CONGRESS RESETS: Congress has returned home for the next two weeks for the holiday recess, but it will have plenty on its docket when members return in the new year.
The enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies are set to expire at the end of December as lawmakers failed to reach any deal to extend them, or advance an alternative, before the end of their session. That will cause more than 20 million Americans to face rising health care premiums in 2026.
But a late development created some amount of hope for those who support extending the enhanced subsidies, potentially allowing those impacted to avoid the impending price hikes.
A discharge petition pushed by House Democrats received enough signatures last week to force a vote on extending the subsidies by three years. A vote didn’t happen before House members left town, but will be required to take place in January.
Jeffries said Democrats will continue to fight to extend the subsidies and expressed confidence that it will pass the House in a bipartisan vote.
At the same time, negotiators in the Senate are trying to reach a bipartisan deal to roll out next month, but hurdles remain. The Hill’s Al Weaver reports that political considerations, particularly as attention shifts toward the midterm elections next year, could hurt the chances of a breakthrough.
Congress will also be reckoning with the possibility of another government shutdown. Funding for most government departments and agencies is set to run out on Jan. 30, and lawmakers will have just a few weeks to pass the remaining appropriations bills or another continuing resolution to keep the government open.
A potential agreement to fund most of the government through the rest of the fiscal year was advancing in the Senate late last week but collapsed in the face of Democratic opposition to Trump’s attempts to shut down a key climate agency.
The Hill’s Alexander Bolton reports that Senate Democrats are raising the threat of another shutdown, coming off the one that lasted 43 days from October to November, over a series of steps coming from the White House. And lawmakers say the funding package’s failure is a sign that the chances of another shutdown are rising.
▪ The Hill: Democrats see expiring subsidies as shutdown leverage.
▪ The Hill: Republican says country will decide if GOP is to blame.
MORE OIL TANKERS PURSUED: The U.S. military has seized a second oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela and is pursuing a third as part of the Trump administration’s heighted pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
The U.S. first seized an oil tanker earlier this month that officials said was transporting sanctioned oil between Venezuela and Iran. Trump said last week that he would impose a blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and exiting Venezuela, and he declared Maduro’s regime a foreign terrorist organization.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the second tanker, which was docked in Venezuela, was seized in international waters on Saturday. The Coast Guard led the seizure and identified the vessel as “Centuries,” which was suspected of carrying oil subject to U.S. sanctions.
A White House spokesperson said the vessel was falsely flagged, reportedly carrying the flag of Panama.
Multiple outlets reported on Sunday that U.S. forces were pursuing a third tanker in the Caribbean Sea. An official told The Associated Press that the ship is a “sanctioned dark fleet vessel” part of Venezuela’s efforts to illegally evade sanctions.
They said it was also flying under a false flag.
The New York Times reported the ship began sending out a distress signal to nearby ships and fled away from the Caribbean Sea.
Experts have told The Hill that the seizure of the oil tankers is intended to target Maduro’s financial lifeline, potentially limiting Venezuela’s ability to import food and purchase weapons.
▪ The Hill: Trump pressures Maduro, but endgame is unclear.
▪ The Wall Street Journal: Venezuelan oil blockade pushes Cuba toward collapse.
GREENLAND ON MY MIND: The president has chosen Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry (R) as his special envoy to Greenland after expressing interest in the U.S. acquiring the island earlier this year.
Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Sunday that Landry, the first-term governor and strong Trump ally, understands "how essential Greenland is to our National Security, and will strongly advance our Country’s Interests for the Safety, Security, and Survival of our Allies, and indeed, the World."
The president first raised the idea of purchasing Greenland during his first term but has ramped up discussions of it during his second, arguing the Denmark-owned semi-autonomous territory is essential for U.S. national security.
But Trump's calls have largely been met with a cool response from Greenland's residents and its leaders. Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said in April that the island will never "be a piece of property that can be bought."
'60 MINUTES' PULLS SEGMENT: CBS News's "60 Minutes" pulled a segment about the Trump administration's deportations of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador just hours before the show aired Sunday.
Multiple outlets reported the decision came from editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, who had requested several changes to the segment. CBS News said the segment needed additional reporting and would air at a later date.
The New York Times reported that Weiss suggested adding an interview with a top-ranking administration official and questioned the use of the term "migrants" to refer to those who were deported, noting they entered the country illegally.
But Sharyn Alfonsi, the correspondent who reported the story, reportedly rejected Weiss's criticism in a private note to her colleagues, alleging the segment was pulled for "political" reasons.
She said her team requested comment from the White House, State Department and Department of Homeland Security.
“If the administration’s refusal to participate becomes a valid reason to spike a story, we have effectively handed them a ‘kill switch’ for any reporting they find inconvenient,” Alfonsi reportedly said.
The development renews scrutiny on CBS and Weiss following Paramount's acquisition of her media company, The Free Press.
TRUMP BACKS BLAKEMAN: Trump formally threw his support behind Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman for the GOP nomination for governor of New York after Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) surprised many in dropping her bid.
Stefanik was seen as the front-runner for Republicans seeking to pull off an upset win against New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) next year. Hochul has struggled with her approval rating, potentially presenting the GOP with an opening, though she has ticked up more recently.
But Blakeman, who is coming off a comfortable reelection victory in a purple-leaning county last month, was undaunted in challenging Stefanik despite the large number of endorsements she racked up from top Republicans in the state and nationally.
Trump stayed on the sidelines, promoting both Stefanik and Blakeman as strong candidates despite Stefanik being an increasingly close ally in recent years.
Stefanik said she didn’t come to her decision lightly, maintaining she believes she would have overwhelmingly won the nomination but didn’t want to use time or resources for an “unnecessary and protracted” primary, especially in a tough state like New York.
Trump said in a Truth Social post on Saturday that Blakeman is “MAGA all the way, and has been with me from the very beginning.”
“Bruce Blakeman is a FANTASTIC guy, will win the big November Election and, without hesitation, has my Complete and Total Endorsement for Governor of the ONCE GREAT STATE OF NEW YORK (IT CAN BE GREAT AGAIN!),” he said, not mentioning Stefanik.
Hochul’s team suggested Stefanik’s decision was an acknowledgement that she didn’t have a path to beat the incumbent.
“Elise Stefanik has finally acknowledged reality: If you run against Governor Kathy Hochul, you are going to lose,” campaign spokesperson Ryan Radulovacki said.
▪ Fox News: Lack of Trump’s support was key for Stefanik.
▪ The New York Times: Stefanik tried to please Trump, but it wasn’t returned.
SMITHSONIAN FUNDING THREATENED: The White House is threatening federal funding from the Smithsonian Institution if it doesn’t provide additional documentation for the administration’s content review.
Officials sent a letter on Thursday to Smithsonian Institution Secretary Lonnie Bunch saying the Smithsonian’s earlier submission “fell far short” of what was requested and that most requested documents remain outstanding.
The administration has been conducting a review since August of eight Smithsonian museums, which is intended to ensure “alignment” with Trump’s executive order to “celebrate American exceptionalism, remove divisive or partisan narratives, and restore confidence in our shared cultural institutions.”
Bunch responded in a letter obtained by The Washington Post saying that the Smithsonian is “committed” to sharing more information but has been delayed by the government shutdown and the time-consuming process of gathering the necessary documents. He also reportedly sent a letter to staff on Friday saying more documentation would be sent to the White House, but content decisions are made by the Smithsonian.
