The Senate voted 51-49 on Thursday to confirm Kash Patel, a mega-MAGA ally of President Trump, to serve as FBI director.

Why it matters: Patel wrote a book in 2023 that features a list of "deep state" officials to target. Democrats argued Patel would use the federal law enforcement agency to go after the president's perceived enemies.

• Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) were the two Republicans to vote against Patel.
• The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12-10 along party lines last week to recommend Patel's nomination to the full Senate.
• All of the panel's Republicans supported Patel, with Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) accusing Democrats of "breathlessly" and unfairly waging a "harassment" campaign against the nominee.

The big picture: In an endorsement promoting the 2023 book, Trump is quoted as saying he will "use this blueprint to help us take back the White House and remove these Gangsters from all of Government!"

Driving the news: Shortly after Trump took office, the Justice Department ordered a review of any FBI agent involved in cases relating to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot or Trump's handling of classified documents.

• Nine FBI agents filed suit to prevent the DOJ from compiling a list of the agents who investigated Jan. 6 cases.

Zoom in: Patel had a notable split with Trump during his confirmation hearing over the president's blanket pardon of Jan. 6 rioters.

• Patel told lawmakers that he did "not agree with the commutation of any sentence of any individual who committed violence against law enforcement."

Go deeper: What to know about Kash Patel, Trump's pick for FBI director

The Senate paved the way for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday, voting 53-47 along party lines to advance his nomination.

Why it matters: Kennedy now has a clear path to confirmation later this week, despite bipartisan concerns about his record as a vaccine skeptic and other questions about past stances.

• While some Senate Republicans initially expressed concerns about Kennedy's fitness for the role, all 53 of them supported moving forward with his nomination Wednesday.

Catch up quick: During his confirmation hearings, Kennedy flubbed basics on Medicare and Medicaid, backtracked on past vaccine and abortion stances, and was vague about how closely he'd hew to President Trump's policies.

• All of the Finance panel's 14 Republicans ultimately voted to advance his nomination, including Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), a medical doctor whose ruling on Kennedy was closely watched.
• Cassidy cited the "serious commitments" he'd received from the administration and the opportunity to make progress on issues like "healthy foods and a pro-American agenda" as the rationale for his vote.
• All of the panel's 13 Democrats voted no.

Zoom in: During his confirmation hearings, Kennedy didn't deny several of his outlandish past statements, although he frequently tried to add context or explanation.

• While he testified that he is neither "anti-vax or anti-industry," he declined to say that vaccines don't cause autism.
• He also made no attempt to convince lawmakers that he had a personal change of heart on his past support for abortion rights, saying repeatedly that he'd implement Trump's plans and that "every abortion is a tragedy."
• Kennedy's financial entanglements, including his financial stake in litigation targeting the makers of a cervical cancer vaccine, also have raised questions about how he'd resolve potential conflicts of interest if he's confirmed.

The Senate voted 52-46 Monday to limit debate on Pam Bondi's nomination for Attorney General.

Why it matters: President Trump is now on the cusp of installing a loyalist in the nation's highest law enforcement role, empowering a MAGA overhaul of the Justice Department that could include investigating his political enemies.

• The Judiciary Committee voted 12-10 along party lines on Jan. 29 to recommend her confirmation.
• During her Jan. 15 confirmation hearing, Bondi echoed President Trump's persistent claims that the charges he faced stemmed from politically motivated prosecution driven by President Biden's DOJ.

President Biden signed a three-month stopgap funding measure into law on Saturday after Congress acted at the last minute to avert a government funding lapse.

Why it matters: Both chambers of Congress passed the measure in a flurry of activity late Friday and into Saturday morning, capping a chaotic week on Capitol Hill that demonstrated President-elect Trump's influence over lawmakers.

• The House and Senate hours earlier passed the measure by overwhelming margins.
• The funding agreement runs through March 14 and also includes a one-year Farm Bill extension and over $100 billion in disaster relief for hurricane-ravaged areas.

What he's saying: "This agreement represents a compromise, which means neither side got everything it wanted," Biden said in a statement.

• "But it rejects the accelerated pathway to a tax cut for billionaires that Republicans sought, and it ensures the government can continue to operate at full capacity."
• "That's good news for the American people, especially as families gather to celebrate this holiday season," the president added.

The big picture: Trump blew up an initial bipartisan agreement earlier this week, demanding that Congress also raise the debt limit before the end of the year.

• That led to a revised bill that would have suspended the debt limit for two years.
• That measure failed spectacularly in the House on Thursday night, and the debt limit provision was nixed.

Go deeper: Jeffries' plan to kill the debt ceiling forever

Editor's note: This story has been updated with a statement from Biden.

President-elect Trump called a revised stopgap spending plan that emerged Thursday a "very good Deal for the American People" and urged lawmakers to support it.

Why it matters: The development follows 24 hours of chaos on Capitol Hill after Trump blew up a bipartisan deal at the last minute. Government funding is set to lapse this weekend.

• Trump further complicated matters Thursday when he told NBC News he supports abolishing the debt ceiling and is prepared to "lead the charge" to make it happen.

"It's a laughable proposal," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said in response to the bill.

• Jeffries characterized the bill as a "Trump-Musk-Johnson" proposal.

The latest version of the measure would fund the government through March, suspend the debt ceiling until January of 2027, extend the farm bill for a year and provide roughly $100 billion for disaster aid.

• Provisions increasing congressional pay, allowing the Washington Commanders football team to return to D.C. and redirecting spending on prescription drugs to health plans and pharmaceutical companies were dropped. As were restrictions on U.S. investments in China.
• GOP lawmakers said House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) was eyeing a Thursday evening floor vote on the measure.

Sources told Axios the initial plan is to bring the measure up under suspension of the rules — a process that requires a two-thirds majority for passage — before likely pivoting to consideration under a rule, which lowers the passage threshold to a simple majority.

• The Rules Committee — which would have to sign off on a simple majority passage approach — includes some staunch conservatives unlikely to agree to a two-year suspension of the debt ceiling: Reps. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), for starters.
• Regardless of the outcome, the votes could give Trump visibility into which Republicans are heeding his call to line up behind a proposal he's endorsed.

The other side: Democrats are scrambling to determine how to approach the bill after spending the morning demanding Johnson stick with the original deal.

• The House Democratic caucus is meeting Thursday afternoon, according to an invite obtained by Axios, with a senior House Democrat saying the new bill is "under discussion."
• Another senior House Democrat told Axios: "Honestly if they put what they are proposing right now on the floor three weeks ago, it would've gotten a lot of votes."

But that might not be the case now: "They're asking us to take less than we had at the beginning of the week in return for a major concession, so 'laughable' is a pretty good word," Rep Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) told Axios.

Go deeper: See the bill here

Editor's note: This article has been updated with more reporting.

Donald Trump's advisers are hoping to get bipartisan support for at least some of his less controversial nominees — starting this week with Scott Turner, Trump's pick for Housing and Urban Development secretary.

Driving the news: They're reaching out to some key Democrats this week to arrange meetings with Turner to discuss housing and other issues on which they might find some common ground.

• Turner is scheduled to meet with Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), the incoming ranking member of the Senate Banking Committee, as well as every Republican on the panel, starting with Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), a person familiar with Turner's confirmation plan told Axios.

Zoom in: Turner's meeting with Warren will be among a very few that have occurred between a Senate Democrat and a Trump's Cabinet nominee. Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) broke the ice last week by chatting with two of Trump's picks.

• Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth, Health and Human Services nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Director of National Intelligence nominee Tulsi Gabbard are among those facing particularly rigorous scrutiny from Senate Democrats. Others — including Turner — are less likely to face many hurdles.

What we're watching: Besides Warren and the Senate Banking Republicans, Turner is scheduled to meet with incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) as part of a jam-packed schedule that includes meetings with 12 senators over four days.

• Turner — a former NFL player who ran the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council during Trump's first term — hopes that the closed-door meetings with Democrats will help build support for certain measures beyond the 53-47 GOP majority that reflects the Senate's partisan divide.

What they're saying: "As the ranking member, Senator Warren plans to meet with all the major nominees who will testify in the Banking Committee," a Warren spokesperson told Axios.

• "She will determine support based on each nominees' track records of standing up to special interests and fighting for an economy that works for working people."
• Senator Andy Kim (D-N.J.), another member of Senate Banking, told Axios that he's "more than just open to meeting with these nominees. I expect to, and I expect to hear from them how they'll put the needs of working families before politics and partisanship."
• "The incoming HUD secretary has a big job to help unlock a much-needed decade of building to drive down costs and making the American Dream of affording a home within reach for everyone," Kim added.

The big picture: Warren, Kim and Fetterman are among the few Democrats who have expressed a willingness to meet with — and possibly support — some of Trump's nominees.

• Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) said she'll support Sean Duffy's nomination for Transportation secretary after meeting with him last week, and Fetterman has said he'll back Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) for ambassador to the UN.
• Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Trump's pick for secretary of State, and Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.), the nominee for Labor secretary, have been praised by Trump critics and also are likely to get Democratic votes.

Between the lines: Axios has learned that Turner will focus on four major themes during his meetings with senators:

1. Working with states to ban urban camping and help get people off the streets through rehabilitation programs.
2. Ensuring undocumented immigrants — whom Trump has vowed to deport — are ineligible for public housing to help end sanctuary cities, and reinstate rules that prevent immigrants dependent on public benefits from receiving legal status.
3. Revitalizing rural and urban communities and encouraging private capital investment to create opportunities for upward mobility.
4. Overhauling homelessness policies and holding corrupt public housing agencies accountable.

Zoom out: The emerging focus on getting at least some Democratic support underscores how differently Trump's current batch of nominees is being received than his first-term picks.

• In 2017, 36 of the chamber's 52 Republicans supported every Trump Cabinet nominee, according to data compiled by the New York Times. David Shulkin — Trump's pick to lead the Veterans Administration — was confirmed 100-0.

Matt Gaetz's crash to earth as Donald Trump's pick for attorney general has put a new spotlight on Trump's flirtation with recess appointments, in which he'd try to seat top administration officials while Congress wasn't in session to bypass Senate scrutiny.

Why it matters: It would be just the type of power play that Trump has forecast for his second term — but it wouldn't be easy.

• After Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20, both chambers of Congress — which will be controlled by Trump's Republicans — would need to agree to adjourn the Senate for at least 10 days. That hasn't been done in more than a decade.
• Trump also could go nuclear, testing the limits of his constitutional power by adjourning Congress himself.

But there would be some major obstacles.

• Republicans will hold a small majorities in both the House and the Senate, so it wouldn't take many dissenters to derail a call for a lengthy recess — especially one aimed at bypassing congressional power.
• In the Senate, where Republicans will have a 53-47 majority — GOP lawmakers concerned about some of the president-elect's picks already are signaling they may not agree to let Trump go around them to get his top officials in place.
• A lot of that reluctance had centered around the much-despised Gaetz before he withdrew Thursday, but even GOP senators have expressed concern about the sexual assault allegations surrounding Defense secretary nominee Pete Hegseth.

Zoom in: Some of Trump's most loyal backers in the Senate are reluctant to give up their power to review his nominees.

• Recess appointments are "logistically complicated," Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) told Axios.
• Despite the early signals from Trump, Hawley doesn't expect recess appointments to come into play unless "Democrats try to grind down the process and drag it out."
• "Let us get first our Senate into the majority, hold the hearings, start confirming people... We want to get as many confirmed, as quickly as possible," incoming Senate Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) told Axios, suggesting the recess option would be a last resort.

Flashback: Recess appointments — which are good for the two-year congressional term in which they're made — aren't new. They've long been used to enable presidents to get around the minority party when the Senate filibuster still required 60 votes to confirm executive branch nominees.

• Senate Republicans helped establish the framework for recess appointments in 2012, when they challenged then-President Obama's push to make appointments to the National Labor Relations Board while lawmakers were out of town.
• Forty-two GOP senators signed court briefs arguing that Obama's appointments were unconstitutional because he made them during three-day breaks in Congress' calendar — which the senators argued didn't count as a "recess."

The Supreme Court unanimously agreed with Republicans, ruling in 2014 that the Senate must break for at least 10 days — with no "pro forma" sessions — for a president to make recess appointments.

• By then, recess appointments were largely irrelevant because Senate Democrats had killed the filibuster on executive branch picks.
• Under the filibuster a nominee used to need 60 votes in the 100-member Senate. Today, nominees only need a majority.

Fast-forward 12 years and Trump is reviving the idea — and trying to get congressional leaders on board.

• Both incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) have pointed to the Supreme Court's ruling when asked whether their thinking had changed since they signed briefs opposing Obama's tactic.
• Thune noted that what Republicans took issue with back in 2012 was Obama installing people while the Senate was still meeting for pro-forma sessions, which isn't the approach Trump is considering.

Zoom out: Trump allies are exploring whether the president — as a very last resort — could use a clause in the Constitution to adjourn Congress even if the Senate doesn't agree to do so.

• The clause allows the president on "extraordinary occasions" to adjourn the House and the Senate if there is a "Disagreement between them, with Respect to the Time of Adjournment."
• That could land the Senate in uncharted legal waters.

The bottom line: Senate GOP leaders' strong preference is to go through the regular Senate confirmation process.

• Thune told South Dakota news station KELOLAND News that he wanted to "grind it out the way we normally do it."
• But if Trump's patience on his nominees wears thin, he could try to force Congress' hand.