House Republicans vote today to pick a minority leader, with the choice between Scalise and Jordan defining how the party fights in the wilderness

House Republicans gathered Tuesday morning behind closed doors on Capitol Hill for a vote that will shape what the party looks like for the next two years: a secret-ballot election for House minority leader, with current House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana squaring off against Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio.

The vote is scheduled for the afternoon. The winner will inherit a historically small House Republican conference that is only beginning to grapple with its loss of power as President Trump serves out his final two years in office. Republicans are meeting just one week after losing the majority in the midterm elections.

It is the same two men, the same underlying disagreement about what the party is supposed to be. Scalise and Jordan are squaring off for minority leader in a rematch of their bitter 2023 battle for the speakership. That fight ended without a winner from either camp. Scalise withdrew after some conservative members declined to back him following Trump's endorsement of Jordan, and Jordan then fell short in multiple rounds of votes, leaving Republicans to turn to a new face, Johnson. Now Johnson is stepping aside again, and there is no third option.

What each candidate is selling

Scalise is pitching himself as the steady hand who can lead Republicans back to the majority, leaning on his decade of experience in leadership. Jordan is casting himself as the candidate for change, tapping into frustration among Republicans who believe last week's devastating losses demand a shake-up at the top.

Scalise made the pitch to colleagues that he can unify factions of House Republicans against the "socialists" coming to Washington, while Jordan argued that he is best positioned to combat Democratic investigations of the Trump administration and its allies, telling colleagues he is "battle-tested on the oversight front and I know the Democrats' playbook."

In Jordan, 62, Republicans would be choosing a veteran of both the House Oversight and House Judiciary committees, two panels poised to play a central role in the new Congress as Democrats plan a long list of investigations into President Trump and his administration. Scalise, 61, has held key GOP leadership positions going back to 2014, serving as party whip and then as majority leader.

The split inside the conference is real. Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland is backing Jordan. Rep. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania says Scalise is better suited for the job. Rep. Steve Womack put it plainly: "There's a school of thought a lot of members have that a new broom sweeps clean after going through what we just went through last Tuesday." Scalise allies said Monday night they were increasingly confident heading into the vote. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida argued that while both candidates can energize the GOP base, only Scalise can appeal to voters outside it and win back the House majority.

Trump could wield major influence over the direction of the House Republican conference as a result of this vote, though so far he has stayed out of the race. In 2023, he endorsed Jordan.

The race is expected to be tight, and the winner needs a majority of House Republicans in a secret-ballot vote. The size of Democrats' victory last week will limit the leverage any minority leader has when the new Congress is seated in January, according to GOP strategist Leganski.

Senate Republicans also vote; Democrats wait their turn

After a blue tidal wave swept Republicans from power, Senate Republicans are also set to hold a closed-door vote Tuesday to pick their leaders. Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota is expected to remain at the top, despite some conservative grumbling. House Democrats will hold their leadership elections next week.

Senate clears a permitting bill while House Republicans fight among themselves

The leadership chaos is unfolding alongside a genuinely bipartisan legislative development. The Senate voted 73-25 Monday to invoke cloture on the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act, starting the clock for acting on the legislation. The bill, known as BAAJA, proposes to reform the federal environmental review and permitting processes with the goal of delivering cheaper energy, more jobs, and responsible growth.

The measure is sponsored by the bipartisan leaders of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, led by West Virginia Republican Shelley Moore Capito as chair with Rhode Island's Sheldon Whitehouse as the top Democrat, along with Senate Energy Committee Chair Mike Lee of Utah and ranking Democrat Martin Heinrich of New Mexico.

Whitehouse said the legislation will save Americans approximately $60 to $80 each month and will prevent between 1.5 and 1.8 gigatons of greenhouse gas emissions, while increasing the nation's wind capacity by 25 percent, solar capacity by 28 percent and battery storage capacity by 70 percent. The bill also makes it harder for opponents to sue to block projects on environmental grounds and limits the ability of states and the EPA to preemptively block them.

Not everyone was enthusiastic. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto said ahead of the vote she would support the procedural measure but would vote against final passage if tribal issues are not addressed. Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota was the only Republican no vote. President Trump also tossed an apparent curveball into the process Monday, saying he opposed a provision of the bill incentivizing wind turbine buildout. Senate passage is not guaranteed, but the 73-25 cloture vote makes it likely. If the bill passes the Senate, it moves to the House.

DOJ empties out as midterm fallout continues

The post-election shakeout at the Justice Department got another entry Monday. The head of the Justice Department's Civil Division, Brett Shumate, submitted his resignation, becoming the latest in a growing number of Senate-confirmed DOJ leaders to step down in a post-midterms shakeup of the nation's top law enforcement agency.

Shumate, who also served in the Justice Department in Trump's first term, oversaw a division that challenged corporate diversity initiatives, healthcare clinics that served transgender minors and local governments that did not cooperate with the Trump administration's immigration crackdown. The Civil Division has lost significant staff since Trump won reelection two years ago. Under Shumate, the division recently offered signing bonuses of up to $25,000 to recruit attorneys.

Harmeet Dhillon, chief of the civil rights division; John Eisenberg, head of the national security division; and Henry Whitaker, a veteran litigator who had been a key aide in the attorney general's office, had all resigned in recent days before Shumate's departure. Attorney General Todd Blanche did not give a reason for the resignation or say who would succeed Shumate.

TRICARE premiums climb 10 percent for some military families

Away from the leadership fights, enrollment opened Tuesday in the federal TRICARE program for military families. Premiums are increasing by more than 10 percent for some plans, including for young adults, to nearly $900. The increase lands as Congress is already battling over the National Defense Authorization Act and a December 11 government funding deadline.

What to Watch

• House GOP vote result: The secret ballot for minority leader is expected Tuesday afternoon. A Jordan win would signal the conference is moving toward a more combative posture heading into the minority; a Scalise win would reflect a preference for stability and coalition-building. Watch whether the loser concedes quickly or signals continued tension.
• Senate BAAJA floor votes: Sen. Whitehouse said there will be an amendment process once the Senate has proceeded to the bill. Tribal rights and the wind energy provision Trump flagged are the two most likely flashpoints.
• DOJ succession: With four senior officials gone in less than a week, watch for who Blanche names to lead the Civil Division. Contested Trump-era litigation on denaturalization, transgender healthcare, and sanctuary cities sits under that division's docket.
• Hegseth impeachment clock: The House is awaiting a possible impeachment vote against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth as early as today. If it passes, outgoing Speaker Mike Johnson could withhold the measure from the Senate, sending it to the next Congress.
• December 11 funding cliff: Without final fiscal year 2027 spending bills in place, members will need to pass another continuing resolution before December 11 to prevent a shutdown. The leadership election result today will determine who sits across the table from Democrats in those talks.

Sources: The Washington Post | Axios | NPR | NBC News | The Hill | ABC News | Bloomberg | RTO Insider | AP via Boston Globe