Thanks to the Dayton Daily News for running my story on the front page. Great way to kick off 2026!

Major legislation expected on the U.S. House floor next week

President Trump's first vetoes of his second term were two bills which were unanimously approved by the House and Senate. A bill to deliver clean water to SE Colorado was sponsored by Rep. Lauren Boebert R-CO and a flood control bill for a tribe in Florida was sponsored by Rep. Carlos Gimenez R-FL.

Just a reminder that funding runs out for a big chunk of the government (not all) on Jan. 30, one month from today. 9 of the 12 yearly government funding bills remain unfinished. The original spending deadline was Sept. 30.

Not many days left for the AJC print edition and I was lucky enough to get a spot on A1 today www.ajc.com/politics/202...

Yes that was the Justice Department calling me a 'dope' in a tweet

So far, there's the Trump Institute of Peace, the Trump-Kennedy Center, Trump-Class of warship, Trump $1 coins, and Trump Savings Accounts. In Congress: Trump on the $250 bill, Trump Airport (Dulles), Trump on Mt. Rushmore, and a yearly Trump Peace Prize.

With the Lummis & Stefanik announcements, here is my updated spreadsheet. Not one vote has been cast in 2026 and already 43 House members and 9 Senators won't be back after the next election.

It's pretty safe to say that Democrats lost their shutdown fight over health care. But you can argue they are winning the messaging war right now on the expiring insurance subsidies and have Republicans are on the defensive. www.ajc.com/politics/202...

13 lawmakers, 8R-5D, missed all 11 votes on this final legislative work day for 2025 in the U.S. House. Among them was Marjorie Taylor Greene R-GA, who will be resigning in early January.

Where is President Trump's $1,776 military bonus money coming from? Congress only approved $50 million for bonuses in the Big Beautiful Bill. Instead, the Pentagon is shifting $2.6 billion of the $2.9 billion in money approved for military housing assistance.

President Trump says that checks for $1,776 each are going out to nearly 1.5 million servicemembers. I have questions. + When did Congress approve such a plan? + Where is the money coming from? + How is it non-taxable? Did Congress vote to do that? I'm sure there must be specific bill text.

I was in the Speaker's Lobby when this happened and it generated a storm of protest. Rep. Riley Moore R-WV gaveled a procedural vote to a close while one Democrat was ready to vote. That vote would have defeated the measure on a 204-204 tie - but Moore opted for a very fast gavel.

4 House Republicans have signed the discharge petition for a 3-year extension of health insurance subsidies offered by Democrats. That gives it 218 signatures - and will force a vote probably in January.

Rep. Mike Lawler R-NY hits House GOP leaders for not allowing a vote on compromise health plans - and criticizes Democratic leaders for not supporting bipartisan efforts to extend expiring insurance subsidies

The Labor Department reports that 64,000 jobs were added in November as the unemployment rate is now at 4.6 percent nationally. That's the highest jobless rate since September 2021.

40 House members (20D, 20R) didn't make it back for the first votes of this final work week of 2025. Five of those members also missed Friday's votes: Garcia D-TX, Jordan R-OH, Moulton D-MA, Nadler D-NY, and Swalwell D-CA.

Reps. Massie R-KY and Greene R-GA criticize Trump for his 'TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME' post about the deaths of Rob Reiner and his wife. Massie called Trump's post 'inappropriate and disrespectful.'

President Trump this weekend again (wrongly) said that the US has raised 'trillions' from new tariffs. It's now bringing in about $31 billion per month. Total tariffs FY 2025 - $195 billion Total tariffs FY 2024 - $77 billion Anything you see about 'trillions' is a lie.

House GOP releases the text of a health care bill that will be on the schedule next week rules.house.gov/sites/evo-su...

29 House members missed Friday's votes (19D, 10R). Three lawmakers missed every vote this week: Gimenez R-FL, Nadler D-NY, and Swalwell D-CA

Much more in today's Regular Order jamiedupree.substack.com/p/trump-rebu...

This failed redistricting vote wasn't the first time that Donald Trump had trouble convincing Indiana Republicans to do his bidding.

The Senate is pushing ahead with government funding bills that have earmarks for home state projects. Some GOP Senators are very unhappy with that - because it might help some Democrats get reelected. More in my column for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. www.ajc.com/politics/202...

After 2 months of the new fiscal year - October & November - the federal deficit is already at $458 billion. ➡️Revenues: $740 billion ➡️Spending: $1.198 trillion For those curious, tariffs totaled $62 billion in Oct/Nov

It's the year of the discharge petition in the House. This bipartisan plan would force a vote on a bill to temporarily extend the ACA subsidies while making some reforms. 6 GOP lawmakers signed it immediately. clerk.house.gov/DischargePet...

27 House members (15R, 12D) missed the first two votes of the week. The three in yellow also missed every House vote last week: Casar D-TX, Nadler D-NY, and Swalwell D-CA.

President Trump is mad about the 60 Minutes interview with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene R-GA, so he wants an apology from CBS. I can't make this stuff up.

I'm not quite sure where to start

Rep. Adelita Grijalva D-AZ says she was just pepper sprayed by ICE agents in Tucson

The U.S. Supreme Court delivers a win for Republicans, upholding the new GOP map for Congress in 2026 - which could deliver as many as 5 extra seats for the GOP. s3.documentcloud.org/documents/26...

The clock is ticking. But it sure doesn't seem like Congress is anywhere near an agreement on how to deal with expiring insurance subsidies under the Obama health law. It may just be a warmup for the 2026 midterms. More in my column in the AJC. www.ajc.com/politics/202...

Here is the IG report on Defense Secretary Hegseth's use of Signal. "The Secretary declined to be interviewed for this evaluation." media.defense.gov/2025/Dec/04/...

Missing every House vote this week (4D,2R): Babin R-TX Casar D-TX Garamendi D-CA Greene R-GA Nadler D-NY Swalwell D-CA

The House is now 220 R to 213 D with the swearing-in of Rep. Matt Van Epps R-TN who won a special election in Tennessee earlier this week.

WASHINGTON (AP) — FBI makes arrest in investigation into pipe bombs placed in DC on eve of Jan. 6 riot, AP source says.

There has been no rush to sign a House discharge petition to force a vote on a bill to ban stock trading by lawmakers. Only 14 members have signed. 218 needed for action.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene R-GA has missed every vote this week in the House. Her resignation is effective on Jan. 5. Two Democrats not running for reelection in 2026 have also been out all week: Rep. Jerry Nadler D-NY and Rep. Eric Swalwell D-CA.

One of these things is not like the other. Time from House special election to swearing in (2025): Patronis R-FL - 1 day Fine R-FL - 1 day Walkinshaw D-VA - 1 day Van Epps R-TN - 2 days (scheduled for Dec. 4) Grijalva D-AZ - 50 days

With the pardon of Rep. Henry Cuellar D-TX, who had been accused of bribery and corruption, President Trump has now pardoned 12 members of Congress - 10 Republicans and 2 Democrats. (All but Cuellar had been convicted.)

Republicans will hold onto TN-7. GOP candidate Matt Van Epps is leading by 6 percent. Donald Trump won this district in 2024 by 22 points.

10 lawmakers (6D, 4R) have missed every vote so far this week in the U.S. House: Babin R-TX Bell D-MO Casar D-TX Garamendi D-CA Greene R-GA Haridopolos R-FL Nadler D-NY Swalwell D-CA Wilson D-FL Wilson R-SC

Speaker Johnson trying to make it seem normal that he had to fly-in for a last minute campaign trip for a special election in a Trump +22 district in Tennessee. The GOP should win this race easy today - but it sure hasn't looked like that of late.

If you are counting on tariffs to help dramatically cut the deficit - then you're going to need much higher tariffs. Uncle Sam brought in $31 billion in import duties in October - while the overall budget deficit was $284 billion.

The national debt has increased $155 billion in the last week. It now stands at $38.336 trillion.

Sen. Joni Ernst R-IA just presided over the Senate pro forma session. She refused to stop for questions from reporters, yelling 'Happy Thanksgiving' as she raced out of the Capitol to a waiting car.

It's not every day that a U.S. Senator and his wife get sued by the IRS. The feds claim that Sen. Jim Justice R-WV and his wife owe the IRS over $5 million.

GOP Congress Vibe Check

The judge who threw out the case against James Comey and Letitia James got in a dig at Lindsay Halligan in the first line of the decision