The new member: Rep.-elect Brian Jack (R-Ga.)

How they got here: Jack defeated Democratic nominee Maura Keller 66 percent to 34 percent in this deep red district in western Georgia.

Inside the campaign: Jack, a longtime aide of President-elect Donald Trump, entered the race with the former president’s strong backing and linked his agenda to Trump’s throughout the contest.

Trump’s backing helped Jack emerge from a crowded GOP field and defeat former GOP state Senate leader Mike Dugan in a primary runoff in this ruby red patch of the Peach State.

The issues they’ll focus on: Jack ran on familiar Trump issues: the southern border, addressing crime in urban centers and strengthening the economy. However, he also made the extension and expansion of the tax package enacted during Trump’s first term a major focus of his campaign.

Background: The 36-year-old Peachtree City native worked on Trump’s successful 2016 campaign and then served as political director in the White House before later working for then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Jack then took on a senior role in the nascent Trump 2024 presidential campaign. His close proximity to the president-elect gives him uncommon insight and access for a freshman member of Congress, as well as extensive familiarity with the levers of power in Washington.

Campaign ad that caught our eye: His attempts to link arms tightly with Trump were evident. This ad features the president-elect saying his name repeatedly at one point joking, “You can do it either way: Jack Brian or Brian Jack.”

Fun fact: Jack is a member of the Georgia Historical Society and major fan of all Georgia sports, and recently celebrated new minor league baseball team the Columbus Clingstones.

Lawmakers anticipate the Biden administration will send them a disaster aid request next week outlining needed relief following hurricanes Helene and Milton, according to the House’s top two appropriators.

Congressional leaders aim to then finalize and pass a bipartisan assistance package sometime after Thanksgiving that could total more than $100 billion, boosting aid to communities hit by the two hurricanes this fall, as well as a yearslong, nationwide backlog of recovery work for disasters like severe flooding, wildfires and landslides.

House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole (R-Okla.) and his Democratic counterpart, Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro, both said they expect broad bipartisan support for clearing disaster aid in the coming weeks, even as the separate task of funding the government next month is complicated by the Hill’s changing balance of power.

Once Congress receives a disaster aid request, it typically takes several weeks for lawmakers to write bill text and pass an emergency funding measure through both chambers. After Hurricane Sandy in 2012, it took exactly three weeks to clear the aid package for the president’s signature once the White House request arrived.

“We want to make sure the estimates are right,” Cole said, using Hurricane Sandy as an example of the “enormously complex” task of calculating recovery costs.

Top lawmakers and congressional aides have already been working behind the scenes this fall to size up funding needs since Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida more than seven weeks ago, including travel to affected communities. Beyond FEMA, dozens of other federal agencies are estimated to need tens of billions of dollars to assist in recovery efforts, including support for massive infrastructure projects like rebuilding water systems in North Carolina, where water remains undrinkable in cities like Asheville.

The goal is to try to clear a disaster package “as quickly as possible,” DeLauro told reporters Friday. “There’s been so many natural disasters and fires,” she added. “People are suffering.”

Since FEMA still has several billion dollars in its disaster relief fund, the basic recovery work the agency supports is unlikely to be significantly delayed if Congress clears an assistance package in December. But the Small Business Administration has been out of money for a month to cover loans to homeowners and businesses in disaster-wrought communities.

Lawmakers from states struck by the hurricanes are trying to fast-track a bill that would refill the disaster loan program now, rather than wait weeks for lawmakers to turn the White House’s broader aid request into law. But Sen. Rand Paul blocked a request this week to quickly pass a bill to that end, as the Kentucky Republican insists the Senate cover the cost by clawing back other unrelated funding.

“I’m willing to let the bill pass,” Paul said on the floor. “But take some of the fluff and boondoggle subsidies from the Green New Deal and put it into here.”

This week, the Small Business Administration told appropriators that more than 10,000 applications for disaster loans are already on pause, and that number is growing by the day. People awaiting loans to make their homes livable or keep their restaurants from going bankrupt are now hearing by phone or email from the agency that the program is out of cash and awaiting action from Congress.

Passing disaster aid is when lawmakers “cut the crap and do our jobs,” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said this week before Paul blocked his request to pass a bill to fund the disaster loan program.

“A lot of these people lost loved ones who owned businesses,” Tillis said. “Now they’re just trying to keep their business afloat while they’re going to funerals. And we tell them: ‘Well, we’ve just got to wait for Congress before we can send you a check?’ Because for the first time in this body, we’re going to demand a pay-for for disaster recovery?”

Speaker Mike Johnson said he does not think the House Ethics report into Matt Gaetz should be released, as the former representative faces a Senate confirmation for attorney general.

“I’m going to strongly request that the Ethics Committee not issue the report, because that is not the way we do things in the House,” Johnson said. “And I think that would be a terrible precedent to set.”

Johnson said he plans to talk to House Ethics Chair Michael Guest (R-Miss.), but does not know when yet, adding that he got back from Mar-a-Lago at about 3 a.m.

“The rules of the House have always been that a former member is beyond the jurisdiction of the Ethics Committee,” Johnson said, when asked if the public has a right to see the report. “And so I don’t think that’s relevant.”

The Ethics panel was previously scheduled to meet on Friday in regards to the report, but Guest said that the meeting had been postponed, though not canceled.

Donald Trump announced on Wednesday he would nominate Gaetz to be attorney general, and Gaetz quickly announced his resignation from Congress shortly after. The Ethics Committee has been investigating Gaetz for several allegations, including that he engaged in sex with a minor. The position would put Gaetz atop the Justice Department, which previously investigated Gaetz for the same allegations.

Senators have acknowledged Gaetz faces an uphill battle to be confirmed, and many also said they wanted to see the Ethics report as part of his confirmation hearing.

“I think it’s a terrible breach of protocol and tradition,” Johnson said, later adding that he is going to request that it not be released.

Olivia Beavers contributed to this report.

Former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein is offering effusive praise for two of President-elect Donald Trump’s choices for leadership roles at the Justice Department — while remaining conspicuously silent about Trump’s plan to nominate former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz as attorney general.

“Critics of unfit appointees should applaud when the President picks qualified people with integrity,” Rosenstein wrote on X Friday. “As Deputy AG, Todd Blanche and Emil Bove won’t allow partisanship to sway DOJ prosecutions. The rule of law prevails.”

Rosenstein, who served as No. 2 at DOJ during Trump’s first term, declined to comment when asked by POLITICO about Trump’s controversial decision to tap Gaetz as AG and did not explain how Blanche and Bove would be able to overrule their boss.

Gaetz and Blanche require Senate confirmation for their jobs. Bove, whom Trump picked to be principal associate deputy attorney general, would not need Senate approval. Trump also said he wants Bove to serve as DOJ’s acting No. 2 until Blanche is confirmed, but it’s unclear whether federal law permits that.

To get confirmed as HHS secretary, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will first need to get through the Senate Finance Committee.

And though Republicans will have an edge, it will take only a few defectors to sink his nomination if Democrats, as expected, oppose him in unison. Republicans have rushed to applaud some of Trump’s more conventional other Cabinet picks, but the lack of public enthusiasm for RFK among some on the committee suggests some may be skeptical.

Here’s where committee Republicans stand on Kennedy, so far:

Mike Crapo, Idaho: The top Republican on the committee said in a statement that Kennedy has “prioritized addressing chronic diseases through consumer choice and healthy lifestyle. American patients, providers and taxpayers deserve a health care system that is efficient, effective and affordable. I look forward to considering his nomination before the Finance Committee.”

Crapo attended a recent roundtable hosted by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.) and Kennedy that focused on the dangers of processed foods and alternative diets. Crapo has said his nascent interest in “healthy eating” led him to attend the event and was supportive of much of what was discussed. However, before Kennedy was chosen, Crapo said he doesn’t know if Kennedy could win enough support in the Senate to be confirmed.

Chuck Grassley, Iowa: A spokesperson for the senator declined to comment. In an interview with AgriTalk Radio in October, however, Grassley said there are ways to “make America Healthy Again” without “upsetting the way we produce food.”

“Whatever ideas he has about making lives … more healthy, it’s got to be compromised with producing enough food so everyone doesn’t die,” Grassley said.

John Cornyn, Texas: Cornyn, who was the runner-up in the race for Senate majority leader, said Kennedy will be treated like all other nominees.

“I don’t have any preconceived notion about it,” Cornyn said. When asked whether vaccine positions might make confirmation difficult: “I’m sure it will come up.”

John Thune, South Dakota: The incoming Senate majority leader said he won’t make judgments on any nominees “at this point.”

“There’s a confirmation process that we have to adhere to,” Thune said. “Constitutionally, there are committees that are going to be conducting hearings and there’ll be plenty of scrutiny of these nominees’ records when the time comes.”

Tim Scott, South Carolina: A spokesperson for Scott declined to comment. But before the election, Scott deflected when asked by CNN’s Dana Bash about Kennedy’s plans to remove fluoride from public water. He said then that he doesn’t have a personal relationship with Kennedy but is confident that the administration will choose “competent” and “qualified” nominees.

Scott introduced legislation with fellow Finance Committee member Bill Cassidy (R-La.) in 2018 backing water fluoridation.

Bill Cassidy, Louisiana: Cassidy, who will chair the Senate HELP Committee, expressed openness to Kennedy in a statement.

“RFK Jr. has championed issues like healthy foods and the need for greater transparency in our public health infrastructure,” Cassidy said. “I look forward to learning more about his other policy positions and how they will support a conservative, pro-American agenda.”

Todd Young, Indiana: A spokesperson for Young — who said he would not support Trump in 2024 — declined to comment.

John Barrasso, Wyoming: A spokesperson for Barrasso didn’t return a request for comment. But in an interview with NBC News before Kennedy was selected, Barrasso said Trump should have the latitude to make picks and declined to weigh in on Kennedy.

Ron Johnson, Wisconsin: Johnson praised Kennedy in a post on X.

“I could not be happier that [Trump] has selected [Kennedy],” Johnson wrote. “He’s a brilliant, courageous truth-teller whose unwavering commitment to transparency will make America a healthier nation.”

Marsha Blackburn, Tennessee: Blackburn supported the pick in a post on X.

“[Kennedy] will honor his commitment to put the health of Americans first. Another great choice by President Trump,” Blackburn wrote.

Others: Spokespeople for Republican Sens. James Lankford of Oklahoma, Steve Daines of Montana and Thom Tillis of North Carolina did not respond to requests for comment.

Mike Pence is urging Senate Republicans to not confirm Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. as Health and Human Services secretary, calling his nomination by President-elect Donald Trump “deeply concerning.”

“I believe the nomination of RFK Jr. to serve as Secretary of HHS is an abrupt departure from the pro-life record of our administration and should be deeply concerning to millions of Pro-Life Americans who have supported the Republican Party and our nominees for decades,” Pence said in a statement Friday on behalf of his conservative nonprofit Advancing American Freedom.

During his own bid for president, Kennedy repeatedly emphasized he believes in “a woman’s right to choose” and does not support legislation banning abortion. Kennedy is a “firm supporter” of Roe v. Wade, according to his campaign website, which says “If the courts do not overturn Dobbs v. Jackson and restore abortion rights, he will support legislation to accomplish the same.”

Pence served as Trump’s vice president during his first administration, but their relationship soured after the Indiana Republican moved to certify the 2020 election for President Joe Biden. Since then, he has publicly disagreed with Trump and the Republican party on policy positions, especially leaving abortion up to the states instead of favoring a national ban.

In the statement, Pence said the agency Trump tapped Kennedy to lead makes “hundreds of decisions” daily “that either lead our nation toward a respect for life or away from it.”

“If confirmed, RFK, Jr. would be the most pro-abortion Republican appointed secretary of HHS in modern history,” Pence said in the statement.

The New York Post editorial board slammed President-elect Donald Trump’s choice of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, calling the secretary-designate “nuts on a lot of fronts.”

The Post, owned by Rupert Murdoch, is reliably conservative and endorsed Trump for president this year. But Trump’s selection of the anti-vaccine activist Kennedy to lead HHS, the tabloid’s editorial board argued, would violate the first rule of medicine, “do no harm.”

Recalling a 2023 meeting with Kennedy, the Post’s editorial board called his views “a head-scratching spaghetti of what we can only call warped conspiracy theories, and not just on vaccines.”

Kennedy is well known for touting debunked claims that vaccines cause autism and questioning other issues widely seen as settled by the scientific community. The sprawling vision laid out by his Make America Healthy Again movement includes bans on pesticides and genetically modified organisms, curbing additives and chemicals in foods and a decoupling of corporate influence from regulation.

Kennedy’s appointment to run the federal agency tasked with drug approvals, food safety and disease surveillance amounts to a promise kept by Trump, who during the presidential campaign said he would allow Kennedy to “go wild” on health policy. “He wants to do some things, and we’re going to let him go to it,” Trump said in his Election Night victory speech. “Go have a good time, Bobby.”

But allowing Kennedy to run HHS, the Post said, will put Trump in the position of answering for positions that many see as fringe or conspiratorial.

“Donald Trump won on promises to fix the economy, the border and soaring global disorder; his team needs to focus on delivering change on those fronts — not spend energy either having to defend crackpot theories or trying to control RFK Jr.’s mouth,” the editorial board wrote.

This is not the first appointment that the Post’s board has criticized. When Trump nominated former Rep. Matt Gaetz to be his Attorney general, the editorial board called it “not a good look,” putting the paper at odds with Trump despite praising his victory last week.

Chair of the House Ethics Committee Michael Guest said Friday morning the group has only postponed, not canceled, a meeting to discuss the panel’s report about Matt Gaetz.

Guest (R-Miss.) declined to say whether the panel is open to sharing it with the Senate Judiciary Committee, as some senators say they want to see the report as they vet him as Donald Trump’s attorney general nominee. Guest noted Ethics members need to meet first.

“We’ve not met as a committee, and so at this point, there’s nothing that I’m sure I can’t comment about,” he said, noting the meeting will be rescheduled.

Guest also dismissed suggestions that he was worried about potential retribution from Trump world if the committee released the report. And he said leadership has not lobbied him in one direction or another.

“I’ve had no conversations” with leadership about it, he said.

President-elect Donald Trump has tapped North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum for Interior secretary, he announced at a gala at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida Thursday night.

“I won’t tell you his name, might be something like Burgum, Burgum, … he’s gonna be announced tomorrow for a very big position,” Trump said Thursday evening. “he’s going to head the Department of Interior, and he’s gonna be fantastic. Good Doug.”

A two-term governor of a Western oil-rich state with five tribal nations, Burgum is already receiving a warm reception from Republicans on Capitol Hill, who for four years have slammed President Joe Biden’s energy policies. Democrats will be unhappy with his promises to ramp up fossil fuel production but could be less critical of him because of his experience.

Republicans who sit on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee were quick to praise the nomination.

Current ranking member John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) said of Burgum: “He recognizes how important our federal lands are for energy and mineral production, grazing and recreation. As North Dakota’s governor, he’s shown he can balance environmental stewardship with record energy development.”

North Dakota Sen. John Hoeven said Burgum “has been a great partner as we’ve worked to build North Dakota’s energy leadership, and in this role, [he] can help to not only restore American energy security, but make America energy-dominant.”

The nomination will likely come as welcome news to many other senators, like Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), who hoped Trump would pick a Westerner.

“Guys who know the issues,” Sullivan said earlier this week. “You gotta have a Westerner.”

Both of Trump’s Interior secretaries in his first term also heaped praise on Burgum. One of them, Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.), who now serves in the House, said Burgum was an ally.

“When I was secretary he was a trusted partner advancing the president’s priorities on energy dominance, rolling back the regulatory overreach of the Obama Administration, and ensuring we strike the right balance regarding the multiple uses of our federal lands,” in a post to X.

If he’s confirmed, Burgum, a businessman who became North Dakota governor in 2016 and had a short-lived campaign for the presidency in 2024, will control the country’s public lands and wildlife conservation and have broad authority over oil and gas drilling leases.

As a presidential candidate and Trump surrogate who was once considered for vice president, Burgum has called for expanded energy and mineral production on public lands and has been a chief messenger against Democratic energy and public lands policies.

Democrats are likely to pounce on Burgum’s calls for increased energy production during the confirmation process. But at least one top Democrats is taking a wait-and-see approach with Burgum.

“Could be worse for sure,” said Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.), a senior member of the House Natural Resources Committee. “I look forward to trying to work productively with him.”

Environmental advocacy groups, however, are already coming out against Burgum’s nomination, claiming he will sacrifice public lands and wildlife for the fossil fuel industry.

“Burgum will be a disastrous Secretary of the Interior who’ll sacrifice our public lands and endangered wildlife on the altar of the fossil fuel industry’s profits,” said Kierán Suckling, executive director at the Center for Biological Diversity.

“Like Musk, Burgum is an oligarch completely out of touch with the overwhelming majority of Americans who cherish our natural heritage and don’t want our parks, wildlife refuges and other special places carved up and destroyed.”

Suckling said, “We’re ready to fight Burgum and Trump’s extreme agenda every step of the way.”

Andres Picon contributed to this report.