Welcome to the online version of From the Political Bureauan evening newsletter with 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, senior national political reporter Sahil Kapur examines how Democrats can still wield some power in Donald Trump’s Washington. Plus, we have new reporting on how Senate Republicans plan to handle Matt Gaetz’s nomination for attorney general, and we dive into Trump’s selection of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for the Department of Health and Human Services.
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How Democrats can still wield power in Trump’s Washington
By Sahil Kapur
Republicans have won full control of Washington, but Democrats will retain two key levers of power to shape legislative outcomes during Donald Trump’s second term.
The first is that they kept Republicans at a narrow majority in the House of Representatives, leaving the party in charge little room for defections to pass major legislation. That margin is shrinking further as Trump picks House members for administrative jobs. The past two years have shown how chaotic and dysfunctional this Republican Party-controlled House can be, even when the stakes are low.
Now the stakes are high, as Republicans will own the outcome – or be blamed for paralysis. And Democrats say they plan to stay united.
“The past two years are a good example of this. They also had a slim majority. We think we’ve done a good job of stopping a lot of really bad things. And so I think we’re going to have to use the same strategy,” said Rep. Robert Garcia, D-California. “I think our leadership is going to do a great job making sure we have good control.”
The second lever for Democrats is the legislative filibuster in the Senate. Many Republican senators, including their newly elected leader, Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., are vowing to maintain the 60-vote threshold for most legislation even if it hinders Trump’s agenda.
While Senate rules allow the responsible party to bypass the filibuster for changes to taxes and spending, other matters will require 60 votes — including big tasks next year like funding the government, extending the debt ceiling and reauthorizing the agricultural law. And the Republicans will have 52 or 53 seats next year.
“If they try to pass really extreme things, they’re going to have a hell of a fight,” said Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md. “And here in the Senate, we obviously still have a number of tools to exercise.”
On most legislation, Van Hollen said, Republicans will have to “come to the table” and negotiate with Democrats.
Or as Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, put it: “Neither chamber will have an overwhelming majority, and these spending bills will be a bipartisan product.”
One area where Democrats will have little power concerns executive and judicial nominees, which require a simple majority to confirm.
Legislatively, will the Republican Party be able to overcome intraparty divisions and deliver results? Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., chairman of the House Republican campaign arm, said Trump can help keep members aligned.
“The difference here is that in a unified government, Donald Trump sets the agenda,” he said. “I think it will be much easier to move that agenda, even with a small majority.”
But other Republicans warn it won’t be smooth sailing.
“The House has always been a chaotic place and will always be a chaotic place. Anyone who thinks everything will be smooth sailing has never spent a day walking through these halls. But it’s up to us as members to actually go out and find a way to get results,” said Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, in an interview. “And I certainly think that the members who helped achieve this majority – we have more to gain and more to lose than anyone else.”
Republican senators want details about Matt Gaetz’s ethics investigation before his confirmation vote for attorney general
By Ryan Nobles, Julie Tsirkin, Frank Thorp V and Kate Santaliz
Republican senators are preparing for a thorough vetting of Matt Gaetz, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Justice Department, with keen interest in details from a House Ethics Committee investigation into the former Florida congressman.
The ethics panel has been investigating Gaetz on and off since 2021, most recently focusing on alleged sexual misconduct, illegal drug use, accepting inappropriate gifts, obstruction and other allegations. But the results of that investigation may not become public because Gaetz resigned from the House of Representatives at noon on Thursday. The Ethics Commission only has jurisdiction over sitting members of the House of Representatives.
Trump’s choice of Gaetz was a surprise to almost everyone, including members of his own party and Justice Department officials — in part because of the ethics investigation, his past legal troubles and his reputation as a troublemaker in Congress.
A source familiar with the process told NBC News that Gaetz had consulted Trump on who would best lead the Justice Department. Gaetz did not ask for the role, that person said, but Trump asked him to take the job Wednesday morning, just hours before the decision was made public.
Many Republican senators, including members of the Republican Party-led Judiciary Committee that will oversee Gaetz’s nomination as attorney general, said they want to see the details of the House Ethics investigation into Gaetz.
“I think it would be helpful,” said Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa.
Sen.-elect John Curtis, R-Utah, said he would “absolutely” like to see the findings of the House Ethics Committee investigation, saying, “I don’t know the technical details, and whether or not we would see that, but I think that would be very relevant.”
The House Ethics Committee will meet Friday, three sources familiar with the meeting told NBC News. One of those sources said the release of the Gaetz report is expected to be among the items on the agenda. Punchbowl News previously reported Wednesday that the Ethics Panel planned to release a “very damaging” report on Gaetz on Friday, citing multiple sources familiar with the investigation.
Read more →
Trump picks anti-vaccine activist RFK Jr. as Secretary of Health and Human Services
By Berkeley Lovelace Jr. and Dasha Burns
Trump has nominated Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an anti-vaccine activist and former independent presidential candidate, to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.
During his presidential campaign, Kennedy developed a national profile for his criticism of Covid vaccines and childhood immunizations. He has claimed that vaccines are linked to autism, despite decades of studies that have refuted such a claim.
Even before Kennedy’s selection, some Food and Drug Administration staffers questioned whether they would leave if he took a position as the top health official in the Trump administration.
In a statement after Trump’s announcement, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., currently the ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, said: “RFK Jr. has championed issues such as healthy diets and the need for greater transparency in our public health infrastructure.”
He continued, “I look forward to learning more about his other policy positions and how they will support a conservative, pro-American agenda.”
As the president-elect continues to fill out his administration, you can keep an eye on his choices with this handy tracker.
Here are some other updates on the Trump transition:
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Trump’s pick for director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, has been accused of amplifying Russian propaganda and is said to be coming to the job because he has never worked in intelligence or served on a Congressional intelligence committee.
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Pete Hegseth, Trump’s pick of Defense Secretary, has said he believes women should not serve in combat and wants the military purged of “woke” officials who support diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives .
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Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy’s new Department of Government Efficiency is looking for “small government revolutionaries with super high IQs.”
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While some of Trump’s Cabinet picks have surprised members of his own party, those picks underscore Trump’s promises to shake up Washington.
🗞️Today’s other top stories
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💲 Cash clash: More than a week after Election Day, the Harris campaign is not only out of money, but is still asking for more, causing an uproar within the Democratic Party. Read more →
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🧑💼’ Bro whisperers’: Following Trump’s electoral success among young men, The New York Times reports that some Democrats say they need to rethink their media strategy to reach Generation Z. Read more →
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☑️ Final race call: Democrats have flipped Oregon’s 5th District, NBC News projects, with Janelle Bynum now set to become the first Black person to represent the state in Congress. Eight House races and one Senate race have not yet been called. Read more →
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🎰 All bets are off: The FBI has raided the apartment of Shayne Coplan, the CEO of election betting site Polymarket. Read more →
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📱 X marks the spot: On the day after the election, X experienced its largest user exodus since Elon Musk bought the platform in 2022. Read more →
For now, that all comes from the Political Bureau. If you have any feedback – like it or not – please email us at politicsnieuwsbrief@nbcuni.com
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This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
