WASHINGTON AND WELCOME TO AMERICA DECIDES. 2023 IN WASHINGTON COULD BE SUMMARIZED AS MUCH AS BY WHAT DID NOT HAPPEN BUT BY WHAT DID THE YEAR BEGAN WITH GRIDLOCK ON CAPITOL HILL WHEN HOUSE REPUBLICANS TOOK 15 ROUNDS OF VOTING TO SELECT KEVIN McCARTHY AS THE SPEAKER AND FAST-FORWARD TO OCTOBER AND SOME IN HIS OWN PARTY TO AMOUNT. THE CONGRESS FAILED TO PASS A LONG-TERM GOVERNMENT FUNDING BILL, THEY MADE NO BIPARTISAN PROGRESS ON BORDER SECURITY AND DID NOT PASS NEW FUNDING FOR UKRAINE AND ISRAEL AT THE END OF THE YEAR. OUR SENIOR WHITE HOUSE AND POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT ED O'KEEFE JOINS US. WE CAN DO THIS NOW ON AMERICA DECIDES, WHAT SHOULD WE EXPECT FROM THE WHITE HOUSE IN 2024 BASED ON WHAT HAPPENED OVER THE PAST YEAR? >> Reporter: THEY WILL HAVE TO FINISH THE UNFINISHED BUSINESS. IT IS A REMINDER OF HOW ACUTE THE BORDER CRISIS HAS BECOME WITH ANOTHER 10,000 APPREHENDED YESTERDAY. NOW, A FEW BREWING -- VIEWED BREWING BETWEEN THE SPEAKER AND THE WHITE AS OVER WHAT THE PRESIDENT CAN AND SHOULD BE DOING ABOUT THE SITUATION, A REMINDER THAT ISSUE OF BORDER SECURITY AND IMMIGRATION POLICY SITS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BROADER DEBATE OVER HOW EXACTLY TO ENSURE FUNDING FOR THE ONGOING WARS IN UKRAINE AND ISRAEL AND OTHER ISSUES THE PRESIDENT HAS BEEN SEEKING TO DO . WITH CONGRESS COMING BACK IN EARLY JANUARY AND TALKS CONTINUING BETWEEN REPUBLICAN AND DEMOCRATIC SENATORS IN THE WHITE HOUSE ABOUT A POTENTIAL DEAL, THE SPEAKER THROWING DOWN THE GAUNTLET TODAY, SAYING THE PRESIDENT SHOULD KEEP THE REMAINING MEXICO PROGRAM WHICH FORCED MIGRANTS TO STAY IN THE COUNTRY WHILE RECEIVING ASYLUM IN THE U.S. AND QUICKLY BROUGHT UP THOSE NOT SEEKING ASYLUM AND HERE NOT LEGALLY TRYING TO SHUT DOWN THE BORDER THROUGH U.S. POLICY AND ENFORCED -- FORCE THE PRESIDENT TO DO THAT. THE SPEAKER SAYS THEY HAVE NOT DONE ENOUGH AND THAT IS INSULTING TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. >> TAKE OFFER WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT TAP AND REMEMBER WHEN WE WERE >> Reporter: ON CAPITOL HILL STUDYING THE LEADERSHIP IN BOTH CHAMBERS. PRESIDENT BIDEN HAS A CLOSE RELATIONSHIP WITH MITCH McCONNELL, BUT WHAT IS YOUR READ , WHAT IS YOUR ASSESSMENT ABOUT PRESIDENT BIDEN AND HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE NEW SPEAKER, MIKE JOHNSON, AND HOW THAT COULD PLAY OUT IN THIS UPCOMING YEAR? >> Reporter: IT IS ALMOST NONEXISTENT AS FAR AS WE CAN TELL. THEY HAVE MET ONE OTHER TIME BEFORE THE FORMAL CONVERSATION AFTER JOHNSON BECAME SPEAKER. THEY PROBABLY NEED TO GET TOGETHER AND BREAK BREAD OR HAVE A LONG MEETING. AND GET A SENSE OF EACH OTHER'S POLICY PRIORITIES AT A LITTLE MORE ABOUT THEMSELVES PERSONALLY. THE PROBLEM IS THEY DON'T WANT TO PUT THE PRESIDENT IN A ROOM WITH A GUY WHO MADE -- MAY OR MAY NOT BE SPEAKER BECAUSE THERE IS A THREAT, BECAUSE THIS IS A GUY WHO WANTS TO SUPPORT AN ONGOING INQUIRY INTO IMPEACHING HIM, AND SUPPORTED THE FORMER PRESIDENT AND HIS PUSH TO STAY IN HIS OFFICE EVEN THOUGH HE LOST THE ELECTION. THE WHITE HOUSE DOES NOT MIND THE DISTANCE IN SOME RESPECTS, BETWEEN THE WHITE HOUSE AND REPUBLICAN CONGRESSIONAL LEADERSHIP BECAUSE THEY CAN GO, AS WE GET CLOSER TO THE ELECTION, IT IS THEIR FAULT AND YOU SHOULD NOT BE LUMPING US IN WITH AN INACTIVE REPUBLICAN CONGRESS. FOR A PRESIDENT WHO HAS VALUED HIS RELATIONSHIPS WITH PEOPLE LIKE MITCH McCONNELL, YOU WOULD THINK HE WOULD WANT TO HAVE ONE WITH THE SPEAKER. WE ASKED TODAY, AND THEY SAID THERE IS NO PLAN FOR THEM TO MEET OR TO GET TOGETHER IN THE NEW YEAR AND HAS EVERYTHING OUT. >> IF THE PRESIDENT IS NOT GOING TO BE DIRECTLY ENGAGING VERY MUCH WITH THE NEW SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE, MIKE JOHNSON, WHO SHOULD BE WATCHING IN TERMS OF WHO COULD BE THE DEALMAKERS ON CAPITOL HILL WITH THIS ADMINISTRATION? WHO IN THE SENATE OR MAYBE EVEN IN THE HOUSE CAN CRAFT THE CONTOURS OF A DEAL ON IMMIGRATION, ON THE BORDER, ON UKRAINE FUNDING, ON ISRAEL, IF IT WILL NOT BE THE PRESIDENT AND THE SPEAKER, WHO WILL IT BE? >> Reporter: THE THREE MOST CRITICAL NEGOTIATORS ARE CHRIS MURPHY FROM CONNECTICUT, KYRSTEN SINEMA, AND JAMES LANGFORD, THE REPUBLICAN FROM OKLAHOMA. THEY HAVE TAKEN THE LEAD ON THAT PIECE THAT MOST OF THE SENATE BELIEVES, IF YOU CAN FIGURE THAT OUT, EVERYTHING ELSE IS GRAVY AND SHOULD MOVE QUICKLY. WHEN HE GOES TO THE HOUSE, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN. THE WHITE HOUSE DOES NOT KNOW, CONGRESSIONAL LEADERSHIP DOES NOT KNOW, AT LEAST SENATE LEADERSHIP DOES NOT KNOW HOW IT WOULD GO IN THE HOUSE. THAT IS THE BIG UNKNOWN GOING INTO NEXT YEAR, LET'S SAY THE SENATE PASSES SOMETHING QUICKLY , A LOOMING PARTIAL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN IN MID-JANUARY, WHAT HAPPENS WHEN IT GOES TO THE HOUSE, THAT REMAINS A MYSTERY BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW TO WHAT EXTENT SPEAKER JOHNSON HAS TRUE READ OR CONTROL OF HIS CONFERENCE. WE DON'T KNOW WHAT PARTS OF THE CONFERENCE MAY REVOLT AND OVER WHAT ASPECTS OF THE DEAL THEY MAY REVOLT OVER. >> SENATOR CHRIS MURPHY OF CONNECTICUT, THE DEMOCRAT, DOES HE HAVE THE FULL BLESSING OF THE WHITE HOUSE TO BE THE POINT MAN FOR DEMOCRATS OR IS HE A LONE RANGER? >> Reporter: HE SEEMS TO HAVE IT. THEY WOULD NOT HAVE THE HOMELAND SECURITY ON THE WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF ENGAGED IN THOSE ONGOING TALKS AND HELPING HIM AND THE OTHER NEGOTIATORS WITH THE DETAILS OF, IF WE DO THIS, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN IF THEY DID NOT TRUST HIM. HE ALSO HAS THE BACKING OF CHARLES SCHUMER. HE HAS DECIDED TO TAKE IT ON AND BELIEVES, WITH THE OTHER REPUBLICAN SENATORS, THEY CAN GET THINGS DONE. MURPHY IS SOMEBODY THE WHITE HOUSE HAS CONSULTED BEFORE AND HAS BIG CONCERNS ABOUT GUN CONTROL. THE PRESIDENT LIKES HIM AND HE KEEPS IN TOUCH WITH HIM. HE IS NEGOTIATING ON BEHALF OF THE WHITE HOUSE AND MOST OF THE DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS, PROGRESSIVES IN THE HOUSE, LATINO LAWMAKERS AND OTHER BORDER STATE DEMOCRATS HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT WHAT WILL BE NEGOTIATED. >> FASCINATING REPORTING FROM ED O'KEEFE, THE
