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Miller memo requires White House staff to get counsel's approval before meeting lobbyists DOJ memo tells federal agencies to put English first and cut other languages On tape: Trump's Jan. 6 pardons told ICE it was beyond the law, Rep. Al Green says on the House floor Garcia calls Blanche's warning a threat; DOJ chief cites Constitution Bessent says Treasury wanted Megaspeed blacklisted, but 'Commerce has the pen' Postal Service to raise package prices Jan. 17 after $6.5 billion loss Trump's Medicare agency extends freeze on new hospices and home health agencies to May IRS raises 401(k) limit to $25,500 for 2027, with $11,750 catch-up for ages 60 to 63 Record wildfire year burns 9.5 million acres, and burn scars threaten drinking water On tape: Cory Booker tells Kash Patel a federal judge vowed to toss subpoenas for reporters' phone records Miller memo requires White House staff to get counsel's approval before meeting lobbyists DOJ memo tells federal agencies to put English first and cut other languages On tape: Trump's Jan. 6 pardons told ICE it was beyond the law, Rep. Al Green says on the House floor Garcia calls Blanche's warning a threat; DOJ chief cites Constitution Bessent says Treasury wanted Megaspeed blacklisted, but 'Commerce has the pen' Postal Service to raise package prices Jan. 17 after $6.5 billion loss Trump's Medicare agency extends freeze on new hospices and home health agencies to May IRS raises 401(k) limit to $25,500 for 2027, with $11,750 catch-up for ages 60 to 63 Record wildfire year burns 9.5 million acres, and burn scars threaten drinking water On tape: Cory Booker tells Kash Patel a federal judge vowed to toss subpoenas for reporters' phone records

Congress Watch · Report · File No. 261112-762

Sen. Kennedy tells GOP the midterm loss 'was not normal' and presses for a lame-duck push

Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy told Senate Republicans not to treat their election losses as routine, and said party leaders had refused his request to act. It shows GOP unease as Democrats prepare to take over in January.

By the Capitol Desk · · 2 min read

Every quote in this story (3) was matched word for word against its source. How we work

My clippings
John Kennedy (Louisiana politician)
John Kennedy (Louisiana politician). Photo: Daniel Rios, Public domain

Sen. John Kennedy, a Louisiana Republican, warned his Senate colleagues on Wednesday not to dismiss last week's election results as an ordinary midterm defeat. He spoke on Fox News' "Hannity" show 12.

This was not a normal midterm election loss.
John Kennedy, U.S. senator, Republican-Louisiana1

Kennedy said Republicans in the Senate "need to stop thinking we're so smart." He also said the voters the party lost did not stay home. They "voted for Democrats," he said, citing a point made by Sen. Jim Justice, a West Virginia Republican 2.

What Kennedy wants done first

Kennedy said Republicans have "50-plus days" left while they still control Congress. He listed several things he wants passed: a bipartisan permitting bill, a budget reconciliation bill, a larger tax-free gain on home sales, a ban on stock trading by members of Congress, and a requirement that pardon brokers register with the government. He also wants more money for the military 2.

Kennedy conceded those steps would not solve the problems of the voters Republicans lost. He said they would show those voters that the party is trying to act 2.

From Channel GOPSchumer calls for Hegseth Senate impeachment trialChuck Schumer · 431 plays · captioned, with the source named

He also said his plan needs approval from party leaders, and they have not given it. Asked about a resolution from Sen. Rick Scott of Florida to keep the Senate in session, he said he supports it 12.

I've gotta have permission from Senate leadership to do it, and at the moment, they declined to give it to me.
John Kennedy, U.S. senator, Republican-Louisiana2

Where the leadership stands

Senate Republicans re-elected John Thune of South Dakota as their leader on Nov. 10. A GOP resolution calls for them to "maximize the 54 days we have with congressional majorities" 3.

Thune said Republicans would add days, hours and votes. The Senate had been scheduled for about 20 more days, but Republicans now plan to work until the end of the year 3.

Their to-do list includes confirming judges and other nominees, the National Defense Authorization Act (the yearly military policy bill), the permitting package and government funding. As of Tuesday, 23 judicial nominees were pending, and nearly 100 executive nominees needed confirmation 3.

The resolution also pledges to "do everything humanly possible to pass a reconciliation bill before Jan. 3." Thune called that the trickiest part of the agenda and said it would need to stay "pretty narrow" to have any chance 3.

The Democratic response

Democrats will hold a 54-seat Senate majority, counting two independents who vote with them, according to a Nov. 4 report. Alaska and Mississippi had not been called at that point 4.

Chuck Schumer
The days of Trump's supplicant Senate are over
Chuck Schumer, Senate Democratic leader, New York4

Schumer, the Senate Democratic leader, said Democrats would work to drive costs down "with the president or without him." He also said Democrats want to use their spending power to limit money for the Iran war 34.

That matters because Kennedy's own list shows how little time Republicans have. Their own leader says the reconciliation bill is hard to pass, and a senator in the majority says leadership has said no to his plan. Democrats take over on Jan. 3 23.

The Record

  1. Midterm election day; Democrats won Senate control with a 54-seat majority including two independents, with Alaska and Mississippi uncalled as of Nov. 4 4.
  2. Senate Republicans re-elected John Thune as leader and backed a resolution to maximize the 54 days they have with congressional majorities 3.
  3. Kennedy told Fox News' Hannity that the midterm loss was not normal and that leadership had declined his request 12.
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Sources

  1. Mediaite, “'Congratulations, You're Stupid': GOP Senator Warns Republicans Against Downplaying Midterm Rout” (2026-11-11). mediaite.com/media/tv/congratulations-youre-stupid-gop-senat
  2. Yahoo News (from Mediaite), “'Congratulations, You're Stupid': GOP Senator Warns Republicans Against Downplaying Midterm Rout” (2026-11-12). yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/congratulations-stupid-gop-
  3. Fox News, “John Thune vows Senate GOP will maximize lame duck legislative push” (2026-11-11). foxnews.com/politics/senate-republicans-plan-54-day-blitz-pu
  4. OPB, “Chuck Schumer heralds Democrats' 'generational remake' of Senate” (2026-11-04). opb.org/article/2026/11/04/2026-midterms-schumer-heralds-gen

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