GOP lawmakers take early steps to implement Trump’s agenda

Geoff Bennett:

The Republican majority closes out the first week of the new Congress ready to push through president-elect Donald Trump's agenda and on the cusp of passing its first bill.

Congressional correspondent Lisa Desjardins is here to unpack the bill itself and the broader message it sends.

Lisa, it's always good to see you.

So, this first bill is the Laken Riley Act, named for the Georgia nursing student murdered by an undocumented immigrant in 2024. What does this bill do and could it become law?

Lisa Desjardins:

It could well become law.

In fact, a Senate key vote that happened just a few hours ago received 84 votes. That doesn't mean it will get that in the end. But let's talk about what this bill does, first of all. It does have significant meaning and potential effects. Among them, this bill would make it mandatory to detain any undocumented immigrant who is arrested for theft.

That includes burglary, larceny, shoplifting. It also would allow states, attorneys general primarily, to sue over federal immigration policy, if they believe immigration policy is threatening their state. That would completely change federal law. And it's not completely clear how the constitutional boundaries would work there.

Now, one reason this could become law, it already passed the House easily, with dozens of Democrats supporting this as well. But because it needs 60 votes in the Senate, it needs Democratic support finally. The large vote we had today was in large part because Democrats said they want to amend it. They're hoping to do that next week.

But look at these eight Democratic senators that we are watching in particular who all may vote yes in the end on this bill. Now, while this bill does have a tremendous amount of support and it is a big immigration and security push from Republicans, there are ardent opponents who say it goes way too far, that it could lead to mass, sweeping deportations of people for shoplifting.

It has due process concerns, they say. There will be a very big debate next week.

Geoff Bennett:

All right.

Last night, President Trump met with Senate Republicans. I know you spoke with some members after that. What did you learn?

Lisa Desjardins:

It was fascinating, Geoff.

In that room, President Trump, president-elect Trump now, sat for two hours with Republican senators. They emerged that room really exuberant. You know, we know these moments. They're excited. They don't have to do the hard part yet. But they are convinced that they are going to change how things work in Washington and that they're going to do it very quickly.

So I also very quickly am going over the many topics that they covered and that I received as part of my reporting about this meeting. Let me take you through some of these things, because they're all important.

First of all, President — former president-elect Trump does want to do one big giant Trump agenda bill. We will be talking about that if it's able to occur. It is a risk, because he would need virtually every Republican in the House and almost all of them in the Senate to do it.

Now, something that came up a lot that Senate sources told me about was Canada. We have been talking about other countries here, but the idea that president-elect Trump is serious about pressuring Canada with terrorists and other trade tactics. He's really ramping up his talk about how he interacts with our neighbor to the north.

In addition, Panama Canal, that is something that has been talked about and it's something that for many people has came out of the blue, but today we saw a House member introduce a bill that would give president-elect Trump the ability to actually negotiate or attempt to negotiate with Panama. They say they don't want to sell the canal.

But as part of this, senators who I regard generally as serious brought that up, also brought up the idea of Greenland as part of the meeting yesterday. This is stuff we didn't expect to talk about, but I'm raising it now because it was regarded seriously in the meeting by Senate Republicans yesterday with president-elect Trump.

Finally, day one, Senate Republicans left that meeting saying they expect not just some executive orders on day one, but more than they had expected, that president-elect Trump said he's going to spend a lot of time on immigration on day one.

Geoff Bennett:

And the president-elect's nominees will start testifying before the U.S. Senate next week as part of their confirmation hearings?

What more can we expect?

Lisa Desjardins:

That's right. Let's show three of them. That'll be some of them, high-profile ones. Marco Rubio for secretary of state, Pam Bondi, attorney general, Pete Hegseth, Department of Defense.

All of them have their hearings, but, Geoff, we're going to see actually perhaps more confirmation hearings next week than we ever have before, at least eight in one single day. So stay tuned.

Geoff Bennett:

All right, Lisa Desjardins, our thanks to you, as always.

Lisa Desjardins:

You're welcome.