The Senate adopted a budget resolution early Friday after an all-night "vote-a-rama" that would provide more than $300 billion dollars for border and defense.

Why it matters: Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has barreled forward with his backup plan as Speaker Johnson (R-La.) scrambles on his mega-package that would also make good on President Trump's tax promises.

• The measure passed 52-48 after Democrats raised dozens of unsuccessful amendments, including one on IVF.
• Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) was the only Republican to vote against the budget resolution.

Between the lines After 25 rounds of voting on amendments, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Republicans "were forced to go on record and defend their plans to cut taxes for Donald Trump's billionaire friends."

• "What happened tonight was only the beginning," Schumer added. "This debate is gonna go on for weeks, and maybe months. Democrats will be ready to come back and do this over and over again."
• Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) voted with Democrats on failed amendments blocking Medicaid cuts.

Zoom in: The resolution provides $150 billion in additional defense spending and $175 billion for border. It also changes energy policy.

• The package will be offset by spending cuts and increased energy revenue.

What to watch: Getting both chambers to agree to a budget resolution is just the first step in the reconciliation process, which allows the Senate to get around the 60-vote filibuster for budget-related measures.

• The House and Senate have yet to agree on the first step.
• Once they do, they will also have to reach agreement on all the particulars — the funding, spending cuts and policies.

The big picture: House and Senate leadership have been divided over how best to go about passing Trump's biggest legislative priorities through budget reconciliation.

• Speaker Johnson insists the best chance of getting major wins through his razor-thin majority is if everything is in one package.
• Senate Republicans want to move faster on border and defense spending and give more time for negotiating a host of complicated and contentious tax issues in a second bill.
• Trump sided with Johnson this week, preferring "one, big beautiful bill." Still, Vice President Vance gave the Senate the green light to move forward with their own plan as backup.

The other side: Democrats tried to turn the budget "vote-a-rama" into a referendum against Trump's first month in office.

• Democrats mainly focused their amendments on cuts made by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and Trump's federal funding freeze.
• While none of their amendments passed, it gave Democrats an opportunity to get Republicans — especially moderates facing reelection next year — on the record about supporting Trump's agenda.
• "In 2026, these amendments are going to play a valuable role," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told Axios in an interview earlier this week.

Longtime Sen. Mitch McConnell's (R-Ky.) announcement Thursday that he will not seek reelection in 2026 has set off a furious scramble for the state's first vacant Senate seat in 15 years.

Why it matters: A large cohort of ambitious Kentucky Republicans has long been angling to succeed the 83-year-old former Senate GOP leader, who has held his seat since 1985.

• The state's other senator, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), was first elected in 2010.

Driving the news: McConnell, the longest serving Senate party leader in U.S. history, said in a floor speech that his "current term in the Senate will be my last."

• "Regardless of the political storms that may wash over this chamber ... I assure our colleagues that I will depart with great hope for the endurance of the Senate as an institution," he said.
• The Kentuckian made no public indication of who he may support to replace him — though his endorsement may not help in Trump's GOP.

State of play: Former state Attorney General Daniel Cameron, the unsuccessful GOP nominee for governor in 2023, responded quickly by launching his campaign to succeed McConnell.

• "Kentucky, it's time for a new generation of leadership in the U.S. Senate. Let's do this," Cameron said in a post on X, along with a logo making clear he is running for U.S. Senate.
• Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky.) also released a statement saying he's "considering running for Senate" and is "encouraged by the outpouring of support and my family and I will be making a decision about our future soon."
• Both men previously worked for McConnell — Barr as a college intern and Cameron as the senator's legal counsel.

Yes, but: Other prominent Kentucky politicians just as rapidly took themselves out of the running.

• Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, seen as one of the only Democrats who could seriously contest the seat, is "not running for Senate," his spokesperson Eric Hyers said in a post on X.
• House Oversight Committee chair James Comer (R-Ky.) "will not be running for Senate in 2026 but is strongly considering a run for Governor in 2027," his spokesperson Austin Hacker told Axios in a statement.
• Rep. Morgan McGarvey (D-Ky.) is also not running for the seat, a source familiar with his thinking told Axios.

Zoom in: National Democrats are signaling plans to potentially target Barr's U.S. House seat should he vacate it to run for Senate.

• "KY-06 could become a competitive race with a strong Democratic candidate and with Trump's approval numbers starting to sink," House Majority PAC spokesperson C.J. Warnke told Axios.
• The Democratic PAC already had the Barr's seat as one of its "districts to watch" — though it went for President Trump last year by nearly 27 percentage points. Barr hasn't faced a serious challenge since the 2018 Democratic wave election.
• Torunn Sinclair, a spokesperson for Republicans' Congressional Leadership Fund, told Axios: "Democrats have no shot here. President Trump remains extraordinarily popular in Kentucky, while Democrats are in constant disarray and have dismal approval numbers."

Former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) will announce Thursday he will not seek reelection in 2026.

Why it matters: McConnell was the longest-serving Senate party leader in U.S. history and has become one of President Trump's GOP antagonists since the new administration began.

• McConnell, who stepped down from leadership last year, addressed colleagues on the Senate floor on Thursday. He received a standing ovation afterward.
• "Representing our commonwealth has been the honor of my lifetime. I will not seek this honor an eighth time," McConnell said. "My current term in the Senate will be my last."
• He said his birthday, Feb. 20, was as good a time as any to make his announcement.

The big picture: The senator oversaw aggressive Republican efforts to slash taxes and reshape the federal courts.

• His health scares in recent years, including freezing in front of reporters and several falls, reignited criticism of older public officeholders staying in their roles.
• He eventually endorsed Trump during the election but had previously condemned his role in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.

What he's saying: McConnell's speech focused on what has long been his top priorities — preserving the important role of the Senate, confirming judges, investing in U.S. defense and preserving the filibuster.

• He said he still has "some unfinished business" to attend to in what is left of his term.
• "Regardless of the political storms that may wash over this chamber during the time I have remaining, I assure our colleagues that I will depart with great hope for the endurance of the Senate as an institution," McConnell said.
• "There are any number of reasons for pessimism, but the strength of the Senate is not one of them," he added.

Zoom in: A biography published in October drew on thousands of archival materials, letters and more than 100 interviews to piece together the senator's life story.

Go deeper: Mitch McConnell takes his revenge on Trump

Editor's note: This is a developing story and will be updated.

Vice President Vance on Wednesday gave the green light to the Senate to keep moving on their budget resolution, even after President Trump endorsed House Speaker Johnson's (R-La.) "one, big beautiful bill."

Why it matters: Trump took Johnson's side in a morning social media post, sending Senate leadership into confusion. But the Senate is back on track to adopt a $300 billion budget resolution this week in case the House can't follow through.

• "We are moving forward with reconciliation tomorrow, foot on the gas, moving forward to pass the shared agenda that we have with the White House," Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) told reporters after the lunch.

Zoom in: Vance expressed support for the Senate's plan of first tackling border and military spending, which is set to be adopted as soon as this week, sources familiar with what was said at lunch told Axios.

• But Vance also told them the president still prefers Johnson's budget reconciliation plan, which would include Trump's many tax promises, including extending the 2017 tax cuts, no tax on tips and raising SALT caps.
• Another fissure between the two chambers is over whether to make Trump's 2017 tax cuts permanent — a plan the Senate supports, but the House bill does not currently accomplish.
• Barrasso said that everyone in the conference lunch "supports making the situation with taxes permanent," ostensibly including the vice president.

What to watch: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) raised the issue of Medicaid cuts during lunch — and received applause after telling Vance that they should be on the table, sources in the room told Axios.

• Trump has repeatedly and publicly said that Medicaid and Social Security will not be touched.
• It will be difficult to reach the kind of spending cuts conservatives would like to see without looking at Medicaid.

The intrigue: Vance joked early in the lunch that he was sure senators had already leaked to Axios what he had just said, multiple sources told Axios.

Between the lines: Senate leadership has long said they would defer to whatever the House can pass with its thin margins.

• "The House, as you know, is not here this week," Barrasso said. "If that bill had already been passed, that would be a different discussion."

As the Trump administration continues its crusade to pare down the federal job rolls and slash federal spending, some Republicans on Capitol Hill are growing unnerved by what they see as an imprecise exercise.

Why it matters: The job and funding cuts are now hitting GOP lawmakers' districts and states. There's also a larger conflict brewing over whether the administration can simply bypass Congress on these decisions.

• DOGE's efforts to shutter the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and other agencies could bring matters to a head, one House Republican told Axios.
• "I think you're going to see a clash when they ... start abolishing [agencies]," the lawmaker said. "Say like USAID, right? We authorized that. That's a creature of Congress."
• "If they try to do something like that, then you're going to get into a constitutional argument or crisis."

Driving the news: DOGE's spree of job cuts is starting to target federal roles that even some of Trump's Republican allies in Congress may deem too essential to sacrifice.

• That includes the Federal Aviation Administration firing several hundred of its 45,000 employees amid a string of fear-inducing plane crashes.
• The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which runs the National Weather Service and helps combat natural disasters, is also on the chopping block, Axios' Andrew Freedman and Ben Geman reported.
• The administration even fired over 300 workers at the National Nuclear Security Administration — which manages the U.S. nuclear arsenal — but has since scrambled to reinstate most of them, according to CNN.

What they're saying: Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) told Axios the administration is moving "too fast." She warned Elon Musk's team should wait until agency heads are confirmed and can take "a more surgical approach."

• She said some recent actions "violate restrictions that are in current law" and the team is "making mistakes," referencing the accidental firing of officials working on bird flu.
• "Before making cuts rashly, the Administration should be studying and staffing to see what the consequences are. Measure twice before cutting. They have had to backtrack multiple times," said Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.).
• Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) also has concerns and told Axios of her state's many federal workers: "We all want efficiencies, there is a way to do it, and the way these people have been treated has been awful in many cases. Awful."

Zoom in: Several other lawmakers, including Sens. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.), have criticized the various agency layoffs as well, according to Politico.

• Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) told RadioIowa it is "a tragedy for people that are getting laid off," but that "this is an executive branch decision."
• "Congress can't do anything except complain about it," he said.

The other side: "President Trump has enjoyed broad support on his plan to ensure that taxpayer-funded programs align with the mandate the American people gave him in November," said White House spokesperson Anna Kelly.

• Kelly said that DOGE is "already uncovering waste, fraud, and abuse" and that Trump will "cut programs that do not serve the interests of the American people and keep programs that put America First."
• A White House official pointed Axios to statements of support from 17 Senate Republicans, including Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.).

Zoom out: While Republicans have largely applauded the swiftness of DOGE's hacking and slashing, some are quietly fuming that their Constitutional role in controlling federal funds could be steamrolled in the process.

• The House Republican who spoke anonymously warned that many conservatives are "very constitutionalist" and may be inclined to protect Congress' power if forced to do so.
• "Even though it's our guy in the White House, if there's a lot of executive overreach, we want to protect the institution of Congress," they said.

Between the lines: Despite taking a back seat in Trump's "government efficiency" drive, GOP lawmakers are not without leverage.

• Trump will need his whole party on board in Congress when it comes to passing his massive budget reconciliation bill later this year.
• In the House, Republicans have a razor-thin majority and cannot afford more than a couple of defections on a party-line bill — meaning Trump will have to keep nearly every GOP lawmaker sated.

Editor's note: This article has been updated with comments from the White House.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) defied House Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-La.) warning by moving ahead Tuesday on a $300 billion budget bill.

• "It's time to act," Thune posted on X.

Why it matters: Johnson is clinging to a one-bill, mega-MAGA package to overcome his tiny House majority and pass President Trump's priorities.

• With the House on recess this week, he's threatened to block any Senate-passed budget bill until the House finishes its own package.

⚡️ But the Senate wants a quick win — especially on the border — before tackling the complicated and expensive tax issues.

• Top Trump officials have bolstered the Senate's argument, raising the alarm about the need for more border cash.

Johnson didn't directly respond to Thune's challenge but posted that the House remains "laser-focused on sending our bill to President Trump's desk."

• "It's time to act on ALL of the powerful mandates the American people gave to [Trump] in November," House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) posted shortly after Thune's comments.
• "All of Trump's priorities in one big, beautiful bill start moving when we pass" Rep. Jodey Arrington's (R-Texas) budget, Scalise wrote.

WARSAW -- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth doubled down on remarks he made at NATO this week about the terms of a potential Ukraine-Russia peace deal, saying his job was simply to "introduce realism to the conversation."

Why it matters: Hegseth's comments, followed Wednesday by President Trump's initiation of direct negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, drew fierce criticism from NATO allies and even some Republicans.

• "I don't know who wrote the speech — it is the kind of thing Tucker Carlson could have written, and Carlson is a fool," Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), chair of the Armed Services Committee, told Politico.
• Wicker, speaking on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, suggested that Hegseth had made a "rookie mistake" and "walked back some of what he said" on Thursday.

But Hegseth, whose position on Ukraine and NATO was echoed by Trump in the Oval Office on Thursday, rejected the notion that he walked back anything at a press conference with Poland's defense minister.

What they're saying: "I stand by the comments that I made on that first day in the Ukraine Contact Group — and that's for all the press out there, who it's difficult for them to understand that," Hegseth told reporters Friday.

• "My job today and in Brussels was to introduce realism to the conversation. The reality that returning to 2014 borders as part of a negotiated settlement is unlikely. The reality of U.S. troops in Ukraine is unlikely. The reality of Ukraine membership in NATO as a part of negotiated settlement, unlikely," he said.
• "That said, I would never put constraints around what the president of the United States would be willing to negotiate with the sovereign leaders of both Russia and Ukraine," Hegseth added.

Between the lines: Hegseth, like Vice President Vance and other Trump emissaries in Europe this week, is walking a difficult tightrope as negotiations get underway.

• Trump's position is clear, even if it's unpopular with Russia hawks: He believes Ukraine's potential membership in NATO instigated Putin's invasion, and that ending the war is the top priority.
• But Trump is also a self-styled "deal-maker," as Hegseth has repeatedly stressed this week, and refuses to definitively rule out trading chips as a matter of principle.

The big picture: What has proven most controversial in Washington, Brussels and Kyiv this week is the notion that Trump and Putin would directly negotiate a deal without Ukraine's approval.

• "I think Ukraine ought to be the one to negotiate its own peace deal," Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) told Axios. "I don't think it should be imposed upon it by any other country, including ours."
• "It's obvious that Europeans can't be involved in securing peace that they haven't been involved in negotiating," German defense minister Boris Pistorius told reporters in Munich, calling Hegseth's comments "clumsy."

Go deeper: Trump and Hegseth send NATO scrambling over future of Ukraine

For the third time in three weeks, former Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) had a scathing explanation after he voted "no" on a Trump nominee.

Why it matters: Freed from his leadership role and with a long history of antagonism between himself and President Trump, McConnell has become one of new Senate GOP leader John Thune's (R-S.D.) top dissenters.

• "I'm a survivor of childhood polio," McConnell said of his "no" vote on Thursday for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for HHS secretary.
• "I will not condone the relitigation of proven cures, and neither will millions of Americans who credit their survival and quality of life to scientific miracles."

Zoom in: McConnell was the lone Republican to vote against Kennedy and director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.

• He was joined by Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) in voting against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. McConnell voted "yes" on the 13 other nominees who have been confirmed.
• McConnell harshly criticized Trump's use of tariffs in an op-ed published Wednesday, saying they are "bad policy" and will raise prices.

What they're saying: Trump minced no words about McConnell on Thursday in the Oval Office.

• "Well, I feel sorry for Mitch," Trump said, claiming that McConnell "wanted to stay leader."
• Trump accused McConnell of not being "equipped mentally" and letting "the Republican Party go to hell."

Between the lines: McConnell, 82, is up for reelection in 2026. He has not announced whether he intends to run.

• The controversial "no" votes only further fuel expectations he will retire.

Some 20 senators have their bags packed for the Munich Security Conference this weekend, but they are waiting on a final green light from Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) before heading to Andrews Air Force Base.

Why it matters: Thune has threatened to make the Senate work weekends before, but never with one of the year's most cherished CODELs hanging in the balance.

• In an email to senators, Thune warned they may have to stay in town to vote on President Trump's nominations on Friday, sources familiar with the matter told Axios.
• That would delay, and potentially cancel, their participation in the annual security conference, where many senators say that simply showing up is one of their most important messages. The conference runs from Friday to Sunday.
• Allies are eager for insight into how Trump and a Republican Congress will handle everything from the war in Ukraine to redeveloping the Gaza Strip.

The other side: "I'm trying to hold the plane hostage," Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) joked to Axios.

• He thinks senators should stay and get more nominations done through Friday.

Zoom out: Senators love their CODELs. They especially love the Munich Security Conference, where they can have weisswurst and sweet mustard for breakfast and helles beer at lunch. Generals and heads of state mill about in the Hotel Bayerischer Hof.

• For Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who typically leads one of the larger delegations, it is an opportunity to take stock of what has worked and what hasn't.
• His message this weekend will be "to assess why deterrence failed and make sure that never happens again, to make sure that aggression is not rewarded in a fashion," Graham told Axios.
• He plans to introduce sanctions against Beijing that snap into effect if China invades Taiwan.

Zoom in: Trump has alarmed allies with his unorthodox approach to foreign policy, real estate diplomacy and land acquisitions — and sometimes all three.

• He has threatened significant tariffs on U.S. allies, offered to buy Greenland, make Canada the 51st state, turn Gaza into a "big real estate site" and proposed taking back control of the Panama Canal.
• Senators can expect some awkward questions from foreign leaders on all of the above.

The bottom line: When asked if she's prepared to answer questions on those topics, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) said she will "let those speak for themselves."

• "The president obviously has a plan that he's working on, he is visiting with the leaders of many nations," she added. "So I would rather that he take the forefront."
• "I'm infuriated and frustrated by the administration's seeming surrender and betrayal of Ukraine," said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) "I imagine that view will find a lot of friends among the Europeans who have committed so much to this fight."

The Senate voted Wednesday to confirm Tulsi Gabbard as President Trump's director of national intelligence, largely along party lines.

Why it matters: It's a big win for the president's team, which worked hard to resuscitate Gabbard's nomination when it faltered earlier this year.

• The final vote was 52-48, with former Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) the only GOP opponent.
• "When a nominee's record proves them unworthy of the highest public trust, and when their command of relevant policy falls short of the requirements of their office, the Senate should withhold its consent," McConnell said in a statement after the vote.

The big picture: Gabbard proved to be one of Trump's most controversial nominees, and the success of her confirmation was particularly questionable ahead of a committee vote earlier this month.

• The Senate Intelligence Committee approved Gabbard's nomination Feb. 4 in a razor-thin 9-8 party-line vote.
• That was after Intel Chair Tom Cotton made a concerted effort to get her through, even enlisting the help of former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) in swaying two of the panel's skeptical Republicans — Indiana's Todd Young and Maine's Susan Collins.

Zoom in: Young announced he would support Gabbard's confirmation in committee after outlining several commitments Gabbard made to win his vote.

• Those included promising not to seek a pardon for Edward Snowden, regularly updating the Senate Intel committee on her foreign travel and working with the panel to reauthorize Section 702 of FISA.
• Vice President Vance and billionaire Trump lieutenant Elon Musk also pressed Young to support Gabbard.

Zoom out: Gabbard faced tough questioning in her confirmation hearing, repeatedly refusing to call Snowden a traitor.

• Questions have also been raised about a trip she took to Syria, references she has made to conspiracy theories about U.S. bio labs in Ukraine and her history of questioning the findings of the U.S. intelligence community.
• Senators voted 52-46 on Monday to limit debate on Gabbard's nomination, paving the way for her confirmation.

Go deeper: How Tulsi Gabbard's nomination came roaring back to life

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional reporting.

During a closed-door lunch on Tuesday, two top Trump officials urged Republican senators to fast-track $175 billion in new border money.

Why it matters: The White House is turning up the heat as House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Senate GOP Leader John Thune's (R-S.D.) game of reconciliation chicken gets more hostile.

• Trump border czar Tom Homan and OMB chief Russell Vought told Republican senators that the administration is running out of money for their immigration crackdown.
• "After hearing these two gentlemen today, we're living on borrowed time," Senate Budget Chair Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told reporters.
• Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Attorney General Pam Bondi also sent a letter to lawmakers asking for more border resources, per to a copy obtained by Axios and first reported by Fox News.

Between the lines: Speaker Johnson told his conference that he would not bring Graham's version of a budget reconciliation bill to the House floor — favoring "one big, beautiful bill" that would also address tax policy, Punchbowl first reported.

• Graham said he would also prefer one big bill, but the Senate and Graham's committee is "moving because we have to."
• Graham will begin marking up his bill in committee on Wednesday. It includes $150 billion for defense spending and $175 billion for the border.

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said the officials were careful not to explicitly back the House's one-bill or the Senate's two-bills strategy.

• "I do think that at some point, somebody's going to have to get the House and the Senate on the same page," Hawley added. "I assume that somebody will need to be the White House."

Zoom in: Homan and Vought stressed that they need funding to find tens of thousands of unauthorized immigrant kids who the government lost contact with after releasing them to caretakers.

• "After Tom talked about trying to find these children, half of us started to cry," Graham said.
• The White House officials also assured senators that the $175 billion in Graham's bill would be enough to follow through on Trump's border promises for the full four years.
• "They're helping make the case for why the $175 billion budget bill that Lindsey [Graham] is pushing is important," Sen. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) told Axios about the meeting.

The bottom line: "I am urging the Speaker to invite [Homan and Vought] over and let them tell the House what they told us," Graham said.

The Senate voted along party lines to move forward with Tulsi Gabbard's nomination to be President Trump's Director of National Intelligence.

Why it matters: Gabbard has proved to be one of Trump's most controversial nominees and her confirmation has at times been in question, especially ahead of a committee vote earlier this month.

• Senators voted 52-46 to limit debate on Gabbard's nomination, paving the way for a final vote later this week.
• Two senators didn't vote — Republican Thom Tillis (N.C.) and Democrat John Fetterman (Pa.).

Catch up quick: The Senate Intelligence Committee narrowly approved Gabbard's nomination Feb. 4 in a 9-8 party-line vote.

• That was after Intel Chair Tom Cotton made a concerted effort to get her through, even enlisting the help of former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) in swaying two of the panel's skeptical Republicans — Indiana's Todd Young and Maine's Susan Collins — to support Gabbard.

Zoom in: Young announced he would support Gabbard's confirmation in committee after outlining several commitments Gabbard made to win his vote.

• Those included promising not to seek a pardon for Edward Snowden, regularly updating the Senate Intel committee on her foreign travel and working with the panel to reauthorize Section 702 of FISA.
• Vice President Vance and Elon Musk also pressed Young to support Gabbard.

Zoom out: Gabbard faced tough questioning in her confirmation hearing, repeatedly refusing to call Snowden a traitor.

• Questions have also been raised about a trip she took to Syria, references she has made to conspiracy theories about U.S. bio labs in Ukraine and her history of questioning the findings of the U.S. intelligence community.

Go deeper: How Tulsi Gabbard's nomination came roaring back to life

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional reporting.

The GOP's Hill leaders are signaling their eagerness to back up Elon Musk by turning DOGE spending cuts into real legislation.

Why it matters: Musk's slash-and-burn cuts may be undone by the courts. But he's given congressional Republicans a blueprint for what's possible to cut.

• "I think that anything that DOGE does will be factored into what we do up here," Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told Axios.
• "We are going to be codifying a lot of these changes," House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told reporters Monday, "and what they've uncovered is, frankly, shocking."

Zoom in: DOGE has gone from a meme to a machine in the last three weeks, sparking lawsuits and injunctions.

• Judges have paused Musk's access to Treasury information and blocked more than 2,000 USAID employees from being put on leave.
• More court activity is expected as Musk pounces from one agency to the next in search of DEI initiatives, bureaucratic bloat and other opportunities for spending cuts.

Zoom out: Republicans need to do some serious unifying if they want to pass party-line spending cuts. Ten GOP senators and 34 House members voted in December against the government funding stopgap.

• But DOGE-inspired cuts might help get the House's rowdy Freedom Caucus and senators like Rand Paul (R-Ky.) to vote yes on some bills — as long as specific cuts don't create new GOP "no" votes.

Reality check: Even if the House can pass anything, outside of budget reconciliation, the Senate GOP will need Democratic votes to overcome the 60-vote filibuster for spending bills.

• Democrats are rallying in opposition to President Trump's spending freeze — and are threatening to allow a government shutdown next month.

The bottom line: Musk's appeals to Congress on deep cuts could force Republicans to justify tough cuts to popular programs, and Democrats to defend funding some unpopular ones.

Senate Republicans are running a hurry-up offense ahead of Super Bowl Sunday that's putting House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on his heels.

Why it matters: The House is unlikely to reach an agreement on taxes and spending cuts before Johnson and President Trump meet in a New Orleans skybox on Sunday, aides and lawmakers conceded today.

• That gives Senate Republicans all weekend — and a dinner Friday at Mar-a-Lago — to make their case for a two-bill approach, while House Republicans still debate how much to cut from the federal budget.
• The latest deadline for Johnson's one-bill plan is "probably closer to Monday," he said this morning.

🚨 "The time to act is now, and Senate Republicans are ready to roll," Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said on X, backing up Senate Budget Chair Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).

• Graham released a budget resolution Friday to funnel hundreds of billions into border security, energy and defense.
• "I hope the House will move forward soon, but we cannot allow this moment to pass, and we cannot let President Trump's America First Agenda stall," Graham said on X.
• "This targeted bill on the border, energy, and national security is uniting," Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) posted about the plan. "We're ready to go."

Zoom in: Graham has scheduled committee hearings next week to debate and vote on the resolution, on Wednesday and Thursday.

• Graham argued his bill will provide border funds faster, saying border czar Tom Homan "is running out of the funds necessary" to keep up the Trump team's immigration crackdown.
• The Senate plan offsets the $342 billion in new spending.

Between the lines: Johnson is still claiming he's making progress.

• "It's going very well, I'm very excited about where we are and the fact that we're going to be moving this forward," he said.
• Graham's committee timeline will give Johnson and House Republicans until midweek to pass their own resolution.

The bottom line: Even if Graham's plan makes it through the Senate, there's no guarantee the House will be on board when its turn comes.

• Graham was careful not to antagonize Johnson, who can't afford to lose more than one GOP vote on anything these days.

Senate Intel Chair Tom Cotton found a surprise ally in former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) to help resuscitate Tulsi Gabbard's nomination.

• The former Democratic senator approached Cotton and was deployed to help sway Sens. Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) into "yes" votes today, sources tell Axios.

Why it matters: Cotton, the hawkish Arkansan who is No. 3 in GOP leadership, worked all the angles on Gabbard.

• He worked with Vice President Vance — who's been a crucial influence on undecided senators — Trump adviser Jason Miller and others on Gabbard's team. Cotton told Trump last year he could get Gabbard confirmed, Semafor's Burgess Everett first reported Tuesday.
• Cotton leaned hard on the White House to persuade, not pressure, arguing that an overly combative approach could be counterproductive for people like Young. (That didn't stop MAGA posters from trying over the weekend.)
• Cotton tapped former NSA adviser Robert O'Brien to whip other members of the committee.

Inside the room: Cotton, Sens. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and former Intel Chair Richard Burr (R-N.C.) huddled with Gabbard for over an hour ahead of last week's committee hearing trying to make sure concerns were addressed.

• Gabbard's hearing was anything but smooth, clearly frustrating Republicans who wanted to hear her call Edward Snowden a traitor.
• But she still won the Senate Intel Committee's recommendation on a party-line vote.

Zoom in: Cotton worked closely alongside Vance, the White House legislative affairs office and Gabbard's sherpas, keeping the White House updated on the status of the nomination.

• As chair of the Senate Republican Conference, Cotton transformed the office — and its X account — into a war room for Gabbard.
• He dove into details too, helping Gabbard fill out required questionnaires and prepare for her high-stakes hearing. When Gabbard made a helpful comment during her closed-door prep, Cotton encouraged her team to get it out there, resulting in a Newsweek op-ed.

The bottom line: There still could be other no votes in the Senate, most notably GOP Sens. John Curtis of Utah, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.

• But Senate GOP leadership and the White House feel confident with Young on board that Gabbard will be confirmed.

Senate GOP leaders plan to pitch President Trump at a Friday night dinner at Mar-a-Lago to stop waiting on "one big, beautiful bill" from the House — and pivot to the two-part plan, now.

Why it matters: With the House stalled on a major budget package, "there's an urgency to act and act now," Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) told Axios in an exclusive interview.

• "We'll be visiting with the president this weekend," Barrasso said.
• He expects senators to bring a message: "It's now, Mr. President. It's time to move. We have this."
• The Senate's first reconciliation package would address border security, energy and defense. Reconciliation allows the Senate to pass budget-related legislation with a majority vote.

Between the lines: Senate Budget Chair Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) "has legislation ready to go," Barrasso said.

• Barrasso recently talked to Border Czar Tom Homan at the White House. Homan told Barrasso he needs resources to continue what has been a startling crackdown on illegal immigration.
• Barrasso noted extending Trump's tax cuts is important, but complicated — and the deadline is not until December 31st.
• Spinning the issue off on its own has been the Senate's preferred plan, even as House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has pushed for an all-in-one approach.

What to watch: In a lunch on Tuesday, Graham told Republican colleagues he would give an overview of his budget resolution at another closed-door lunch on Wednesday, according to sources familiar.

• The House had to punt on a markup of a budget resolution, which was supposed to happen this week — yet another setback.
• Dozens of Republican senators and their spouses are preparing to join Trump for a dinner at Mar-a-Lago on Friday night. They will be in town for the National Republican Senatorial Committee's regularly-scheduled weekend at The Breakers.

Zoom in: Barrasso told Axios the the package they plan to present will be fully paid for.

• Increased revenue from the energy policy changes will be part of that, as well as cuts.
• Barrasso also pointed to what he called the "bloated federal government" with 2 million workers, "some of whom haven't come to work for years. They need to be fired. Massive savings are going to result in that component," he added.

Zoom out: Barrasso said the Senate has proven they can move fast on reconciliation, pointing to the rapid confirmation for Trump's Cabinet nominees.

• Senate Republicans have been able to move through nominees at almost twice the pace as former President Biden had been able to in 2021, the senator said.
• "Democrats found out we're serious by that first weekend" by voting on Friday and Saturday — and threatening to do so on Sunday, Barrasso said.

Between the lines: As whip, Barrasso's role is making sure even the most controversial nominees have their needed votes.

• He was one of several to call Sens. Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) over the past several days ahead of the Tuesday committee votes for DNI nominee Tulsi Gabbard and HHS nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
• Both swing voters fell in line.

Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.) will support Tulsi Gabbard's confirmation for director of national intelligence.

Why it matters: Young was the key remaining swing vote ahead of the Senate Intel Committee vote.

• Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) announced on Monday that she'll support Gabbard.
• "It would befit you and be helpful for the way you're perceived by members of the Intelligence Committee" to say Edward Snowden harmed national security," Young told Gabbard at her confirmation hearing last week.
• Gabbard repeatedly refused to call Snowden a traitor at the hearing.

Director of National Intelligence nominee Tulsi Gabbard has wind in her sails ahead of Tuesday's Senate Intel Committee vote.

Why it matters: Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Todd Young (R-Ind.) announced their support for Gabbard ahead of the vote. The two were considered the crucial swing votes at the committee level.

• If she clears the committee vote, Gabbard can lose three GOP votes on the Senate floor and still be confirmed, thanks to a tie-breaking vote from Vice President Vance.
• Collins was one of three Republicans to vote against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, before Vance broke the tie.

Between the lines: Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) — a close Trump ally who has been an advocate for nominees — told reporters he's feeling confident about Gabbard's chances. "Tulsi has done the work," he said.

• "I think Todd [Young] is doing just what [Thom] Tillis did," Mullin added, referencing the North Carolina Republican's last-minute hesitancy before voting to confirm Hegseth.
• Conversations were ongoing as of Monday evening between leadership and senators viewed as swing votes on both Gabbard and HHS nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — who won his Senate Finance Confirmation vote on Tuesday.
• GOP leadership felt good that even the skeptics were still willing to engage.

The bottom line: "We have the votes. We've always had the votes," a Trump adviser involved in the confirmation process told Axios.

• "Tulsi's getting confirmed. RFK's getting confirmed. Bondi's getting confirmed. Kash is getting confirmed. All this stuff about how they're not is DC bullsh*t."

Editor's note: This article has been updated.

Senate Republicans are holding their breath over President Trump's tariffs, which kick in Saturday against Canada, Mexico and China.

Why it matters: Many senators spent months telling Axios they saw the move from Trump more as a negotiating tactic. But some were concerned about what would happen if he followed through.

🚨 Now, sweeping 25% tariffs start this weekend on Canadian and Mexican imports — and 10% on Chinese goods, the White House said Friday. All three countries have vowed to retaliate against broad tariffs.

• Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told Axios in August that "across-the-board tariffs is not something I have been for in the past." Thune is open to the selective use of tariffs.
• Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) described Trump's tariffs promises as potentially "problematic."
• Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), a former Senate Commerce Committee chair, also told Axios in August he's listening, but "not convinced that's the best approach."

Between the lines: Senators often cite concerns about tariffs leading to inflated prices for Americans — after a campaign cycle where Republicans repeatedly said former President Biden's policies led to inflation.

Zoom in: More tenured senators, especially free traders, have learned the value of waiting instead of staking out positions Trump can upend at any moment.

• Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is taking a "wait-and-see attitude," he told Reuters. Iowa is a big farm goods exporter.
• "Normally I'd be stronger in my comments because I am a free trader. I used to be in the majority when free trading was a majority of the Congress, but now I am in the minority," he said.

😈 The newer senators are on Trump's side, and they're content to let him cook.

• "Everybody runs through the streets saying, 'The sky is falling! The sky is falling!' but it doesn't fall," Sen. Jim Justice (R-W.V.) told Reuters.

Zoom out: The list of surprised leaders stretches beyond the Senate.

• "I don't believe that will happen," House Speaker Mike Johnson said earlier this week about across-the-board tariffs.

After being pressed by senators from both parties to call Edward Snowden a traitor, Tulsi Gabbard repeatedly refused during her confirmation hearing on Thursday morning.

Why it matters: Gabbard's past comments and legislation defending Snowden have threatened her confirmation to be President Trump's director of national intelligence.

Zoom in: "This is a big deal to everybody here, because it's a big deal to everybody you'll also oversee," said Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.), who has publicly said he supports her nomination. "So, was Edward Snowden a traitor?"

• Gabbard would not give a yes or no answer, saying only that she is "committed if confirmed as director of national intelligence to join you in making sure that there is no future Snowden-type leak."
• Lankford asked a second time if Snowden was a traitor, to which Gabbard responded, "I am focused on the future and how we can prevent something like this from happening again."

What they're saying: Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) pounced on the moment, pressing her in a heated back and forth immediately after to say that Snowden is a traitor.

• "Let me ask you again, do you believe — as the chairman of this committee believes, as the vast majority of members of our intelligence agencies believe — that Edward Snowden was a traitor to the United States of America," he demanded.
• When she began answering without a yes or no, he interrupted, "This is when the rubber hits the road. This is not a moment for social media."
• "It's not a moment to propagate theories, conspiracy theories or attacks on journalism in the United States," he continued. "This is when you need to answer the questions of the people whose votes you're asking for to be confirmed as the chief intelligence officer of this nation."

What to watch: Prior to Gabbard's hearing, the White House believed she would still get confirmed but might face the greatest difficulty of all of Trump's nominees

• "She has two problems: [Section] 702 and Snowden," a senior White House official said.

Go deeper: Scoop: Trump team sweats McConnell's vote on Tulsi Gabbard