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DeSantis Slams Congressman-Elect

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“Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis escalated his attacks against Randy Fine on Wednesday, blaming the representative-elect’s ‘unique problems’ for a special election victory he said should have been won by a higher margin,” Politico reports.

He said voters did not want to support Fine and that President Trump “really had to bail him out in the end.”

Said DeSantis: “These are voters who didn’t like Randy Fine but who basically are like, ‘You know what? We’re going to take one for the team. The president needs another vote up there, and so we’re going to do it.’”

More: “Just the way he conducts himself is somebody — he repels people.”

House Remains Paralyzed

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“Speaker Mike Johnson and his Republican leadership team think that the House is completely paralyzed for the time being,” Punchbowl News reports.

“Top aides and allies to all three men – Johnson, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer – say they believe they can’t bring any legislation to the House floor until the GOP leadership is able to turn off Rep. Anna Paulina Luna’s (R-FL) discharge petition to allow proxy voting for new mothers and fathers…”

“The GOP leadership has discussed trying to kill the proxy voting resolution again next week. They would up the ante by including language in a rule that would also allow for consideration of the House-Senate budget resolution.”

Senate GOP Nearly Ready to Move Trump’s Agenda

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Punchbowl News: “Thune confirmed the plan to release text today and told us he plans to file the budget resolution text on the floor once it’s out, a sign a vote could come quickly. Thune told colleagues on Tuesday that he didn’t have 50 votes yet. The GOP leadership’s goal was to use today’s meetings to help assuage deficit hawks’ concerns in particular.”

“The timing remains fluid, but GOP leaders are aiming to hold the first procedural vote on Thursday, with a vote-a-rama expected to begin Friday evening. That timeline could get pushed back if Thune can’t lock up the requisite votes.”


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McConnell to Buck His Party on Tariffs

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Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) privately indicated to Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) he would back the Virginia Democrat’s resolution to undo President Trump’s Canada tariffs, Politico reports.

McConnell’s support means Kaine’s resolution will likely have the votes it needs to advance in the Senate.

Trump Tells Inner Circle That Musk Will Leave Soon

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“President Trump has told his inner circle, including members of his Cabinet, that Elon Musk will be stepping back in the coming weeks from his current role as governing partner, ubiquitous cheerleader and Washington hatchet man,” Politico reports.

“The president remains pleased with Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency initiative but both men have decided in recent days that it will soon be time for Musk to return to his businesses and take on a supporting role.”

GOP Hopes for Trump’s Tariffs

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Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) wants President Trump to use tariffs as a cudgel to get other nations to pull back their own, Politico reports.

Said Kennedy: “In the long run, it will probably work. The problem is that in the long run, we’re all dead. And so the short run matters.”

Meanwhile, the Washington Post reports Republicans say they’re “nervous about the lasting repercussions if Trump keeps the tariffs in place for longer than a month.”

Fiscal Breakdown Ahead

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Michael Bloomberg: “Amid all the blaring headlines coming out of Washington, here’s a piece of news that is getting far too little attention: The U.S. is on course for fiscal breakdown. That’s the unambiguous message from the Congressional Budget Office’s newly updated long-term projections. Unless Congress changes course, there’ll be a reckoning, and it will be grim…”

“The federal government is currently spending roughly $7 trillion and collecting only $5 trillion in taxes annually. The resulting deficit is a little over 6% of gross domestic product, a disturbingly high number for an economy around full employment.”

Trump Canceled Maine Contracts as Political Payback

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“Emails show that the Social Security Administration canceled contracts with the state of Maine as political payback against its Democratic governor,” the HuffPost reports.

“A week after Maine Gov. Janet Mills clashed publicly with President Donald Trump at the White House over transgender athletes in girls’ sports, Leland Dudek, the acting commissioner of Social Security, asked his staff about what contracts Maine had with the Social Security Administration.”

Man Arrested Four Times Since Trump Freed Him

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“Jonathan Braun has repeatedly been in legal trouble since President Trump commuted his federal prison sentence more than four years ago as part of a rushed, last-minute process of granting clemency to allies and well-connected special pleaders before leaving office,” the New York Times reports.

“On Saturday, Mr. Braun, a major player in the predatory lending business, was arrested on Long Island on charges of assaulting an acquaintance and his 3-year-old child, according to court documents. It was the fourth time he has been arrested since Mr. Trump freed him.”

About Political Wire

goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.

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