Today’s notice: How the endless stress test is changing politics. The latest from Miami, where Tom Emmer is preparing for emotions and Richard Hudson is dreaming up a perfect midterms. Also: Unions are not in unison.
The Ball Is in the Courts’ Court
On Tuesday, a coalition of Democratic attorneys general again came together and, again, got a judge to temporarily stay an executive action from Donald Trump that had sowed chaos across government agencies. This time it was the OMB memo that threatened to pause most federal grants with a widespread but unclear impact.
The last time the coalition did this was last week, when they got a different federal judge to temporarily stay the president’s order ending birthright citizenship.
California AG Rob Bonta, one of the leading members of the coalition, tells NOTUS he still has faith the courts will be fair.
“To the people that are concerned or worried about the system, I understand. But look at what’s happening,” he said. “The system is working exactly the way it’s designed to, checking a president who’s overreaching his authority by a mile and stopping him from acting unconstitutionally. That’s what it’s supposed to do. And it is.”
At her first podium appearance Tuesday, Karoline Leavitt told reporters the White House was confident it would prevail. But even if they don’t, Bonta does have a word of caution: Flooding the zone with legally questionable policies is part of a strategy to bend the guardrails, he said.
“That memo from the Office of Management and Budget could have been surgical and tight and narrow and specific. It was none of those things,” Bonta said. “The chaos, it’s like a chilling effect, it gives this other layer of impact beyond the official conduct.”
—Evan McMorris-Santoro | Read the story.
Can Republicans Really Grow Their House Majority?
NRCC Chair Richard Hudson makes his case in an interview with NOTUS at the House GOP retreat.
On 2026: Hudson noted that 13 House Democrats won in Trump districts, while just three House Republicans won in Kamala Harris districts. He’s targeting a few in particular: Reps. Jared Golden in Maine, Adam Gray and Josh Harder in California as well as Henry Cuellar’s seat in Texas — especially if he isn’t running.
On the issues: Hudson said Republicans should have the space to speak their minds, including on abortion, which he advised trying “to deal with compassion.” As for Trump’s Jan. 6 pardons, he spun Republicans’ disagreements into a dig: They don’t “march off a cliff if we’re told to” like Democrats.
On disaster aid: Hudson, a North Carolinian, witnessed Hurricane Helene’s destruction, is open to scaling back FEMA, saying funds would be better spent by the states. And it’s worth talking about conditioning aid to California, he said.
“Why send the taxpayers in my district’s money to California when they’re not going to change their behavior and all the houses might burn down again?” he said.
—Riley Rogerson, reporting from Miami
Front Page
- Everyone Wants to Talk About RFK Jr. — Except the Senators Who Will Vote on Him First: “My sense is there are a number of Republican senators who are very troubled by the stuff that’s on the record about his solutions,” Sen. Ron Wyden told NOTUS.
- Donald Trump Is Using the Office of Management and Budget to Consolidate His Power: Russell Vought, Trump’s nominee for OMB director, believes the president should be able to have more control.
- Foreign Aid Groups Are Desperately Seeking Answers on Trump’s Funding Pause: Many Republicans say they support the 90-day freeze.
- Republicans From States Reliant on Federal Funding Are Lining Up Behind Trump Aid Freeze: States are struggling to figure out the anticipated federal aid freeze.
- Trump to Offer Buyouts to Federal Workers Who Don’t Want to ‘Return to Office’: The offers, which all federal employees will receive, are due to go out Tuesday.
Tom Emmer Has Tissues Ready
Even Trump acknowledged this week that trying to advance legislation with a razor-thin GOP majority has cost Majority Whip Tom Emmer more than a few friends. Emmer told NOTUS he’s bracing for some “emotions” from the House GOP.
Emmer said he and his team have met with all but 14 members of the conference. His argument to potential hard-liner headaches goes something like this:
“Do you really want the president going to your district and telling your voters that you are the one that is preventing him from doing what he was elected to do? I don’t think so,” Emmer told NOTUS in an interview Tuesday.
“Are they all going to be happy with everything? I seriously doubt it,” Emmer added. “But at the end of the day, when that final product is ready, they’re all going to vote for it.”
Famous last words.
—Reese Gorman, reporting from Miami
Well, That’s One Way to Start a Job
When the Justice Department tried to stop a judge from pausing the federal spending freeze, it also revealed Trump’s latest political appointee, Eric J. Hamilton, now an assistant deputy attorney general at Main Justice, had his name on the bottom of the filing. The Federalist Society member was, until recently, the solicitor general of Nebraska, where he worked alongside conservative state Attorney General Mike Hilgers. He was there when that office tried to get the American Bar Association to drop its DEI standards and issued a formal opinion that limits the reach of inspectors general. Last year, Hamilton fought to stop felons from exercising their newly restored voting rights — ultimately losing at the state Supreme Court but leaving voters scrambling just days before the 2024 election deadline.
—Jose Pagliery
The Tale of Two Unions
The AFL-CIO, which endorsed Harris, condemned Trump’s legally contentious move, firing two Democratic NLRB appointees. President Liz Shuler said it was leaving workers “on their own in the face of union-busting and retaliation.”
In case you were wondering how unified major unions are right now, the Teamsters, whose president, Sean O’Brien, spoke at the RNC, had a very different statement: “The labor law system is broken and has been for decades. We need real labor law reform,” a union spokesperson wrote NOTUS. “The musical chairs of personnel within agencies and the ping-ponging of issues means when workers can’t find satisfaction at the NLRB, they take their demands to the streets.”
For good measure, we asked Lori Chavez-DeRemer’s home state AFL-CIO chapter for insight into what they expect her to do in the face of Trump’s NLRB move: “The jury is out: what policies will she pursue at DOL and, even if she wanted to pursue pro-worker policies, will she be allowed to do so?” the Oregon affiliate president, Graham Trainor, said in a statement.
—Evan McMorris-Santoro
Not Us
We know NOTUS reporters can’t cover it all. Here’s some other great hits by… not us.
- Here’s what could get more expensive if Trump enacts tariffs this week by Luis Melgar and Rachel Lerman at The Washington Post
- Republicans eye backup plan to confirm Gabbard by Burgess Everett at Semafor
- Trump bashed California’s water system. Then DOGE paid a visit. By Debra Kahn at Politico
Be Social
!
— Virginia Foxx (@virginiafoxx) January 28, 2025
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