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The seizure of an enormous oil supertanker off the coast of Venezuela on Wednesday is just the beginning of a new phase in the Trump administration’s ramped-up pressure campaign against Nicolas Maduro, according to people familiar with the operation. 

The act of economic statecraft — which saw US forces descend on ropes from a Black Hawk helicopter onto the deck of a sanctioned very-large crude carrier called Skipper — is designed to deny Maduro a lifeline of oil revenue and force him to relinquish power, the people said. 

Bloomberg Washington Correspondents Joe Mathieu and Kailey Leinz deliver insight and analysis on the latest headlines from the White House and Capitol Hill, including conversations with influential lawmakers and key figures in politics and policy. On this edition, Joe speaks with:

• Bloomberg Washington Correspondent Tyler Kendall.
• Bloomberg Economics Senior Geoeconomics Analyst Adam Farrar.
• Democratic Congressman Jim McGovern of Massachusetts.
• Stonecourt Capital Partner Rick Davis and Harvard Kennedy School's Ash Center Visiting Democracy Fellow Jeanne Sheehan Zaino.

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The Senate rejected a pair of partisan measures addressing the impending expiration of Obamacare subsidies, setting up a Jan. 1 spike in health insurance premiums for more than 20 million Americans.

With only a few days left before lawmakers leave for their Christmas break and few signs of life in stalled bipartisan negotiations, the failure Thursday of the dueling partisan plans all but guarantees the expiration of enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits initiated during the pandemic era.

Bloomberg Washington Correspondents Joe Mathieu and Kailey Leinz deliver insight and analysis on the latest headlines from the White House and Capitol Hill, including conversations with influential lawmakers and key figures in politics and policy. On this edition, Joe speaks with:

• Bloomberg Washington Correspondent Tyler Kendall.
• Democratic Congressman Brendan Boyle, Ranking Member of the House Budget Committee.
• Republican Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis of New York.
• Stonecourt Capital Partner Rick Davis and Harvard Kennedy School's Ash Center Visiting Democracy Fellow Jeanne Sheehan Zaino.

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President Donald Trump said people were “starting to learn” the benefits of his tariff regime as he sought to convince voters his administration was moving to address affordability concerns, taking to the road in hopes of countering a mounting political vulnerability.

Trump, who is resuming domestic political travel after months without holding a rally, allowed that he “got a lot of heat” over his sweeping levies on foreign imports, with political opponents seizing on the program to argue tariffs have increased consumer prices and inflation. 

Bloomberg Washington Correspondents Joe Mathieu and Kailey Leinz deliver insight and analysis on the latest headlines from the White House and Capitol Hill, including conversations with influential lawmakers and key figures in politics and policy. On this edition, Joe speaks with:

• Arbroath Group Founder and Managing Partner Christopher Smart.
• Stonecourt Capital Partner Rick Davis and Harvard Kennedy School's Ash Center Visiting Democracy Fellow Jeanne Sheehan Zaino.
• KISS Singer and Songwriter Gene Simmons.

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An update on Congressional plans -- or the lack thereof -- to extend Obamacare subsidies led Bloomberg Intelligence's Washington Policy Pulse on Dec 8. While the Senate is expected to vote on a deal to extend the subsidies for 3-years, political partisanship remains and deals will be difficult to achieve. We also previewed what Bloomberg News reports to be a $12 billion aid package for farmers, which the White House is expected to roll out today. Other topics of discussion also include a discussion of our 2026 crypto policy outlook, with a focus on forthcoming stablecoin and crypto rules key for firms like Coinbase, Robinhood, Circle and Bullish.

The Bloomberg Intelligence Financial Policy weekly call is designed to provide investors an opportunity to learn about the most recent relevant policy research, information regarding forthcoming political catalysts and other on-goings within Washington D.C.

The call is open to all and is held every Monday at 10:00 a.m. EST. You can register for the call here: https://bloomberg.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN__PqCkwY-S2m3hbQqvVC1_Q#/registration

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Senate Republicans plan to vote this week on a likely futile plan to counter Democrats’ push to extend expiring Obamacare subsidies as health care costs for more than 20 million people are set to spike on Jan. 1.

Neither the Republican legislation announced Tuesday nor Democrats’ proposed three-year extension are expected to get the 60 votes needed for Senate passage. For some Americans, health insurance premiums will double or triple in the new year as the Covid-era tax credits expire. 

Bloomberg Washington Correspondents Joe Mathieu and Kailey Leinz deliver insight and analysis on the latest headlines from the White House and Capitol Hill, including conversations with influential lawmakers and key figures in politics and policy. On this edition, Joe speaks with:

• Bloomberg Washington Correspondent Tyler Kendall.
• Slovenia Deputy Prime Minister Tanja Fajon.
• Taxpayers for Common Sense Steve Ellis.
• S-3 Group Partner Ashley Davis.
• Stonecourt Capital Partner Rick Davis and Harvard Kennedy School's Ash Center Visiting Democracy Fellow Jeanne Sheehan Zaino.
• Senator Pete Ricketts of Nebraska.

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The Trump administration on Monday plans to unveil a long-awaited farm aid package, according Trump administration officials, offering $12 billion in assistance to a key base of support hit hard by low crop prices and the impact of the president’s tariff policies.

The aid will include up to $11 billion in one-time payments to crop farmers under the Department of Agriculture’s newly designed Farmer Bridge Assistance program, while the remaining is reserved for crops not covered under the FBA, according to one of the officials, who asked not to be identified as the information isn’t public.

Bloomberg Washington Correspondents Joe Mathieu and Kailey Leinz deliver insight and analysis on the latest headlines from the White House and Capitol Hill, including conversations with influential lawmakers and key figures in politics and policy. On this edition, Joe speaks with:

• Bloomberg Washington Correspondent Tyler Kendall.
• Finland Minister of Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen.
• US Small Business Administration Administrator Kelly Loeffler.
• Stonecourt Capital Partner Rick Davis and Harvard Kennedy School's Ash Center Visiting Democracy Fellow Jeanne Sheehan Zaino.

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Watch Joe and Kailey LIVE every day on YouTube: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF.

Speaker Mike Johnson is pushing to unveil a Republican health care bill in the coming days for a vote by the end of the month, but the move is unlikely to resolve a congressional deadlock over expiring Obamacare subsidies. 

The GOP plan is likely to include ideas the party has floated in the past to create less comprehensive plans to compete with Obamacare and to divert premium tax credits for the insurance policies toward tax-sheltered savings accounts individuals can use to cover non-premium out-of-pocket costs.   

Bloomberg Washington Correspondents Joe Mathieu and Kailey Leinz deliver insight and analysis on the latest headlines from the White House and Capitol Hill, including conversations with influential lawmakers and key figures in politics and policy. On this edition, Joe speaks with:

• House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
• Bloomberg Senior Strategist Edward Harrison.
• Republican Congresswoman Lisa McClain of Michigan.
• Constitutional Lawyer Robert McWhirter.
• Stonecourt Capital Partner Rick Davis and Podium Strategies Founder Yemisi Egbewole.

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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth exposed sensitive information when he sent details of a pending military strike from his personal phone, according to a Pentagon watchdog investigation into the “Signalgate” saga that gripped the White House earlier this year.

The Pentagon inspector general determined that Hegseth had the authority to declassify the information he’d sent — which was originally labeled “secret” — but that his use of a personal cell phone risked compromising sensitive information about the upcoming attack on Houthi rebels in Yemen, it said in a report released Thursday.

“If this information had fallen into the hands of US adversaries, Houthi forces might have been able to counter U.S. forces or reposition personnel and assets to avoid planned US strikes,” the report said. Hegseth sent the information two to four hours before the operation took place, it said.

Bloomberg Washington Correspondents Joe Mathieu and Kailey Leinz deliver insight and analysis on the latest headlines from the White House and Capitol Hill, including conversations with influential lawmakers and key figures in politics and policy. On this edition, Joe speaks with:

• Bloomberg Pentagon Reporter Tony Capaccio.
• Arizona State University's McCain Institute Executive Director Evelyn Farkas.
• Stonecourt Capital Partner Rick Davis and Arc Initiatives Partner Jonae Wartel.
• Republican Congressman Marlin Stutzman of Indiana.

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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he wasn’t watching when a top US admiral ordered a second strike on an alleged drug-running boat on Sept. 2. Hegseth says that commander made the right call.

“As you can imagine, at the Department of War, we got a lot of things to do, so I didn’t stick around for the hour and two hours, whatever, where all the sensitive site exploitation digitally occurs,” Hegseth said at the White House on Tuesday.

Bloomberg Washington Correspondents Joe Mathieu and Kailey Leinz deliver insight and analysis on the latest headlines from the White House and Capitol Hill, including conversations with influential lawmakers and key figures in politics and policy. On this edition, Joe speaks with:

• Bloomberg US National Security Team Lead Nick Wadhams.
• Former Ranking Member of the House Intelligence Committee Jane Harman.
• Stonecourt Capital Partner Rick Davis and Third Way Senior Fellow Caitlin Legacki.
• Co-Host of Bloomberg Tech on Bloomberg TV Caroline Hyde.

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Vladimir Putin began talks at the Kremlin with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on the latest plans aimed at ending Russia’s war in Ukraine.

The Russian president, who was joined by his foreign-policy aide Yuri Ushakov and Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev, said in comments shown on state television that he was pleased to see the Americans. Witkoff praised Moscow as a “magnificent city” after Putin asked whether they’d been on a walk around the capital before the talks.

Bloomberg Washington Correspondents Joe Mathieu and Kailey Leinz deliver insight and analysis on the latest headlines from the White House and Capitol Hill, including conversations with influential lawmakers and key figures in politics and policy. On this edition, Joe speaks with:

• Center on Foreign Relations Senior Fellow Liana Fix.
• Stonecourt Capital Partner Rick Davis and Harvard Kennedy School's Ash Center Visiting Democracy Fellow Jeanne Sheehan Zaino.
• Republican Congressman Carlos Gimenez of Florida.
• Former Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler.

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