Weekly Washington Policy Pulse: Venezuela, Congress Returns (Jan. 5, 2026)

Watch Joe and Kailey LIVE every day on YouTube: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF.President Donald Trump said he would move to ban institutional investors from buying single-family homes, part of a push to address housing affordability ahead of this year’s midterm elections.“People live in homes, not corporations,” Trump said in a social media post Wednesday announcing the effort, adding that he would expound on the plan at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, later this month.The news sent shares of homebuilders, including Toll Brothers Inc., Invitation Homes Inc., KB Home and PulteGroup Inc., down. Shares of Blackstone Inc. — a major investor in single-family homes in the US —fell by as much as 9.3%, though later pared some of those losses. 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, Bloomberg's Tyler Kendall is in for Kailey. Joe and Tyler speak with: Bloomberg Intelligence Senior Defense Research Analyst Wayne Sanders. Stonecourt Capital Partner Rick Davis and Harvard Kennedy School's Ash Center Visiting Democracy Fellow Jeanne Sheehan Zaino. Republican Congressman Bryan Steil of Wisconsin. Former Republican Congressman Patrick McHenry. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Watch Joe and Kailey LIVE every day on YouTube: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF.President Donald Trump asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio to lead the process to implement economic and political reforms in Venezuela and the US believes it is getting “full, complete and total” cooperation from the government in Caracas after the capture of Nicolas Maduro, White House senior adviser Stephen Miller said Monday.Trump requested Rubio “under the president’s close guidance and direction, to be the lead on this process,” Miller told reporters at the White House. The secretary of State will lead a team that includes officials working on energy, financial, and military policy, he added.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, Bloomberg's Tyler Kendall is in for Kailey. Joe and Tyler speak with: Former White House National Security Advisor John Bolton. Stonecourt Capital Partner Rick Davis and Harvard Kennedy School's Ash Center Visiting Democracy Fellow Jeanne Sheehan Zaino. Bloomberg Intelligence Senior US Policy Analyst Nathan Dean. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A discussion with Bloomberg Intelligence Senior Defense Analyst Wayne Sanders about how the US arrest of Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro is unlikely to alter US defense-spending for companies like Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics led Bloomberg Intelligence's Jan. 5 edition of the Washington Policy Pulse. Among the topics of discussion included the likelihood of extending enhanced Obamacare subsidies, the odds of a government shutdown and the timing for a Supreme Court decision on the legality of tariffs. We also discussed why odds of a crypto bill could decrease if Congress doesn't show much progress and how important it is for firms like Coinbase and Robinhood.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#/registrationSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Watch Joe and Kailey LIVE every day on YouTube: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF.US Energy Secretary Chris Wright plans to talk this week with oil-industry executives about reviving Venezuela’s energy sector following the capture of President Nicolás Maduro, according to people familiar with the matter. Wright will attend the Goldman Sachs Energy, Clean Tech & Utilities Conference in Miami this week that executives from Chevron Corp., ConocoPhillips and other companies are scheduled to attend. Chevron is the only oil supermajor still operating in Venezuela.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, Bloomberg's Tyler Kendall is in for Kailey. Joe and Tyler speak with: Bloomberg Senior National Security Reporter Myles Miller. Center for Strategic and International Studies Senior Associate Eric Farnsworth. Stonecourt Capital Partner Rick Davis and Harvard Kennedy School's Ash Center Visiting Democracy Fellow Jeanne Sheehan Zaino. Bloomberg TV Markets Correspondent Norah Mulinda. Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Heather Conley. Former Diplomat Leland Lazarus. Bloomberg Intelligence Senior Commodities Strategist Mike McGlone. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

President Donald Trump said the US would run Venezuela until a transition could be organized, hours after a US operation captured leader Nicolás Maduro, ousting the strongman from power after months of mounting military and economic pressure on his regime.“We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” Trump said Saturday at a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. “So we don’t want to be involved with having somebody else get in, and we have the same situation that we had for the last long period of years.”Trump said the US administration of Venezuela would include deploying US oil companies to the country, though indicated that his embargo “on all Venezuelan oil remains in full effect” and that US forces would stay on alert. Bloomberg's Joe Mathieu and Christina Ruffini speak with:  Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Illinois) Justin Logan, director of defense and foreign policy studies at the Cato Institute. Jeanne Sheehan Zaino, Democracy Visiting Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School's Ash Center and Bloomberg Politics Contributor & Lester Munson, Principal of the International Practice at BGR Group and Republican Strategist See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Watch Joe and Kailey LIVE every day on YouTube: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF.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. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he expects to meet with US President Donald Trump in Florida on Sunday in pursuit of a deal to end Russia’s nearly four-year invasion.Zelenskiy told reporters on Friday that he’d discuss sensitive issues with Trump including the future of the Donbas region in Ukraine’s east and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.The Ukrainian leader said he plans to refine Kyiv’s agreements with the US to the maximum extent possible, potentially as soon as Sunday’s discussions, while the comprehensive 20-point peace plan would then require input from Russia and Europe.For now, Ukraine has no direct communication with Moscow, Zelenskiy said, adding that his country’s framework deal with the US was “almost ready” and signing it would depend on the meeting with Trump.Zelenskiy said he’d like European leaders to be present online during his meetings with the US.Meanwhile, the US launched a Christmas Day military strike in Nigeria against Islamic State targets in a security and intelligence collaboration with the African nation’s government, which has been struggling to contain increasing levels of terrorist attacks in parts of the country.On this edition, Joe speaks with: Laura Davison, Bloomberg Washington Deputy Bureau Chief John Herbst, Senior Director of the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center and Fmr. US Ambassador to Ukraine and Uzbekistan Jane Harman, former US Representative (D-CA) and former Ranking Member on the House Intelligence Committee Erik Larson, Bloomberg News legal reporter Rick Davis, Partner at Stonecourt Capital and Bloomberg Politics Contributor & Doug Farrar, Fmr. Director for the Office of Public Affairs and Democratic Strategist  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Watch Joe and Kailey LIVE every day on YouTube: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF.The Justice Department’s long-awaited rollout of the Jeffrey Epstein files has been a chaotic spectacle that, so far, has largely turned the spotlight back to his previously known associates, including President Donald Trump and former President Bill Clinton, while fueling frustrations.As of Tuesday evening in Washington, the DOJ had released thousands of pages of heavily redacted records and photos — mostly in two batches several days apart — stemming from investigations of the convicted sex offender. On Wednesday, it said prosecutors in New York identified 1 million more documents potentially related to the probe and that processing the material “may take a few more weeks.”Already, there have been technical snafus, and reversals on whether to keep certain pages public. Internet sleuths quickly found ways to see through some blacked-out passages.On this edition, Joe speaks with: Erik Larson, Bloomberg News legal reporter James Zirin, Former Assistant US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Lisa Camooso Miller, Senior Vice President at ROKK Solutions, Former RNC Spokesperson and Republican Strategist & Jeanne Sheehan Zaino, Democracy Visiting Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School's Ash Center and Bloomberg Politics Contributor Frank Luntz, Politics and Communications Consultant, Pollster/CEO of FIL Inc on the growing partisan divide Denver Riggleman, Former-Republican Congressman from Virginia, United States Air Force Intelligence Officer (Ret.), CEO of RIIG See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Watch Joe and Kailey LIVE every day on YouTube: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF.The US Justice Department released another tranche of files related to Jeffrey Epstein, including some that add fresh pressure on President Donald Trump over his past relationship with the late, disgraced financier.The trove includes thousands of additional pages of material related to investigations of Epstein, including a 2020 email from a prosecutor that contains new detail about Trump’s trips on Epstein’s private jet in the 1990s, which the president has said never took place. There are also fresh details on Epstein’s relationships with financial firms and figures.Epstein has long been a political challenge for Trump. The two were once friends, but Trump maintains that he cut ties with him around two decades ago and was not aware of Epstein’s offenses.On this edition, Joe speaks with: Laura Davison, Bloomberg Washington Deputy Bureau Chief Congresswoman Becca Balint, Democrat representing Vermont's At Large District Rick Davis, Partner at Stonecourt Capital and Bloomberg Politics Contributor & Jeanne Sheehan Zaino, Democracy Visiting Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School's Ash Center and Bloomberg Politics Contributor Ned Lamont, Governor of Connecticut See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Watch Joe and Kailey LIVE every day on YouTube: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF.The US Coast Guard’s pursuit of a third oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela has intensified a blockade that the Trump administration hopes will cut off a vital economic lifeline and isolate the government of President Nicolás Maduro.US forces chased the US-sanctioned Bella 1 on Sunday as it was en route to Venezuela. They boarded Centuries, a ship owned by a Hong Kong-based entity, on Saturday — the first non-sanctioned vessel to be targeted. Another very large crude carrier, the Skipper, was intercepted on Dec. 10.The moves on three separate vessels represent the most concerted attempt to date to sever the financial links sustaining a government that Washington says is led by a drug-trafficking cartel, and one that it has also recently designated as a foreign terrorist organization. Maduro has so far withstood the onslaught, but the blockade is beginning to limit hard currency and to hurt an already battered economy.On this edition, Joe speaks with: Nick Wadhams, Bloomberg US National Security Team Lead Nathan Dean, Bloomberg Intelligence Senior US Policy Analyst to preview Congress for 2026 Joseph Majkut, Director of the Energy Security and Climate Change Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies Jeanne Sheehan Zaino, Democracy Visiting Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School's Ash Center and Bloomberg Politics Contributor & Greta Joynes, Policy Director at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck and Republican Strategist on the latest fallout from the release of the Epstein files See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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. Sarah Krissoff Partner at Cozen O'Connor, and Former-Federal Prosecutor with the Southern District of New York Jeanne Sheehan Zaino, Democracy Visiting Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School's Ash Center and Bloomberg Politics Contributor & Lisa Camooso Miller, Senior Vice President at ROKK Solutions, Former RNC Spokesperson and Republican Strategist Norah Mulinda, Bloomberg Television Markets Correspondent See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.