Weekly Wrap

January 17, 2025

Former Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (OR-05) was back in the halls of Congress this week as she prepares for a likely promotion to President Trump's Cabinet. 

DeRemer, whom Trump nominated to be the next Secretary of Labor, met with multiple senators ahead of her upcoming confirmation hearing, including Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV).

Earlier this week, House Speaker Mike Johnson named Rep. Virginia Foxx (NC-05) to be chair of the influential Rules Committee. The powerful committee has the ability to influence legislation at virtually every point of the process – from introduction, to a bill’s content, and even terms of debate on the floor. 

Foxx is the first Republican woman and second woman in history to chair the Rules Committee.

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) highlighted a recent Office of the Inspector General report on how dozens of Interior Department employees were being overpaid "to the tune of up to $400,000 of taxpayer money after federal workers improperly claimed to be based in the DC area -- but were actually scattered all over the U.S."

Ernst, who recently founded the Senate DOGE Caucus, has been a leader in the Senate on cleaning up government waste.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced yesterday that he is appointing his state's attorney general, Ashley Moody, to replace Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) after his all-but-guaranteed confirmation to be our next Secretary of State. Moody was first elected attorney general in 2018, having served as a circuit judge for ten years prior.

Once she is sworn in, Republicans will have a new record of 10 women serving in the U.S. Senate.

When the news of Moody's appointment first broke, Florida's former attorney general, Pam Bondi, was coincidentally participating in her confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL) shared the news with Bondi as she was questioning her, expressing her excitement and the importance of having another mom with school-aged children serving alongside her in the Senate.

Washington Reporter: Rep. Julie Fedorchak: Doug Burgum Is The “Get It Done Guy” For U.S. Energy Dominance

Axios: Kiggans Leads Effort To Address Health Care Worker Shortages 

Fox News: Two House Dems join GOP to ban biological males from girls' school sports

Axios: Biden's Cuba bombshell shocks Florida Democrats

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Have a great weekend!