Congress: The Senate & The House

[phkrause]

U.S. House GOP bars earmarks for certain non-profits, after controversy over LGBTQ projects

WASHINGTON — U.S. House lawmakers will no longer be able to request earmarked funding for some nonprofits under a change in eligibility made by the Republican chairman of the Appropriations Committee on Thursday.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2024/04/26/u-s-house-gop-bars-earmarks-for-certain-non-profits-after-controversy-over-lgbtq-projects/?

[phkrause]

GOP Reps Slam MTG’s Mutiny—but Mike Johnson Still Faces Gangplank

There’s exhaustion and anger in the GOP over Rep. Greene’s push to oust Speaker Mike Johnson, but the conditions for a revolt are slowly coming into place.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/gop-reps-slam-mtgs-mutinybut-mike-johnson-still-faces-gangplank?

[phkrause]

Congress threatens court

The International Criminal Court is being warned by members of Congress in both parties that arrest warrants for senior Israeli officials will be met with U.S. retaliation, Axios' Andrew Solender has learned.

Why it matters: The ICC has been investigating allegations of war crimes against both the Israeli military and Palestinian militia groups dating back to 2014.

• Staunchly pro-Israel Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) and Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) have criticized reports of the ICC preparing arrest warrants over the war in Gaza, with Torres calling for "strong consequences from both Congress and the president."
• House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) called for the Biden administration to "immediately and unequivocally demand that the ICC stand down" and "use every available tool to prevent such an abomination."

⚡️ House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Michael McCaul (R-Texas) told Axios he expects a House version of Sen. Tom Cotton's (R-Ark.) 2023 bill to sanction ICC officials involved in investigating the U.S. and its allies, but added: "We hope it doesn't come to that."

• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said to be one of the warrant targets, has gone as far as to urge President Biden to intervene to help prevent such an ICC action, Axios' Barak Ravid reported this afternoon.

The bottom line: Several Democratic lawmakers who have been critical of Israel said they believe it's premature to weigh in on the potential warrants before they are unveiled.

• An ICC spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Read more

[phkrause]

Senators swarm Lake

Republicans hoping to be the next Senate GOP leader are seeking favor with Arizona GOP candidate Kari Lake to boost their MAGA credentials, which is paying dividends for her campaign, Axios' Stephen Neukam has learned.

Why it matters: Lake has emerged as a key proxy for former President Trump, and the two men currently vying to next lead Senate Republicans have checkered records with him and his allies.

• Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas), both running to be the next GOP leader, have each raised six figures in cash for the Lake campaign, a source familiar told Axios.
• Cornyn has raised nearly $275,000 for Lake, according to a source familiar.

Thune and Cornyn endorsed Lake in the week after Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) announced he would not seek the position again.

• Thune traveled to Arizona to campaign with Lake last Friday. The pair also hosted a press conference together.

The big picture: Lake hardened her position as a top Trump ally after pushing the theory the 2020 presidential election was stolen from the former president.

• But a Washington Post report states Trump has grown increasingly worried Lake will lose Arizona and harm his own performance in the state.
• A person close to Lake told Axios the two have a "strong relationship."

Read more

[phkrause]

AP Decision Notes: What to expect in New York’s special congressional election

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans’ majority could tighten by another vote after Tuesday’s special congressional election in Buffalo — at least, temporarily.

https://apnews.com/article/election-congress-new-york-house-special-b88c8173903495f01035a0ec934f6f83?

[phkrause]

🏛️ Threat to speaker fizzles

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (left) speaks with Speaker Mike Johnson yesterday during a memorial ceremony for the late Army Col. Ralph Pucket, who had been the last living Korean War Medal of Honor recipient. Photo: J. Scott Applewhite/AP

A sizable number of GOP lawmakers now doubt Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) can follow through on her effort to unseat Speaker Mike Johnson, Axios' Juliegrace Brufke reports. Why it matters: Greene told reporters members would hear from constituents back home who backed her motion to vacate. Instead, it lost momentum after members went home for recess. Keep reading. 🍳 "Breakfast Club" plots Senate changes   Illustration: Tiffany Herring/Axios   A half-dozen conservative senators known as the "Breakfast Club" are banding together to try to influence the race for Senate's GOP leader — and how the chamber would run with a Republican majority, Axios' Stef W. Kight reports. Why it matters: The GOP is favored to win control of the chamber in November. Republican senators who soured on departing Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's tight-grip style are some of the biggest wild cards in the leadership race. The Breakfast Club is an unofficial group. But it's as close as the Senate gets to the House Freedom Caucus, a persistent thorn in the side of GOP leadership. The Senate group, which meets one morning each week, includes Republican Sens. Rick Scott (Fla.), Ted Cruz (Texas), Ron Johnson (Wis.), Mike Lee (Utah), Mike Braun (Ind.) and Rand Paul (Ky.). Keep reading.

[phkrause]

House Dems seize control

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's fizzling motion to vacate push is dead in the water, thanks to Democratic leaders saying today they'll block her ouster attempt against House Speaker Mike Johnson.

Why it matters: GOP hardliners have lost their grip on the House, at least for the rest of the year.

• But instead of Republican leadership taking back that power, it's now in the hands of House Democrats until after the election.
• "[T]he time has come to turn the page on this chapter of Pro-Putin Republican obstruction," said a joint statement by Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) and caucus chair Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.).
• Greene (R-Ga.) signaled today she'll still force a vote on the motion to vacate, but the odds of Johnson (R-La.) losing his job are now exceedingly low.

Zoom in: The Democratic statement followed a closed-door House caucus meeting this morning in which many members argued to be the "adults in the room," five sources present for the discussion told Axios' Andrew Solender.

• The discussion centered on a procedural note: It would be a vote to "table," or kill, Greene's measure, rather than a direct vote on ousting Johnson.
• Concerns were raised about Johnson's conservative record on abortion, LGBTQ+ rights and the 2020 election, sources said.
• But most members came down on the side of saving him.

Zoom out: We've written before about the historic ways House Republicans have surrendered their power this Congress. That is unchanged.

• Big legislation, even of the must-pass variety, won't happen without Democratic votes.
• Messaging bills, at least those that hurt frontline Democrats, won't happen during this intra-GOP fight.
• Good luck to House Republicans on trying to jam Democrats on spending bills. The odds of a stopgap bill on appropriations — instead of a new budget — rose after today's news.

The bottom line: "There was certainly a strong feeling that, look, do we want more chaos? Absolutely not," one House Democrat told Axios.

• The lawmaker said some members would be "personally hard-pressed" to vote to rescue Johnson, but "in the end, I think enough people will vote to table it because we want government to function."

[phkrause]

Democrats say they will save Speaker Mike Johnson’s job if Republicans try to oust him

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Democrats will vote to save Republican Speaker Mike Johnson’s job should some of his fellow Republican lawmakers seek to remove him from the position, Democratic leaders said Tuesday, likely assuring for now that Johnson will avoid being ousted from office like his predecessor, former Rep. Kevin McCarthy.

https://apnews.com/article/speaker-mike-johnson-marjorie-taylor-greene-motion-to-vacate-552169f3e831ab8fb3baacfdf76c2d82?

[phkrause]

MTG's mystery move

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is hosting a press conference tomorrow morning after weeks of unfulfilled threats to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson.

• March 22: Greene filed a motion to vacate that she threatened to advance if Johnson introduced Ukraine aid.
• April 16: Said Johnson's speakership was "over" and he should resign or face a vote.
• April 20: Johnson passed Ukraine aid without motion to vacate, and Greene said she'd wait for the base to react.
• April 30: Greene said she'll relish a vote after Democrats publicly declared they'll protect Johnson from her ouster attempt.

[phkrause]

House Republicans launch an investigation into federal funding for universities amid campus protests The investigation, announced Tuesday, places another pressure point on campus administrators who are struggling to manage pro-Palestinian encampments, allegations of discrimination against Jewish students and questions of how they are integrating free speech and campus safety. Read more.

Why this matters: The House investigation will follow several recent high-profile hearings that precipitated the resignations of presidents at Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania. And House Republicans promised more scrutiny, saying they were calling on the administrators of Yale, UCLA and the University of Michigan to testify next month.   Republicans are turning to the issue at a time when election season is fully underway and leadership needs a cause that unites them and divides Democrats. The House GOP’s impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden has fallen flat and the Republican conference is smarting after a series of important bills left GOP lawmakers deeply divided. Democrats, meanwhile, have feuded internally over the Israel-Hamas war and how campus administrators have handled the protests.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Police clear pro-Palestinian protesters from Columbia University while clashes break out at UCLA   Trump’s comparison of student protests to Jan. 6 is part of an effort to downplay the Capitol attack   Student protesters reach a deal with Northwestern University that sparks criticism from all sides

[phkrause]

Headache for Senate leaders

Reauthorizing the Federal Aviation Administration has become a headache for Senate leadership, with a deadline coming next week.

Why it matters: This will be one of the last must-pass bills for the Senate before November's elections, and one leadership aide described it as the last train leaving the station.

• Senators are lining up to push for their amendments, with requests already in the double digits. Some are relevant to the aviation bill at hand, and others not at all.

Zoom in: The most controversial part of the underlying bill would add five new flight slots to the D.C.-area Ronald Reagan National Airport.

• Local Sens. Mark Warner (D-Va.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Ben Cardin (D-Md.) filed an amendment to strip out the added flights, a Democratic aide told Axios.

Zoom out: Senate leadership is divided over whether to allow amendments that do not pertain to the bill, fearing they'd complicate speedy passage through the House.

• Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) is threatening to hold up the process if he doesn't get a vote on his legislation to compensate victims of nuclear waste exposure.
• Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) want to include their Kids Online Safety Act.
• There has also been a push to include crypto legislation that would regulate stablecoins.

The bottom line: "There are lots of people who have different amendments not relevant to the FAA that want to get them on," Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told reporters today.

• "I'm one of those, but we have to get this done in a bipartisan way."
• Schumer wanted to tack on a bill that would give legal marijuana businesses more access to financial institutions — which he has said was blocked by Republicans.

[phkrause]

Anti-Johnson caucus presser

Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

At a press conference this morning, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) promised to move forward on her motion to vacate against Speaker Mike Johnson. Democrats laugh off Greene's plan to force Johnson ouster vote House Democrats met Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's (R-Ga.) plan to force a vote on ousting Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) with dismissal and derision. https://www.axios.com/2024/05/01/democrats-greene-vote-mike-johnson-ouster?

[phkrause]

Mike Johnson's short game

After inheriting an impossible situation in October, Mike Johnson has proved better at this than many expected.

Why it matters: The House speaker has found ways to turn his tiny majority into an escape hatch, repeatedly reminding everyone that he — and only he — stands in the way of chaos that could sink the GOP's chances in November.

• "I'm the most conservative member who has ever held the gavel as speaker, but the reality of our numbers [is] our challenge," Johnson told Axios in an interview today.
• "Some of my colleagues want us to throw Hail Mary passes on every play."

In just the last few weeks, Johnson has shown us the playbook that will help him avoid ouster when Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) calls a motion to vacate next week.

• Johnson attached himself to former President Trump's hip — with a joint press conference on elections last month. He will also speak at Mar-a-Lago fundraisers this weekend.
• He called Greene's bluff by plowing ahead on Ukraine and framing it in nonpartisan terms that allowed Democrats to have his back.
• Johnson seized on the college protests to unify his caucus without alienating too many House Democrats.
• And Johnson marginalized his loudest critics, rather than elevating their status with public repercussions.

Johnson's specific target is Greene, who insists she isn't defying Trump despite the former president saying he stands by the speaker.

• "I'm not sure what goes into Marjorie's analysis," Johnson told Axios.
• "Bless her heart," Johnson told NewsNation about Greene.
• Johnson called next week's vote an "unhelpful distraction" when his party is working to combat antisemitism and seeking to build their majority in November.

The bottom line: Johnson's low-key strategy could come back to bite him.

• His decision to not push for a rules change on the motion to vacate — perhaps because it might have come with Democratic preconditions — leaves him vulnerable to ouster through Election Day.

[phkrause]

House Dems tire of being "cheap dates"

By Andrew Solender

Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios

On the other side of the chamber, House Democrats are cautioning their patience for saving Johnson's job is not limitless — and, for some, it's already starting to wear thin. Why it matters: Even as Democrats coalesced around saving Johnson at a closed-door meeting Tuesday, Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) argued they shouldn't be "cheap dates" going forward, multiple sources told Axios. "There's definitely growing pressure to use the leverage we obviously have. ... People want to make sure that we're not going to be a cheap date," Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) reiterated Wednesday. "I think that if we're going to save a speaker, we should get something for it," said Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.). The other side: Some moderate and swing-district Democrats want to keep giving Johnson breathing room and disempowering his rebellious right flank. "We're going take one day at a time, but, at this point, those of us who are adults in the room are going to step forward and help run the country," Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) told Axios. Rep. Greg Landsman (D-Ohio) said saving Johnson on the motion to vacate is "the right decision so that we can continue to govern."

[phkrause]

Senate Republicans lower expectations

Senate Republicans have narrowed in on four states they see as their key to the majority: Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland.

• "51 is what we're focused on," NRSC Chair Steve Daines (R-Mont.) told reporters today.

Why it matters: Getting to 51 would mean winning just one of eight competitive Senate races this year, thanks to Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin's retirement in West Virginia.

• Minority Leader Mitch McConnell expressed less optimism about winning a seat in the battleground state of Arizona, where Trump ally Kari Lake is running against Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.).
• "You've got a quality candidate we think in Wisconsin, a quality candidate in Nevada who's got a tough primary apparently. And who knows about Arizona," McConnell told Politico.

Read more

[phkrause]

Hakeem Jeffries isn’t speaker yet, but the Democrat may be the most powerful person in Congress In the House, the minority leader is often seen as the speaker-in-waiting. But in Rep. Hakeem Jeffries’ case, the position has come with enormous power, filling the political void left by Speaker Mike Johnson, who commands a thread-thin Republican majority and is constantly under threat from far-right provocateurs. Read more.

Why this matters: It was Jeffries who provided the votes needed to keep the government running despite opposition from House Republicans to prevent a federal shutdown.   Last month, when Johnson faced an all-out hard-right Republican revolt over the Ukraine aid, Jeffries again stepped in, ensuring Democrats had more votes than Republicans to see it to passage, all while Republicans are beset by infighting and chaos.   And this week it was again Jeffries who, with the full force of House Democratic leadership behind him, decided his party would help Johnson stay on the job rather than be ousted by far-right Republicans led by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene vows to force a vote next week on ousting House Speaker Mike Johnson   A former Naval officer will challenge Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz in upcoming GOP primary

[phkrause]

Doctors plead with Congress to help improve U.S. maternal mortality rates

WASHINGTON — Doctors on Thursday urged Congress to pass legislation addressing the disproportionately high rates of maternal mortality throughout the country and to lower barriers that have hindered people of color from becoming medical professionals.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2024/05/02/doctors-plead-with-congress-to-help-improve-u-s-maternal-mortality-rates/?

U.S. Senate Dems launch renewed push for full marijuana legalization

Leading U.S. Senate Democrats reintroduced a bill Wednesday to remove marijuana from the list of federal controlled substances, following the Biden administration’s move a day earlier to significantly ease regulations on the drug.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2024/05/02/u-s-senate-dems-launch-renewed-push-for-full-marijuana-legalization/?

UnitedHealth CEO savaged for failings in massive cyberattack that’s crippled health care

WASHINGTON — Capitol Hill lawmakers from both parties on Wednesday grilled UnitedHealth Group’s CEO over the largest-ever cyberattack on the U.S. health care industry, which has crippled payments to providers and pharmacies and left millions of patients clueless about whether their information is now on the dark web.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2024/05/02/unitedhealth-ceo-savaged-for-failings-in-massive-cyberattack-thats-crippled-health-care/?

U.S. House splits on GOP-led Alaska and mining industry bills aimed at Biden agenda

The U.S. House passed a bill Wednesday to counter an Interior Department order canceling oil and gas leases in a section of Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, taking aim at the Biden administration’s conservation agenda that Republicans say weighs environmental concerns too heavily at the expense of economic opportunity.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2024/05/02/u-s-house-splits-on-gop-led-alaska-and-mining-industry-bills-aimed-at-biden-agenda/?

[phkrause]

Democratic US Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas and his wife are indicted over ties to Azerbaijan

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas and his wife were indicted on conspiracy and bribery charges and taken into custody Friday in connection with a U.S. Department of Justice probe into the couple’s ties to the former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan.

https://apnews.com/article/henry-cuellar-texas-azerbaijan-ddb1dea393ba88d8d823557ec6c0d93a?

ps:another corrupt Democrat!!!

[phkrause]

Mike Johnson signals House power play in 2025

Ahead of a potential motion to vacate vote this week, Speaker Mike Johnson is tipping his hand for how he or a successor should rebuild the power of the House speakership.

https://www.axios.com/2024/05/06/mike-johnson-house-rules-republicans-congress-2025?

[phkrause]

Johnson's two-hour meeting with MTG

Speaker Mike Johnson thinks he can "get everyone on the same page" after a lengthy meeting today with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.).

Why it matters: Greene promised to launch a leadership challenge this week. But she's facing a pressure campaign from her own party, including former President Trump.

• The two will meet again tomorrow, Johnson told reporters after the meeting.

The bottom line: No motion to vacate vote tonight.

[phkrause]

House Republicans are ready to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt over Biden audio

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans plan to move forward next week with holding Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for his refusal to turn over the unredacted audio of an interview that was conducted as part of the special counsel probe into President Joe Biden’s handling of classified documents.

https://apnews.com/article/biden-classified-documents-congress-garland-contempt-7db112d63dd1e8159593c32981caa85d?

[phkrause]

🏛️ Dems' breaking point on Israel

Palestinians in Rafah carry their belongings as they leave following an evacuation order by the Israeli military yesterday. Photo: AFP via Getty Images Democrats in Congress are furious as Israel moves into the southern Gazan city of Rafah after they and President Biden spent months trying to prevent such an operation, Axios' Andrew Solender reports. Why it matters: A full-scale invasion could be a sea-change moment for Democrats on Israel and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with whom relations have become increasingly strained. A House Democrat who has pushed for Biden to condition military aid to Israel said the Rafah assault "has the potential of making our case for us."

[phkrause]

Johnson's exit ramp

After 3+ hours of closed-door meetings, Speaker Mike Johnson and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene are locked in a stalemate that may be to each others' liking.

Why it matters: Most everyone involved has a strong interest in Greene's threat to file a motion to oust Johnson from the speakership ending without a climax.

• Johnson wants to avoid a vote. Keeping his job with Democratic votes could be a one-way ticket to a one-term speakership.
• Greene wants to avoid losing. She's two weeks past her first red line on ousting Johnson and showing no sign of forcing the vote she promised this week.
• Democrats want to avoid McCarthy 2.0. They're wary of the promise to save Johnson if he'll turn around and shove party-line votes and messaging bills in their faces.

Zoom in: Johnson (R-La.) says he's not negotiating anything, but his meetings with Greene (R-Ga.) and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) would be zero-stakes without the ouster campaign.

• Greene says she doesn't have demands, but she also has a list of what she wants — spending cuts, defunding Trump special counsels, promises of no more Ukraine aid — to make the campaign stop.
• Johnson is in no rush: "We're going to process these ideas just like we do all ideas. ... I'm doing my job, and part of the job is taking suggestions," he said.
• One House Republican predicted Johnson won't give Greene any concessions, telling Axios' Andrew Solender he's "just trying to give her an exit ramp."

The bottom line: Greene could always push for a doomed vote, but the conditions are ripe for this deadlock to linger.

[phkrause]

House vs. MTG

By Juliegrace Brufke and Justin Green

Screenshot: C-SPAN After all that noise, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene didn't even get a proper vote. Why it matters: Greene chose a climatic confrontation today by calling a motion to vacate against Speaker Mike Johnson and was almost instantly blocked by an overwhelming 359-43 procedural motion. Just 10 Republicans took her side. The gavel was repeatedly banged to restore order as members booed Greene (R-Ga.) during her speech. Many of those boos came from her fellow Republicans. Between the lines: Greene's team didn't give Johnson (R-La.) a heads-up about calling a vote, a source familiar told Axios. The two spent hours in closed-door meetings this week, without resolution. Zoom in: By far the longest part of the process was Greene reading her resolution, and the clerk reading it into the record. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) unsuccessfully tried to call for unanimous consent to save the chamber from hearing the same speech twice. Zoom in: Greene will say the result proves her point — that Republicans don't really have a majority that wants to fight for GOP legislation. "I'm proud of myself because I'm doing everything I promised my district," Greene told reporters. But the biggest obstacle to Republicans fighting for party-line legislation has been the voluntary surrender of power from GOP leadership to their backbenchers. After the vote, Johnson defended his conservative credentials. "Hopefully this is the end of the personality politics and the character assassination that has defined 118th — it's regrettable," he told reporters.

[phkrause]

House rejects Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s effort to remove Speaker Mike Johnson from office Hard-line Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene tried and failed in sudden action Wednesday to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson, her long-shot effort swiftly and resoundingly rejected by Democrats and Republicans tired of the political chaos. Read more.

Why this matters: An overwhelming majority, 359-43, kept Johnson in his job, for now. The tally shows the strengths but also the stark limits of Johnson’s hold on the gavel, and the risks ahead for any Republican trying to lead the GOP in the Trump era. Without Democratic help, Johnson would have certainly faced a more dismal outcome.   It’s the second time in a matter of months that Republicans have worked to oust their own speaker, an unheard-of level of party turmoil and a move rarely seen in U.S. history. 11 Republicans voted to proceed with Greene’s effort, more than it took to oust then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy last fall. And the threat still lingers.   The move now poses its own political risks for Greene. Greene's determination to force colleagues to be on the record with their votes puts them in the politically uncomfortable position of backing the speaker and views them as joining forces with Democrats to save him. Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., called for Greene and ally Rep. Thomas Massie to be punished for their actions.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ WATCH: House shuts down Rep. Greene's effort to oust Speaker Johnson   Pete McCloskey, GOP congressman who once challenged Nixon, dies at 96   Barron Trump, 18, to make political debut as Florida delegate to the Republican convention