IN TODAY’S EDITION:
— Dem generational change incoming
— Johnson, Scalise meet with committee chairs
— More markups coming week of May 6
Democrats agitating for generational change in Congress are getting some early wins with more retirements — including one that will reshape the upper echelons of the party’s Senate leadership.
Sen. Dick Durbin’s retirement at the end of his term in early 2027 paves the way for Democrats to turn back time on three fronts: The 80-year-old’s whip post (top contender: Sen. Brian Schatz, 52), top Senate Judiciary slot (likely Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, 69) and Senate seat itself (prospective candidates include Reps. Lauren Underwood, 38 and Raja Krishnamoorthi, 51).
Younger Democrats commended Durbin for voluntarily hanging it up, as Lisa reports with Jordain Carney and Nicholas Wu. Take Rep. Ro Khanna, 48, who told Lisa he appreciates Durbin’s “wisdom in paving the way for a new generation.” (Meanwhile, Chuck Schumer, 74, signaled Wednesday he plans to seek another term as Democratic leader.)
Over in the House, 14-term Rep. Jan Schakowsky, 80, is planning to announce her retirement early next month, two people with knowledge of her plans told Nicholas and Shia Kapos. That would open up another opportunity for younger Democrats on Illinois’ deep bench to make moves. Schakowsky — who later insisted nothing’s final — had already drawn a longshot primary challenge from 26-year-old influencer Kat Abughazaleh. State Sen. Laura Fine, 58, and Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, 47, are widely expected to enter the race after Schakowsky makes her plans public.
The wave of retirements is accelerating the generational shift the Democratic base is clamoring for as the party establishment struggles to find its footing in the second Trump administration. Candidates vying to succeed other outgoing Senate Democrats — Gary Peters, 66, in Michigan; Tina Smith, 67, in Minnesota; and Jeanne Shaheen, 78, in New Hampshire — are at least a decade, if not several, younger than the politicians they’re trying to replace.
Now activists are ratcheting up pressure on other aging Democrats to follow Durbin’s call to “pass the torch.” That includes 78-year-old Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts, who beat back a challenge from younger then-Rep. Joe Kennedy III in 2020 that was predicated on generational change, but who is now facing calls not to seek another term in 2026.
“People should be pressuring him to retire,” said Amanda Litman, who leads Run For Something, a group that encourages younger Democrats to seek office. More broadly, she told Lisa, older members should take note of how their colleagues who “retire with dignity are celebrated.” Markey’s team, when asked for comment, directed us to Kaveesh Pathak, 20, a fellow on the senator’s 2020 campaign who is still supporting him because of his “enthusiasm” for fighting Trump on climate issues and deportations.
Looming over it all is David Hogg, the 25-year-old DNC vice chair who caused a stir within the party earlier this month when he pledged to put $20 million towards candidates challenging “ineffective, asleep-at-the-wheel” Democrats in safe districts. Chair Ken Martin is expected to counter that during a member call today by proposing mandating DNC officers stay neutral in all party primaries, our Elena Schneider reports.
“Most people would not go as far” as Hogg, Democratic pollster Paul Maslin told Lisa. “But there is a strong pent up desire for generational change in the party. … And the sooner we get there in real, not just symbolic terms, the better.”
GOOD THURSDAY MORNING. Email your Inside Congress scribes at [email protected], [email protected] and [email protected]. Ben is off until next week.
THE LEADERSHIP SUITE
GOP leaders push forward on megabill
Speaker Mike Johnson said he and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise had a conference call with the 11 House GOP committee chairs on Wednesday to discuss next steps for President Donald Trump’s “big beautiful bill,” our Benjamin Guggenheim reports.
“We are pushing it very aggressively on schedule, as you said, to get it done by Memorial Day,” Johnson said in an interview with Fox News, citing the need to tame stock market instability and move resources for the border.
Johnson said House Republicans will begin rolling out “the various components of that bill” over the next four weeks. One new development is a plan to include a $150 billion hike for the Pentagon, three people granted anonymity to describe private deliberations tell our Connor O’Brien. That number would abandon the House’s original, lower defense spending target to align with the Senate’s proposal. It’s a big win for GOP defense hawks who have been pushing for Congress and the White House to maximize military spending.
More details will come into view next week, when Congress returns from its April recess and House committees begin to hold markups on their individual portions of the massive bill.
Johnson rules out proposed millionaires’ tax
Johnson said he would “not expect” the Republican party-line bill to include a tax increase on the wealthy — or “on anybody” — during his interview Wednesday with Fox News.
“We have been working against that idea. I’m not in favor of raising the tax rates because that’s — our party is the group that stands against that traditionally,” he said. Trump also came out against the tax on the wealthiest Americans soon afterwards to a group of reporters.
Johnson’s comments come after other conservatives, including former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, have also thrown cold water on the idea amid a hot debate among Republicans.
McConnell weighs in on Hegseth
Sen. Mitch McConnell, the former top Senate Republican, stopped short of saying Trump should fire Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth amid leaks of a dysfunctional department under his leadership. McConnell, who voted against Hegseth’s nomination, said Trump is “entitled to the people he wants.”
“I was obviously not impressed with Hegseth but we’ll see. I mean ultimately he works for the president,” McConnell said in an interview with Larry Glover on 590 WVLK-Radio. “If the president wants him to continue this job, I’m sure he will.”
McConnell also declined to speculate when asked if he expects Trump to change course on Hegseth and go with someone else to lead the Pentagon.
“I really don’t know,” McConnell said. “I think a lot of people have gone broke trying to predict the president.”
POLICY RUNDOWN
MARK(UP) YOUR CALENDARS — House Natural Resources is planning to meet May 6 to consider its portion of the Republican party-line package to enact Trump’s domestic agenda, a person granted anonymity tells our Josh Siegel. The committee is expected to recommend expanding oil and gas lease sales on federal lands, among other targets. The tentative date is consistent with the time frame several committees are targeting to hold their markups for parts of the GOP’s sprawling domestic policy legislation.
TAX TALK — House Republicans are considering new restrictions on businesses’ ability to deduct executive compensation as a way to help offset the cost of their sweeping tax package, people aware of the internal discussions tell our Brian Faler. This policy — which has been backed by Democrats in the past — could generate billions of dollars in savings. It also would give Republicans some wiggle room to cut other taxes while giving them a chance to burnish their populist credentials.
CUTS TO CFPB — House Financial Services Chair French Hill told our Jasper Goodman he expects the cuts to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to be the primary source of savings under his committee’s jurisdiction for the party-line bill. The panel has a $1 billion target for reducing the deficit over the next decade.
“I think that can be met through either the CFPB or a combination of the CFPB with some other smaller mandatory spending,” Hill said in an interview Wednesday. It’s unclear how exactly Republicans would approach overhauling funding for the CFPB, an agency the party has long maligned.
Financial Services is set to consider its section of the bill next week.
ABOUT THAT CRYPTO BILL — Hill also told Jasper there have been “good work sessions with the Senate” in regards to stablecoins, which are digital tokens pegged to other assets like the dollar. House Financial Services and Senate Banking have advanced separate but similar versions of stablecoin legislation that will ultimately need to be merged in order to become law.
He added that lawmakers have held “intensive work sessions on the market structure bill,” which would divvy up oversight of digital assets between regulators. Hill said he hopes to unveil the measure in the coming weeks and that the panel will hold more market structure hearings in May “and hopefully have some consensus around text at that time.”
Best of POLITICO Pro and E&E:
CAMPAIGN STOP
FIRST IN INSIDE CONGRESS: Rep. Hillary Scholten is endorsing the Senate bid of her fellow Michigander, Rep. Haley Stevens, according to a statement provided first to POLITICO. Stevens faces a competitive primary to succeed retiring Sen. Gary Peters in what’s expected to be one of the hottest Senate battlefields this year.
“Hard work, ingenuity, service above self – these are West Michigan values, and they’re needed now more than ever in our leaders in Washington. That’s why I am thrilled to endorse my friend and colleague, Rep. Haley Stevens to be the next U.S. Senator for Michigan,” Scholten said. Others already in the race include state Sen. Mallory McMorrow and Sen. Bernie Sanders-endorsed Abdul El-Sayed.
THE CARRYOUT
We’ve spent our days in session asking lawmakers about reconciliation, tariffs and, most importantly, their food reviews and recommendations on Capitol Hill.
Rep. Steny Hoyer may have served in the House for more than 40 years — but that doesn’t stop the former No. 2 House Democrat from looking to the Senate side for lunch. His favorite food on the Hill is across the Capitol: A Philly cheesesteak from Cups.
Think you know Capitol Hill’s best bite? Email us: [email protected] and [email protected].
THE BEST OF THE REST
Do Democrats Even Believe They Can Win Senate Seats in Florida and Texas?, from Ursula Perano and Daniella Diaz at NOTUS
Maryland senator who visited wrongly deported migrant says Americans shouldn’t travel to El Salvador, from JD Capelouto at Semafor
CAPITOL HILL INFLUENCE
Peter Thiel is “opening up his checkbook again” to help House Republicans defend their narrow congressional majorities, National Journal’s James Downs reports. He has already contributed more than $1.3 million in the first three months of 2025. That includes more than $850,000 to Johnson’s joint fundraising committee and more than $300,000 to the NRCC.
JOB BOARD
Ryan Nelson will be senior executive adviser to the CEO at Sanford Health. He had previously served as Senate Majority Leader John Thune’s chief of staff.
Gaby Marks is now government relations comms manager at Bentley Systems. She previously was deputy comms director for Sen. John Barrasso.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Rep. Mark Harris … former Reps. Mike Garcia and Jack Kingston … The Hill’s Al Weaver … Erin DeLullo … Zack Roday … Hillary Lassiter … POLITICO’s Miranda Wilson and Ellie Borst … Megan Sowards Newton … Stuart Chapman of Thorn Run Partners … Robb Walton of BGR Group … Jameson Cunningham … Megan Hannigan … Halee Dobbins
TRIVIA
WEDNESDAY’S ANSWER: This one stumped y’all. John Nance Garner was the first speaker of the House born west of the Mississippi River.
TODAY’S QUESTION, from our colleague Ben Jacobs: As debate over Hegseth’s future continues, who had the shortest stint as a Senate confirmed Secretary of Defense in American history?
The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Inside Congress. Send your answers to [email protected].
