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Mitch McConnell has an unusual admonition for the new Republican majority as it takes over the Senate this week: Don’t be “scary.” The incoming Senate majority leader has set a political goal for the next two years of overseeing a functioning, reasonable majority on Capitol Hill that scores some measured conservative wins, particularly against environmental regulations, but probably not big victories such as a full repeal of the health-care law. McConnell’s priority is to set the stage for a potential GOP presidential victory in 2016. (Kane, 1/4)

Republican senators poised to lead major committees when the GOP takes charge are intent on pushing back many of President Barack Obama's policies, ... Tennessee's Lamar Alexander, 74, is a former education secretary under President George H.W. Bush, governor and president of the University of Tennessee. … He's called the health care law a "historic mistake" and supports repealing it. He's also said modernizing the National Institutes of Health and Food and Drug Administration is a necessity, and he is seeking to examine the FDA's process for drug and device review. (Ohlemacher and Cassata, 1/3)

Republicans can try to revise pieces of Obamacare, such as repealing a tax on medical devices that helps fund the law. Another proposal would let employers avoid providing health coverage to workers who put in less than 40 hours a week, up from the law’s 30-hour threshold. (Hunter, 1/5)

Repealing and replacing Obama's Affordable Care Act also is a top priority, though Republicans don't have the votes to overcome Obama's veto. They'll try to pick away at it with a piecemeal approach, including repeal of its medical device tax and so-called 40-hour rule. "We'll be voting on things I know he's not going to like," McConnell said. (Giroux, 1/4)

Republicans hope to strike early with measures that are known to have bipartisan support. The House is set to pass legislation this week expediting the Keystone XL pipeline; the Senate is making it the first order of business as well. The House will also take up a measure that would change the new health care law’s definition of full-time workers to those working 40 hours rather than the current 30 hours — another proposal that has drawn backing from Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate. (Hulse, 1/4)

As the new Congress convenes this week, Republicans in charge of both chambers have a challenging task: push through bills on some of the most contentious issues — health, energy and spending — without inflaming tensions on both the left and right that have in the past ground legislating to a halt. Republicans plan to start with narrowly focused legislation, such as approving a long-disputed pipeline project and adjusting the federal health law’s requirement that companies provide health insurance for employees who work as little as 30 hours a week. Bigger-ticket measures to reduce government spending and overhaul the tax code are expected to follow. (Hughes, 1/4)

Republicans have been vowing to repeal Obamacare for nearly five years. But 2015 could be the year that Republicans finally define how they would replace it. ... The GOP conversations so far are preliminary, and a breakthrough isn’t imminent. Various Republican proposals have been put forth over the years, but forging agreement requires bridging deep ideological differences among Republicans about the scope of a plan, the role and responsibility of the federal government in health care, and how much to money to spend. (Haberkorn, 1/3)

The new Republican-run Congress convenes Tuesday eager to pursue a dream the party’s been chasing for six years: Dilute, dismantle or defang key Obama administration policies on immigration, environment, health care and more. (Lightman, 1/2)

The battles in 2015 won’t all be about regulations. There will be plenty of fights in Congress and the courts, too. Obamacare faces more repeal votes with a Republican Senate, as well as a Supreme Court case that could knock out a central piece of the law — the subsidies to help people in most states buy health insurance. (Nather, 1/4)

Energy and Obamacare will dominate the first two weeks of Republican control of Capitol Hill. House Republicans will move next week on legislation to jump-start the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline and define a full workweek as being 40 hours for the purpose of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), according to a GOP leadership aide. (Sherman and Min Kim, 1/3)

Health insurance companies are gearing up for another fight with the Obama administration over payments to Medicare Advantage (MA), the private alternative to traditional Medicare. (Viebeck, 1/5)