Good morning. Florida’s next senator might be named Trump — and it might not be the one you’re thinking of. In Washington, RFK Jr.’s and Tulsi Gabbard’s cabinet nominations will test Donald Trump’s control over the GOP and his bona fides with Democrats.

Mentioned in this edition: John Thune, Kari Lake, Tulsi Gabbard, RFK Jr., Susan Collins, Harmeet Dhillon, Victor Orbán, Xi Jinping, John Cornyn, Latin American ambassadors, a surprising new Truth Social member, a looming government shutdown, and more.

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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

🪖 The House signed off on a conservative NDAA. The immense National Defense Authorization Act bill — totaling around $895 billion — includes pay increases for troops and provisions designed to push back on liberal ideology. That includes a ban on military healthcare being used for sex change surgeries for minors and on any new military DEI positions. 

🤷 The GOP is torn on how to use reconciliation. Incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) wants to pass a reconciliation bill combining energy initiatives and border spending, followed later by one on taxes. House Republicans, on the other hand, want a tax bill first or to have it combined with border spending. If Congress fails to pass a tax provision, the Trump tax cuts from 2017 will expire — but combining everything in one package could cause the whole thing to crumble.

🗣 Trump named Kari Lake to head up Voice of America. In President-elect Donald Trump’s first term, he feuded with VOA — a US government-funded international news outlet — arguing that they presented biased coverage. Lake’s appointment — as a staunch Trump loyalist and TV anchor for decades — exemplifies how Trump is taking the “deep state” more seriously this time around, appointing a loyalist to even a relatively minor post.

⚖️ Trump also selected Harmeet Dhillon to run the DOJ’s Civil Rights division. Dhillon, who got her start fighting progressivism on college campuses in California, will likely easily be approved, as no senators are likely to oppose her confirmation. Dhillon has a somewhat libertarian approach to civil rights and has consistently opposed state intrusion on issues like free speech.

🦅 THE EXECUTIVE

• The head of the Federal Aviation Administration will resign on Trump’s inauguration day, which will allow Trump to appoint a replacement.

• Trump appointed a slate of Latin American ambassadors to Colombia, Argentina, and the Organization of American States; all three were campaign donors.

• Chinese President Xi Jinping, along with Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orbán, were invited by Trump to his inauguration.

• A new poll shows 55 percent of Americans approve of Trump’s handling of the transition.

🏛️ CONGRESS

• The Senate failed to extend the term of a National Labor Relations Board appointee, which means Trump will appoint her replacement, handing the GOP control.

• Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth met with moderate Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and will soon meet with populist-left Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA).

• Fetterman also became the first Democrat senator to join Truth Social; in his first post, he called for Trump to be pardoned for his New York criminal cases.

🗓️ WHAT’S AHEAD

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Mrs. Trump goes to Washington?

President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) as secretary of state means that his seat will soon become vacant. While Rubio has not been formally confirmed by the Senate, his confirmation is a near certainty.

Florida’s senatorial vacancies are filled by the governor, in this case, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R). The new senator will then serve until the 2026 midterm elections, in which they will run to complete Rubio’s term to 2028.

Florida has undergone a rapid shift over the past decade. In 2018, DeSantis won the governorship by 0.4 percent. Now, the GOP controls all statewide offices and has supermajorities in the legislature. Plus, it’s the home state of many of Trump’s cabinet picks, including Trump himself…

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Trump’s nominations will test his control over the GOP

Most of President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet picks are likely to sail through the confirmation process. Only two thus far, Matt Gaetz and Pete Hegseth, have failed or have encountered serious difficulty, respectively. Though Hegseth has gained a second wind through grassroots support, his approval remains uncertain.

Two more individuals are likely to have a tough time getting approved for their posts: Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and his pick for Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard. These unconventional picks represent Trump’s populist coalition — they both are former Democrats and are promising to shake up the Washington establishment.

Both have issues in their past, which will make for difficult nomination battles. RFK Jr. has a history of adultery, which may have contributed to driving his ex-wife to suicide. His history of vaccine skepticism, which long predates the COVID vaccines, has concerned some establishment figures like Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX)…

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