The “eye” of the U.S. Capitol’s domed Rotunda. Photo by elwisz via Getty Images
It’s Tuesday, the traditional day for elections and for our pause-and-consider newsletter on politics and policy. We think of it as a mini-magazine in your inbox.
HOW YOU WANT US TO COVER CONGRESS
By Lisa Desjardins, @LisaDNews
Correspondent
We are living in Trump times again, where a single day can pack in a week’s (or month’s) worth of news.
And thus it may feel like a year ago — but it was only a month — when we asked what you wanted to see out of coverage of what’s happening at Congress.
We received hundreds of thoughtful emails and have been carefully going through them.
It seems like a good moment to launch the next part of the conversation. After sifting through our mail bag, we’ve laid out what we heard and what it means to us.
Explain the policy
Where’s Lisa? She’s among the reporting scrum surrounding Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., in the Capitol basement. Photo by Kyle Midura/PBS News
Though every aspect of coverage brought support in your emails, the area you would like us to cover the most is policy.
Sandy Walter wrote it well: “Cover the issues with context and analysis, what it means, what’s not true, who the players are, how it affects the public.” She added, “Go deeper than the headlines.”
Those few sentences are not a small charge. But they do describe, perhaps better than I might have, what we aim to do every week.
There’s something our team talks about: Focus less on what’s being said and more on what’s being done.
Focus on the people
A sunny day at the Capitol. Photo by Kyle Midura/PBS News
Multiple folks wanted us to talk more about people. That was the second-largest category starting with the letter P in emails. Moreover, it was woven into scores of emails about policy.
Here’s how Russ Green put it: “I think it is important to continue to show the human impact of legislation with personal stories and likely unintended consequences”
Karen Lege wrote: “I would like to know how decisions by the new Congress actually affect us, everyday Americans.”
Jennifer McCord told us: “I would like to see more about the issues and the people representing them.”
This is something we especially work for on air and online. In the early weeks of the Trump administration, we’ve spoken to federal workers hit hard by the hiring freeze and programs who have been blocked from funding, as well as the fear felt among immigrant families as raids and deportations escalate.
We are also working to get more voices into Here’s the Deal. In last week’s edition, a Texas couple shared how they’re navigating next steps for their daughter as Trump continues to roll back protections for trans people. In a special email over the weekend, we featured a San Francisco Bay Area family’s historical ties to birthright citizenship in this country.
There are more stories to tell. And not everyone has felt comfortable speaking out, fearing their safety or retribution. But if you’re someone who’d like to get in touch with us about what’s happening in your community or how you’re being directly affected by ongoing policies out of Capitol Hill, email us at [email protected].
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We appreciate each of our readers and are always looking to grow.
A quick (bullet) point
Many of you like short, straight and clear writing, with a particular device in mind.
“Your use of bullet points is valuable,” Joseph Kudless wrote. Thank you Joseph! We do love a bullet point.
We also think through when to bold text, strategically place helpful links and make accessibility considerations, such as alt text for images.
We welcome any thoughts on how to make this email easier to read for you.
Looking forward
Your responses exceeded even my expectations, both in number and thought. They articulate our core principles.
And it is this: Report on the issues, explain what they mean and who they affect. With some sprinklings of who the critical players are and how the process works.
And we must do it with distinct, simple clarity.
That may sound simple and obvious, but it is easy to lose focus.
So our thanks to you for your feedback. We hope you can see it bearing fruit in the coming weeks.
Let’s keep up the good conversation.
TRUMP’S DEMAND FOR A BIG BUDGET PACKAGE
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., speaks with reporters outside the Senate chamber. Photo by Lisa Desjardins/PBS News
Now let me follow through. I’m sitting on a bench outside the Senate chamber, as Republican senators lunch in the room across the mustard-yellow hall from me.
Let’s talk about the primary issue in Congress at the moment: the Republican push for Trump’s agenda.
What: Republicans are trying to take the first critical steps toward Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” to extend and expand his 2017 tax cuts.
What else: They would also like to simultaneously cut the deficit.
But wait, there’s more! Including legislation on immigration and the border.
Who would be affected?
Most U.S. households. The original Trump tax cuts are set to expire at the end of the year, which means higher tax rates for most households in the country if Congress doesn’t act by the end of 2025, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Some tipped workers. Trump has pledged to end taxes on tips as part of this package.
Those who rely on Social Security. Trump also wants to end taxes on Social Security income.
There’s a long-term concern. The Congressional Budget Office has long warned that the U.S.’s fiscal outlook is not sustainable. If things aren’t course-corrected, this would mean rising national debt and likely cuts to Medicare and Social Security.
The social safety net. Some House Republicans I speak with believe this bill is the time to change Medicaid and other social programs. That includes more work requirements but goes beyond it. Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., a ringing voice on the right, told me Tuesday he wants block grants to be on the table as well. Context note: Roughly 13 percent of Norman’s district lives below the poverty level, slightly higher than the national average.
What to watch
House and Senate Republicans are not on the same page here — and it is a critical moment.
The Senate, led by Budget Committee Chair Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., is pushing two separate bills: a small one focused on immigration and a second, larger bill for taxes and other items.
The House, led by Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith, R-Mo., insists that approach can’t work. The House, with an impossibly slim margin, likely can only pass one bill. And even that will be difficult.
Why this matters: Both chambers are running out of time to meet Trump’s hope for a bill within his first 100 days, or even by summer. Even so, the House and Senate are moving separately this week. And it is clear that Senate Republicans are more unified.
A major question: Can House Republicans put together their proposal in the next day? And how much will they recommend cutting from federal spending? Conservatives, including the House Freedom Caucus, want up to $2.5 trillion in cuts, while a more pragmatic House Speaker Mike Johnson and others want $1.5 trillion.
If House Republicans have to punt again, it will mean the Trump agenda in Congress is still not across the starting line.
More on politics from our coverage:
Watch: How the courts may serve as a check on Trump’s presidency.
One Big Question: What does the American public think about Trump’s second term so far? NPR’s Tamara Keith and Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter discuss.
A Closer Look: How Trump is aggressively working to dismantle the U.S. efforts to fight climate change.
2 CABINET CONFIRMATION HEARINGS TO WATCH THIS WEEK
There are two upcoming confirmation hearings to watch this week as President Donald Trump's Cabinet takes shape. Photos by Reuters and Getty Images
By Joshua Barajas
Senior Editor, Digital
Matt Loffman
Senior Producer, Elections
President Donald Trump’s Cabinet is filling up.
After several weeks of high-profile hearings, many of the president’s 22 Cabinet or Cabinet-level nominees have had a smooth pathway to confirmation in the Senate. Pete Hegseth, one of Trump’s most controversial picks, got key Republican senators to swing in his favor despite early hesitation about his nomination for defense secretary.
Coming up as the caboose are two Cabinet picks whose hearings this week also have major questions looming over their nominations.
All times listed below are Eastern and are subject to change. We will update the list here as proceedings get underway.
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 12
Lori Chavez-DeRemer, labor secretary
Watch the hearing in the player above.
10 a.m. — Chavez-DeRemer, a union-friendly Republican, testifies before the Senate Committee of Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.
A pro-union Republican. Chavez-DeRemer’s bona fides as a union-friendly lawmaker are professional and personal. The former Oregon congresswoman was raised in a Teamster family and likes to tout that she has a strong backing from labor groups. She was one of a handful of Republicans who pushed for the “Protecting the Right to Organize,” or PRO Act, which would have made it easier for workers to form unions. The bill didn’t ultimately prevail in Congress, but this kind of past union-friendly stance has been a point of contention among her fellow Republicans.
An unorthodox pick. How much this stance matters to Senate Republicans and business groups remains to be seen. While the Democratic Party has traditionally embraced organized labor, this may be Trump’s opportunity to make inroads with unions. Though other nominees have faced initial skepticism on their path to confirmation, things eased by the end of the process. Plus, not every Senate Republican is wary of Chavez-DeRemer.
What does the labor department do? The labor head would oversee laws and regulations that focus on workplace conditions. (Think wages, working conditions, unemployment benefits, etc.) Chavez-DeRemer may have a more union-friendly record than Trump, but if confirmed, a more pro-union labor secretary doesn’t necessarily mean more pro-worker policies.
THURSDAY, FEB. 13
Linda McMahon, education secretary
Watch the hearing in the player above.
10 a.m. — McMahon, who led the Small Business Administration during Trump’s first term, testifies before the Senate Committee of Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.
A limited background in education. The former wrestling executive has little background in education policy, serving about a year on the Connecticut State Board of Education, part of what led the National Education Association to oppose her nomination.
Will the education department be dissolved? McMahon’s testimony comes as the Trump administration and efficiency czar Elon Musk are moving forward with plans to dismantle the department she would lead if confirmed. A few dozen of the department’s roughly 4,400 employees were put on administrative leave in recent weeks after Trump’s executive order against diversity, equity and inclusion. Congressional Democrats opposed the administration’s actions and were denied access to the building while protesting outside the department last week. The president is reportedly considering executive action to gut the department and supports eliminating it altogether, though that would require an act of Congress. “I want Linda to put herself out of a job,” Trump said last week. Expect Trump’s executive actions — and McMahon’s support for them — to be central questions during her hearing.
What does the education department do? Many of the agency’s core functions are also established by congressional statute, chief among them its mandate to support low-income families and students with disabilities. The department also oversees tens of billions of dollars of federal student loan disbursements each year.
More on the confirmation hearings from our coverage:
Major Moments: Read and watch key highlights from the hearings here.
THIS WEEK’S TRIVIA QUESTION
By Joshua Barajas
Senior Editor, Digital
The vice president typically swears in new Cabinet members.
But the White House has requested the presence of one particular figure — a Supreme Court justice — at the swearing-in ceremonies for President Donald Trump’s Cabinet.
Our question: Which Supreme Court justice has sworn in several of Trump’s Cabinet members so far?
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: Who is known as the “Father of Black History”?
The answer: Carter G. Woodson. Before he created Negro History Week in 1926, Woodson was the second Black American — after W.E.B. DuBois — to receive a Ph.D. in history at Harvard University.
Congratulations to our winners: Lorraine Pomeroy and Lisa B. Wilson!
Thank you all for reading and watching. We’ll drop into your inbox next week.
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