The Case for a Reconciliation Agreement between the Trump and McConnell Committees: A Closed-door, Secret-Ballot Contest
Thune, currently the number two GOP leader, is popular among GOP conference members and was viewed as the frontrunner leading up to the closed-door election. McConnell has been the top ranking Republican in the Senate since 2007.
Confirming Trump’s Cabinet nominees will be the first order of business in January. Thune, who serves on the Senate Finance committee, has signaled that renewing Trump’s tax cuts that were enacted in 2017 are the top legislative priority. Congressional Republicans are planning to use a process known as budget reconciliation to approve a package that could renew those tax breaks that are expiring at the end of 2025 and further lower corporate tax rates. Top leaders are also planning to move energy and immigration bills.
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, and Tucker Carlson, former Fox News anchor, endorsed Scott, and launched a public campaign to urge Republican senators to back him. Some Trump allies also questioned whether Thune’s past public criticism of the former president following Jan. 6, 2021, could be an impediment.
But the closed-door, secret-ballot contest revealed that Thune’s longtime relationships with colleagues and experience were the critical factor in elevating him.
The Trump-House Campaign for a Full Legislative Remnant: The Case for the Blue House in the Midwest and the Sun Belt
The news of full congressional control came hours after the House Republicans decided to give Speaker Mike Johnson a full term. Johnson must still be elected with 218 votes on the House floor on Jan. 3, 2025. Johnson needs the support of GOP members to be reelected.
Key items on President-elect Donald Trump’s agenda will be legislated by his allies on Capitol Hill. The last time Trump and the Republicans had control of the White House and Congress was in late 2017: they planned an extension of the tax cuts.
The campaign for control of the House was waged on a narrow playing field of roughly three dozen competitive districts. While the presidential campaign was centered in seven purple states in the Midwest and the Sun Belt, the contest for the House featured a cluster of critical swing races in the blue states of New York and California.