are taking place.”
More musk: The tech billionaire waded into Germany’s election on Friday, expressing support for a far-right, anti-immigration and anti-Islam party monitored by the country’s domestic intelligence services. Read more →
🗞️ The best stories of the day
- 🏈 Football diplomacy: A meeting between Trump and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. in a luxury box during the Army-Navy football game last weekend may have delayed Trump’s plans to fire Brown. Read more →
- 💲Business decision: Trump this week transferred his entire stake in Trump Media to a revocable trust of which he is the sole beneficiary. Read more →
- ☕ Baristas on strike: The Starbucks workers union announced a strike starting Friday in Seattle, Los Angeles and Chicago. Read more →
- ⛪ A holy visit: President Joe Biden will meet with Pope Francis in January in what will likely be his final international trip while in office. Read more →
That’s all that’s coming from the politburo for now. If you have any comments (like or dislike), please email us at politicsnewsletter@nbcuni.com
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