Trump pays respects with Melania to Jimmy Carter, huddles with Senate GOP on Capitol Hill
President-elect Donald Trump and his wife Melania honored the late President Jimmy Carter on Wednesday before huddling with Senate Republicans for a wide-ranging discussion on his legislative priorities in the first 100 days — including border security and energy reforms.
“It feels great,” a beaming Trump told reporters about his return to the legislative complex. “We’re going to get the results, and we’re going to make America great again.”
The first couple then proceeded to the Capitol Rotunda, pausing solemnly for about a minute in front of the 39th president’s casket.
Carter — whom Trump fiercely admonished in the past but recently praised for having done “everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans” — died on Dec. 29. He was 100 years old.
Senate Republicans later erupted in applause as the once and future commander-in-chief joined them to begin deliberations about his second administration’s agenda.
Wednesday’s visit marks the first time Trump, 78, has set foot in the US Capitol since he departed the White House in 2021, though he went back to Washington, DC, for a visit with President Biden on Nov. 13 and for a meeting with Republicans this past June.
Trump has telegraphed that his preference is for congressional Republicans to pass “one big, beautiful bill” to kick off his term, with a focus on cracking down on illegal immigration into the US and clawing back unspent funds authorized by his predecessor for an array of renewable energy programs.
“We have a lot of money that we’re going to be clawing back from the Green New Scam,” the incoming president boasted to conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt on Monday.
“The border is going to be secure. We’re going to start it immediately. [Border czar] Tom Homan is central casting,” he added. “We had the best border we’ve ever had, and we’ll have the best border we’ve ever had times two. I would prefer one, but I will do whatever needs to be done to get it passed.”
Without Democratic votes, the bill could conceivably reach the 47th president’s desk through a process known as budget reconciliation.
For that to work, a Senate parliamentarian would have to determine whether the provisions in the measure only affect spending levels and do not overtly change federal policies.
It could then pass both chambers of Congress by a simple majority. Republicans currently hold a 53-47 edge in the Senate, and a 219-215 cushion in the House.
“We’re looking at the one bill versus two bills,” Trump told reporters after entering the Capitol. “Whatever it is doesn’t matter — we’re going to get the result.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) prefers the two-bill approach, with the first package handling border and energy priorities and the second tranche of spending extending Trump’s tax cuts from 2017.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who greeted Trump as he entered the Capitol on the Senate side Wednesday, has alternatively backed the once and future president’s single-bill option. The two also met earlier this week to discuss a way forward for their respective conferences.
The president-elect suggested that changes to the IRS code could also be backed by Democrats hoping to deliver a win to their constituents, though Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) railed against what he called a giveaway to the “ultra-rich” in a Wednesday floor speech.
Trump has also signaled he may even be open to courting some Democratic votes with the legislative push, potentially by providing so-called “Dreamers” — migrants who came into the US illegally as children — a path to citizenship.
“I’m OK with talking about the Dreamers,” he also told Hewitt, indicating a possible amnesty for as many as 3 million migrants who crossed the US border as unaccompanied minors.
“These are people that have been here since, in many cases, birth. They’ve been here for many years. They were very young, and now they’re middle-aged people. In some cases, they’re old people. It’s been talked about, and I’m certainly open to talking about it,” Trump explained.
Meanwhile, several Trump cabinet picks visited Republican and Democratic senators earlier Wednesday for closed-door meetings — including Health and Human Services Secretary-designate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Director of National Intelligence-designate Tulsi Gabbard.
GOP senators have accused their Democratic colleagues of seeking to stonewall some Trump noms like Gabbard, whose comments about since-ousted Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad have drawn controversy, in an effort to hamper Trump’s transition.
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), who chairs the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, called out the panel’s top Democrat for purportedly even stalling Interior Secretary pick Doug Burgum.
“It’s disappointing to see Ranking Member [Martin] Heinrich [D-NM] seeking to delay issuance of a hearing notice instead of focusing on delivering what voters demanded in November’s election: restoring American energy dominance after years of high energy prices and policy failures,” Lee said in a statement Wednesday.
“Governor Burgum submitted his paperwork to the Office of Government Ethics last week, and the committee currently has the same amount of paperwork that Energy and Natural Resources Committee Democrats had in 2009 when they noticed confirmation hearings,” he added.
“I, as chairman, have made every effort to work with our Democratic colleagues, but we won’t give in to delays that undermine the American people’s mandate. It’s time to move forward and focus on solutions that will unleash America’s full energy potential, and I hope Democrats will work with us to deliver results for the American people.”
Some Republicans, however, have said the routine filings are not coming fast enough from top noms.
A Republican aide told The Post Tuesday that Attorney General-designate Pam Bondi, who is almost certain to be confirmed, is holding up the start of her confirmation hearing by not handing over a background file and financial disclosures.
The Office of Government Ethics receives copies of both and distributes them to the committees of jurisdiction for each nominee.
In Bondi’s case, her confirmation hearing has been tentatively set for Jan. 15 and 16, with a possibility that the Senate could vote to approve her by Trump’s inauguration Jan. 20.