| | | | |  | | By Jordain Carney | | Presented by |  | | | With assists from POLITICO’s Congress team
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Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) said a House select committee looking back at the Jan. 6 investigations is "probably the way to go at this point." | Seth Herald/Getty Images | HINDSIGHT IS 2025 Congressional Republicans are planning to use their narrow majorities next year to conduct a sweeping look back into the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, the spin-off federal investigations and Capitol security generally. And one Republican who will lead part of that effort is floating the potential creation of a new House select committee that could serve as a funnel for those disparate probes, which span multiple standing committees’ jurisdictions. “I think at this point we really need to have a more clear structure on how this goes,” Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.) told Inside Congress on Wednesday. “I think a select committee is probably the best way to go at this point." Loudermilk, who currently oversees a House Administration subcommittee that has poked at some of these issues, hasn’t yet vibe-checked Speaker Mike Johnson on his idea but hopes to this week. If the Jan. 6-related work isn’t folded into one select committee, it would be split between multiple panels including the Administration and Judiciary committees. But he added in another recent interview that “there’s still a lot to be done even beyond just the Jan. 6 aspect — security of the Capitol, a lot of those things still need to be done.” He said Wednesday that his subcommittee would soon be releasing findings related to Capitol security as well. Jack in the box: Loudermilk recently teamed up with Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) to formally request that special counsel Jack Smith, who charged President-elect Donald Trump with Jan. 6-related offenses, retain his investigative records (something he already would have done). Asked if he envisioned a probe of Smith’s investigation being folded into a potential select committee, Loudermilk hedged, citing the need for discussions with Jordan and others. They aren’t the only ones preparing to look back at Smith's work. Sens. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) sent a similar letter, saying that they must be “preserved so that Congress can perform an objective and independent review.” Others on the hard right are urging Trump to pardon Jan. 6 rioters outright. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) told reporters Wednesday that “every single one of them should be pardoned.” Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) went further in a recent tweet, adding that in addition to pardons “Congress must hold accountable the bad actors involved in the sham J6 Committee.” Speaking of pardons: Jordan is planning to dive into special counsel David Weiss' investigation into Hunter Biden, including testimony from the prosecutor himself. Congress will also get a look at Weiss’ final report, which should provide Republicans with plenty of fresh fodder. Other members of Jordan’s committee are calling for Hunter Biden himself to be brought in following the pardon he received from his father, President Joe Biden. “When we deposed him … he was so limited in what he would answer,” Jordan said about Weiss. “So we will definitely want to talk to him, I think, again once he gives us the report.” — Jordain Carney GOOD EVENING! Welcome to Inside Congress, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Wednesday, Dec. 4, where readers flooded us yesterday with details on previous congressional boat owners. Now we just need to crack the mystery of the red Winnebago.
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Learn more. | | | MIKE JOHNSON’S SPENDING JAM Speaker Mike Johnson is confronting a familiar reality as he tries to land a government funding bill: His members don’t agree on what their strategy should be, and conservatives already know he’ll ultimately have to lean on Democrats to get something across the finish line. Congress is facing a Dec. 20 deadline to avoid a holiday shutdown, and Johnson is facing the usual factional headaches as he tries to assemble a plan to address it. He met Tuesday night with the House Freedom Caucus, who questioned the Louisiana Republican about if disaster relief would be attached to the spending bill, according to two members of the group. Some in the group want the disaster money to be offset. But that’s a no-go for Republicans in other parts of the conference — especially those representing areas hit hard by hurricanes Helene and Milton earlier this fall. And Johnson knows that some Freedom Caucus members and others on the conference’s right flank are unlikely to vote for any short-term spending bill, forcing him to rely on Democratic votes to avoid a shutdown. “What we’re doing right now is the important, methodical job that the House has to go through really line by line and assess those requests and make sure they all are actually tied to disaster … that’s what the discussion with Freedom Caucus was about,” Johnson said about the Tuesday night meeting. Dating game: Another Johnson headache concerns the calendar: He told reporters this week he expects the next funding deadline to get punted into March, but no date has been finalized and some Republicans have other ideas. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who will take over as Senate Appropriations chair next year, told reporters she doesn’t want the funding debate dragging on that long. "I'm still hoping we don't go into March, because with reconciliation coming down the pike, the president's new budget, which is due the first Monday of February also coming at us, there's going to be a ton of work to do,” Collins said. A few lawmakers, meanwhile, are still holding out hope that fiscal 2025 spending can be settled entirely before the holidays, including House Budget Chair Jodey Arrington (R-Texas). “My opinion is we should resolve that now, tie a bow on it, not saddle President Trump with it and certainly don’t distract [from] reconciliation,” Arrington said. Red line drawn: Johnson told reporters that he would not include Ukraine-related aid in a stopgap bill, spurning the White House’s recent $24 billion request for more emergency funding. – Jordain Carney
| | | | A message from Instagram:   | | | MEET THE NEW TRI-CAUCUS CHAIRS Two of the three groups that make up the “Tri-Caucus” held their elections Wednesday, putting some fresh faces in charge of the key affinity-based blocs. Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.) will be the next Congressional Black Caucus chair, succeeding Rep. Steven Horsford (D-Nev.). “The next two years will stand among the most trying in our caucus’ history, and we must be the resistance against extremism and continue to be the conscience of the Congress,” she told reporters. The CBC’s contest wasn’t without internal drama. Some in the bloc mounted a quiet push to draft Rep. Troy Carter (D-La.) into the chair race, though he ultimately ran for another leadership slot. And there had been some rumors that Horsford would attempt to stay for another term, but that, too, didn’t come to fruition. Rep. Grace Meng (D-N.Y.) was unanimously elected the next chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, succeeding Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.), who had held the job for 14 years. “I look forward to strengthening and growing the caucus, serving our diverse members, and fighting for policies that empower [Asian American, and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander] communities across the country,” she said in a statement. The third leg of the Tri-Caucus, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, held its leadership elections last month, naming Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.) as its next chair. — Nicholas Wu
| | No, Bob Good is not trying to hint that he’s running for president. Spotted: Sen.-elect John Curtis learning the ropes about whether he’s allowed on the Senate floor right now. “I just don’t wanna break any rules,” he told the guards. (Yes, he’s allowed.) John Thune got a fresh 10-foot Christmas tree in his office. Lisa Murkowski whipped up some of her famous peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for her colleagues. We love senators who accidentally match. Ashley Hinson got a cookie cake.
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Learn more. | | | QUICK LINKS Christmas tree from Alaska, gingerbread Capitol sweeten the season in D.C., from Ashley Murray at States Newsroom GOP lawmakers already divided over sweeping Trump policy bill, from Jordain Carney, Benjamin Guggenheim and Olivia Beavers A 9-year-old Kenai girl is the star at the U.S. Capitol Christmas tree ceremony, from Liz Ruskin at Alaska Public Media Hegseth’s future as Defense secretary hangs by a thread, from Ursula Perano, Anthony Adragna and Connor O’Brien TRANSITIONS Mitchell Rivard has been named chief of staff for Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.). He was most recently chief of staff for Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.) and is a Nancy Pelosi, Hillary Clinton and Jennifer Granholm alum. Zahraa Saheb has been named chief of staff and Katharine Crabtree has been named district director for Rep.-elect Emily Randall (D-Wash.). Saheb previously served as legislative director for Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas), while Crabtree previously served as deputy district director for Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-Wash.). Cameron Niven is now communications director for Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif.). He was previously a regional press secretary at the DNC. Sean Naron has been named chief of staff for Rep.-elect Johnny Olszewski (D-Md.). He previously held the same role under Olszewski as Baltimore County executive. TOMORROW IN CONGRESS The House and Senate are in session. THURSDAY AROUND THE HILL 11 a.m. Reps. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), Becca Balint (D-Vt.) and others introduce a “polluters pay” bill. (House Triangle) 3 p.m. Congressional Progressive Caucus announces its new leaders for the 119th Congress. (Studio A)
| | TUESDAY’S ANSWER: Josh Altman correctly answered that Ulysses S. Grant was the most recent American to be promoted to General of the Armies of the United States, the highest rank in the U.S. Army. It was done posthumously in the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act. TODAY’S QUESTION, from Josh: Only three future presidents attended military service academies. Who were they, and which academy did each attend? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Inside Congress. Send your answers to insidecongress@politico.com. GET INSIDE CONGRESS emailed to your phone each evening. | | | | Follow us | | | | |
