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, political reporter Jonathan Allen writes that the fight against the government shutdown shows that Donald Trump is bringing chaos back to Washington before he even takes office. Plus, we have the latest on House Republicans’ plan to avoid a shutdown.
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Trump approves new Republican plan to avoid government shutdown
By Scott Wong, Sahil Kapur, Julie Tsirkin and Syedah Asghar
House Republicans released a new spending bill Thursday aimed at averting a looming government shutdown, just hours after the initial bipartisan deal was torpedoed by President-elect Donald Trump.
The new bill crafted by House Speaker Mike Johnson, Republican of Los Angeles, and Republican leaders has Trump’s support but appears to face opposition from Democrats who have not approved it. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., called the new proposal “laughable.”
THE 116-page invoice would fund the government until March 14, avoiding a shutdown that is scheduled to begin at 12:01 a.m. Saturday. It would also extend the country’s debt limit until January 30, 2027, in response to a key request from Trump. It also includes disaster relief funds for recovery from Hurricanes Helen and Milton and an expansion of the farm bill.
Absent are provisions that had infuriated Trump and his right-wing allies, including raising the cost of living for lawmakers and giving Washington, D.C., control of a stadium site that could be used by commanders of the NFL.
House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., said he expected a vote on the bill later Thursday. If the measure passes the House, it’s unclear how the Democratic-led Senate will handle it.
Read the latest news on the impending shutdown here →
📊 The survey says: An NBC News review of historical polling data shows that lawmakers have not paid a heavy political price during previous government shutdowns. Read more →
The chief agent of chaos is back
By Jonathan Allen
Donald Trump is a month away from his inauguration, but he is already transforming Capitol Hill into a mosh pit.
There are, of course, a handful of Cabinet nominees who will test Senate Republicans’ loyalty to him. They drew a line under former Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., who withdrew his candidacy for attorney general and will nonetheless see an ethics report on his alleged misconduct made public.
Even more telling, Trump rushed the government toward a shutdown by ordering Republicans on Wednesday not to vote in favor of a temporary funding bill backed by Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.
The truth is that the original bill was already in deep trouble, with MAGA-aligned conservatives clamoring to reject it. Billionaire Elon Musk, who funded his own super PAC to help Trump win, I stomped on the bill by threatening electoral reprisals to any Republican who dares to support him. Only then, as his defeat was quickly becoming an inevitability, did Trump put a fork to it and take credit for cooking dinner.
Then, Thursday afternoon, he approved a revised framework. It remains to be seen whether the new plan will get the necessary votes in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives and the Democratic-controlled Senate, but Trump’s approval is an important step. He played a much more important role in the discussions that the current president, Joe Bidenand certainly a more mercurial character.
Whatever its resolution, the episode is a reminder of the chaos of the Trump courts. To win a second term, he did not campaign on creating crises. He promised to reduce inflation, crack down on illegal immigration, impose tariffs, reduce taxes and regulations, and spend less American money on foreign wars.
Some of his plans could lead to systemic disruption — the mass deportation of millions of undocumented immigrants, for example — but he has avoided portraying himself as an agent seeking chaos for his own benefit.
Today, the Trump of the second term looks a little more like the Trump of the first term.
None of this should surprise anyone who saw him operate in the presidency for the first time. Where others see dysfunction and danger in the crisis, Trump sees an opportunity to gain the upper hand.
In Trump’s book, the risks of chaos rarely outweigh the potential rewards. So buckle up, Washington.
🗞️ The best stories of the day
- 🛡️Prepare for Trump 2.0: Lawyers and democracy advocates are beginning to build a national network to help defend and protect people who may be targeted by the Trump administration. Read more →
- ✅How he did it: Dave McCormick of Pennsylvania was the only Republican candidate for senator or governor to beat a Democrat in a conflict state this year. In an interview with Allan Smith of NBC News, he discusses his victory and his next steps in the Senate. Read more →
- 🗣️ Questions and answers: Politico spoke with Chris LaCivita and Tony Fabrizio, two architects of Trump’s winning 2024 campaign, about what their data showed in the final weeks of the race, why JD Vance was chosen as No. 2 for the GOP ticket and how voters perceive the Republican candidate. president-elect more like a celebrity than a politician. Read more →
- 🚓 Within ICE operations: NBC News’ Gabe Guteirrez and Olympia Sonnier gained access to a “targeted enforcement operation” with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, revealing the considerable resources needed to arrest a single undocumented immigrant and raising questions about how these efforts could be intensified in the Trump administration. . Read more →
- 🍑 Another legal victory for Trump: A Georgia appeals court has disqualified Fulton County Prosecutor Fani Willis and removed her from prosecuting Trump and his co-defendants in a case in which she filed a complaint over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election . Read more →
- ⚖️ Indicted: Former Rep. David Rivera, R-Fla., was indicted for allegedly working as a foreign agent, participating in a bribery scheme and laundering funds. Read more →
- 🗳️The endless election: The Republican nominee for the North Carolina Supreme Court is asking that court to throw out 60,000 ballots from the November election as he trails the Democratic incumbent by just 734 votes. 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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