3 things to watch as Congress rounds out the year

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The last leaves are falling here in the Washington, D.C., area. The halls of Congress are emptying and echoing. Holiday decorations will soon shine and sparkle in that building.

But the truth is that the next few weeks will be politically intense and precarious.

Here are three things to watch as we head into the remainder of 2025.

1. The health care debate

Watch the segment in the player above.

Millions of Americans face health care premium increases in the next few months, due to expiring subsidies for the Affordable Care Act plans, which were put in place in the COVID era.

Our William Brangham hosted a good discussion on the rough divide here, should the nation extend those subsidies and keep with the ACA format, which works with insurance companies, or do away with that structure and move toward direct payments to individuals.

That is a complicated question. And it comes with difficult politics, especially for House Speaker Mike Johnson, whose conference is divided on this issue. The president seems ready to wade in but has yet to give a clear plan. And the clock is ticking.

2. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s resignation

Watch the segment in the player above.

The congresswoman from central Georgia has never been camera shy. But shortly before her resignation announcement, she cancelled a planned interview with us.

And she has not been on the airwaves since.

Her last day is Jan. 5. As noted elsewhere, that’s one day before the Jan. 6 insurrection anniversary and a couple days after her congressional pension benefits become locked in.

Meanwhile, she is still present on social media. She has a lot to say about MAGA and about how the House of Representatives is being run.

And now, she represents a potential choice for Republicans, especially those who consider themselves part of the MAGA cohort: Do they speak out if they think President Donald Trump is wrong? Or do they go home? What Greene says and does in the next month could sway that direction for some.

3. The Mike Johnson debate

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks to journalists on Nov. 12 from inside the U.S. Capitol following the passage of a House funding bill to bring the longest U.S. government shutdown in history to a close. Photo by Elizabeth Frantz/Reuters

There’s a growing anger among House Republicans, including some in leadership, at Speaker Mike Johnson.

How do I know this? They are telling me, largely via text.

These are longtime sources who are concerned that the House is being sidelined by the White House and by Johnson. That major issues (translation: health care) were not being discussed with them.

Now, this is not unusual. Every speaker in history faces unhappy members. But Johnson is still relatively new to leadership and — remember — Republicans can move to oust him if nine of them want to do that.

I am not saying that will happen. Johnson has come up with some big wins.

But after holding out the House for more than a month and seeming to listen more to the White House than his members, he is in a risky moment.

We’ll be watching.