Agencies in the DOGE house

View Online  12:30 REPORT It's Thursday. OK, I'm trying to get a temperature of the 12:30 Report audience. Are you rooting for the Kansas City Chiefs or the Philadelphia Eagles this Sunday? And who doesn't care but loves football snacks and/or Taylor Swift?  (no judgment, I promise). Click whichever applies to you and let me know! In this edition: Trump hosting congressional Republicans to hash out squabbles. DOGE infiltrates more government agencies. Does Elon Musk's team have appropriate security clearances? Russell Vought's confirmation is on deck. A D.C. lunch staple changes hands.   I'm Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what's coming up. Send tips & feedback to cmartel@thehill.com. Someone forward this to you? Sign up. Agencies in the DOGE house: ©  AP Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is quickly working its way through the federal government, infiltrating agencies one by one. There's an open question over whether Musk has legal authority to make major decisions within the federal government.   Is Musk a government employee?: The White House considers Musk a "special government employee" and says he has a top-secret security clearance. Reuters reports that Musk's team has been given applicable clearances, too.   The latest DOGE target — America's health agencies: DOGE representatives gained access to internal systems of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), though it's unclear which systems. The Wall Street Journal reports that DOGE has access to key payment and contracting systems.   ^ For context: The CMS operates as the government's insurance provider and sets payment rates for medical care. Trump nominated celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz to lead the CMS, but he hasn't been confirmed yet.   Plus, the CDC: On Wednesday, they sent representatives to the Atlanta headquarters of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), wanting to access sensitive information, according to The Washington Post.   It's not *just* health agencies: DOGE has access to the Treasury Department's payment system, including Social Security, Medicare, sensitive tax information and bank accounts for direct deposit. The Treasury says it is only giving Musk's team "read-only" access. NewsNation has a helpful explainer   🌡️ Temperature check — how are Republicans feeling about Musk?: Republican support for Musk has significantly dropped since Trump won the 2024 election. In November, 47 percent of Republicans said they wanted Musk to have "a lot" of influence, but that number has already dropped to 26 percent (!), according to polling by The Economist/YouGov. You'll be unsurprised to hear those figures are significantly lower among Democrats and independents.   In fact, there were protests yesterday: Thousands protested Trump and Musk's policies Wednesday in demonstrations across the country. 📸 Photos ➤  TODAY'S THE DEADLINE FOR FEDERAL WORKERS: Federal workers have until today to decide whether to accept the Trump administration's voluntary offer to resign and receive a buyout for eight months. 🔎 Five things to watch Happening now — bring in the mediator: President Trump may have hit the ground running with executive orders, but his Capitol Hill agenda has been sluggish while Republicans squabble over their approach. Trump has brought congressional Republicans to the White House to hash it out.   What's top of mind?: Government funding expires on March 14. 😅 Plus, Republicans are divided on competing plans to plow ahead with their agenda. Time's a-ticking.   The competing plans: House Republicans want to consolidate Trump's priorities into one big bill. That would be harder to pass, but they would only need to do it once. Senate Republicans want to split it up into two bills. The easier stuff could be passed first, buying more time to haggle over the trickier priorities. But if Republicans choose this plan, they'll lose the leverage in the second bill, increasing the likelihood it never passes. ^ Senate Republicans may be jumping the gun: Senate Budget Committee Chair Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) revealed that his committee is working on the two-bill strategy — and will hold a bill markup next week. Meanwhile, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) was forced to delay his markup of the single-bill plan. Read more on the House-Senate GOP dispute   Trump is keeping his GOP social calendar busy: Trump has invited all GOP senators and spouses to attend a private dinner at his Mar-a-Lago resort. 📸 The invite Trump launching task force to protect Christians: "President Trump announced plans Thursday to establish a task force and a presidential commission to protect Christians from religious discrimination," reports The Hill's Brett Samuels.   "While I'm in the White House, we will protect Christians in our schools, in our military, in our government, in our workplaces, hospitals and in our public squares," Trump said during the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C. "And we will bring our country back together as one nation under God."   How Trump plans to do this: He said he will sign an executive order to make Attorney General Pam Bondi the head of a task force to "eradicate anti-Christian bias."   Trump has consistently accused Democrats of infringing on religious liberties and even persecuting Christians based on their faith (e.g.: Anti-abortion rights protesters being arrested for blocking a clinic.) ➤  WHAT ELSE?: Trump called for CBS News's "60 Minutes" to be taken off the air after the transcript of its interview with former Vice President Kamala Harris was released.   Backstory: Trump and his allies have argued CBS edited the interview to help Harris. The news outlet argues it was edited for time and clarity, which is standard practice. Separately, Trump is suing CBS News for $10 billion over the interview.   Plus, Trump mentioned his plans for air travel safety: He called for an overhaul of the U.S.'s air safety systems following the deadly plane crash at Reagan Washington National Airport. 🏁 On Capitol Hill Loading up the roster: ©  GIPHY/NBA In the 17 days since President Trump took office, 12 of his Cabinet nominees have been confirmed.   That may become 13 confirmations today: The Senate is expected to vote to confirm Russell Vought as Office of Management and Budget director today.   Who's on deck?: Director of national intelligence nominee Tulsi Gabbard and Health and Human Services nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr. successfully advanced out of committee this week despite their respective controversies. Keep an eye out for Senate GOP Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to move on those.   What about Kash Patel?: Senate Democrats delayed Kash Patel's committee vote to lead the FBI. They have that prerogative, btw.   Who's left?: Labor secretary nominee Lori Chavez-DeRemer Commerce secretary nominee Howard Lutnick Small Business Administration nominee Kelly Loeffler U.S. trade representative nominee Jamieson Greer Education secretary nominee Linda McMahon Agriculture secretary nominee Brooke Rollins Elise Stefanik for U.N. ambassador Mehmet Oz to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.   📝 Tracking Trump's Cabinet nominations ➤  TIDBIT: Former Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) slipped and fell on the stairs in the Senate yesterday. "GOP senators say McConnell lost balance and fell again during the lunch meeting," The Hill's Alexander Bolton reports.   📸 McConnell in a wheelchair after falling 🐝 Internet Buzz 🍽️ Celebrate: Today is National Frozen Yogurt Day! Oh, how I miss the heyday of froyo shops.   🥙 Kostas deserves a relaxing retirement, but this makes me so sad!: The owner of the beloved Greek Deli in Washington, D.C. — an iconic Washington staple with incredible homemade Greek food — is retiring after 35 years. He's transferring ownership to a new owner. 📸 Read Kostas and Irene's announcement   ^ Greek Deli's avgolemono soup and bread is out of this world!! And so is everything else I've ever ordered. 📆 On The Agenda The House and Senate are in. President Trump and Vice President Vance are in Washington. (all times Eastern) 1:30 p.m.: Secretary of State Marco Rubio holds a press conference with Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader. 💻 Livestream 2:30 p.m.: Trump signs executive orders. 4 p.m.: First and last House votes. 📆 Today's agenda 👋 And Finally… To leave you with a smile, here's an incredible hide-and-seek competitor. 🐶 Stay Engaged Send comments, story ideas and events for our radar to cmartel@thehill.com. 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