Catie Edmondson

And so what you have essentially is these lawmakers saying that they want to enact Trump's agenda, but they want to do so in a way that is going to be almost impossible to push through the House when it comes to achieving these types of fiscal goals. And so I think that's partly why they're looking to Mike Johnson. Congress, of course, has the power of the purse.

And so what you have essentially is these lawmakers saying that they want to enact Trump's agenda, but they want to do so in a way that is going to be almost impossible to push through the House when it comes to achieving these types of fiscal goals. And so I think that's partly why they're looking to Mike Johnson. Congress, of course, has the power of the purse.

I think they're looking for him to come up with some of those answers to fill in some of the blanks here. But I also think it's just a fact that they inherently understand that Trump himself doesn't really have these same concerns about fiscal responsibility that they themselves share.

I think they're looking for him to come up with some of those answers to fill in some of the blanks here. But I also think it's just a fact that they inherently understand that Trump himself doesn't really have these same concerns about fiscal responsibility that they themselves share.

I think that's right. And look, I think more cynically, you also just have to face the reality that he is a politically safer target to vent frustrations at than Trump is.

I think that's right. And look, I think more cynically, you also just have to face the reality that he is a politically safer target to vent frustrations at than Trump is.

Well, I think the entire exercise that we went through on Friday was really conservatives putting Mike Johnson and his leadership on notice, right? The idea that he really is going to have to answer to them. He is going to have to be responsive to their demands. And I think, look, you could say, hasn't that been true for the entire last year of Mike Johnson's speakership?

Well, I think the entire exercise that we went through on Friday was really conservatives putting Mike Johnson and his leadership on notice, right? The idea that he really is going to have to answer to them. He is going to have to be responsive to their demands. And I think, look, you could say, hasn't that been true for the entire last year of Mike Johnson's speakership?

How is this any different? But the difference here, I think, are the expectations. Republicans are starting this year thinking we have a real opportunity here. We just won big. We won the House. We won the Senate. We won the White House. This is our time to deliver for our voters, for our constituents. And so there's a lot of pressure on Mike Johnson to deliver.

How is this any different? But the difference here, I think, are the expectations. Republicans are starting this year thinking we have a real opportunity here. We just won big. We won the House. We won the Senate. We won the White House. This is our time to deliver for our voters, for our constituents. And so there's a lot of pressure on Mike Johnson to deliver.

Yes, that is the message. That is the sort of Damocles they want hovering over his head. They want him to know that he is on thin ice. And I think what's striking about that is it's shaping up to be a very different environment than what we're seeing over on the other side of the Capitol, where Republicans also have a majority in the United States Senate.

Yes, that is the message. That is the sort of Damocles they want hovering over his head. They want him to know that he is on thin ice. And I think what's striking about that is it's shaping up to be a very different environment than what we're seeing over on the other side of the Capitol, where Republicans also have a majority in the United States Senate.

Well, while all of this drama was playing out in the House on Friday, things were much calmer over in the Senate. We saw the newly elected senators get sworn in. But probably the biggest change was that Mitch McConnell is no longer the Republican leader.

Well, while all of this drama was playing out in the House on Friday, things were much calmer over in the Senate. We saw the newly elected senators get sworn in. But probably the biggest change was that Mitch McConnell is no longer the Republican leader.

And that's for the first time in about two decades. Instead, we have a new leader helming the Republican conference, and that is Senator John Thune of South Dakota.

And that's for the first time in about two decades. Instead, we have a new leader helming the Republican conference, and that is Senator John Thune of South Dakota.

Well, it was an election that was lacking in drama, but that wasn't necessarily a foregone conclusion. So back in November, when it became clear that Republicans had won control of the Senate, there was, I would say, a clutch of MAGA conservatives who said, look, if we're going to have this governing trifecta, why don't we make sure that we have a true MAGA loyalist leading Senate Republicans?

Well, it was an election that was lacking in drama, but that wasn't necessarily a foregone conclusion. So back in November, when it became clear that Republicans had won control of the Senate, there was, I would say, a clutch of MAGA conservatives who said, look, if we're going to have this governing trifecta, why don't we make sure that we have a true MAGA loyalist leading Senate Republicans?

Right. because they felt that they had been somewhat smothered by the leadership of Mitch McConnell, who did much to enable Trump, but also was quite critical of him at times.

Right. because they felt that they had been somewhat smothered by the leadership of Mitch McConnell, who did much to enable Trump, but also was quite critical of him at times.