Situational Awareness
With Republicans projected to maintain control of the House of Representatives, House GOP leaders spoke in front of the Capitol to present their “America first” legislative agenda for the first hundred days of President-elect Donald Trump’s second term. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R–La.) will meet with the president-elect tomorrow morning—a conversation that could clarify the House’s lame duck period, specifically relating to federal spending.
Within the House Republican Conference, there is disagreement over whether to complete work on all FY25 spending measures by Christmas or pass a continuing resolution that would fund the government through early 2025. The underlying concern is whether a delayed fight over spending could impede the first six months of President-elect Trump’s own agenda. Another challenge that Republican House members will face are narrow margins—a numbers game that has made it increasingly difficult to pass legislation during the last two years. Despite a guaranteed Republican-controlled Senate, any disruptions from conservative House members on priority bills, coupled with a number of departures to the White House and agencies, could be the difference in success or failure.
Across Capitol Hill, Republican senators are preparing for a secret-ballot election this week to choose a new GOP leader to replace outgoing Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) The race has narrowed to three candidates: Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.); John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.). While Thune is considered the front-runner, Scott has gained support from a social media campaign aimed at pressuring Republican senators to back his candidacy for the position. Senate leadership elections are conducted by secret ballot, with only the total votes announced.
Over the next several weeks, lawmakers must also pass the National Defense Authorization Act—an annual defense policy bill that authorizes spending for the Pentagon’s priorities—and a stopgap extension that will punt the Farm Bill into next year. Following two destructive hurricanes, members from affected areas are pushing leadership in both chambers to pass supplemental natural disaster relief funding. Simultaneously to the “must-pass” legislative agenda, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) will work to capitalize on the remainder of Democrats’ control of the Senate by confirming as many judicial nominations as possible in a bid to preserve portions of President Biden’s own regulatory legacy.
Trump Begins Announcing Nominees for Key Positions
Over the last several days, President-elect Donald Trump has announced (and leaked) a number of individuals who will fill key positions in his second term, including former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem to be the next secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.
NLRB Lowers Bar for Proving Anti-Union Threats in Starbucks Case
Last week, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued a 3-1 ruling making it easier to prove that employers’ predictions about the impact of unionizing amount to threats that violate the National Labor Relations Act. The decision in Siren Retail Corp d/b/a Starbucks overruled the 1985 Tri-Cast, Inc decision, which said that most employer statements about the impact of unionization on the relationship between individual employees and their employer are lawful. Moving forward, employer predictions of negative impacts from unionization “must be carefully phrased on the basis of objective fact to convey an employer’s belief as to demonstrably probable consequences beyond [its] control.” Otherwise, it is “no longer a reasonable prediction based on available facts but a threat of retaliation based on misrepresentation and coercion.”
Register for November Webcasts
Join us this Thursday and next for two webcasts addressing your pro shop and emerging trends in mental health and wellness for club staff and members. Registration is free for NCA members.
- Thurs., Nov. 14 | 2 pm ET. Private Club Merchandising: Latest Trends and Gearing Up for the Holidays. Register Here.
- Thurs., Nov. 21 | 2 pm ET. Prioritizing Member and Employee Mental Well-being. Register Here.