In today’s issue, Scott Wong, one of Capitol Hill’s resident experts, details the political implications of a major leadership shakeup on key House committees initiated by Speaker Mike Johnson. Additionally, Matt Dixon reports on the appointment of Marco Rubio’s successor in the U.S. Senate from Florida, but that hasn’t stopped Republicans from competing for the seat in 2026.
— Adam Wollner
Mike Johnson faces new headache in narrow House of Representatives
Written by Scott Wong
Less than two weeks after Mike Johnson narrowly secured the chairmanship after a brief uprising on the right, he is now drawing ire from his Republican opponents.
Prime Minister Johnson removed Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio), an avid NATO supporter who has actively pushed for U.S. aid to Ukraine, as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, and replaced him with Rick Clough. When he decided to appoint Congressman Ford, it sent shockwaves around the Capitol. Republican Ark is a conservative who voted against the latest Ukraine aid package.
The move appeased conservatives and supporters of President-elect Donald Trump, but infuriated moderate Republicans.
A lawmaker who, like Turner, is a member of the Main Street Caucus said the unexpected changes on the Intelligence Committee could erode trust within the Republican conference and make it more difficult to pass President Trump’s agenda. He said there is. Two House Republicans are running for Trump’s post, and the party’s majority could soon shrink to 217-215, with Johnson holding just one seat on a party-line vote.
Those Republicans said they gave Johnson every penny after Turner’s firing became public.
“It hurts us in the process of reconciliation,” he said, referring to Republicans’ plan to speed up the budget process to pass legislation related to Trump’s promises on taxes, borders and energy costs. said. “It seems like backroom politics and intrigue.”
A second Republican who recently spoke with Mr. Turner said being ousted as speaker will make life difficult for Mr. Johnson next year and puts him in a position to halt entire Republican policy if he feels like it. I expected it to stand up. Turner did not participate in the House votes on Wednesday and Thursday.
“Mr. Turner will burn down the House,” said a second lawmaker. “He would vote against everything. I mean, he’s completely nuts.”
The internal unrest, which erupted days before Mr Trump was sworn into office at the Capitol, underscores how challenging the next year will be for Mr Johnson.
Read more about Johnson’s move →
➡️ Elsewhere on Capitol Hill: Four of President Trump’s Cabinet nominees: Scott Bessent for Treasury Secretary, Doug Burgum for Interior Secretary, Lee Zeldin for EPA Administrator, and Scott Bessent for Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Turner) had a Senate confirmation hearing on Thursday, with witnesses testifying on his behalf. Words from Pam Bondi, President Trump’s nominee for attorney general.
Catch up on all the big moments here →
DeSantis has named Rubio’s replacement, but the fight for the Senate seat is just beginning.
scott brand
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has announced his long-awaited pick for the Senate seat held by Marco Rubio, who is tipped to be the next Secretary of State. But with vacancies in the Senate and Donald Trump’s Republican Party, appointments are rarely the end of the story.
Matt Dixon said DeSantis selected state Attorney General Ashley Moody, elevating a longtime ally. The appointment will run for the next two years, with a special election to be held in 2026 for the final two years of Rubio’s term.
Other Republicans in increasingly red states have also expressed interest in running for seats, and appointees are not as sure of a fight in the first primary as other incumbents. And given his influence in the Republican primaries and the fact that he seems to enjoy jumping into the race, there is no doubt that Trump’s comments are significant.
Republican Rep. Cory Mills, who had previously indicated he would run in the special election, previewed the claims he would make against President Trump in the near future when he spoke to reporters at the Capitol after being appointed by Moody’s. .
“We thought Ashley would figure it out,” Mills said. “She’s been a DeSantis supporter from the beginning. She supported Governor DeSantis over President Trump in the presidential primary. But 2026 is going to be very interesting.”
The same dynamic is in play in Vice President-elect J.D. Vance’s former Ohio Senate seat, which has been vacant since his resignation. Gov. Mike DeWine, a former MAGA Republican who is serving his final term, has not yet made a decision, and Trump ally Vivek Ramaswami has replaced longtime DeWine ally Lt. Gov. Jon Husted and Trump ally Vivek Ramaswamy. He is on the short list along with a handful of other candidates. As reported by Henry J. Gomez.
Appointments to the Senate can be historic moments, and no governor wants their appointments to be undone by primary politics. Two further tests on this front are planned for 2026.
☀️ Elsewhere in the Sunshine State: Florida Republican Rep. Byron Donald is telling potential donors and Florida political insiders that he is running for governor in 2026. Read more →
🗞️ Today’s Top News
➡️ Latest Ceasefire: Israel’s cabinet is scheduled to meet on Friday to vote on a ceasefire and hostage release agreement with Hamas, after Hamas blamed the delay on a “last-minute crisis”. Read more → ⌚ TikTok to operate 24 hours a day: The Biden administration is considering ways to keep TikTok available in the U.S. even if the ban, which is set to go into effect Sunday, moves forward. If the ban goes into effect, there are no plans to impose billions of dollars in fines on companies that allow access to TikTok in the United States. ✉️ Attendance: TikTok CEO Shaw Chu has been invited to President Trump’s inauguration on Monday and plans to attend. And Elon Musk is among the speakers at President Trump’s pre-inauguration rally in Washington, D.C., on Sunday. 🍴 Skipping Lunch: Former Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush will not attend President Trump’s inaugural luncheon. Continue reading → ✅ First order of business: Mr. Trump has spent the past two years on the campaign trail, making more than a dozen promises about what he would enact on his first day in office. Here are some of his most notable first-day plans: Continue reading → 🎤 Final Words: Outgoing Attorney General Merrick Garland, in his farewell speech to Justice Department staff, called the Department of Justice “ It appeared to be a rebuke of the attacks by President Trump and his allies, who he has criticized unfairly. as politically motivated. Continue reading →📝 Report: Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee want Garland to release the rest of former special counsel Jack Smith’s report on President Trump’s handling of classified documents — which Even if it means dismissing charges against co-defendants. Continue reading → 💲Now it’s settled: Rudy Giuliani reaches settlement agreement with former Georgia election officials he owes $146 million. Continue reading → 🏈 Political Football: Similar to politics, rules allowing uncapped donations have given mega-donors a new avenue to directly impact another area: college sports. Read more →
That’s all from the political desk for now. Thank you to Faith Wardwell for helping create today’s newsletter.
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