Mitch McConnell

President Trump's new FTC chair Andrew Ferguson told a group of big business CEOs on Tuesday that he wouldn't let proposed deals "die on the vine," but warned them not expect automatic approval for big mergers.Why it matters: Ferguson is explaining the Trump administration's approach to M&A, giving fresh guidance to the group it will need to help bolster the economy and usher in a new age of prosperity."If we think conduct or merger is going to hurt Americans economically, I'm taking you to court," Ferguson told a gathering of Yale's CEO Caucus in Washington on Tuesday morning, according to a recording of his remarks obtained by Axios."But if we don't, we'll get the hell out of the way," he said in the closed-door meeting, which included JPMorgan Chase's Jamie Dimon, Goldman Sachs' David Solomon and Dell's Michael Dell."But I want to be really clear about something. This isn't the Bush administration."A spokesperson for the FTC declined to comment.Zoom out: Bankers, dealmakers and CEOs are looking for clarity from Ferguson on how he will deviate, if at all, from the strict scrutiny that former FTC chair Lina Khan pursued under President Biden.Last month, the FTC announced that it would keep the Biden administration's merger guidelines in place, raising concerns in the business and banking community that Trump's White House might be more hostile to big mergers than they would have preferred.Driving the news: Before a range of CEOs, including those from Edison International, Gap, Motorola Solutions and Pfizer, Ferguson explained the approach he will take towards reviewing mergers."We are in this catastrophic, dangerous debt crisis, and the only way out is not just cutting government spending, it is creating an innovative and vibrant economy for all," he said."The last thing we want are monopolies (that) slow innovation, slow growth and injure American consumers.""But we also don't want regulators who slow down the process."Zoom in: Ferguson took a detour from traditional M&A talk to explain to his audience the anger many conservatives feel towards big business.He recalled his time working for former Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) in 2020, when he would receive calls from the business community on social issues."Hey, cops are racist. Congress should do something about police reform. I sat there and said, 'Why are you all calling me about policing?'" he recounted."And then I watched in 2020 businesses started to censor Americans because they wanted to talk about how masks weren't working, or ask questions about whether vaccines were effective," he said."And for the first time, I really started to understand the real connection between large economic power and the transfer and leveraging of that power for social and political impact," he said.Go deeper: The FTC under Trump made its first move on Monday to challenge private equity in health care, Axios Pro reported, suing to block the $627 million acquisition of a maker of specialized coatings for catheters and other medical devices.

The Senate on Monday confirmed former Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.) to lead the Department of Labor, cementing another of President Trump’s nominees in bipartisan fashion. Senators voted 67 to 32, with 17 Democrats voted with most Republicans present. Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Ted Budd (R-N.C.) voted against her confirmation. Sen. John [...]

Former Oregon Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer was confirmed to head the Department of Labor under President Donald Trump's administration.

After Monday’s vote, Trump will have his entire formal Cabinet confirmed by the Senate a week before his predecessor.

Despite his decades towering over Washington as a top GOP leader, he is now eclipsed by President Trump’s takeover of his party.

Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida speaks with Fox News Digital on the sidelines of his policy summit to help pass the Trump agenda. The senator says he’s doing "everything he can" to turn the president's proposals into law.

Business groups are quietly urging the Trump administration to ease up on its plans for immigration raids in workplaces, but the White House is resisting.Why it matters: So far, the pace of workplace raids doesn't appear to have increased under President Trump compared to the Biden administration's efforts. But aggressive shows of enforcement are key to Trump's plans to crackdown on illegal immigration.Zoom in: Just the threat of more raids has rattled several industries — such as construction and agriculture — that rely on immigrant labor, not all of it legal."Rumors of raids are having more impact at this point than raids themselves," said Brian Turmail, vice president of public affairs and workforce for the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC).Two agriculture industry group leaders echoed that sentiment. Concerns about raids have led some workers to walk off job sites early or not show up at all, they said."It's a question of, where are we being prioritized" in the immigration crackdown, said one of the agriculture industry group leaders, who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the immigration issue. "I think there's a lot of uncertainty" about that.The big picture: Trump's team and other Republican leaders are betting that a crackdown on immigrants not authorized to work in the U.S. will open up jobs for Americans and legal residents, and raise wages among working-class voters, who've drifted toward the GOP in recent elections.In doing so, the administration is bucking some of the GOP's traditional supporters in the business community. Americans "overwhelmingly voted for decisive action on the border and those here illegally," said Chris LaCivita, a Trump campaign co-manager who's now a senior adviser at Building America's Future, a group that supports Trump initiatives. "No amount of lobbying from certain business sectors will change what the new GOP and President Trump are determined to implement.""Republicans are making a big switch, a lot of them," a former Trump administration official said. They're "recognizing that the American worker is not happy, and they're justified in not being happy."Critics see the White House's plan as leading to an exodus of workers in jobs that many Americans don't want to do, resulting in lower productivity, higher prices and a damaged economy."The long-term impact will be where housing prices are already too high in places like Arizona," said Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.). "When they can't get the workforce to build the houses, the prices are going to go up and rents are going to go up.""We've been told why Americans don't do" certain jobs, said immigration attorney Patricia Gannon, who used to work for the Immigration and Naturalization Service. "We may not like the answers."By the numbers: Undocumented workers and those with expired work visas can be difficult to track across sectors of the economy, but some studies have given a glimpse of their presence.The American Immigration Council estimates that about 4.6% of the employed labor force are undocumented immigrants.A recent Department of Agriculture study estimated that about 42% of America's farmworkers were undocumented from 2020 to 2022.About a quarter of construction workers across the U.S. may be undocumented, according to the National Immigration Forum, an immigration advocacy group.Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) told Axios he's heard from companies in his state concerned about worksite raids." 'Don't hire illegals' should be your statement," Moreno said he told one business association when it asked him what it should say about the situation."Migrants are ... fleeing terrible situations," Moreno said. "But it's the companies that are hiring that need to have some sort of ramifications."The intrigue: Trump's immigration plans have sparked increased lobbying on the issue. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the nation's largest lobbying organization, recently filed a government disclosure that offered hints at its work on immigration. The chamber didn't respond to an interview request and didn't list specific policies it's lobbying on in its February report.But a more detailed filing for the last quarter of 2024 showed the chamber lobbied on "high-skilled" immigrants, "less-skilled" immigrants, various immigration visa categories and several immigration-related bills.Other industry groups, including the AGC, are pushing for protections for their labor force, including more visas for foreign workers and more trade school trainings to hire Americans.What they're saying: "[Pennsylvania Democratic Sen.] John Fetterman would have a better chance of convincing Trump to do something for the business community than the chamber," said one Republican lobbyist, who currently doesn't have a client focused on immigration. "The chamber represents the Nikki Haley-establishment, Paul Ryan-, Mitch McConnell-wing of the party, which is dead and buried at this point," the lobbyist added. "Businesses that human traffic and exploit migrants for cheap labor should be afraid: We will go after them," said Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security."As for law-abiding companies, the media is intentionally manufacturing fear," she added. "If there was any correlation between rampant illegal immigration and a good economy, Biden would have had a booming economy."Many Democrats have backed detaining and removing criminals who are in the U.S. without authorization, but don't support Trump's plans. "Mass deportations," Kelly said, "are designed to scare people. We need to deport criminals."

WASHINGTON — Mitch McConnell will end his Senate career with his most indelible mark on the nation’s federal courts and the chamber’s judicial confirmation process, a priority that changed the chamber’s rules and solidified a conservative Supreme Court for the foreseeable future.

The GOP's recent and longest-serving Senate party leader has stood in opposition to his conference multiple times, demonstrating the party’s significant transformation in the age of Trump.

The former lawmaker faced questions about her level of experience and past comments about autocratic leaders, but ultimately the Senate confirmed her on Wednesday afternoon.

RFK Jr. passed a key Senate committee vote after a holdout GOP lawmaker, Sen. Bill Cassidy, backed him.

The Senate voted Wednesday to confirm Tulsi Gabbard as President Trump's Director of National Intelligence, largely along party lines.Why it matters: It's a big win for the president's team, which worked hard to resuscitate Gabbard's nomination when it faltered earlier this year. The final vote was 52-48, with former Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) the only GOP opponent. "When a nominee's record proves them unworthy of the highest public trust, and when their command of relevant policy falls short of the requirements of their office, the Senate should withhold its consent," McConnell said in a statement after the vote. The big picture: Gabbard proved to be one of Trump's most controversial nominees, and the success of her confirmation was particularly questionable ahead of a committee vote earlier this month.The Senate Intelligence Committee approved Gabbard's nomination Feb. 4 in a razor-thin 9-8 party-line vote.That was after Intel Chair Tom Cotton made a concerted effort to get her through, even enlisting the help of former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) in swaying two of the panel's skeptical Republicans — Indiana's Todd Young and Maine's Susan Collins.Zoom in: Young announced he would support Gabbard's confirmation in committee after outlining several commitments Gabbard made to win his vote.Those included promising not to seek a pardon for Edward Snowden, regularly updating the Senate Intel committee on her foreign travel and working with the panel to reauthorize Section 702 of FISA.Vice President Vance and billionaire Trump lieutenant Elon Musk also pressed Young to support Gabbard.Zoom out: Gabbard faced tough questioning in her confirmation hearing, repeatedly refusing to call Snowden a traitor.Questions have also been raised about a trip she took to Syria, references she has made to conspiracy theories about U.S. bio labs in Ukraine and her history of questioning the findings of the U.S. intelligence community.Senators voted 52-46 on Monday to limit debate on Gabbard's nomination, paving the way for her confirmation.Go deeper: How Tulsi Gabbard's nomination came roaring back to lifeEditor's note: This story has been updated with additional reporting.

Former Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) on Wednesday voted against confirming former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) to serve as the nation’s top intelligence official, sending a strong message to fellow GOP senators, some of whom privately doubted her qualifications to hold the job. McConnell was the only Republican senator to vote against Gabbard, who [...]

Tulsi Gabbard, a former U.S. representative with little intelligence experience, was confirmed as the top U.S. spy on Wednesday, as Republicans lined up behind a nominee once seen as among President Donald Trump’s most controversial picks.

On issue after issue — immigration, taxes, government spending, tariffs, DEI — Trump’s plans reflect genuine popular concerns but propose seriously misguided answers. His agenda cries out for a stiff dose of restraint and common sense.

Senator Mitch McConnell fell twice and was escorted out of the Capitol in a wheelchair as a precautionary measure, one of multiple health issues the former majority leader has had in recent years. What do you think?The post Mitch McConnell Leaves Capitol In Wheelchair After Fall appeared first on The Onion.

Trump's fragile ego meets Elon Musk's hostile takeover

Kennedy critics have concerns about the work he’s done to sow doubts around vaccine safety and his potential to profit off lawsuits over drugmakers.

RFK Jr. passed a key Senate committee vote after a holdout GOP lawmaker, Sen. Bill Cassidy, backed him.

After Gabbard faced a public questioning, two of three senators still on the fence now say they are a 'yes' vote.

'With the serious commitments I’ve received ... I will vote yes'

After the 14-13 committee vote, the nomination now goes before a full Senate vote.

Tulsi Gabbard is seeking to assuage senators’ concerns about her in a new opinion piece explaining why she thought "traitor" was too harsh a word for Edward Snowden.

Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.) announced on Tuesday that he will support Tulsi Gabbard's nomination to become director of national intelligence, paving the way for her to reach a floor vote and increasing her chances of winning full confirmation. Young had been considered a crucial Intelligence Committee GOP swing vote on Gabbard's nomination. "I appreciate Tulsi [...]

Critics of President Donald Trump's tariff proposals, both left and right, are hoping that he will change his mind. But Trump is doubling down and saying that as soon as this Saturday, February 1, he may impose across-the-board 25 percent tariffs on all goods entering the United States from Canada and Mexico — both of which are major trading partners.Tariffs are not universally popular among Republicans; Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky), former GOP leader in the U.S. Senate, is a major critic of them. And tariffs, according to Semafor reporters Burgess Everett and Shelby Talcott, are one of the ways in which Trump "is taking the Republican Congress on an economic wild ride."In an article published Friday, Everett and Talcott explain, "He's threatening serious tariffs that could hit key U.S. allies this weekend, just days after confounding Congress with his plans to freeze federal spending. Some GOP lawmakers are hoping they can still head off the tariffs, and a few complained about the conflicting guidance on government money. But most — especially those from red areas — said they're feeling little heat for the president's moves.... It's an important moment for congressional Republicans, who are divided between free traders and more populist members."READ MORE: Trump’s 'coming trade wars' could imperil one of his top Senate allies — here’s howThe reporters add, "The latter camp has no problem with Trump threatening, and following through with, tariffs on allies. Senators in both parties pressed Howard Lutnick, Trump's nominee to lead the Commerce Department, about those levies during his confirmation hearing this week."Sen. Mike Rounds (R-South Dakota) is hoping Trump will show some restraint with tariffs.Rounds told Semafor, "I'm not getting the indication that it's going to be an immediate thing, because I know the president doesn't want to drive up the price for fuel. That would be a serious problem if we just all of a sudden stopped heavy crude from coming into refiners in the United States. So I think they’ll be reasonable.""Looming tariffs" and "the federal funding freeze," according to Everett and Talcott, are creating "nail-gnawing uncertainty for Congress."READ MORE: Inside Trump's scheme to concentrate power"The fault lines in the GOP are real, on both the tariffs and the spending freeze," the Semafor reporters note. "But many Republicans clearly have Trump’s back despite the prospective economic hit."READ MORE: 'Heinous personality': Internet unleashes on 'psychopath' Trump after he jokes about crashRead the full Semafor article at this link.

Kennedy appeared before the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday and another Senate panel Thursday.

'Completely unhinged'

The top Republican on the Senate's health committee, Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., faced criticism from fellow Republicans after he suggested his vote for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s confirmation as Health and Human Services secretary is not a lock.

After Pete Hegseth squeaked through the Senate by the thinnest possible margin, it will be another critical week for President Donald Trump’s nominees.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said vaccines are not safe. His support for abortion access has made conservatives uncomfortable. And farmers across the Midwest are nervous over his talk of banning corn syrup and pesticides from America’s food supply.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said vaccines are not safe. His support for abortion access has made conservatives uncomfortable. And farmers across the Midwest are nervous about his talk of removing corn syrup and pesticides from America’s food supply. The...

The former Fox News host and decorated U.S. Army veteran was confirmed by a thin margin last week.

Republicans capitulated on Pete Hegseth, though they knew better. Now come the most noxious nominees of all

Patel has long raged against the so-called Deep State and prioritized his loyalty to Trump.

Welcome to the online version of From the Politics Desk, an evening newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail.

At his confirmation hearing last week, the former combat veteran and Fox News host said he was “falsely accused” in the 2017 incident.

Pete Hegseth cleared a procedural hurdle Thursday to advance his confirmation to lead the Defense Department for a final Senate vote, setting up a high-stakes showdown.

Pete Hegseth cleared a major hurdle on his path to be President Trump's Defense secretary, with all but two of the Senate's Republican members supporting him in a Thursday procedural vote.Why it matters: President Trump's defense secretary nominee now has a clearer path to confirmation despite "no" votes from GOP Sens. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Susan Collins (Maine.)The Senate voted 51-49 to limit debate on the nomination.Hegseth's candidacy has been beset with scandal since Trump announced his selection.Despite early uncertainty, Republicans have largely rallied around him, and the Armed Services Committee recommended his nomination Monday via a nail-biter 14-13 vote. The intrigue: Former Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) voted to advance Hegseth's nomination, despite some concern he would oppose it.Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) voted no, after missing votes earlier in the day.This is just a procedural vote, and senators can change their vote during the final confirmation roll call.What's next: Thursday's vote likely sets up a Friday confirmation vote. Hegseth has been accused of sexual misconduct, excessive drinking and financial mismanagement. He has denied the accusations.The latest allegation came in a sworn affidavit from Hegseth's former sister-in-law who said the defense secretary nominee's ex-wife feared for her safety.

The once and future president returns to power with know-how and a very different team.

Some will dismiss these concerns as hysteria. But conservatives are supposed to sound the alarm when traditional institutions are threatened.

Democrats grilled Trump’s defense secretary pick over ugly allegations against him. But barring a last-minute surprise, he appears on track to be confirmed.

MSNBC's Joe Scarborough cast doubt on the FBI background check of Donald Trump's nominee for defense secretary Tuesday.Allegations of sexual assault and other misconduct have surfaced against former Fox News host Pete Hegseth since the president-elect tapped him to lead the Pentagon, but the "Morning Joe" host said he was so lacking in qualifications for the job that no Republican senators should vote to confirm him."All the character issues aside, I can tell you there's not a single person in Washington, D.C., that I've talked to that thinks that he's qualified to run the Pentagon," Scarborough said the morning before Hegseth was due to face Senators on the Hill in his confirmation hearing."Again, all character questions aside, that's something that Joni Ernst knows, she knows he's not qualified to run the Pentagon. That's something that John Thune knows, he knows Pete Hegseth is not qualified to run the Pentagon. That's something Mitch McConnell knows, that's something that Lisa Murkowski knows, that's something that Susan Collins knows. It's something, of course, that Todd Young, one of the more serious thinkers, most serious thinkers on national defense issues, knows. So, again, all of these character questions aside, these these so-called John Tower questions."ALSO READ: Fox News has blood on its hands as Trump twists the knife"All of those aside, everybody knows the underlying truth that nobody will be served," he added. "I mean, the [Department of Defense] will not be served by this, Americans will not be served by it. The armed forces won't be served by it. Even the commander in chief, Donald Trump, ultimately will not be served by having somebody running the DOD that's ill-equipped just because of experience, or lack thereof, of running the DOD."However, the federal investigators tasked with looking into Hegseth's background reportedly did not interview his ex-wives, which is standard protocol, or the woman who accused him of assaulting her in 2017 — and Scarborough wondered why those allegations of abusive behavior were not investigated. "The question this morning regarding the start of this hearing has to go back to why didn't the FBI ask the most basic questions from the most germane witnesses?" Scarborough said. "Were they instructed not to by somebody, or do you think they were doing it because they didn't want to offend the incoming administration?"Watch the video below or at this link.- YouTubeyoutu.be

Several GOP Senate incumbents are already staring down the threat of primary challenges next year as friction builds between the MAGA and establishment wings. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), who plans to run for reelection in 2026, is facing a possible primary challenger in Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a longtime ally of President-elect Trump. Meanwhile, [...]

TikTok received a frosty reception in its fight to save the platform at the Supreme Court, which during oral arguments Friday expressed sympathy with the government’s national security concerns about the platform’s ties to China. The divest-or-ban law, which passed Congress with wide bipartisan majorities and was signed by President Biden in April, requires TikTok [...]

The law that could ban TikTok is coming before the Supreme Court Friday.

President-elect Donald Trump’s repeated assertions that he wants Canada to join the United States have become a staple of his presidential transition.

Maine's senior senator is now chair of the Senate's Appropriations Committee, which oversees spending decisions.

North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis, here in the Senate subway in the U.S. Capitol in December, faces a competitive reelection next year. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file photo)

Merrick Garland won't only be remembered as Biden's worst cabinet pick, but as someone whose failure to meet the moment may prove the spark that blew up the American Experiment.