‘Boy, Are We Making Progress’
President Donald Trump gave himself an almost-one-year-in progress report, telling Americans in a televised address that he’s stopped the flow of undocumented migrants and drugs while bolstering the military and brokering a ceasefire in Gaza.
“Boy, are we making progress. Nobody can believe what’s going on,” Trump said.
Jennifer A. Dlouhy reports that the centerpiece of last night’s speech combined money for those in uniform with a reminder that next year will be the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
“Military service members will receive a special — we call Warrior Dividend — before Christmas, in honor of our nation’s founding in 1776,” Trump said.
He also addressed the economy, saying “I inherited a mess, and I’m fixing it” and promising to announce “some of the most aggressive housing reform plans in American history” next year. Read More
See Also:
- Trump’s Shutdown Layoffs Paused Again by California Judge
- Labor Panel Review Complicates Trump Workforce Cut Challenges
Confirmation Station
Change the rules, diminish the slow-walking power of the minority party and read the receipts: Senate Republicans will have confirmed more of Trump’s nominees this year than former President Joe Biden secured during his first year in office.
Lillianna Byington reports that the Senate’s on track to top 400 confirmations before the chamber recesses for the holidays. That figure includes a package of more than 90 nominees of US attorneys, ambassadors, and key department officials that should get a floor vote today. Read More
See You Next Year
Democrats have been pounding Republicans on affordability issues, including Affordable Care Act health insurance subsidies due to expire Dec. 31. Yesterday, four members of the GOP conference broke with their leaders and provided enough signatures to force a vote on a three-year subsidy extension.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) says they’ll get that vote — but it will be in January, Maeve Sheehey and Erin Durkin report. Read More
In today’s Congress Tracker, Mica Soellner looks at what a year-end rebellion by Republican moderates might mean for minority Democrats in 2026. Read More
Back On Air?
Dan Bongino was a right-wing podcaster before Trump gave him a job as deputy director of the FBI.
Myles Miller reports that a round trip appears to be in Bongino’s future. “Dan did a great job. I think he wants to go back to his show,” Trump said a few hours before Bongino announced his January departure plan in a social media post.
Bongino’s turbulent tenure at the FBI was marked by clashes with Attorney General Pam Bondi and senior White House officials over the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein investigation, according to people familiar with the dynamics. Read More
Declaration of Non-Independence
This is one of those times when subscribers may appreciate their BGOV transcripts. As Kelcee Griffis reports, a Senate hearing with the head of the FCC devolved into a shouting match. It also appears to have had some immediate impact.
Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr talked over each other, and Markey suggested that Carr resign.
Then there was Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) asking to enter into the record a highlighted printout of the web page showing the FCC’s mission statement.
“Chairman Carr, yes or no, and please, yes or no, is the FCC an independent agency,” he asked. When Carr tried to offer a longer explanation, the senator cut him short.
The web page “says it’s an independent agency. And if it’s not true, then change it,” Luján said. By the time the hearing concluded, the website no longer included language stating the FCC’s independence. Read more
Eye on Inflation
The federal shutdown led the Bureau of Labor Statistics to skip its regular inflation report for October, so there’s a lot of pent-up interest in today’s Consumer Price Index update.
Participants in Bloomberg’s economic indicator survey say they’re expecting the index to show that prices in November were 3.03% higher than a year ago.
The numbers are coming out as a new NPR/PBS News/Marist Poll found Americans are deeply pessimistic about the economy.
Before You Go
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Cancer Drug Goes From $134 at Clinic to $13,000 at a US Hospital
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To Understand the United States in 2026, Take a Trip to Texas
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