GOP leaders' White House summit takes shape
A broad group of House and Senate GOP leaders will meet with President Donald Trump at the White House today at 3 p.m., according to two people familiar with the plans.
Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune are expected to meet with Trump earlier before the larger group joins.
It's their first business meeting since Trump took the oath of office Monday, and GOP leaders are hoping to hammer out more details there on how exactly they’re expected to accomplish his ambitious legislative agenda.
After the top leaders meet with Trump, the expanded group will join. That includes, from the House, Majority Leader Steve Scalise (La.), Whip Tom Emmer (Minn.), Conference Chair Lisa McClain (Mich.) and Policy Committee Chair Kevin Hern (Okla.). From the Senate, Whip John Barrasso (Wyo.), Conference Chair Tom Cotton (Ark.) and Republican Policy Committee Chair Shelley Moore Capito (W.Va.) are also expected to join.
Thorny topics that will determine the GOP agenda ahead still require sign-off from Trump. Johnson in particular is wary of a repeat of the funding meltdown in December when the then-president-elect torpedoed an agreement at the last minute.
Thune and Johnson also need to discuss with Trump the rapidly approaching debt ceiling, which GOP leaders want to tackle in bipartisan funding talks.
CORRECTION: The story has been corrected to reflect the correct title of Sen. Shelley Moore Capito.