! Sens. Heinrich and Whitehouse says permitting reform is dead unless Trump admin reverses offshore wind project decisions

We are looking for a House reporter who wants to ball out next year job-boards.greenhouse.io/semafor/jobs...

Schumer introduces Epstein resolution "providing for authority to initiate litigation for actions by the President and Department of Justice officials inconsistent with their duties under the laws of the United States" www.democrats.senate.gov/imo/media/do...

News: Lindsey Graham is prepping a budget to set up a second budget reconciliation bill for next year. He wants it to include grants for states cooperating with ICE, health care and military spending “It would be political malpractice not to do another" www.semafor.com/article/12/2...

Dept. of Hell Freezing Over: Democratic Sen. Hassan doing a press conference with former GOP NH Gov. Sununu on Monday about travel scams Sununu in 2022: "Senator Hassan is going to lose, no question" (she won) Sununu in 2021: "She has not been here for 4 or 5 years (Hassan: "outright false")

New statement from Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed on ACA fight "Democrats need to force the issue. The weak ones bend too quickly. We need Democratic leaders who aren’t bought and aren’t broken—and we’ll be the ones fighting for Medicare for All.”

Newsy Missouri poll this morning Extend ACA subsidies, 55-38 Raise minimum wage, 63-33 Hawley approval, 51-41 www.semafor.com/article/12/1...

It's Thursday at 7:30 p.m., the Senate is expected to leave soon for the holiday but member conversations on the appropriations bill are still live...

Sen. Kelly’s lawyer has questions for Sec. Hegseth

Democrats steer away from another shutdown fight over ACA “There’s been no discussion about shutdowns. I haven’t heard a word by any of my colleagues about a shutdown,” Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., told Semafor. www.semafor.com/article/12/1...

Thune dumps large bucket of ice water on the House Dems' three-year ACA subsidies extension discharge petition. Says it's "not happening" “A straight up extension is a waste of money" Says one option could be a short extension that gives people option of putting money in HSAs

Sen. Schatz: “Democrats have a tendency to love to dive into internal disagreements, especially as they relate to policy that won’t be enacted anytime soon. And I think we should resist that urge" "A midterm message that has historically been viable is, ‘Have you had enough of this shit yet?’”

Isaacman's NASA nomination just got 67 votes -- making the initial decision to rescind his nomination even more puzzling www.senate.gov/legislative/...

News: Senate has a deal to pass the ROTOR Act, an aviation safety bill Deal will override the controversial language in NDAA on military flights around the DCA airspace. Sen. Cruz will ask unanimous consent soon and it's expected to pass

News: Work behind the scenes on bringing Venezuela opposition leader Machado to meet with Trump Sen. Rick Scott: "I'd like her to meet the president" One person familiar told Semafor that Machado would like to “present [Trump] with her Nobel medal" www.semafor.com/article/12/1...

Minibus: Holds are apparently solved on the GOP side but lots of amendments to work through on the Dem side, per Sen. Collins. One Dem senator told me the goal might be setting up votes for January at this point

Sen. Collins says talks on an ACA compromise are "going well. And the House discharge petition is certainly a boost" "we need a bill. we need a consensus bill"

Tuberville predicts Texas Tech is going to win the playoff

There is some buzz — but nothing concrete — about the Senate finishing up for the year tonight. Still a lot of noms to get through and still question of whether they can make progress on appropriations bills today or tomorrow

Newsy from Senate Majority Leader Thune on whether Trump is pursuing regime change in Venezuela “I don’t know if that’s a publicly stated policy position, I would certainly not have a problem if that was their position ... Maduro is a cancer on that continent"

Thune says he doesn't expect quick action on the ACA subsidies in the House despite discharge petition. Thinks Senate has time to game it out “Obviously we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it," he said. "Even if they have a sufficient number of signatures, I doubt they would vote this week"

Republicans entering winter of discontent as things feel more like Trump 1.0 - More personnel drama, daily chaos: Trump attacking Reiner, Wiles interview - Senators worrying more about losing House - if “election was today, we’d be cooked," says person close to WH www.semafor.com/article/12/1...

Thune conceded there won't be ACA action this year but left door open for January "We're not going to pass anything by the end of this week. But I do think there's a potential path in January if Democrats come to the table" Open enrollment ends Jan. 15, funding expires Jan. 30

Schumer VERY bearish on ACA deal in January. Mentioned toothpaste being out of tube 5 times just now "You can't do it after Jan. 1. Especially when the issues of Hyde and [for] all of these people -- it's expired already. It's not the same as it was before. The toothpaste is out of the tube"

Thune on Trump’s Rob Reiner comments: “I have answered that question. You guys have been posing that the last couple of days. All I can say is my view. I can't speak for what the President has said” Calls it a “tragic loss of life, a story which continues to unfold” and wishes sympathy for family

Sen. Collins: “Rob Reiner was a treasure and both entertained and taught Americans for decades. His death and that of his wife are unbelievably tragic. And whether one is a political ally or opponent, should not diminish the sorrow of a brutal murder. The president's comments were inexplicable”

Sen. Thune says he's familiar with some "excerpts" of the Susie Wiles interview but channels his inner McConnell in reacting: "I don’t have an observation about that”

After briefing, Schumer says all 100 senators should’ve shown the double tap strike off Venezuela

After briefing on strikes off Venezuela, Sen. Sheehy says “if we're going to question the legal process and the procedural process to target bad guys that this administration is using, then all of you better start cracking open every single Obama kinetic strike”

Important under the radar fight: Armed Services vs. Commerce on whether NDAA's DCA language makes another crash with military aircraft MORE likely Too late to pull it out of the NDAA, leaders say, but Cruz/Cantwell might be able to amend one of the spending bills www.semafor.com/article/12/1...

Why does this matter? 1. It could alter the Democratic primary between Flanagan, arguing it’s a safe seat that needs a progressive fighter, and Craig, who is arguing she’s better in general election 2. Rs would have a candidate who is not Royce White www.semafor.com/article/12/1...

Republicans talking more about longtime sportscaster Michele Tafoya launching a Senate bid in Minnesota. She's thinking of a run and met with National Republican Senatorial Committee last week, according to a person familiar

Asked about another reconciliation bill, Trump goes after filibuster again “You knock out the filibuster, it would all go away. But we have a few people that wouldn't do that. It's crazy. Look, we should knock out the filibuster, and if you did that, we'd get voter ID.”

Rare bipartisan Cruz-Cantwell presser going after NDAA language changing military airspace policy around DCA. Cantwell and Cruz say the language recreates conditions from January’s awful plane crash with helicopter Cruz: “Congress should strip this provision from the bill”

The ACA tax credits won't be revived this month -- but there's a new deadline people are looking at to force action: Jan. 30, when the government will partially shut down (again) without action www.semafor.com/article/12/1...

Interesting point by Rand Paul this a.m.: "We have one Democrat area in Louisville and we have a Democrat congressman. We could carve up Louisville and get rid of that one congressman. But how does that make Democrats feel? I think it makes them feel like they're not represented"

Funny thing about Indiana is it's the state that put Trump over the top in 2016. Cruz dropped out after losing it www.texastribune.org/2016/05/03/c...

New: Sens. Warner and Kaine expected to block Lindsey Halligan nomination by not returning blue slip www.semafor.com/article/12/1...

Sen. Sullivan on his votes for Dem/R ACA proposals today: Bashes ACA but "there is little doubt that a lot of hard-working Alaskans, families, entrepreneurs and small business owners will be negatively impacted if these enhanced premium tax credits expire"

Republicans floundering on what to do about the ACA. Trump could settle it but still giving no specifics - Vulnerable Rs want extension v. those who just hate ACA - Some want to cut deal w/ Dems, others want reconciliation - Rs who talk to Trump say he wants *something* they just aren't sure what

There is apparently a pizza crust, banana peel and fishbone hidden in the Democrats' ACA extension

Republicans Hawley, Sullivan, Murkowski and Collins currently voting to advance Dems’ 3-year ACA subsidy extension

Democrats block Crapo/Cassidy HSA bill, 51-48 50+ GOP votes for anything is notable though, because Republicans could do a bill through reconciliation (I think some of this specific one would violate Byrd rule)

Rand Paul is currently the only Republican opposing the Cassidy/Crapo HSA bill

Sen. Collins says she’s voting to get on both the Dem ACA subsidy extension and the Crapo/Cassidy bill. Wants to advance something and then amend it

White House deputy chief Blair view on Dem ACA vote today --> Schumer "knows it's a nonstarter ... it is a political maneuver. It is an attempt to have the issue fail and then campaign against us. The president doesn't take that view" www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRuG...

Dem Sen. Warner "one of the many mistakes the Biden administration made was when the Venezuelan people voted overwhelmingly to throw out Maduro -- the fact that we didn't put pressure on particularly Colombia, Brazil and Mexico to push him out -- Huge mistake" www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFoP...

Senate's health care votes are failure theater today and senators know it Murkowski: “I guess we have to demonstrate our failures first before we can apply our successes" www.semafor.com/article/12/1...

Hawley torches Rs over not enacting Trump's agenda "You’ve seen a Congress that has not been as enthusiastic about his agenda as I would like" Sees "zero appetite” for healthcare deal from GOP leaders, Trump's warned them they will get "killed" if they don't do something about health care costs

Minn. Senate: Talked to Peggy Flanagan about race against Angie Craig - "Schumer is just not that into me" - Says Ds should "throw down" on Jan. shutdown if no ACA subsidies - Wants Dems to use filibuster as much as they can to "throw a wrench in the gears" of Trump www.semafor.com/article/12/1...