President-elect Donald Trump is expected to attend the Army-Navy football game, according to two people who were granted anonymity to discuss the plans.

The game, set for Dec. 14 in Landover, Maryland, will be the 125th in the series. Trump attended the game as president-elect in 2016 and three times while he was president.

President Joe Biden has not attended the traditional match-up between the two military academies, though commanders in chief in recent years have appeared at the game (he did attend while he was vice president in 2012).

That tradition dates back to 1901, when Theodore Roosevelt attended. In a sign of neutrality, he spent half of the game on the Army side and half on the Navy side, according to a Washington Post report at the time.

An influential House Democrat is trying to preempt any effort by President-elect Donald Trump to oust the in-house watchdogs at agencies across the federal government.

Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee who is gunning for the same position on the House Judiciary Committee, sent letters Thursday to 32 inspectors general assuring them of his support. He also asked them to reach out if Trump or his allies make any effort to interfere with or replace them.

“I write to emphasize our unequivocal support for your leadership as an inspector general, which is more important now than ever,” Raskin wrote in the letters, which were obtained by POLITICO. “Although the transition from one administration to the next can bring change and uncertainty, Congress designed your role as an inspector general to be insulated from shifts in politics and priorities that often accompany changes in administrations.”

Some Trump backers have urged the president-elect to remove the watchdogs across the government and install his own picks, although prominent allies of the inspectors general have cautionedagainst such steps. Raskin also warned against such moves in his letters.

“I invite all inspectors general to contact my office if your independence is undermined or if you are being pressured or threatened with removal in any way, including if anyone falsely suggests that your position is temporary,” Raskin wrote.

One inspector general omitted from the barrage of supportive letters Raskin sent Thursday: Joseph Cuffari of the Department of Homeland Security. In October, Raskin called on President Joe Biden to remove the Trump-appointed Cuffari following an investigation that concluded Cuffari gave misleading answers to Congress and wasted taxpayer funds. He has denied wrongdoing.

Sen. Susan Collins, the top Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee, had a private meeting with Elon Musk on Thursday to discuss federal spending.

Musk’s meeting in Collins’ office is one in a series across both the House and the Senate on Thursday as he and Vivek Ramaswamy visit Capitol Hill to launch their cost-cutting venture, the so-called Department of Government Efficiency.

“I was very impressed with his energy and dedication,” Collins told reporters. She described the meeting as “an informal one-on-one discussion” that lasted more than an hour.

She said the conversation focused on “how we could improve the efficiency and effectiveness of government to better serve the American people and to save taxpayer dollars.”

“We did not go through any kind of list of cuts or anything like that,” Collins added.

Elon Musk, the billionaire electric vehicle mogul whom President-elect Donald Trump has tapped to help lead a government efficiency task force, told POLITICO’s E&E News on Thursday that he wants to eliminate tax breaks for EV buyers.

The Tesla CEO was on Capitol Hill on Thursday morning meeting with lawmakers to discuss his plans to downsize federal agencies and programs, slash what many Republicans consider wasteful spending, and boost the government’s productivity.

He is poised to lead the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, alongside fellow Trump surrogate Vivek Ramaswamy. Both men had a number of meetings scheduled with lawmakers Thursday.

“I think we just need to make sure we spend the public’s money well,” Musk told reporters after leaving the office of incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune.

In response to a question about whether he would want to get rid of the $7,500 tax credit for certain electric vehicle purchases that Democrats passed as part of their 2022 climate law, Musk said, “I think we should get rid of all credits.”

Musk, a major Trump donor, has previously stated on the social media platform X, which he also owns, that he believes the government should scrap tax credits.

“Take away the subsidies. It will only help Tesla,” he posted in July, before Trump tapped him to lead his new advisory committee. “Also, remove subsidies from all industries!”

The Biden administration has relied on subsidies, grants, loans and tax credits to supercharge the clean energy transition, namely through the Inflation Reduction Act’s $369 billion in climate spending and the bipartisan infrastructure law.

Congressional Republicans were making plans this week for using budget reconciliation early next year to roll back many of those energy and climate investments. Many of those programs, however, have gained some bipartisan support as funds have flowed to Republican-led districts.

In a meeting this morning, Ramaswamy talked with Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), who is leading the new Senate DOGE Caucus.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) organized a meeting among all House and Senate Republicans with Musk and Ramaswamy, slated to take place Thursday afternoon.

Pete Hegseth told reporters Thursday he still has President-elect Donald Trump’s support to be Defense secretary, while also dodging a question about how he is addressing his alcohol use with senators.

“I’m here with the support of President Donald Trump. As long as he supports me, which he told me this morning, I’ll be here,” Hegseth said from Capitol Hill when asked if there were any circumstances under which he would withdraw his name for the position.

The Fox host continues to meet with senators in efforts to secure confirmation votes amid allegations of sexual assault and a problematic drinking habit, both of which he has denied. It’s unclear if the efforts will be enough, as POLITICO previously reported Trump is considering nominating Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to replace Hegseth. The president-elect is eager to know the details of Hegseth’s meetings, Playbook reported.

When asked what he is telling senators regarding his drinking — amid reports that he has vowed to stop drinking if he is confirmed — Hegseth replied, “that’s why I’m telling senators and not you.”

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), who is seen as a critical barometer for Hegseth’s support among Senate Republicans, told Fox News earlier Thursday that she is not ready to vote yes on Hegseth’s confirmation after meeting with the nominee for a “frank and thorough” conversation on Wednesday.

Hegseth maintained Thursday that his meetings have been “great” thus far.

“Senators give great advice and this is how the process works. It’s not going to be tried out here, it’s going to be discussed inside the offices,” he said. “How we rebuild our military, put the war fighters first, that’s what Donald Trump — President Trump has asked me to do, and that’s what we will continue to do.”

Sen. Joni Ernst said she does not have any plans to meet with Pete Hegseth Thursday or Friday, after reaffirming concerns over the Defense Secretary nominee earlier this morning.

When a reporter told Ernst Thursday morning that she did not sound like a “yes” on Hegseth, Ernst responded, “I think you’re right.”

Passing by a Senate office that Hegseth was waiting in, Ernst confirmed she had no plans in the next two days to meet with Hegseth. Earlier in the day, Hegseth declined to answer whether he was meeting with the Iowa senator again, only adding that they had a “great conversation” and an “ongoing conversation.”

Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr. used an hourslong appearance before House lawmakers to outline sweeping changes the agency is making after its “failure” during the attempted assassinations of Donald Trump.

The Thursday hearing is the second, and final, public meeting by a bipartisan House task force that is investigating the attempted assassination at a Pennsylvania rally in July, as well as a second attempt in Florida. In addition to the hearing, the panel also voted on Thursday to release its final report, detailing its findings and recommendations.

“July 13 was a failure of the Secret Service to adequately secure the Butler farm show site and protect President-Elect Trump. That abject failure underscored critical gaps within Secret Service operations, and I recognize that we did not meet the expectations of the American public, Congress and our protectees,” Rowe told the House panel on Thursday.

Rowe detailed several changes that the Secret Service has already made both while speaking to the committee and in a lengthier written statement, including increasing the use of drones and counter-drone technology, making structural changes within the Secret Service and increasing Trump’s detail during the final months of the campaign. Rowe also said that the Secret Service is in the process of increasing its staffing.

While most of the hearing was cordial, there were brief fiery moments between Rowe and, in particular, Republican members of the panel.

Tensions briefly boiled over between Rep. Pat Fallon (R-Texas) and Rowe as Fallon used a photo of a 9/11 remembrance event to ask Rowe about his role at the event. Fallon accused him of putting other Secret Service agents out of their usual positions so he could be more visible at the event — an accusation Rowe denied, saying security wasn’t impacted. He is visible in a photo of the event standing near President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Donald Trump, JD Vance and congressional leaders.

“Do not invoke 9/11 for political purposes,” Rowe yelled. “You are out of line.”

As Rowe called Fallon “out of order,” the Texas Republican yelled back: “Don’t try to bully me.”

Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.), a member of the task force who also leads the Homeland Security Committee, also questioned Rowe on the culture within the Secret Service.

“Your guys showed up that day and didn’t give a shit. There was apathy and complacency, period, and that is your mission now. … This is a leadership issue, a command-climate issue, a culture issue,” Green said.

After Chair Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) said “hell” toward the tail end of the hearing, he referred back to Green’s swearing, saying, “I know we’re not supposed to use any language like that. Chairman Green, I know it’s a very emotional thing for you too.”

Despite those moments of high drama, members of the task force largely used the hearing to drill down on changes that the Secret Service has made since July 13.

Rowe specifically pointed to the communications and coordination lapses during the July 13 rally and “what is glaring to me is the failure to recognize the significance of the AGR building,” referring to the building rooftop the July 13 shooter was able to access to fire off shots at Trump.

The Secret Service is “supposed to identify hazards, risks, and then mitigate those risks effectively. … We did not do that on the 13th. Post-July 13, there was a renewed focus on that,” Rowe said.

And his decision to acknowledge the “failure” of the Secret Service’s preparation and handling of Trump’s July 13 rally earned praise from members on both sides of the panel.

“I thank you, Director Rowe and all of your talented agents, for seriously looking at what failed. And I appreciate that you used immediately in your testimony that July 13 was a failure,” Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-Pa.) said.

But Congress is still expected to make additional changes to the Secret Service next year, including forthcoming proposals to remove the Secret Service and FEMA from under the Department of Homeland Security.

“I would surmise that the Department of Homeland Security has become too big. It can’t function … I’m going to be filing a bill the first day of next Congress to remove FEMA and Secret Service from Homeland Security and make them direct reports to the White House,” Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) said.

“I think the changes you want to make, I think you’ll be able to make them quicker if you’re not within Homeland,” he added.

Sen. John Cornyn said Thursday he is confident that Kash Patel “will be” confirmed to lead the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

“People I know and who I trust speak well of him and I’m looking forward to meeting with him,” Cornyn (R-Texas) told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt.

Cornyn, who previously served as the chamber’s Republican whip and last month lost a bid to become majority leader, said Patel had “vast experience” and had been highly recommended by “people I have great respect for.”

Cornyn said he spoke Wednesday with President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for attorney general, Pam Bondi, who he said “spoke highly of” Patel. He said he had not yet met with Patel but would schedule a meeting soon.

The comments come as some of Trump’s more controversial Cabinet nominees swarm the Hill in an attempt to quell concerns from senators — even within their own party. Patel, a former Defense Department official in Trump’s first administration, said before he was nominated he would “shut down the FBI Hoover building on Day 1 and reopen it the next day as a museum of the deep state.”

Sen. Joni Ernst isn’t ready to throw her weight behind Pete Hegseth’s bid to lead the Pentagon, she said Thursday on Fox News.

Ernst (R-Iowa), who had a “frank and thorough” conversation with the Defense Department pick on Wednesday, was asked if she’s not ready to vote yes on Hegseth amid allegations of sexual misconduct and troublesome drinking. She replied: “I think you are right.”

“A number of our senators, they want to make sure that any allegations have been cleared and that’s why we have to have a very thorough vetting process,” Ernst said. “The vetting will continue, I am certain, through the next month or so until we approach that hearing date.”

Ernst is a veteran herself and has made combating sexual assault in the military a key bipartisan focus of her time in the Senate. She’s seen as a critical barometer for Hegseth’s support among Senate Republicans and has been rumored as a possible replacement for the post herself.

During the first meeting of the Senate DOGE caucus, Sen. Joni Ernst plans to highlight one of Republicans’ favorite bureaucratic boogeymen: remote work.

Ernst (R-Iowa), the head of the caucus, is sharing a 60-page report, a copy of which was obtained by POLITICO, in the group’s meeting on Thursday, focused on reforming telework and shedding unused or underused government offices.

“The American people gave us a mandate to shake up business as usual in Washington and drain the swamp. That starts with getting the bureaucrat class to climb out of the bubble bath, put away the golf clubs, and get back to work,” Ernst said in a statement to POLITICO.

Some of the ideas Ernst focuses on in her report, as well as a separate one-pager, include examples of federal employees receiving incorrect locality pay, which is determined by their official work site, as well as relocating federal employees and consolidating federal office space. That includes proposing Congress pass legislation to move the headquarters of several departments and agencies outside of Washington.

She also wants President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming Cabinet and agency heads to share their daily schedules publicly and detail how they will get a 60 percent utilization rate for their headquarters.

The Senate DOGE caucus meeting comes as the two heads of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, are set to have their first large-scale meeting with House and Senate Republicans on Thursday since Trump tapped them to lead the out-of-government effort aimed at reforming and cutting the size of the federal government.

Ernst has already met with Trump’s DOGE team and sent them a letter proposing areas for cutting spending last month.

Congressional Republicans have rushed to embrace the DOGE mission, even as the actual authority of the panel remains murky. In addition to the Senate DOGE caucus, the House has formed its own DOGE caucus that got its first Democratic members this week. The House Oversight Committee also established a subcommittee to coordinate with DOGE that will be led by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.).

Musk, Ramaswamy and DOGE have been tasked with coordinating with the White House. Many of their proposals will also need congressional buy-in, though they’ve floated trying to challenge the Impoundment Control Act to allow Trump to bypass Congress on spending cuts. And while Republicans tasked with funding the government might be skeptical, they haven’t shut the door yet on their ideas.

“My job is to work with the president, not against the president,” House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole (R-Okla.) told reporters recently.