Deirdre Walsh
Appearances
NPR News Now
NPR News: 01-03-2025 7PM EST
Johnson was an early re-elected Speaker on the first ballot. Initially, three Republicans voted against him, but he convinced two of them, Ralph Norman of South Carolina and Keith Self of Texas, to vote against him. to change their votes. After he won, Johnson vowed to tackle a key priority his party focused on in the 2024 election.
NPR News Now
NPR News: 01-03-2025 7PM EST
Because Republicans hold a narrow majority, Johnson could only afford one defection. The House has to approve a package of rules for how the chamber will operate. and then is expected to turn to border security legislation later this month. Deirdre Walsh, NPR News, the Capitol.
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New ICE Policies, Hegseth Claims, West Bank Attacks
This is an on-the-record signed sworn statement from Hegseth's former sister-in-law, as you noted, Danielle Hegseth. She was married to his brother, Nathaniel. And she states that she was asked to provide the statement by the top Democrat on the panel, Jack Reed.
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New ICE Policies, Hegseth Claims, West Bank Attacks
Senator Reed told me last night he made the request for the details because he didn't think the FBI background check on Hegseth was adequate. Hmm. Danielle Hegseth says in her personal opinion, Pete Hegseth is, quote, unfit for the job. She says her former sister-in-law, Samantha, Hegseth's second wife, who he divorced, feared for her personal safety during their marriage.
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New ICE Policies, Hegseth Claims, West Bank Attacks
She often hid in a closet. She said Samantha had a plan about texting her a safe word or code word that meant she wanted someone to fly to Minnesota to help her. Danielle Hegseth also said she personally witnessed Hegseth intoxicated, yelling in her face. She told the FBI that Hegseth abused alcohol numerous times over the years to the point of actually passing out during a holiday gathering.
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New ICE Policies, Hegseth Claims, West Bank Attacks
Well, NPR reached out to his attorney, Tim Parlatori. He has not responded. But Parlatori told NBC, which first reported on this affidavit, that Samantha Hegseth, this ex-wife, never alleged any abuse and actually signed court documents acknowledging there was no abuse. And she affirmed that as part of Hegseth's background check.
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New ICE Policies, Hegseth Claims, West Bank Attacks
He maintained, Parlatori, that Danielle was, quote, an anti-Trump far-left Democrat. who was divorced from Hegseth's brother and never got along with the family. He said she has an ax to grind. In Samantha Hegseth's case, she told NBC in a statement there was no physical abuse, she wasn't going to comment on her marriage, and she didn't have representatives speaking on her behalf.
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New ICE Policies, Hegseth Claims, West Bank Attacks
It's worth noting that during the public confirmation hearing, Pete Hegseth was pressed about previous allegations about excessive drinking, inappropriate behavior, which he denied.
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New ICE Policies, Hegseth Claims, West Bank Attacks
You know, they're standing behind them. I spoke with several last night after this affidavit became public. Most said they hadn't read the document, but they questioned the timing, the motivation. Hegseth's nomination is on track for a full Senate vote later this week or over the weekend at the latest. I talked to Armed Services Chairman Roger Wicker.
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New ICE Policies, Hegseth Claims, West Bank Attacks
He told reporters he had grave doubts about Daniel Hegseth's account in the affidavit, but he also admitted he hadn't read it. He said he was planning to review it, but he dismissed it as political. So far, no Senate Republican has publicly said they're going to oppose Pete Hegseth's nomination. With the 53-seat majority, he can lose three votes and still win.
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New ICE Policies, Hegseth Claims, West Bank Attacks
three Republican votes and still get confirmed. He's not likely to get any support from Democrats, but he's not going to need them right now. He has the votes.
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Latest On New Orleans Attack; New Congress Comes Into Session; Carter's Funeral
Well, it took some heavy lobbying and critically the help of President-elect Donald Trump to get Johnson over the line. The speaker could only afford to lose one Republican going into this vote, and Kentucky Congressman Tom Massey made it clear he wasn't going to vote for him. He voted for the Republican whip instead.
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Latest On New Orleans Attack; New Congress Comes Into Session; Carter's Funeral
Initially, there were two other Republicans, Ralph Norman of South Carolina and Keith Self of Texas, who voted for people other than Johnson. I was in the chamber as this vote dragged on and on, and it was clear Johnson didn't have the votes, and we expected it to go a second round.
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Latest On New Orleans Attack; New Congress Comes Into Session; Carter's Funeral
But then I saw Johnson leave the floor with both Norman and Self, and they both came back and dramatically changed their votes so he could win on the first ballot. You know, it was very clear Trump did not want this to drag out. You know, no other business can happen until a speaker is elected in the House. And on Monday, they are slated to certify the 2024 election results.
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Latest On New Orleans Attack; New Congress Comes Into Session; Carter's Funeral
And that's something Trump did not want to delay at all.
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Latest On New Orleans Attack; New Congress Comes Into Session; Carter's Funeral
Well, addressing border security was a Republican's top priority in the 2024 campaign. And the speaker made it clear yesterday that This was an issue they would take up right out of the gate.
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Latest On New Orleans Attack; New Congress Comes Into Session; Carter's Funeral
The rules packaged the House passed yesterday that governs how the chamber is going to operate also included a rule to tee up several immigration bills. These are proposals that House Republicans have pushed through before, things like cutting off federal money for any cities. that are dubbed so-called sanctuary cities for undocumented migrants.
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Latest On New Orleans Attack; New Congress Comes Into Session; Carter's Funeral
The difference now is there's now a Senate Republican majority to help push through border security legislation.
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Latest On New Orleans Attack; New Congress Comes Into Session; Carter's Funeral
Well, it was definitely a smoother first day for John Thune. He now has a 53-seat Republican majority, and he's been coordinating very closely with President-elect Trump and Speaker Johnson. First, Thune is focused on getting Trump's cabinet nominees confirmed in the Senate. Republicans need a simple majority to get these nominees through.
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Latest On New Orleans Attack; New Congress Comes Into Session; Carter's Funeral
So far, there's been no Republican senator who's come out publicly as a no for any nominee. But if any four Republicans did break, one of Trump's nominees couldn't get confirmed. There are some controversial nominees that we've talked about before, like Pete Hegseth, to be the defense secretary, Tulsi Gabbard, to serve as the director of national intelligence.
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Latest On New Orleans Attack; New Congress Comes Into Session; Carter's Funeral
And there's still some Republican senators who want more details, things like the FBI background check. Other confirmation hearings are expected to start in mid-January.
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Latest On New Orleans Attack; New Congress Comes Into Session; Carter's Funeral
You know, his plans track those of Trump's. Here's how Thune summed it up yesterday.
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Latest On New Orleans Attack; New Congress Comes Into Session; Carter's Funeral
Thune is already hard at work drafting an initial legislative package he plans to move using special rules that get around a Democratic filibuster. Like Johnson, he wants to do border security first. That package initially in the Senate will also include some energy policies, and then a separate tax bill is going to come later in 2025.
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Latest On New Orleans Attack; New Congress Comes Into Session; Carter's Funeral
Happy to do it, Eric.
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GOP Stopgap Bill Fails, Battle For Ukrainian Town, Syria's Interim Government
It failed because a significant block of the speaker's own Republican colleagues joined most Democrats and tanked it. Even after President-elect Trump endorsed the deal, this Republican deal, and threatened primary challengers for any Republican lawmaker who voted no. Most House conservatives who voted against this criticized the decision.
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GOP Stopgap Bill Fails, Battle For Ukrainian Town, Syria's Interim Government
At Trump's insistence to add a two-year increase to the country's borrowing authority without any spending cuts, Texas Republican Chip Roy was one of them, and he chastised his Republican colleagues on the House floor.
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GOP Stopgap Bill Fails, Battle For Ukrainian Town, Syria's Interim Government
Republicans were essentially daring Democrats to vote no on this latest plan and argued they were the ones who wanted a shutdown. But Democrats opposed adding the debt limit and said provisions in the original bipartisan deal, things like lowering drug costs, funding children's cancer research, preventing China from getting access to U.S.
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GOP Stopgap Bill Fails, Battle For Ukrainian Town, Syria's Interim Government
technologies were dumped out because Elon Musk was advising Trump and was looking out for his own interests. And Democrats took a swipe at the president-elect, suggesting someone else was actually calling the shots. And they call it Musk, President Musk.
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GOP Stopgap Bill Fails, Battle For Ukrainian Town, Syria's Interim Government
You know, we have hours to go before the midnight deadline and a shutdown is much more likely. Late last night, House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters he's regrouping, coming up with a new solution. But he didn't say what that was. It's hard to see what he can do to keep his own party together.
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GOP Stopgap Bill Fails, Battle For Ukrainian Town, Syria's Interim Government
And Democrats continue to say the only way out of this to avoid a shutdown is move something that can get bipartisan support.
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GOP Stopgap Bill Fails, Battle For Ukrainian Town, Syria's Interim Government
I mean, this is a good preview of Trump's unpredictable governing style. I covered the last time Trump was in the White House and Republicans had control of the House and the Senate. And Trump frequently blew up deals cut by Republicans then. I talked to Nebraska Republican colleague Don Bacon. He said he was troubled that Musk was putting out false information about the original deal.
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GOP Stopgap Bill Fails, Battle For Ukrainian Town, Syria's Interim Government
He backed this new plan, but said Trump added a new demand late in the process.
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GOP Stopgap Bill Fails, Battle For Ukrainian Town, Syria's Interim Government
This whole episode weakened Speaker Mike Johnson as he faces another vote in January to stay speaker. And this all just shows how hard it's going to be for Republicans to move their agenda through when they're so divided on this.
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GOP Stopgap Bill Fails, Battle For Ukrainian Town, Syria's Interim Government
Thanks, Steve.
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Congress Budget Vote, Trump Speaks At DOJ, Federal Workers Reinstated
It does not look like we are heading towards a shutdown. Democrats are not happy with this bill at all. It was written without their input, but enough are expected to join with Republicans to pass it later today. Since the House passed this bill largely along party lines on Tuesday, Senate Democrats have been debating and agonizing about what to do.
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Congress Budget Vote, Trump Speaks At DOJ, Federal Workers Reinstated
Do they help Republicans avoid a shutdown or block the bill and trigger one? They say both options are terrible. Last night, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer argued a shutdown would be worse.
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Congress Budget Vote, Trump Speaks At DOJ, Federal Workers Reinstated
No, most will vote against it, but we expect enough will join Republicans to get it through. Schumer declined to say how many, but his support does give undecided Democrats the cover to vote yes. Republicans control the White House, the House, and the Senate, but they have a 53-seat majority in the Senate, and you need 60 to get around a filibuster.
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Congress Budget Vote, Trump Speaks At DOJ, Federal Workers Reinstated
They are going to need about eight Democrats to join them later today because one of their own, Republican Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, is planning to vote no. Okay, so just walk us through why the Democrats have been and still are so divided on what to do here. Right. It has been a, you know, intense discussions.
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Congress Budget Vote, Trump Speaks At DOJ, Federal Workers Reinstated
The Democratic base is really angry about how President Trump and Elon Musk have been slashing the federal government. They want Democrats on Capitol Hill to use this one moment where they actually have some leverage in the minority to fight back. But since Schumer said last night he will vote for this bill, we're already seeing some major blowback from other Democrats.
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Congress Budget Vote, Trump Speaks At DOJ, Federal Workers Reinstated
All three top House Democratic leaders put out a statement last night saying they remain strongly opposed to the bill. And New York Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez did not mince her words talking to NPR's Barbara Sprunt last night.
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Congress Budget Vote, Trump Speaks At DOJ, Federal Workers Reinstated
She also said moderates in the House Democrats who won in Trump districts voted no on this. And she said today House Democrats are still going to urge Democrats to block this bill. OK, so what are Republicans saying about when we should expect this vote? You know, it's Congress, so they always wait until the last minute. So we expect the vote on this bill later this afternoon.
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Congress Budget Vote, Trump Speaks At DOJ, Federal Workers Reinstated
That obviously gives Congress just hours before the deadline. Republicans were gearing up for a message war if Democrats block the bill to label this a Schumer shutdown.
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Tariff Fears, Trump Budget Plan Passes House, Deportation Ruling
How do you manage it? Well, he and Senate Majority Leader John Thune met separately with a group of about 20 conservatives who were adamant that the budget package had to include a minimum amount of spending cuts. They're talking $1.5 trillion. There's a range in this resolution, but these hardliners weren't convinced the Senate would actually meet the higher number, and now they say they are.
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Tariff Fears, Trump Budget Plan Passes House, Deportation Ruling
So what's in this blueprint? It's really a big package that wraps the president's legislative agenda into one set of instructions for committees to follow. The resolution says the House and Senate agrees on these goals. Now they have to work out all the details. They've agreed they want more money for border security, domestic energy production.
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Tariff Fears, Trump Budget Plan Passes House, Deportation Ruling
But most importantly, this budget extends the president's tax cuts. Those are going to expire at the end of 2025. That extension of those tax breaks is going to cost around $5.5 trillion over 10 years. Republicans are also planning to use this budget package to avoid a default on the nation's debt. They're going to raise the debt ceiling by about $5 trillion.
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Tariff Fears, Trump Budget Plan Passes House, Deportation Ruling
By doing it in this budget package, they don't have to negotiate any concessions with Democrats. They're using a process to get around a Democratic filibuster. Democrats have been blasting this package. They're saying it's going to add trillions to the deficit. Some were calling it yesterday a heist with tax breaks for the wealthy as programs for the working class are expected to be slashed.
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Tariff Fears, Trump Budget Plan Passes House, Deportation Ruling
Is that still the plan? There is no doubt Medicaid is going to be a big source of savings in this budget. You cannot cut $1.5 trillion from the federal budget without getting some from the biggest side of the federal ledger. That's mandatory spending on programs like Medicaid. The process Republicans are using walls off any changes to Social Security.
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Tariff Fears, Trump Budget Plan Passes House, Deportation Ruling
After the vote, the speaker was careful to say Medicaid beneficiaries aren't going to lose their coverage. He's arguing there's over $50 billion in waste, fraud, and abuse in the Medicaid program and other programs. The speaker emphasized they're going to make changes to Medicaid to add work requirements.
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Tariff Fears, Trump Budget Plan Passes House, Deportation Ruling
This is going to be a huge lift for Republicans. And as you know, they have a really skinny majority in the House. Lawmakers in swing districts are really concerned about Medicaid. And conservatives want more than $1.5 trillion in cuts. They want closer to $2 trillion.
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Tariff Fears, Trump Budget Plan Passes House, Deportation Ruling
But even some Republicans, like Missouri Republican Josh Hawley, are warning they're not going to vote for Medicaid cuts, and many working-class Trump voters rely on these programs, and they would be the ones hurt. That is NPR's Deirdre Walsh. Deirdre, thank you. Thank you.