WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump dialed in to what was described as a “love fest” Tuesday with Senate Republicans as they begin laying the groundwork for control of government in the new year, and a potential first-30-days agenda.
Trump’s brief call was more celebratory than a prescriptive policy agenda, according to those attending the private GOP retreat, encouraging the senators to confirm his Cabinet nominees as they launch an agenda of tax cuts, deportations and other priorities.
“It was a love fest,” said Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo. “There was a real sense of unity in the room.”
The virtual visit comes as Congress is finishing up the final weeks of what, by most measures, has been among the more chaotic sessions in modern times. With the full sweep of party control, Republicans are eager to do better next year with Trump’s return to the White House.
Republicans want to notch an early accomplishment in the first 30 days after Trump’s inauguration Jan. 20.
Incoming Senate Republican leader John Thune of South Dakota outlined a potential roadmap ahead during the private retreat at the Library of Congress.
Thune detailed a potential two-part strategy that would have senators working on an initial legislative package — energy, border security and defense priorities — that could be approved in the first 30 days of the new administration.
Next, Thune explained that the senators would turn to tax cuts — reviving the expiring tax cuts from Trump’s first term — which is expected to take longer, dragging into the year.
The new Congress convenes Jan. 3, when lawmakers are sworn into office, and the Senate expects to quickly begin holding confirmation hearings for Trump’s top Cabinet nominees — some of whom are already running into resistance.
Trump’s choice of Fox News anchor Pete Hegseth as defense secretary and hard-right FBI critic Kash Patel to lead the Federal Bureau of Investigation face potentially difficult confirmation hearings ahead. Hegseth, who met with senators late into Monday evening, was on Capitol Hill for a second day Tuesday.
“It’s important that we thoroughly vet the nominees for these very important positions,” said Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.
House Speaker Mike Johnson also addressed the GOP senators — noting his slim majority in the House, which leaves him little room for party detractors.
Johnson “emphasized the need for unity heading into the first 100 days agenda,” his spokesman Taylor Haulsee said.
Asked later about the details of the legislative package, Johnson said lawmakers would be making those decisions in the next couple days.
“There are different ideas on what to put in the first package and what in the second and we’re trying to build consensus around that,” Johnson said.
Republicans have had difficulty uniting around the details of their agenda, even when they control the levers of government in Washington.
In the House and Senate, Republicans plan to use a process called budget reconciliation that would allow them to approve Trump’s agenda on party-line votes, with a simple majority, in the face of expected opposition from Democrats.
But already fissures are developing over various tax and spending cuts, and broader policies such as Trump’s plans for mass deportations of immigrants.
The Republicans are likely to shift federal funds to pay for building Trump’s proposed border wall between the U.S. and Mexico, and to hire personnel to round up migrants for deportation.
“The goal is not just finish the wall, but to have technology that really gives you eyes and ears on the border,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. “Hire the people necessary to start the deportations of the bad guys.”
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said debates over border policy could be as thorny as those over taxes.
Congress is expected to work longer weeks, particularly in the Senate, which often is not in session on Fridays.
