Elon Musk, who plans to take a leading role in cutting spending for the incoming Trump administration, indicated early Wednesday that he opposes a spending bill backed by Speaker Mike Johnson.

The incoming leader of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency wrote in a post on X at 4:15 a.m. that “this bill should not pass.” If Congress doesn’t clear a spending bill by Friday night, a government shutdown will kick in.

It’s the same position as a swath of conservatives, who have excoriated the funding package for including various new unrelated spending measures, what lawmakers typically refer to as a “Christmas tree” bill.

Johnson said on Fox News on Wednesday that he’d heard many of those complaints directly from Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, the other DOGE chief, in a group text chat they share.

“They understand the situation,” Johnson asserted. “They said: ‘It’s not directed at you, Mr. Speaker, but we don’t like the spending.’ And I said: ‘Guess what, fellas? I don’t either.”

Congressional leaders released bill text Tuesday night that would fund the federal government into March, hitched to more than $100 billion in disaster aid and a slew of last-ditch policy bills as lawmakers prepare to leave town for the holidays.

Racing to avert a government shutdown Friday night before fleeing the Capitol until January, lawmakers have again turned their year-end funding bill into the proverbial “Christmas tree” measure, ornamented with a variety of unrelated legislation they want to clear in the final days of the current session of Congress. That includes a bill to renew expiring health care programs, a measure to restrict U.S. investments in China and a one-year extension of the annual “farm bill” that sets agriculture and food policy.

Speaker Mike Johnson bristled Tuesday at the classic nickname for Congress’ catch-all December package: “It’s not a Christmas tree.”

The measure is a “small” stopgap funding patch, the speaker added, “that we’ve had to add things to that were out of our control. These were not man-made disasters. These are things that the federal government has an appropriate role to do. So I wish it weren’t necessary. I wish we hadn’t had record hurricanes in the fall.”

Disaster aid under the bill will largely flow to communities recovering from Hurricanes Helene and Milton, along with other disasters like wildfires and severe flooding, plus federal aid to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge that collapsed in Baltimore earlier this year. Another $10 billion in economic assistance is included for farmers.

The package also OKs year-round sales of ethanol fuel nationwide, a major victory for Republicans in corn-growing states.

Conservative Republicans in the House are seething over the funding package, escalating discontent within the conference ahead of the January floor vote that will decide if Johnson can remain speaker.

House Democratic leaders, predicting that dozens of GOP lawmakers will vote against passage this week, are issuing a warning to Johnson heading into the new Congress.

“One of the things that we know very clearly is that House Democrats will be needed to pass government funding,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said on Tuesday. “That has been the case this Congress. It will continue to be the case, even in the next Congress.”

“But this is a lesson for Speaker Johnson,” Jeffries added. “Work with us, let’s find solutions, let’s tune out the most extreme voices in your conference, and let’s find that consensus that will be necessary to fund government.”

That next funding fight will happen in the first two months of the second Trump administration. Under the new stopgap spending bill congressional leaders are trying to clear this week, the next government shutdown deadline will be pushed to March 14, keeping budgets mostly static for the military and federal agencies well into the fiscal year that kicked off in October.

That new deadline will allow the Trump administration to officially weigh in on a final funding deal and is a win for conservative Republicans. House Freedom Caucus members who are hoping to slice government funding have long-favored pushing the deadline close to a late-April trigger for across-the-board cuts.

The March funding deadline is also seen as advantageous to Johnson, since it saves him from having to negotiate a final bipartisan government funding deal — and the ensuing criticism from House conservatives — before the January floor vote to lock in his speakership.

House Democrats have largely set their team for countering President-elect Donald Trump’s agenda next year.

While the caucus is still making other Democratic committee heads official, they decided several contested panel leader elections Tuesday morning, with uncontested elections for leadership recommendations later in the day. House Democrats largely saw the contested races to lead Democrats on the Oversight, Agriculture and Natural Resources Committees as a check on seniority in the caucus — and a way to instill fresher talent from the ranks.

On the Natural Resources panel, Rep. Jared Huffman (Calif.) is replacing Rep. Raúl Grijalva (Ariz.), who ended his bid to lead Democrats on the panel again. On the Agriculture panel, Rep. Angie Craig (Minn.) beat Rep. David Scott (Ga.), who faced questions about his health and finished in a distant third in an internal caucus panel election before dropping out of the race. On Oversight, Rep. Gerry Connolly (Va.) defeated Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), though both would have represented new leadership after Rep. Jamie Raskin (Md.) launched a bid for the ranking position on Judiciary.

Although they won’t hold gavels, House Democrats are looking to counter the incoming Republican trifecta and Trump however they can. Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi played a prominent role on that front during his first term, and personally backed two of the three new ranking members on key positions.

Heading into the next Congress, Democrats had fretted about their aging leaders’ ability to respond to conservative policy changes on the farm bill in the Agriculture Committee and in energy policy on Natural Resources. They also see high-profile panels like the Oversight Committee as a messaging bulwark against the Trump administration.

Here’s what the new rankers will do from their leadership perches:

Oversight and Accountability Committee
Connolly, a seasoned investigator, told reporters Tuesday that he’s experienced at countering Trump, and his strategy to fight Republicans was going to be “to tell the truth.”

“And if that hurts, then we know we’ve made our mark,” Connolly said. He added that “we will do a thorough assessment of the committee on the Democratic side and make appropriate changes.”

Connolly had earned plaudits from his colleagues for his tenure on the Oversight panel, where he worked on Postal Service issues and currently serves as the top Democrat on a subpanel on cybersecurity.

His allies also pointed to his deep well of relationships in the Democratic caucus, including in the centrist New Democrat Coalition, which had backed him during the elections for the top spot on the panel.

“He’s bright, he’s witty,” said Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), who helped campaign for Connolly. “I’ve seen him on the Foreign Affairs committee, taking charge of the issue, particularly when the Republicans are overstepping, etc., as well as doing it in a way that brings us all together. … And I think that’s who Gerry is.”

Connolly said he was diagnosed with cancer in a statement after the election. In private conversations as he sought the top Oversight spot, Connolly said he has pledged to his colleagues that he will be transparent about the status of his diagnosis, including if it were to unexpectedly worsen.

Natural Resources Committee
Huffman is now in a key position to challenge Republicans’ effort to enact Trump’s planned “drill, baby, drill” push.

The Californian has a decade of experience on the committee and is known for his frequent sparring with Republicans, plus policy chops that he developed when he worked as an attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council. He was a leader among Democrats clamoring for a generational change atop committee leadership.

In taking over the panel that oversees federal lands issues, including energy production and permitting, Huffman told reporters Tuesday he planned to aggressively defend against Republicans’ “Project 2025 agenda” while building on Grijalva’s legacy to “put environmental justice first and really lifted up his disadvantaged communities that bear the brunt of the climate crisis.”

Huffman had the backing of the large and powerful California delegation, including Pelosi, who he thanked “for her advice and support.” Huffman’s backers cited his knowledge of environmental and climate issues, advocacy for tribes and environmental justice, and his pragmatic streak, along with his work raising money for colleagues on the committee and in the caucus running in tough districts.

Agriculture Committee
Craig’s defeat of Scott and Rep. Jim Costa (D-Calif.) will make her the first woman ranking member of the House Agriculture panel, which some of her supporters touted as a shot at the “boys club” of panel leadership, according to one House Democratic lawmaker who was granted anonymity to discuss the internal caucus dynamics.

It’s also a loss for Pelosi, who was advocating for Costa, her fellow Californian, along with the state’s powerful delegation, behind the scenes. In comments to reporters right after her win, Craig noted it wasn’t easy overcoming the “powerful California” delegation.

In a series of closed-door meetings over the past week, Craig made an aggressive pitch to Democratic House members, citing her credentials as a frontline Democrat from a rural district. She also argued during the closed-door Steering panel meeting that the party needed a Midwestern battleground Democrat in committee leadership to balance out the many senior Democratic leaders hailing from the coasts.

Craig is incredibly well-liked by a wide swath of members, especially younger members who are growing their ranks. Young female members, especially on the Agriculture Committee, wanted to help her climb.

Trump donor Andrew McKenna is a leading contender for secretary of the Air Force, according to three people close to the transition.

McKenna, a private pilot who heads a small Washington advisory and investment firm, would be the latest of Trump’s picks to take on a top job at the Pentagon without significant experience inside the building.

McKenna served in the White House Liaison’s office at the Agriculture Department during the George W. Bush administration before jumping into the private sector, according to a biography on his firm’s website. The people spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk about pending personnel moves.

Pete Hegseth and Dan Driscoll, Trump’s pick to become secretary of the Army, have both served in the military but neither has held a government job. Nor has John Phelan, selected by Trump for secretary of the Navy, who like McKenna is a major Trump donor.

“President-Elect Trump has made brilliant decisions on who will serve in his second administration at lightning pace,” Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for the transition, said in an emailed statement. “Remaining decisions will continue to be announced by him when they are made.”

Trump has also considered former Rep. Chris Stewart, a previous Air Force bomber pilot and defender of the president-elect on the House Intelligence Committee. But the former lawmaker took himself out of the running for the job, according to a person familiar with the process.

Stewart was also in the mix for the post of director of national intelligence before Trump chose former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard. A key factor for Stewart has reportedly been the health of his wife. Stewart resigned from Congress last year to take care of her.

It’s not immediately clear if McKenna would need to divest equity in defense firms. His firm advises defense companies as part of its portfolio, according to his firm’s website.

POLITICO previously reported that McKenna’s firm had provided management consulting services for the Saudi-funded LIV Golf, including monitoring and tracking 9/11 victims’ families that were protesting the tour. The firm also raised eyebrows after it reportedly hired the wife of a National Rifle Association executive despite representing a gun rights group.

The Trump transition, which sent its landing team into the Pentagon for the first time on Monday, is looking to quickly fill the agency’s large bench of Senate-confirmed appointees.

One of the people close to the transition said Trump was considering Trae Stephens, a co-founder of dronemaker Anduril, for the agency’s assistant secretary for acquisition and sustainment. Another said that James “Hondo” Geurts, a retired Air Force colonel who briefly served as acting undersecretary of the Navy during the Biden administration, was under consideration for the job.

President-elect Donald Trump has tapped John Brooks to lead his HHS landing team, three people familiar with the selection granted anonymity to discuss government transition efforts told POLITICO.

The elevation of Brooks, a former senior Medicare official during Trump’s first term who went on to advise former HHS Secretary Alex Azar on drug pricing policy, lends policy heft to a Trump health team that has faced scrutiny over its top nominees’ lack of government experience.

The landing team — which is tasked with preparing the incoming administration to hit the ground running — consists of several Trump allies led by Brooks, though the identities of those enlisted has been closely held within the health department, according to one of the people granted anonymity.

“As per the Transition MOU with the Biden Administration, the White House is receiving the names of those serving on landing teams. The landing team members are connecting with their counterparts at the departments and agencies,” Brian Hughes, spokesman for the Trump-Vance transition, said in a statement.

Brooks spent three years in the first Trump administration, where he did stints at the White House’s Domestic Policy Council and as a top aide to then-Medicare and Medicaid Director Seema Verma before taking over as one of Azar’s close advisers. Since leaving government, he has run a health policy research and consulting firm.

Brooks did not respond to a request for comment.

HHS secretary pick Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is on Capitol Hill this week meeting with a slew of Republican senators as part of an effort to lock down support for confirmation.

Rep. Gerry Connolly cemented his victory as the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, besting Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in a closed-door caucus vote Tuesday morning, according to two people in the room for the vote.

On Monday, Connolly (D-Va.) won the recommendation of the powerful Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, which oversees committee assignments. The caucus has generally followed the steering panel’s picks.

Connolly, a veteran investigator, had launched his bid after current Oversight ranking member Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) launched a bid to become the top Judiciary Committee Democrat. Connolly had shored up support among key Democratic blocs like the centrist New Democrat Coalition and had built strong relationships across the caucus during his tenure in Congress, including a powerful ally: former Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Democrats are looking to use the Oversight Committee and its high-profile perch as a foil to President-elect Donald Trump’s administration in the next Congress.

Connolly had unsuccessfully run for the panel’s top Democratic job last Congress, losing to Raskin in both the steering and caucus elections.

Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) will lead Democrats on the House Agriculture Committee in the next Congress after winning a caucus vote Tuesday.

Craig, 52, beat out Rep. Jim Costa (D-Calif.), 72, for the role by a vote of 121 to 91, according to five Democrats in the room, granted anonymity to share the private vote tally. She will become the first woman ranking member of the House Agriculture panel and is part of a larger generational shift among House Democrats, who have forced out a number of aging committee leaders in the wake of their November election losses.

The current ranking Democrat on the Agriculture Committee, Rep. David Scott (D-Ga.), dropped out of the race Monday night after winning just five votes in Democrats’ Steering Committee. Scott, 79, faced growing calls over the last several years from rank-and-file Democrats to step down from his committee role, amid concerns about his health, lack of leadership and struggle to negotiate the $1.5 trillion farm bill. But while he had previously defied those efforts, thanks in part to support from the Congressional Black Caucus and Democratic leaders, that support quickly crumbled after first Costa and Craig announced their challenges last month.

Craig has a close relationship with Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), whose leadership team provided tacit backing for the Minnesota Democrat to challenge Scott.

In a series of closed-door meetings over the past week, Craig made an aggressive pitch to Democratic House members, citing her credentials as a frontline Democrat from a rural district. During a closed-door Steering panel meeting, Craig argued that the party needed a Midwestern battleground Democrat in committee leadership to balance out the many senior Democratic leaders hailing from the coasts, according to three Steering panel members who were in the room and were granted anonymity to discuss the closed-door meeting.

In other closed-door meetings, Craig also touted her close relationship with former House Ag Chair Collin Peterson (D-Minn.), who is now a lobbyist on farm issues and still serves as an informal adviser to Craig. Peterson, who lost his reelection in 2020, has been eager to stay involved with the Agriculture panel from the sidelines.

Craig’s election marks an incredibly rare development on Capitol Hill: Two Minnesotans poised to lead their party on the Agriculture committees

Craig’s fellow Minnesotan Sen. Amy Klobuchar is already set to take over as the top Democrat on the Senate Agriculture Committee next year.