White House news

• John Ratcliffe chosen as Trump’s pick to lead CIA

  12-11-2024 23:53 via thehill.com
  
  President-elect Trump announced Tuesday that he will nominate John Ratcliffe, his former head of intelligence, to lead the CIA.Ratliffe, a former Texas representative, was critical of investigations into Trump while in Congress and later served as a member of his impeachment team during Democrats’ first effort to boot Trump from office.A statement from Trump praises Ratliffe for “exposing fake Russian collusion to be a Clinton campaign operation,” being a critic of a national s
  
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• Trump's White House press secretary: 5 possible picks

  12-11-2024 23:41 via thehill.com
  
  As President-elect Trump fills out his cabinet ahead of Inauguration Day, speculation is swirling inside Mar-A-Lago and across media circles about who he might tap to fill the key role of White House press secretary.Here are five candidates for what will be one of the most high-profile jobs in Trump’s White House.Karoline Leavitt Leavitt is widely viewed as the favorite, having served as the Trump campaign’s top spokeswoman and top messenger.Leavitt, 27, served as a press aide
  
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• Freedom Caucus chair moves to undo rogue floor procedure call

  12-11-2024 23:02 via thehill.com
  
  Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.), the chair of the House Freedom Caucus, has nullified a rogue floor procedural move he pulled off with Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.) that raised questions about whether he would face any consequences.While presiding over the House chamber in a pro forma session on Election Day, when leaders were scattered across the country, Harris approved a motion from Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.) to kill required consideration of a Social Security bill that drew criticism from conservatives.Harris b
  
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• Pence 'very encouraged' by Trump's initial cabinet picks

  12-11-2024 22:54 via thehill.com
  
  Former Vice President Pence said on Tuesday that he is "very encouraged" by President-elect Trump's initial cabinet picks for his next administration."I am very encouraged by the early appointments by the president-elect,” Pence, Trump’s previous vice president, said at The Dispatch Summit. The former vice president also noted Trump’s picks of Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), former Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) director Tom Homan and Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Fla.) as S
  
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• Conservatives plot challenge against Johnson in internal Speaker elections

  12-11-2024 20:19 via thehill.com
  
  Hardline conservatives are plotting to challenge Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) for the gavel during Wednesday’s internal House GOP elections, four sources familiar with the matter told The Hill.The sources — who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive internal deliberations — said the conservatives are planning to nominate an alternative candidate to Johnson for Speaker during Wednesday’s internal GOP elections.The sources said they are still discussin
  
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• Axelrod: Second Trump administration has 'wholly different feel'

  12-11-2024 19:39 via thehill.com
  
  Democratic strategist David Axelrod argued President-elect Trump’s second administration has a “wholly different feel” from his first team.“Say what you will about the direction he wants to take the country but this is a wholly different feel from 2016. Trump is stocking his admin with seasoned loyalists who will not guide, but rather BE guided, by HIM,” Axelrod posted to the social platform X.“People wanted to shake up Washington. For better or worse, they&rs
  
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• Tuberville: US military 'couldn't beat anybody right now'

  12-11-2024 18:18 via thehill.com
  
  Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) said Monday that the U.S. military could not defeat any country in battle right now, and called the armed services a "disaster."“We need to build our military up,” Tuberville told Fox News's Laura Ingraham. “Our military right now, Laura, is a disaster. Absolute disaster. We couldn’t beat anybody right now.”“We’ve got some good people in the military. But the structure of it, the things that we’ve done, the Democ
  
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• Who will be the next — and potentially last — secretary of Education?

  12-11-2024 18:01 via thehill.com
  
  State superintendents, outside organizers and even former rivals of President-elect Trump have all been floated as potential picks to lead his Department of Education.  Trump's Cabinet picks are coming fast and furious one week after his election, and the next Education secretary could also be the last, as Trump and his allies have regularly discussed eliminating the entire department.  The 45th and 47th president has floated some potential names for the position on the campaign trail,
  
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• Trump’s House GOP picks have Republicans worried

  12-11-2024 17:50 via thehill.com
  
  House Republican leaders facing another razor-thin majority in the new Congress are hoping that President-elect Trump will not tap any more House GOP members for positions in his administration.Trump has already picked Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) to serve as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) for national security adviser.Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Tuesday that he does not “expect” Trump to nominate more members for administration positions.“
  
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• Trump Cabinet picks: Here’s who’s on the list to carry out his agenda

  12-11-2024 17:03 via thehill.com
  
  President-elect Trump is assembling his Cabinet and senior staff for his second term in the White House before taking office in January.Trump must nominate leaders for 15 government agencies and other top administration jobs that require Senate confirmation, along with appointing senior staff.Here’s a look at who has been tapped to serve so far. CabinetSecretary of StatePick: Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.)Rubio is seen as a foreign policy hawk who is tough on China and Iran. His selection
  
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• Who is Lee Zeldin? Six things to know about Trump’s selection for EPA chief

  12-11-2024 16:55 via thehill.com
  
  President-elect Trump on Monday announced former Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) as his nominee to lead the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
  Zeldin has a fairly thin track record on environmental policy, but was a vocal congressional ally of Trump’s in the president-elect’s first term. He left Congress for an unsuccessful run for New York governor in 2022.
  The nomination was well-received by Zeldin's former New York Republican colleagues, with Rep. Mike Lawler tweeting that Zeldin "wi
  
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• Who is Lee Zeldin? 6 things to know about Trump’s selection for EPA chief

  12-11-2024 16:55 via thehill.com
  
  President-elect Trump on Monday announced former Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) as his nominee to lead the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).Zeldin has a fairly thin track record on environmental policy but was a vocal congressional ally of Trump’s in the president-elect’s first term. He left Congress for an unsuccessful run for New York governor in 2022.The nomination was well-received by Zeldin's former New York Republican colleagues, with Rep. Mike Lawler writing on social media th
  
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• Live updates: House Republicans take a victory lap as Congress returns to DC

  12-11-2024 16:33 via thehill.com
  
  Lawmakers return Tuesday after a six-week election break, where a lame duck session will blend lingering issues with the forward motion of the incoming Congress.With government funding set to run out next month, Republicans will face the question of whether to cut a deal with Democrats or push the funding issue into next year, when President-elect Trump takes office only weeks after the GOP assumes control of both the House and Senate.
  Foremost on Republicans' minds as they return are leadership
  
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• Trump to nominate Kristi Noem to lead Homeland Security

  12-11-2024 16:32 via thehill.com
  
  President-elect Trump has selected South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) to lead the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), according to a source familiar with the decision.
  Noem was first floated as a possible running mate for Trump, but her consideration fizzled after the release of her biography, in which she described killing a dog that was “untrainable.”Instead, the Republican governor will be tapped to lead the sprawling agency tasked with protecting the U.S from terror threats, se
  
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• Trump tapping Noem to lead Homeland Security: Reports

  12-11-2024 16:05 via thehill.com
  
  President-elect Trump has selected South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) to lead the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), multiple outlets reported Tuesday.Noem was first floated as a possible running mate for Trump, but her consideration fizzled after the release of her biography, in which she described killing a dog that was “untrainable.”Instead, the Republican governor will be tapped to lead the sprawling agency tasked with protecting the U.S from terror threats, securing the borde
  
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• Mulvaney on Trump transition: This doesn't 'look anything like it did in 2017'

  12-11-2024 16:05 via thehill.com
  
  Former White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney said President-elect Trump's transition into the White House "is not going to look anything like it did in 2017.""The level of sophistication on the issues is so far beyond what it was in 2017," Mulvaney told "The Hill" host Blake Burman on NewsNation on Monday."This is not going to look anything like it did in 2017. This is going to be Trump 1.0 on steroids," he added in response to Trump's various position announcements in the last few days.The i
  
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• Fetterman will vote for Rubio for Trump's secretary of State

  12-11-2024 16:05 via thehill.com
  
  Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman (D) said he would vote to confirm his colleague Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) as secretary of State if selected by President-elect Trump. “Unsurprisingly, the other team’s pick will have political differences than my own. That being said, my colleague @SenMarcoRubio is a strong choice and I look forward to voting for his confirmation,” Fetterman said in a Tuesday morning post on X. The news of Trump’s expected nomination of Rubio as
  
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• Kinzinger: Rubio pick as Trump secretary of State 'pretty good'

  12-11-2024 15:30 via thehill.com
  
  Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), a frequent critic of President-elect Trump, praised the expected nomination of Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) to serve as the next Secretary of State.“You know, Marco Rubio has been obviously kind of changing, I think he even voted against Ukraine aid, which was very surprising when I learned that," Kinzinger said during his Monday evening appearance on CNN's The Source.""But he’s not a, you know, by no means is he like a neocon, so obviously that was
  
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• Axelrod on claim Biden could have defeated Trump: ‘Bulls---’

  12-11-2024 15:27 via thehill.com
  
  CNN pundit David Axelrod said it was “bulls---" to think that President Biden could have defeated former President Trump in the 2024 race, following Trump’s extraordinary win last week.Axelrod, the former adviser to President Obama, said on his podcast “Hacks on Tap” that he read an anonymous quote from a Biden aide suggesting that the president should have stayed in the 2024 race and should have been the 2016 Democratic nominee instead of Hillary Clinton.“I read a
  
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• Axelrod on claim Biden could have defeated Trump: ‘Bulls‑‑‑’

  12-11-2024 15:27 via thehill.com
  
  CNN pundit David Axelrod said it was “bulls---" to think that President Biden could have defeated former President Trump in the 2024 race, following Trump’s extraordinary win last week.Axelrod, the former adviser to President Obama, said on his podcast “Hacks on Tap” that he read an anonymous quote from a Biden aide suggesting that the president should have stayed in the 2024 race and should have been the 2016 Democratic nominee instead of Hillary Clinton.“I read a
  
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• Live updates: Congress returns as GOP tackles leadership and funding in lame duck

  12-11-2024 15:12 via thehill.com
  
  Lawmakers return Tuesday after a six-week election break, where a lame duck session will blend lingering issues with the forward motion of the incoming Congress.With government funding set to run out next month, Republicans will face the question of whether to cut a deal with Democrats or push the funding issue into next year, when President-elect Trump takes office only weeks after the GOP assumes control of both the House and Senate.
  Foremost on Republicans' minds as they return are leadershi
  
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• Live updates: Congress returns as GOP tackle leadership and funding in lame duck

  12-11-2024 15:12 via thehill.com
  
  Lawmakers return Tuesday after a six-week election break, where a lame duck session will blend lingering issues with the forward motion of the incoming Congress.With government funding set to run out next month, Republicans will face the question of whether to cut a deal with Democrats or push the funding issue into next year, when President-elect Trump takes office only weeks after the GOP assumes control of both the House and Senate.
  Foremost on Republicans' minds as they return are leadershi
  
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• Newsom traveling to DC amid push to protect policies from Trump

  12-11-2024 14:28 via thehill.com
  
  California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) is traveling to the nation’s capital this week amid a push to protect California’s policies from President-elect Trump, following his decisive victory in the White House race.The Democratic governor is seeking a $5.2 billion reimbursement for emergency funding, updates to California’s Medicaid program and other priorities during his meeting with the Biden administration, The Associated Press (AP) reported. Newsom left his home state on Mond
  
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• Why Susie Wiles might succeed where others faltered with Trump

  12-11-2024 12:00 via thehill.com
  
  Susie Wiles is set to take on one of the most important — and arguably unforgiving — jobs in Washington as President-elect Trump’s chief of staff.Those who know Wiles and have worked with her during her years as a Republican operative in Florida and as one of the leaders of Trump’s 2024 campaign said there is reason to think she will succeed where others faltered.She’s respected by members of Trump’s orbit and those outside of it. She has a track record of suc
  
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• Freedom Caucus's rogue procedural move raises questions about consequences

  12-11-2024 12:00 via thehill.com
  
  Key members of the House Freedom Caucus went rogue with parliamentary procedure on the House floor while GOP leaders were far away and focused on other matters on Election Day, raising questions about whether the group or its chair will face any repercussions.And with House GOP leadership elections and rules considerations also occurring this week, how leaders handle the matter will be closely watched by the party’s conservative hard-liners.Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.), the new Freedom Caucus
  
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• Cuellar says he will 'sit down and work together' with Homan

  12-11-2024 05:01 via thehill.com
  
  Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar (D) said on Monday that he would "sit down and work together" with President-elect Trump's pick for "border czar" Tom Homan.“We've been on some shows together, we've done certain things together,” Cuellar told NewsNation’s Blake Burman on “The Hill” of Homan. “We agreed on a lotta things, but we just gotta make sure that we don't go extreme left or extreme right.”“And — and I think people like Tom Homan … and
  
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• Democrat defeats Republican Rep. Garcia in key California House race

  12-11-2024 04:17 via thehill.com
  
  Democrat George Whitesides is projected to defeat two-term Rep. Mike Garcia (R-Calif.), according to Decision Desk HQ.Whitesides, the former Virgin Galactic CEO who also served as NASA chief of staff during the Obama administration, won California’s 27th Congressional District, a northern Los Angeles-area House seat.
  Garcia’s defeat is notable because California’s 27th District was seen as a key pickup opportunity for Democrats. President Biden defeated former President Trump t
  
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• Trump's border czar to critics: 'Legal immigrants are perfectly safe' 

  12-11-2024 04:09 via thehill.com
  
  Tom Homan, President-elect Trump's pick for "border czar" in his upcoming administration, pushed back against critics of his immigration ideology.Fox Business's Elizabeth MacDonald showed recent clips featuring MSNBC anchor Nicolle Wallace saying Homan has “ties to Project 2025,” former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro saying he has “a cowboy attitude” and that Trump’s deportation plan will “require a lot of pushback” and &ld
  
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• Trump expected to name Rubio as secretary of State

  12-11-2024 03:48 via thehill.com
  
  President-elect Trump is expected to nominate Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) to serve as secretary of State, according to multiple reports and one source familiar with the matter who spoke to The Hill.Rubio's selection to serve as Trump's top diplomat completes a drastic turnaround from 2016, when the two were fierce rivals in a GOP presidential primary. Earlier this year, Trump nearly chose Rubio as his running mate before selecting Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio).The New York Times first reported Trump
  
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• Republicans win House, delivering Trump a trifecta

  12-11-2024 01:23 via thehill.com
  
  Republicans are projected to keep control of the House of Representatives, handing the party total control of Washington with former President Trump back in the White House in January.Decision Desk HQ projected the GOP would hold the House by winning its 218th seat on Monday, the number needed for a majority in the lower chamber.The result is a major win for Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who skyrocketed up from obscurity to lead the House GOP not only legislatively, but had a large role in its c
  
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• Republican Juan Ciscomani wins reelection in vulnerable Arizona district

  12-11-2024 01:18 via thehill.com
  
  Rep. John Ciscomani (R-Ariz.) has won his reelection bid in Arizona’s 6th Congressional District, The Hill/Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ) projects.Ciscomani defeated Democratic challenger Kirsten Engel for the seat in the swing district representing the suburbs of Tucson, Ariz. The contest was a rematch between the two hopefuls, as the incumbent narrowly beat Engel in 2022 by roughly 2 percent.The moderate Republican also received an endorsement earlier this year from former President Trump.One o
  
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• Republican Juan Ciscomani wins reelection in contested Arizona district

  12-11-2024 01:18 via thehill.com
  
  Rep. Juan Ciscomani (R-Ariz.) has won his reelection bid in Arizona’s 6th Congressional District, according to The Hill/Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ).Ciscomani defeated Democratic challenger Kirsten Engel for the seat in the swing district representing the suburbs of Tucson, Ariz. The contest was a rematch between the two hopefuls, as the incumbent narrowly beat Engel in 2022 by roughly 2 percentage points.The moderate Republican also received an endorsement earlier this year from President-ele
  
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• The Memo: Susie Wiles faces big challenges as Trump’s first chief of staff

  12-11-2024 00:42 via thehill.com
  
  The second Trump administration is beginning to populate, with the president-elect appointing a border czar, nominating an ambassador to the United Nations and choosing a leader of the Environmental Protection Agency.But the most important appointment President-Elect Trump has made so far is his first — Susie Wiles to be his White House chief of staff.Wiles is the Florida-based strategist who served as Trump’s campaign manager. In his victory speech last week, Trump expressed his &ld
  
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• Trump taps fierce UN critic to serve as envoy to it

  12-11-2024 00:33 via thehill.com
  
  President-elect Trump’s nomination of Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations sets the stage for one of the organization’s most vocal and combative critics to have a powerful seat at its table.Stefanik, 40, the fourth-ranking House Republican and a devoted Trump loyalist, has little foreign policy experience. But she has built a reputation over the last year as a leading champion of Israel, in part by repeatedly hammering the U.N. for its reproach of the
  
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