Trump Mulls Options, Hegseth Gets Relief
President Donald Trump brought together his national security advisers last night as he mulled his options in Venezuela.
While the outcome wasn’t apparent, in a term marked by chaos, his approach to what he calls “not-a-very-friendly” South American country has been a series of seemingly erratic steps that taken together add up to — something? Nothing? The latest example being his statement Sunday night that we should not “read anything into” that air space over the nation was closed.
Good options aren’t entirely clear: the US has moved warships to the region and destroyed several boats it alleges were carrying drugs. Regime change (and the attendant cost of establishing democracy) isn’t going to be a terribly popular option for a leader who campaigned on staying out of foreign entanglements. The reported promise of oil also doesn’t seem to have swayed the diplomatic efforts so far. Regardless, for the moment, socialism makes for a useful enemy.
Meanwhile, after what must’ve seemed like a very long weekend for Pete Hegseth, the White House came though with what feels like another vindication of their favorite military man.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt defended the Pentagon’s handling of a September attack on an alleged drug-running boat in the Caribbean, denying that Hegseth had given an order to kill everyone on the vessel. The order for the second strike came from US Navy Admiral Frank Bradley — not Hegseth, Leavitt told reporters.
The reported incident has spurred investigations from Republican-led House and Senate committees and allegations of possible war crimes. How they handle it will be a test of whether lawmakers stand up for their constitutional powers to conduct oversight and declare war, Jonathan Tamari writes in today’s Congress Tracker newsletter.
It’s also the second time this year that Hegseth has felt the hot glare of the negative media spotlight (anyone remember Signalgate?), but the president’s loyalty seems yet to be shaken.
To Russia, With Love?
Speaking of foreign affairs, special US envoy Steve Witkoff is due to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin today to discuss the latest plan for peace in Ukraine. Ahead of the talks, Putin said Russia had captured a key Ukrainian city, a claim Ukraines’s military staff spokesperson denied.
After a weekend of “productive” talks with Ukrainian officials in Florida, the new proposal got a boost on Monday when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy praised it. He said it looked better than a previous version that was hammered out between US and Russian negotiators.
Ukraine and its European allies had been wary of the plan after an initial version included numerous Russia-friendly concessions, including forcing Ukraine to hand over territory, cap its military, and never join the NATO military alliance.
The administration has also faced questions about Witkoff’s role in brokering peace after a Bloomberg News report detailed his coaching for the Russian side. Read More
See Also: EU Warns US Against Forcing Deal on Ukraine Before Moscow Talks
Tennessee Election Gets More Special
A special House election today in a conservative Tennessee district favors Republicans but is polling closer than expected, giving Democrats fodder to claim victory even if they don’t win, Greg Giroux reports.
Trump and Republican groups have made a furious late push to elect Matt Van Epps, an Army combat veteran, and avoid what would be a devastating loss to Democratic state Rep. Aftyn Behn in Tennessee’s 7th District. The district backed the president by 22 percentage points in the 2024 election.
Polls give Van Epps a much narrower advantage at a time when Trump’s approval rating is sagging and Democratic activists are emboldened by strong electoral showings including in Virginia, New Jersey, and other states last month.
A Trump-aligned super PAC, MAGA Inc., spent at least $1.7 million on the race, including on ads branding the progressive Behn as too “radical” for a district that includes Clarksville, part of Nashville, and rural areas in west-central Tennessee. Trump said the Democrat “openly disdains Country music,” in a Nov. 30 Truth Social post. (Her response: “I was conceived after a George Strait concert.”)
- “No rational person believes this district should be competitive, and yet it’s apparently very competitive,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters Monday. “Republicans have already lost — the fact that they are spending millions of dollars to hold a seat that Donald Trump just won by 22 points is extraordinary.”
The National Defense Authorization Act is one of Congress’ top year-end targets and lawmakers might look to attach their last-minute priorities to the must-pass legislation.
Join BGOV’s reporters and analysts on Dec. 11 at 1 p.m. for a deep dive webinar into the bill, what its policy choices mean going forward, and how it fits into the larger spending debates in Washington. Register Here
They Said It
“Absolutely. Why? Because we’ve actually addressed affordability on exchanges.” —Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), responding to a question of whether his plan to replace ACA credits with health savings account funds will prevent another government shutdown.
Watch the full interview on Bloomberg Television here.
The Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing on rising healthcare costs tomorrow.
Today’s Agenda
- Trump will hold a cabinet meeting and (separately) make an announcement about his $1,000 “Trump Accounts” meant to help spur savings for kids.
- The Fed’s top cop, Michelle Bowman, will appear before a key House banking panel this morning. The House Financial Services Committee’s hearing on oversight of prudential regulators will also include testimony from Comptroller of the Currency Jonathan Gould and acting Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Chairman Travis Hill.
- The House may take up
H.R. 1005 under which federally funded K-12 schools would have to disclose to the Education Department when they receive money or enter into a contract with a foreign source that is more than $10,000. Read Our Analysis - Senate Republicans are readying to advance the next package of more than 80 of Trump’s nominees this week, after filing an executive resolution (
S.Res. 520 ) to start the process Monday. - A scaled-back kids’ online safety bill will be scrutinized in a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee, diverging from the leading Senate proposal on the hot-button issue. Download the BGOV On-Point comparison.
Before You Go
Enough About the MRI: Trump received a “preventative” MRI of his heart and abdomen that showed “normal” organ functions, the White House said amid mounting questions about the 79-year-old president’s health.
Redistricting Pending: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis confirmed Monday his state’s Republican-dominated government will revise congressional lines next spring. A state legislative redistricting panel will hold its first meeting Thursday.
Mangione’s Court Fight: Luigi Mangione’s lawyers argued that the police violated his legal rights by searching his backpack without a warrant and questioned him for 20 minutes before reading him his constitutional rights. The arguments came in a hearing ahead of his trial for allegedly murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Chips Sector Stake: The Commerce Department will invest as much as $150 million in xLight, a chip technology startup tied to former Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger. The move extends the US government’s reach into the chip industry.
Lawsuits in Bulk: Costco has joined dozens of companies suing the Trump administration to ensure eligibility for refunds if the US Supreme Court strikes down the president’s signature global tariffs policy.
REAL Travel Hack: US flyers arriving at the airport without a REAL ID will be offered the option to pay $45 for an alternative process to prove their identities, TSA officials said Monday.
H-1B Scrutiny: The Labor Department is pursuing around 200 investigations under the umbrella of Project Firewall, which targets violations of a visa program dominated by the technology industry, Andrew Kreighbaum and Parker Purifoy report. Read More
AI Authority: The ongoing debate over who gets to regulate AI turns on arguments over federalism and whether a state can project its laws onto another, Kevin Frazier of the University of Texas Law School writes in a Bloomberg Law insight. Read More
Tied Up: A “technical tie” in Honduras’s presidential election led to a warning from Trump that there “will be hell to pay” if any results are changed. Read More
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