Heard on the Hill
What we're hearing from people we trust on and around the Hill
New caucus dropping soon: Rep. Claudia Tenney (R., N.Y.), one of the GOP’s most pro-Israel lawmakers, is going to launch the Friends of Judea and Samaria Caucus on January 15, per an invite obtained by the Washington Reporter.
History lesson: On Christmas, Rep. Mike Haridopolos (R., Fla.) published a history-filled op-ed with us about the “timeless lessons of Apollo 8's astronauts.” Read his full piece here.
Home state rejection: Sen. John Barrasso (R., Wyo.) had strong words about President Joe Biden giving former Rep. Liz Cheney (R., Wyo.) a Presidential Citizens Medal. “President Biden was either going to pardon Liz Cheney or give her an award,” he said. “She doesn’t deserve either. She represents partisanship and divisiveness — not Wyoming.”
Party time: Rep. Brandon Gill (R., Texas) had a star-studded swearing-in party. Spotted: Luke Thompson, Ryan Girdusky, Ryan McGregor, Raheem Kassam, Roma Daravi, Caroline Bryant, Ethan Harper.
Johnson triumphant: As expected, Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.) proved his critics in the press corps wrong and was reelected on the first ballot. The Washington Reporter covered this race in depth, including the involvement of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, the accomplishments Johnson has already notched that give all aspects of the GOP something to be excited about, and the support he had from leading conservative economists ahead of the vote. Congratulations, Speaker Johnson!
Oklahoma Ozempic: Amid the drama of last week’s speaker vote, several sources on the Hill reminded us of the importance of the slimmed down continuing resolution that the House passed, following criticisms from Trump, Musk, and others. Reps. Stephanie Bice and Tom Cole, both Oklahoma Republicans, spearheaded much of the negotiations to get the shorter version rolled out in record time. This helped smooth over many of the objections some had to Johnson.