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HAPPY HOLIDAYS MAY BE TOUGH TIMES FOR CONGRESS
By Lisa Desjardins, @LisaDNews
Correspondent
The last leaves are falling here in the Washington, D.C., area. The halls of Congress are emptying and echoing. Holiday decorations will soon shine and sparkle in that building.
But the truth is that the next few weeks will be politically intense and precarious.
Here are three things to watch as we head into the remainder of 2025.
1. The health care debate
Watch the segment in the player above.
Millions of Americans face health care premium increases in the next few months, due to expiring subsidies for the Affordable Care Act plans, which were put in place in the COVID era.
Our William Brangham hosted a good discussion on the rough divide here, should the nation extend those subsidies and keep with the ACA format, which works with insurance companies, or do away with that structure and move toward direct payments to individuals.
That is a complicated question. And it comes with difficult politics, especially for House Speaker Mike Johnson, whose conference is divided on this issue. The president seems ready to wade in but has yet to give a clear plan. And the clock is ticking.
2. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s resignation
Watch the segment in the player above.
The congresswoman from central Georgia has never been camera shy. But shortly before her resignation announcement, she cancelled a planned interview with us.
And she has not been on the airwaves since.
Her last day is Jan. 5. As noted elsewhere, that’s one day before the Jan. 6 insurrection anniversary and a couple days after her congressional pension benefits become locked in.
Meanwhile, she is still present on social media. She has a lot to say about MAGA and about how the House of Representatives is being run.
And now, she represents a potential choice for Republicans, especially those who consider themselves part of the MAGA cohort: Do they speak out if they think President Donald Trump is wrong? Or do they go home? What Greene says and does in the next month could sway that direction for some.
3. The Mike Johnson debate
Photo by Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters
There’s a growing anger among House Republicans, including some in leadership, at Speaker Johnson.
How do I know this? They are telling me, largely via text.
These are longtime sources who are concerned that the House is being sidelined by the White House and by Johnson. That major issues (translation: health care) were not being discussed with them.
Now, this is not unusual. Every speaker in history faces unhappy members. But Johnson is still relatively new to leadership and — remember — Republicans can move to oust him if nine of them want to do that.
I am not saying that will happen. Johnson has come up with some big wins.
But after holding out the House for more than a month and seeming to listen more to the White House than his members, he is in a risky moment. We’ll be watching.
Watch: What to know about Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s resignation and falling out with Trump.
One Big Question: What does Greene’s decision to resign say about possible fault lines within the MAGA-era Republican Party? NPR’s Tamara Keith and Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter discuss.
A Closer Look: A new Associated Press investigation explores how immigration agents are setting up “deportation traps” and arresting migrants at mandatory court check-ins.
Perspectives: A historian explains how the Pilgrims took over Thanksgiving – and who has been erased.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is planning to sever the century-old partnership between the military and Scouting America.
NPR first reported the story. Hegseth said in a draft memo that has yet to be sent to Congress that Scouting America has ceased being a meritocracy and has become an organization designed to “attack boy-friendly spaces.”
Since becoming defense secretary, Hegseth has adopted an “anti-woke” agenda to reshape thearmed forces, including cutting DEI programs and pushing out military leaders who don’t support his views.
The U.S. government has supported the Scouts for more than 100 years. Congress mandates that the Pentagon provide support for the group’s national Jamboree, a gathering of thousands of scouts in West Virginia every three or four years, by lending logical and medical aid as well as entertainment and demonstrations.
There have also been several presidents with ties or direct involvement with the organization when it was known at the Boy Scouts.
Our question: Who was the first and only Eagle Scout to become U.S. president?
Send your answers to [email protected] or tweet using #PoliticsTrivia. The first correct answers will earn a shout-out next week.
Last week, we asked: COP30 was held in Belém, Brazil, on the edge of this diverse biome that spans across eight South American countries. What is it?
The answer: The Amazon rainforest. Close to two-thirds of the world’s largest tropical forest lies within Brazil. It is one of the most biodiverse places on the planet, including being home to some 400 Indigenous groups.
Congratulations to our winners: Carol Rutz and Kenneth Hunter!
Thank you all for reading and watching. We’ll drop into your inbox next week.
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