Happy Wednesday. There’s lots happening today. In this edition:
- 🚨 Trump endorsed the House’s plan to pass his agenda.
- Trump signed an executive order to control independent agencies.
- He’s attending a Saudi-backed business conference in Miami today.
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Trump ramped up his criticism of Ukrainian President Zelensky.
I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send tips & feedback to cmartel@digital-stage.thehill.com. Someone forward this to you? Sign up.
🌴Out of office: The Hill’s 12:30 Report will not publish tomorrow or Friday. We’ll be back Monday catching you up on everything you missed. In the meantime, follow The Hill’s Morning Report and The Hill’s Evening Report to stay up to date. Cheers! |
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Whoa, Trump does have a favorite!: |
House and Senate Republicans have been racing to pass President Trump’s agenda with their separate, competing strategies. Up until now, Trump has largely stayed out of the disagreement, declining to endorse one approach over the other.
But not anymore!: Trump threw his support behind the House’s strategy this morning to cram it all into one bill. (Senate Republicans want to spread it out into two bills — pass the easy stuff first while they hash out the rest.)
Trump posted on Truth Social: “We need both Chambers to pass the House Budget to ‘kickstart’ the Reconciliation process, and move all of our priorities to the concept of, ‘ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL.’” 🔎 Read his full post
The House tees up a vote: House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) teed up a vote for next week.
*Senators look around aimlessly*: The Senate has officially teed up a vote on their bill for later this week, but this throws a wrench in their plans. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) says the Senate will continue with its plan and is hoping to hear more clarity from the White House. Politico’s Jordain Carney reports that Senate Republicans will discuss next steps at their lunch with Vice President Vance today.
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*Bracing for the reaction*: |
In a highly controversial move to consolidate power, President Trump signed an executive order to expand the White House’s authority over independent regulatory agencies. Like?: The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
The order also directed Trump’s team to review the agencies’ spending to make sure it aligns with the president’s agenda.
Expect legal challenges: Congress created these agencies to specifically have independence from the White House. Trump seeking to take control of these independent agencies is legally questionable.
For context: In the first week of his second administration, Trump also fired 17 inspectors general who provided an independent check on agencies and an avenue for whistleblowers to report wrongdoing. Both Democrats and Republicans argued that move was not legal. 🔎 Read the executive order |
➤ WHO HAS BEEN CUT FROM THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT?: |
The New York Times tracked the cuts that Trump and Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has made so far. The biggest chunk is probationary employees, followed by agencies they are hoping to dismantle. 📊 Breakdown of fired employees by category and agency |
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🎵A circle is round, it has no end. That’s how long I want to be your friend🎵: |
President Trump and his bestie, tech billionaire Elon Musk, sat down for a joint interview with Fox News’s Sean Hannity. At one point Hannity even said, “I feel like I’m interviewing two brothers here.” 🧑🤝🧑 The newsiest parts: -
Inflation: “Inflation is back … and I had nothing to do with that,” Trump said, distancing himself from the recent uptick in prices.
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$1 trillion: Trump thinks Musk can find $1 trillion in cuts to the federal government. (DOGE claims it has already found $55 billion in savings.)
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Tidbit about Musk’s endorsement: Musk said he was planning to endorse Trump in 2024, but the assassination attempt in July sped up that process. “I didn’t know that,” Trump replied.
🔎 More takeaways |
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Trump ramps up Ukraine criticism: |
“President Trump on Wednesday ratcheted up his criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, accusing him of taking advantage of the United States and saying he has done a ‘terrible job’ leading war-torn Ukraine.”
How so?: “Trump went after Zelensky and questioned U.S. support for Ukraine in its war against Russia a day after he appeared to blame the Ukrainian leader for starting the conflict. Zelensky responded to those earlier comments by saying Trump ‘lives in this disinformation space.’” (The Hill)
Plus, Trump referred to Zelensky as a ‘dictator’: “He refuses to have Elections, is very low in Ukrainian Polls, and the only thing he was good at was playing Biden ‘like a fiddle.’ A Dictator without Elections, Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not going to have a Country left,” Trump wrote. |
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The Atlantic: Who Is Running the United States, Musk or Trump?
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Axios: How the world might retaliate against Elon Musk
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The New York Times: Struggle Over Americans’ Personal Data Plays Out Across the Government
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The Hill: Department of Education contract cuts spur ‘chaos and confusion’
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The Wall Street Journal: Exclusive: Inspectors General Fired by Trump Speak Out
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The Atlantic: How COVID Pushed a Generation of Young People to the Right
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A court shot down Biden’s student debt relief plan:
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“An appeals court ruled Tuesday to block former President Biden’s Saving on Valuable Education (SAVE) income-driven repayment plan that lowered monthly payments for some borrowers and quickened the pace of student debt relief for others,” reports The Hill’s Lexi Lonas Cochran.
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🍫 Celebrate: Today is National Chocolate Mint Day. Thursday is National Muffin Day and Friday is National Sticky Bun Day. ⭐ Harris’s next gig: Former Vice President Kamala Harris signed on with a Hollywood talent agency. |
The House is out. The Senate is in. President Trump is in Miami. (all times Eastern) |
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5:30 p.m.: Trump attends a Saudi-backed business conference in Miami. 💻 Livestream
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7:30 p.m.: Trump signs executive orders while en route to Washington.
- 9:10 p.m.: Trump returns to the White House.
- Today–Saturday: The annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Md.
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