Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts, radio news. You're listening to the Bloomberg Balance of Power podcast. Catch Just Live weekdays at noon Eastern on Apple car Play and then Roud Otto with the Bloomberg Business App. Listen on demand wherever you get your podcasts, or watch us live on YouTube.
We're still absorbing all of the news we got on Wednesday, because boy was there a lot of it, not just Donald Trump's trip to Washington, but leadership elections in the Senate and in the House where they have renominated Mike Johnson to turn take another turn at the role of speaker. Now that we know, which also was made official yesterday,
the House will be maintaining maintained with Republican control. They have retaken the majority or kept it going rather, according to multiple networks and the Associated Press, so the assumed to be speaker in the next Congress. Mike Johnson was feeling pretty good yesterday.
The theme that you'll hear over and over from all of our members across the conference is that we are unified and energized and ready to go. Serious times call for serious leadership. It's going to be a policy agenda driven administration and a Congress and you've heard us say many times it could be. I believe it will be the most consequential Congress of the modern era, most consequential administration of the modern era, because frankly, we have to fix almost every area of public policy.
But of course we need to finish this session of Congress, and we do have questions about the lame duck session and what it might bring. That's where we start our conversation with the gentleman from Kentucky, Congressman Andy Barr, Kentucky's sixth member of the Republican Conference. Great to have you, Baxter on Bloomberg TV and Radio. Thank you for joining us. I want to begin with the funding deadline, that is
on December twentieth. You and your colleagues need to figure out how to keep the lights on going into the new year, and there's an argument about whether that should last into March, or in fact go further into September to buy Donald Trump time to enact agenda, not saddle the new president with a funding debate as soon as
he gets into office. Your colleague from New York, Mark Malnaro, professed his preference for going later into the year with the stopgap, but Congressman, I know that that is problematic for members of the Freedom Caucus and for a lot of defense hawks. Where are you on this?
I think we need to clear the decks. We need to get the spending bill done. The House has passed seventy percent of all of the spending for this fiscal year, so we have about.
Thirty percent to go.
The Senate hasn't passed a single appropriations bill. But I think in the interest of the next administration, we should clear the decks.
We have a lot to do.
As the Speaker pointed out in your earlier segment, we have a lot to accomplish in the first one hundred days of the next administration. And if we're fighting old battles and the spending bill for this year instead of looking forward to next year, I think that would really
waste a lot of time. So, yes, we need a fiscally responsible appropriations bill, but we need to get it done by the deadline of December twentieth and give the next Congress a unified Republican government all of the flexibility that.
Will be required to pursue a.
Very ambitious and bold agenda in the first one hundred to two hundred days next year.
So Congressman, I think what you're saying is that there shouldn't be another continuing resolution. And if so, aren't we just going to end up with either an omnibus or a couple minibuses before the new year.
Yeah?
I don't think we should kick the can down the road.
Let's finish the business.
As I said before, the House has passed seventy percent of the appropriations bills. Let's finish our work and get the Senate to do its work. Whether that's in a one bill, two bills, three bills, three minibuses.
Or what have you.
We just need to get the job done so that we start with a clean slate in twenty twenty five. There's so much to do in reconciliation, with extending the tax cuts, securing the border, passing legislation to unleash our energy potential, and in the Financial Services Committee, we should have a big, bold agenda to restore the American dream by unleashing our capital markets to really provide jet fuel
for our economy. That's what the American people deserve. Fighting the old battles of spending for this year I think would delay all.
Of that work.
Says a lot Congressmen, when the regular order option seems to be the most alternative at the moment, But I appreciate your view on that. We're watching shares today of Tesla and Rivian and other companies exposed to electronic vehicles fall sharply. Tesla's done about four percent right now. Rivian
is down over ten percent. With a Reuter's headline that Donald Trump wants to undo or get rid of the seventy five hundred dollars EV tax credit, this is something that we knew could becoming in an effort to unwind parts of the IRA. Congressman, does he have the votes in Congress to do that, well, he has.
My support because I don't think government intervention into markets is a really effective way to efficiently allocate capital in our economy. The fact of the matter is, if you talk to auto dealers across this country, certainly in Kentucky, the demand for ebs is simply not there. And clearly, through the Inflation Reduction Act, Congress was trying to put its finger on the scale and have the government incentivize the allocation of capital, incentivize the transition to electric vehicles
when frankly, market demand is not there. The most efficient way to allocate capital is, of course, through the free market, and this kind of industrial policy is not a good way to promote American competitiveness. Frankly, we are in a global competition with China and other countries. We shouldn't try to counter China by becoming more like China, by copying or imitating their industrial policies.
We need to be the best version of ourselves.
Which means that we need to unleash our capital markets and we need to be we need to embrace the market. And the market simply does not support a precipitous transition to electric vehicles.
The American people just don't want it.
I want to talk about a different transition, Congressman, the transition of power between presidents we're experiencing now as Donald Trump has been outlining the selections for his cabinet. I know Capitol Hill was taken a bit by surprise yesterday when we learned that one of those was then Congressman Matt Gates from Florida. I wonder your reaction, sir, to not just the selection of Gates's attorney general, and whether you think he has the character for that job based
on your experience working with him in the House. His sudden resignation and the fact that this is now three House members that have been pulled for the administration, making a thin majority of bit more difficult to navigate.
Well, let me just say I think Elise Stephonic is a fantastic choice for you, and Ambassador, She's going to do a great job.
The Senate will.
Work its will with all of these, including mister Gates, and the Senate will of course have a say and whether or not these nominees will ultimately get their pick. But in terms of mister Gates's vacancy, what I'm most excited about is the fact that Governor DeSantis has said we.
Will fill that seat before.
January third, so we will have a new member of Congress, and we will be able to secure that very important thin majority that we have, so that we have unified control of the House, the Senate, and the White House.
Should the House have we'll just set to meet tomorrow.
By the way, understood, should the Ethics Committee Congressman release the report that it has been working up about Matt Gates, either to vindicate him or otherwise inform the confirmation process, They're set to meet tomorrow on this, Yeah, I think.
The Senate will demand that.
I think the Senate will need that information in order to work its will in the advice and consent process, and so I think it is important that.
The Ethics Committee.
I do not serve on the Ethics Committee, but I do think it's important for the Ethics Committee.
To wrap up that work so that.
The Senate can have all of the information in considering that nomination.
Well, sir, you may not serve on the Ethics Committee, but you do sit on the Financial Services Committee. You had, in fact like to be its next chair. In that role, what would be Agenda Item number one in the new Congress? Is it banking? Is it crypto?
Is it both? It's all of it.
We need an American Dream Act. We need to restore the American Dream. The exit polls were very clear. Why did the American people vote for Donald Trump overwhelmingly and even the popular vote. Why did the American people give Republicans control of Congress and total control of the government. Is because they're dissatisfied with the direction of the country. Over two thirds of Americans believe that we're on the
wrong track. So they want change and they want the American dream restored the idea that with hard work and by playing by the rules, they can get ahead.
Right now, they don't feel like they're they're they're.
Getting ahead, and they want major economic growth to give them that upward mobility that they deserve. In order to do that, of course, we need to extend the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, those four and a half trillion dollars of expiring tax cuts through the reconciliation process.
But we need more than that.
We need to unleash our capital markets, and that means deregulation of our capital markets.
It means deregulation of the banking sector.
It means a regulatory framework for innovation in fintech and digital assets, providing clarity, certainty, and durability in the law to make sure that all of that innovation happens here in the United States. We need an affordable housing agenda to combat inflation, and you're part of inflation is the lack of affordable housing in this country, and deregulation of our housing markets is a big piece of that.
The Federal Reserve needs to continue to shrink its.
Balance sheet so that we get to price stability, and with price stability, we can gradually lower those interest rates to make.
Housing more affordable.
In addition to that, I think we need a national security agenda in financial services. I think what you're gonna see with the Trump administration and unified control of Congress by Republicans is maximum pressure on our adversaries through the Department of Treasury and sanctions. The previous administration was chasing sanctions relief. When Donald Trump says he can end the war in Ukraine, what he means by that is crushing sanctions on Moscow instead of chasing sanctions relief, whether it's
Tehran or whether it's Moscow. You will see a much tougher treasury when it comes to our adversaries.
That will give us leverage to.
End some of these conflicts around the world and deter our enemies.
So it's a multi tiered strategy.
Its strength through deterrence on the national security front, and then because we're in a global economic competition, it's about making our financial system much more competitive through deregulation.
All right, Congressman, thank you so much for your time. That As Congressman Andy Barr, the Republican from Kentucky in the running to chair the Financial Services Committee in the
next Congress. Thank you so much. We want to quickly add the voices now of our political panel today, Genie shan z Aino, Bloomberg Politics contributor and senior Democracy Fellow with the Center for the Study of the Presidency in Congress, together with John Seaton, founder and CEO of Echo Canyon Consulting, and Republican strategist John just as the Republican We just heard from the congressman there this notion that the gate seat could be quilled filled quickly before January. He's excited
for a lease stephonic. But how hard does it go to be with this thin majority to get all that work he wants to get done done When the vote count is so narrow.
It's going to be a challenge for sure. I will say for someone who is just on the back bench less than a year ago or about a year ago, Speaker Johnson has done a very very good job of corralling votes and getting to the well was two eighteen out. I think it will be about two hundred and sixteen votes that he needs to pass this legislation, So it will be a lot of work. There'll be a lot of I think deals that are going to have to be cut to get these things through, But I would
not count out Speaker Johnson. He's done a very very good job so far.
Well. Pretty interesting to hear from the Congressman Genie about government funding. He says, don't kick the can. We need regular order. Let's pass all twelve spending bills. Would it not take a Christmas miracle for that to happen?
It would, But boy, that was a great conversation and music to my ears. As we keep talking every year after year after year, can we get something in place so that the government can be funded in a regular way, in an orderly way. And so to your Congressman Barr say that, But to your point, I think it's easier
obviously said, than done. We know that from experience. And I also thought it was very interesting to hear him say about the confirmation process in terms of Matt Gates, that you know the Senate is going to be considering likely what is coming out of the Ethics Committee. And my understanding is they are at this very moment battling about what is released, but whether it's released publicly or
not is almost beside the point. I agree with him completely that the Senators have a right to get that information.
Well, I wonder about one senator in particular, John, the one who was all excited about a new job yesterday, Senator John Thune of South Dakota just elected to be the next majority leader, and then he's handed the difficulty of navigating a Gates confirmation process. How do you think he'll do.
I think he'll do a great job. I think that John Dune is why what does that look like? What does that look like? I think I think he has the respect of his members, and I think this job, when it comes to leadership, it really is about having the trust and the support of your fifty two other Republican members, and I think that they know that he'll have their back. They know that he's working for the betterment of the conference. So I think he'll do well.
I do think that he's got some real challenging confirmation battles up ahead of him right now. I'm not sure how excited he is to have the job, but I think he'll do well. And I think that his colleagues really do respect him, and I think that will play a huge role in how the Senate runs over the next two years.
Certainly, big shoes to fill in a big test now with a President Trump emerging. At the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue.
You're listening to the Bloomberg Balance of Power podcast Ken Just Live weekdays at noon Eastern on Applecarplay and then Roudoo with the Bloomberg Business app. You can also listen live on Amazon Alexa from our flagship New York station, Just Say Alexa Play Bloomberg eleven thirty.
We also wait for more news in Washington from the Trump transition team. Remember, I know your mind was blown yesterday, but we still have some big ones. We need Treasury, we need health and Human Services, and both of those will be big news when they break. As we follow the bouncing ball in the House of Representatives, We're almost there. What do we have nine races left to be called a week and several days later, we told you that was going to happen. It's California, right. Final tally though,
Check this out. As Donald Trump continues to pluck Republicans from the House of Representatives. The final tally when this is done could be a gop net gain of a single seat, and so Mike Johnson, the Speaker of the House, fresh off leadership elections, yesterday sees and feels unity with his very thin margin.
Whaff for thin.
Here's the Speaker of the House.
The theme that you'll hear over and over from all of our members across the confer is that we are unified and energized and ready to go. Serious times call for serious leadership. It's going to be a policy agenda driven administration and a Congress, and you've heard us say many times it could be. I believe it will be the most consequential Congress of the modern era, most consequential administration in the modern era, because, frankly, we have to fix almost every area of public policy.
Beginning with funding the government. Remember we've had a funding deadline on the twentieth of December. And that's where we start our conversation with the gentleman from New York. Dan Goldbmin is here, the Democrat from New York's tenth congressional district, the force behind the Bagel Caucus. Congressman, it's great to see you, welcome. It's pretty clear that once again Mike Rogers is going to need Democrats to get anything done.
How much support will the Democratic Conference give him on things like funding the government?
Well, it really depends Joe and it just as it depended in the last Congress, when Democrats stepped up to be the adults in the room and make sure that we kept the government open, We passed a budget, we provided much needed supplemental security assistance to our democratic allies around the world. There will be a thin, thin majority, probably less than what it was in the last Congress, and it really depends on which way this Republican Party wants to go. I am encouraged to hear Speaker Johnson
say that it will be a policy oriented Congress. Donald Trump's Project twenty twenty five and some of his initial nominations for cabinet posts reflect an unseerious, non policy oriented approach, and that will really determine what Democrats are going to do. If Donald Trump is going to try to dismantle our democracy for his own personal retribution and personal gain, he
will not find any cooperation from Democrats. If he wants to focus on policy and fixing the border, addressing our economy, he very well may have partners in the Democratic Party, but it really is on them to figure out which path they want to go.
We had Kevin robertson a couple of days ago, the head of the Heritage Foundation and one of the forces behind Project twenty twenty five, which you just mentioned. He's someone who's trying to get back in from the cold, it seems, and you know, the Trump camp disavowed much of that plan. When you talk about dismantling democracy, are you talking about schedule F for some of these other
ideas in twenty twenty five? Just what should our audience know that you're referring to, because I haven't seen any sort of real proposal on that front yet.
Yeah.
I mean, I think it's a combination of things. Joe Schedule F, which, for those who don't understand, would allow career expert government employees to be fired at will and potentially replaced by political loyalists who are unqualified and incapable
of actually running the day to day government. That will do, and we've seen it a little bit from the nominations of Tulsi Gabbard and Pete Hegseth and Matt Gates, is it will turn these executive branch agencies into political arms of Donald Trump, and that will undermine our national security, That will weaponize the Department of Justice to go after Trump's enemies and allies. Matt Gates will execute that to Donald Trump's wishes.
It will allow the.
Military to be used, for example, to disperse a protest on the National Mall that Donald Trump doesn't like, and it will really undermine our intelligence community if Tulsey Gabbard, who has very untoward relationships with Assad and Putin, oversees our intelligence community.
So that's a big part of it.
But we're also talking about getting rid of the Department of Education. We are talking about yanking certification for mifipristone medication abortion. We are talking about rolling back all of the incentives and subsidies for renewable energy, and the list goes on and on and on. Those are more policy decisions, but combined with Donald Trump's personal revenge tour and his authoritarian rhetoric, there's a real danger that the basic foundations of our government are going to be destroyed.
Well, it brings us to our resolution, and I do want to just say that I realize that that you have concerns, Congressmen, but we haven't seen any formal proposals on that front. He's not in office yet. We're ready for whatever happens, but you're up with a resolution to
make sure that he only serves one more term. This is something that you're introducing today in this session of Congress, mister Guldbman of New York, I'm looking at it in front of me here submitted the following refer to the Committee Resolution reaffirming the Validity and Applicability of the twenty second Amendment. Whereas President elect Donald Trump told Republican members of the House on November thirteen, quote, I suspect I won't be running again unless you say he's so good,
We've got to figure something else out unquote. Now, a lot of people thought that was a joke. Congressman, you took it seriously enough to draft this reaffirming the twenty second Amendment applies to two terms in the aggregate. As President of the United States, this is already in the Constitution. What makes you think you have to do this?
Well, I've been following Donald Trump very closely for the last five years, Joe, as you know, I was the lead council on his first impeachment investigation, and I know how he operates, and how he operates is by floating trial balloons that he often claims are jokes, but he's very serious. About it, and he's been talking about staying on past this next term for years. He's made numerous references to it, and the way that he operates is that things start as a joke, then they become normalized,
and then he tries to do them. And so this is simply just to call on Congress to reaffirm that the twenty second Amendment, as it clearly states, applies to Donald Trump and non consecutive terms two terms in the aggregate. It is plainly written in the Constitution. But there is enough talk about it from Donald Trump, from others who support him. Lauren Bobert made a reference to it last week.
There's enough talk about it that it is imperative that we very immediately and very clearly stand up and say this is what the Constitution says. Republicans in Congress, are you for the Constitution or are you against the Constitution? It should be very easy for them because it is very simply what the Constitution says. But unfortunately, if Donald Trump does not believe in the Constitution, all too often Republicans in Congress go along with them.
And if that is the case, for the.
Next four years, our Constitution will be sorely undermined.
So you're calling on lawmakers essentially to support what has already been written here. You mentioned Matt Gates, and I do remember if we can go back a couple of years here, December twenty nineteen House Judiciary Committee, you had quite a throwdown with Matt Gates over the impeachment of Donald Trump. He called you out as the majority's witness
and counsel in addition to being a Democratic donor. I'm looking at a news release that Matt Gates's office kicked out that very day, as they describe you as frequently attacking the president on Twitter? Was that the beginning of Matt Gates's trajectory to becoming Attorney General.
I don't know whether that is or not. I think you know. I've worked with Matt Gates now for two years. I've seen how he operates. I've heard what he believes. He is a burn down the House kind of member. He wants to burn down the Department of Justice, he wants to eliminate the FBI.
He wants his own personal.
Retribution and revenge against the Department of Justice because they went through an extensive criminal investigation of him. So he is the exact wrong person to run an institution that is so important to the orderly interpretation and implementation of
our laws, our criminal laws, our civil laws. This is about as bad of a pick as one could imagine, because mister Gates just literally wants to tear it down and he will turn the Department of Justice into Donald Trump's personal attorney, which is not what it is designed to be.
This ephen gets out of the starting gate here, Congressman, Thank you Dan Goldman of New York with an important headline that relates to the gentleman from New York City. Congestion pricing here it is nine dollars a toll to start in January, according to the governor.
You're listening to the Bloomberg Balance of Power podcast. Catch Just Live weekdays at noon Eastern on evilcar Play and then roun Otto with a Bloomberg Business app Listen on demand wherever you get your podcasts, or watch live on YouTube.
Thanks for being here on Bloomberg TV and Radio. I'm Joe Matthew alongside Kaylee Lions. It's the Thursday edition of Balance of Power with still many questions about the appointments that we're hearing, and we'll still hear from Donald Trump as he fills out his cabinet. Much of the view, Kaylee, has been domestic, but there's a deliberate effort here at Bloomberg to keep our eyes on geopolitics, with a lot of questions about what another Trump administration will mean, specifically
for Ukraine and the Middle East. Anthony Blinken is back overseas, by the way, not to deal with the matter of Israel. He went to Europe, went to Brussels to talk to NATO about Ukraine as the administration tries to get the remaining money and material from the sixty one billion dollar relief package for Ukraine out the door, Kayley before the inaugural Well.
Yeah, as they're trying to perhaps Trump proof this to the extent that they can, knowing that both the President elect and the Vice President elect have expressed skepticism about continued US support financially for Ukraine. And then there's of course the other people who could join this administration to consider here as well. We learned yesterday that Senator Marco Rubio of Florida will be tapped for Secretary of State.
Former Congressman Toulci Gabbard will be Director of National Intelligence. We've gotten a number of picks that raised many foreign policy questions. Of course, before that, Pete Hexa, the Defense Secretary and at least Dephonic tapped her ambassador to the US.
Did you put together the mosaic here? If you're with us on Bloomberg TV or on YouTube, you can see it in real time. It does make you wonder what the administration's approach will be, Kayley, Remembering Donald Trump said he would end this war in Ukraine on day one.
So we want to get more on the ongoing war in Ukraine and how this administration could approach it this incoming administration. And turn to Melinda Herring. She is non resident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council. Welcome back to Balance of Power, Melinda, as we assess those who could help shape Donald Trump's foreign policy in this second administration, and specifically the lan which we have heard from them on Ukraine. What do you make of the picks so far?
How do you think Ukraine feels about them.
Hey, Kayley, So we don't know a lot. At this point. Ukrainians were relieved at the choice of Secretary of State and also at the National Security Advisor. Both Rubio and the congressmen are internationalists, and the congressman in particular, the future National Security Advisor, mister Walts, has a strong record on Ukraine. His votes have been good for his record, He's met with Ukrainian soldiers, he gets it. So I think Ukraine felt a huge sense of relief at those two appointments.
What does Pete Hegseth specifically bring to the effort, knowing that he's looking to house clean at the Pentagon. Were going to tack this from a couple of different ways here. Melinda foggy Bottom is one state department. The other, though, is the Pentagon itself and the promise to fire scores of generals. What would that mean for intelligence sharing, for strategy eg gathering when it comes to Ukraine.
Hey, Joe, I think the Pentagon nomination is one that gives people a lot of pause right now. It's not very clear what this gentleman would bring to the table in terms of his managerial chops. When you zoom in and look at Ukraine, the Pentagon has been critical in making sure that all of the weapons that Congress has appropriated get there on time. And this gentleman seems to
be occupied with a lot of domestic concerns. So I think the foreign policy crowd in Washington is very skeptical of this nominee.
Okay, So if we're looking at potential areas in which there is concern over those who will be in the incoming Trump administration in the US, Melinda, is there going to be the ability to make up for that and other allies around the world. Is Europe going to be able to step in where the US might not, or is there really no hope for Ukraine if US military and financial backing does not continue.
There's always hope, and there's always hope for Ukraine because Ukrainians are determined and this is an existential fight. So even though some of the current nominees raise more than an eyebrow, give me anxiety at night, pick whatever analogy you like, they are not confirmed and they may not make it through the confirmation process. And the attitude in Kiev is a lot chiller than it is here in Washington.
Their attitude is we can work with anyone. We will find the right argument, and we will make the case because Ukraine must have assistance and Europe is stepping up. Europe has been freaking out for the last week and they realize that they haven't put their defensive lines in place, they haven't stepped up manufacturing to the extent that they need to, and I think they're finally freaking out. And that's a good thing. That's a good thing for European security.
It's a good thing for US taxpayers as well.
Talk to us, Melinda, about what is being prepared for shipment, whether it's money or material military gear. What does the administration have left that it is so determined to send over before January?
Yeah, Joe, this is the really important question. So Jake Sullivan, the current National Security Advisor, has said that the five point five billion remaining on the books will be in key of by January twentieth. It will be Trump proofed. Now, I've been making some phone calls and talking to people on Capitol Hill, and that's not what I'm hearing and seeing.
According to some of the conversations I've had, Joe, only twenty to twenty five percent of that kit that the Ukrainians really need and it's very hard now, will arrive by January twentieth. So apparently the White House decided to put this military equipment on to ship it by sea rather than to fly it in. So this is a big problem, and I hope the White House can speed it up because Ukrainians are depending on it.
Well, let's talk about something else Ukraine is dependent on because wars are not just fought with actual ammunition and weapon, They're fought with information and the ability to communicate. And I wonder, Melinda, what your reaction is to the role we are seeing Elon Musk now play in his closeness
to the president elect, the role he will serve. We understands the co head of the Department of Government Efficiency knowing that he has the power to influence the operations of Starlink, and according to reporting, has even discussed that matter with Vladimir Putin.
Right, So this is a relationship that I'm going to continue to watch. We don't know how it's going to evolve, but the fact that Musk is involved in the conversations over Russia and Ukraine means that it's important and that it will be an elevated issue in the early days in the Trump administration. So, unfortunately, I don't think we can speculate much more beyond that.
It's something I'm watching, Melinda. If Donald Trump's idea of ending this war on day one includes a settlement that gives Russia all of the occupied territory that it's taken from the dumbboss, all the way down through Crimea. Does he have a willing partner in President Zelenski or is that a deal breaker?
So I don't know so right now, Zelenski's saying no territory, but the conversation in Kiev has switched from territory Joe to security guarantees. And I think that's the area where the Ukrainians are not going to give whatsoever they've said, even if we freeze the conflict now, even if there's some kind of DMZ zone, we know that the Russians will come back at us and we can't live in peace.
This is not this is not a just piece. And it's interesting that Donald Trump has used the phrase just piece. It's also interesting, So Trump made a lot of promises, there's a lot of campaign Rick. He said that he will in the war in twenty four hours. I'm sorry, that's not possible, but it's instructive to go back and look at his record. So when he pulled out of the Iran deal, it took them sixteen months to do it.
So I think Donald Trump is likely to find out that he makes these big, big, bold promises, but the actual implementation is quite sticky, and he's not going to want to put himself, especially in the early days in his administration, in a week footing. If he were to freeze AID on January twentieth, there's going to be egg all over the United States face, and the Chinese are
watching us and what we're doing in Ukraine. I don't think Donald Trump can afford that, and I think he is probably going to pivot back to a reaganes theme of peace through strength.
As we consider what's actually happening in Ukraine now, Melinda, Obviously there has been in the last several weeks a lot of focus on the fact that North Koreans are now involved in this conflict. What actually has that done to change conditions on the ground and the actual operations and abilities of Russia and the way in which Ukraine has to respond.
Kai it's making The infusion of these ten thousand North Korean troops up in Kursk Oblast is making it more difficult for the Ukrainians. The Ukrainians are short on men and shells right now, and the pressure is really on. Is it decisive? No, but it increases the pressure. And it's also winter, and the winter season is going to be hard, cold and brutal, and I expect pretty severe blackouts if the Russians continue their missile strikes, which they have been over the past week.
You know, we're assuming as a premise of this conversation, Melinda, maybe rightfully, so, I guess that's my question. Should we assume that this new Congress, with Republican control of both the House and Senate, would not approve any further funding for Ukraine?
Joe, I'm not willing to concede that yet. So there was a lot of hope for a supplemental bill, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen in this lame duck period. But look, you and I have had lots of conversations about Speaker Mike Johnson. He cares about Ukraine, he cares about the Christians that are being persecuted by Russia there. He has personal relationships with a lot of Ukrainians, and he knows what's at stake, And a majority of
Republicans still support Ukraine. So I'm definitely not giving up on Congress there is bipartisan support for Ukraine on Capitol Hill even in Trump's second term in office.
Well, I guess we'll see if that bipartisan nature is enough to get things over the finish line in this upcoming Congress when there's a lot domestically that they want to get done. Melinda, President Biden is about to make another trip Overseas, one of his last as president. He's going to be meeting with Shijinping tomorrow on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Peru. He'll then be heading
to the G twenty in Brazil. How do you think Ukraine is going to factor into the conversations that will be had over the course of the next several days.
So I know that Taiwan and many other allies in the Pacific are watching to see if America will live up to its promise. We've made a lot of promises on Ukraine, and our actions have a big and resounding impact, particularly in Asia. So I think that our actions are being watched very carefully, and that's sort of what I expected to see and be a focus of that discussion.
Well, Linda, it's great to have you back with this non resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, with clearly a lot of questions that have to be answered about the way the Trump administration incoming and the incoming Republican majority in the House and Senate will handle the matter of Ukraine. Melinda, thank you as always for the insights, and we hope to continue the conversation as we learn more here, Kaylee, it really reminds us of how many plates we have in the air as we talk about
domestic policy. Today, it's the ira and tax credits for evs making news, but the situation in Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East where there's now apparently a drive for are that might coincide with the inaugural with Hesbela specifically, really worth watching as we see this transition take place well.
And of course one of the visual elements of that transition that we saw yesterday was a sit down between President Biden and President elect Trump at the White House, and according to Jake Sullivan, who took part in the White House briefing yesterday afternoon, foreign policy did feature heavily on that agenda for that conversation that we didn't get a full readout. We certainly do expect both the current leader and the one who will be leading the country
moving forward. After January twentieth, did talk about these topics in the middle of all of the other news Donald Trump was bringing us in regard to that's right, the composition of his second administration.
The next big meeting and look for will be in person President Zelenski and Donald Trump. They are working on putting that together, according to Bloomberg reporting, and that could be happening anytime between now and the inauguration. We'll see if Elon Musk emerges in that meeting. But we've got a lot more to follow. To Kaylee's point, we've been getting a lot of these appointments in the second half
of the day. Treasury still outstanding, Health and Human Service is still outstanding, along with a couple of others.
Yeah, Commerce, Energy, Agriculture. There is a big cabinet to fill out of just ones that need Senate confirmation and more still that we could learn about who won't require that check.
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