Trump's private pep talk for Senate Republicans
President-elect Trump called in and gave GOP senators a pep talk Tuesday as they met behind closed doors on how to rapidly pass his top priorities, three sources in the room told Axios.
Why it matters:Trump knows he has to work closely with the Senate to get things done. GOP congressional leaders are signaling that they are raring to go.
• Incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) warned
Republican senators in their policy retreat Tuesday morning toexpect longer, five-day work weeks — starting in the new year through Easter.
• They have a long list: Fund the government for the rest of the year, agree to a top line budget number and potentially raise the debt limit — not to mention confirm all of Trump's top administration positions.
Zoom in:Thune and incoming GOP Policy Chair Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) are holding a lengthy policy retreat Tuesday in D.C.
• They are expected to spend significant time discussing how they plan to use budget reconciliation to get through their policy priorities while evading the 60-vote filibuster.
• Border, energy and taxes are also expected to be topics.
What we're hearing:Early in the retreat, Thune addressed senators telling them to gear up for long work days and work weeks to set up Trump's administration and move fast on their own priorities, two sources in the room told Axios.
•Many Republican senators have complained about lax work schedules. In a normal week, senators usually arrive at the Capitol late Monday afternoon and fly home Thursday afternoon.
(Vance said they only work partial days and less then three most weeks.)
https://archive.is/6kvX3
It looks like Thune and others are gearing up to really do their jobs and sack the lazy routine of McConnell. If they do this PDJT can get a lot done.