All eyes will be on the Senate in the opening stages of the 119th Congress as GOP leaders hash out a border-focused reconciliation package and work to confirm President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet nominees.
Except for today.
While all of official Washington is fixated on the House speaker drama, the Senate’s business on this “first day of school” will be largely ceremonial and, dare we say, drama-free. One Senate GOP aide jokingly compared it to “syllabus week” from college.
The Senate will convene at noon and complete some procedural business before the newly elected and reelected senators are officially sworn in. After that, Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer are expected to speak.
News: Thune will pledge to preserve the legislative filibuster, according to prepared remarks Punchbowl News obtained.
Thune will say that the filibuster “has perhaps the greatest impact in preserving the Founders’ vision of the Senate,” vowing to “ensure that the Senate stays the Senate.”
This is important for two reasons. First, Trump could very well call for the end of the filibuster, as the president-elect did multiple times during his first term. Senate Republicans resisted those calls at the time.
Secondly, the issue could pop up again sooner rather than later as GOP leaders craft the initial reconciliation package. The measure will center on border security, energy and defense, but the “Byrd Bath” could force Republicans to consider overruling the Senate parliamentarian on whether to ax certain provisions. That’d be akin to weakening the filibuster.
In his floor speech, Thune will also promise to pass individual appropriations bills and a farm bill. And Thune plans to lean on some of the themes of his leadership run from last year — “empowering committees, restoring regular order, and engaging in extended debate on the Senate floor.”
Schumer, we’re told, will reiterate what he told us earlier this week about not letting bipartisan dealmaking fall by the wayside as Republicans focus on their party-line budget reconciliation bills. He’ll also preview some Democratic priorities.
Noms: Later in the afternoon, the Senate is likely to adopt its organizing resolution for the 119th Congress. As we explained Thursday, this is the mechanism for officially handing control of Senate committees to the GOP.
Because most committees require a seven-day notice for committee business, it’s unlikely that there will be any Cabinet confirmation hearings next week.
That means next week will feature another dash of meetings between senators and Trump’s Cabinet nominees. The top-tier nominees have all met with nearly every GOP senator, so we’ll start to see a lot more sit-downs with Democrats.
As we scooped Thursday, former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (Hawaii) — Trump’s nominee for director of national intelligence — is scheduled to meet with Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the Intelligence Committee vice chair, on Monday. This will be an early test of whether Gabbard — a former Democrat — could conceivably attract Democratic votes. Sources in both parties see this as unlikely.
The week of Jan. 13 will be extremely busy. In addition to Gabbard, Trump’s Pentagon nominee Pete Hegseth and secretary of state nominee Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) are expected to have their confirmation hearings.
