It’s only been a few weeks since the 119th Congress convened and the second Trump administration began, but from a flurry of executive orders to unusual foreign policy suggestions, President Donald Trump has begun his second term with a whirlwind of activity.

To help you cut through the noise and understand the major trends, FiscalNote and CQ Roll Call recently hosted a webinar to explore what’s happened so far and what could come next. 

Moderated by CQ and Roll Call’s health policy editor Jessica Wehrman, the panelists dug into the policy implications of Trump’s recent actions, how they intersect with Congress, and what you can expect before Trump’s first 100 days are over.

Contributing their expertise were John Bennett, editor at large at CQ and Roll Call, and Paul Krawzak, senior writer on budget, appropriations, and tax at CQ and Roll Call. 

Here are some of the key takeaways they shared.

A Confident Administration and a Litigious Opposition

The panelists said Trump has been moving so quickly because he now has a better idea of how Washington works and what he wants to do while in office than he did during his first term. 

“This is a more confident president. Less bluster — still some bluster — but a more confident, assured, experienced, knowledgeable president,” Krawzak said.

But that confidence has resulted in many of his executive orders drawing criticism and lawsuits. Bennett expects more to come. 

“It’s going to be litigation, litigation, litigation for four years, and that’s really Democrats’ only play,” he said.

With a minority in both chambers of Congress, there’s little Democrats can do to block Trump’s agenda. So far, there have been few congressional Republicans willing to vote or speak against Trump’s actions.

“It’s interesting that Republicans, especially institutionalists who have been in Congress for a long time, aren’t pushing back harder and saying, ‘Wait, Mr. President, that’s our power. It’s right there in the Constitution,’” Bennett said. “Instead, they seem to be going along with this, and all Democrats can do is, frankly, sue the president.”

Through lawsuits, Krawzak expects to see judicial rulings with far-ranging impacts, especially regarding the president’s power to refuse to fund programs authorized by Congress.

“What Trump aides say, and what Trump now believes, is that at least in some cases, the president does not have to spend the full amount of appropriated money,” Krawzak said. “I think this is a foreshadowing of further actions, which no doubt will be headed to court.”

Congressional Spending Bills Could Raise Conflicts

Spending-related lawsuits are far from the only budgetary concerns the second Trump administration is expected to face. During his first 100 days, Congress will face key spending deadlines, and how those play out could set the tone for Trump’s second administration’s first year.  

First up is the budget reconciliation package that, at the time of writing, congressional GOP leaders are trying to strike a deal on. 

“The House wants one big reconciliation bill which would have more money for the border, for defense, energy provisions, and extending the 2017 tax cuts and maybe additional tax cuts beyond that,” Krawzak said.“The problem in the House is that they have been unable to get enough Republicans on board with the one-bill plan. And the reason for that primarily is, you have conservatives in the House who say that more deficit reduction is needed.”

Making things even more complicated, Krawzak explained that the Senate wants two bills instead, with one focused on tax cuts. 

Bennett predicted that Trump may have to step in and tell Republicans whether to do one bill or two — and that if they fail to deliver what he wants, “that opens up a whole Pandora’s box for the rest of the year that might put the speakership in jeopardy.”

In addition to budget reconciliation, Congress must also pass appropriations for fiscal year 2025. Congress was unable to pass an appropriations bill last session and instead passed a continuing resolution that keeps federal spending at last year’s levels until March 14. Krawzak said appropriations will likely become contentious again as that deadline approaches.

“House Republican leaders have started talking about the idea of a stopgap that goes until the end of the year, rather than an omnibus,” he said. A shutdown is also possible.  

Even if an appropriations bill does get passed, the conflict between appropriations and the administration’s actions remains. 

“If the administration can just delay or cancel funding unilaterally, then that undermines the appropriations process because when we reach an appropriations agreement and it becomes law, we won’t know if the president is actually going to follow that agreement,” Krawzak said.

How to Understand Trump’s Foreign Policy Goals

There have been many foreign policy proposals in Trump’s first few weeks in office, from buying Greenland to redeveloping Palestine. Asked whether to take these proposals seriously, Bennett said many of Trump’s stated goals are likely negotiating tools.

“When you talk to folks over at the White House they’ll kind of roll their eyes [and say] that the boss is negotiating. This is how Donald Trump negotiates,” Bennett said. “He got [the foreign power’s] attention, and now they’re going to start talking seriously.”

However, that doesn’t mean his ideas should be written off entirely. 

“We have to take the president seriously. Now, that doesn’t mean everything is literal. But if he says he wants to own Gaza, I think we have to take him seriously,” Bennett said. 

The specifics of his proposals may not pan out, he said, but his intentions may be as grandiose as he claims.

Be Agile and Watch for Patterns

Part of Trump’s strategy has long been to “flood the zone” with news and create an environment of chaos. Bennett said that out of the chaos, patterns of behavior will emerge to those who watch policy developments closely.

“Be ready for everything,” Bennett advised. “This is a time for you and your staff to be as agile as possible, and you can get a read of where he might be going. It might take a month or three or six, but it’s doable. I always tell people to take a breath and don’t freak out at everything he says. There are definite patterns on where he’s going with things.”