Congress: The Senate & The House

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The ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ contains an ugly favor for Florida’s sugar industry

Big boost in subsidy for the polluters from Big Sugar will make the cost go even higher for consumers already battered by high prices.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/06/05/the-one-big-beautiful-bill-contains-an-ugly-favor-for-floridas-sugar-industry/?

Senate GOP eyes Medicare cuts with Trump's blessing

President Trump gave Republican senators a green light to explore ways to save money on Medicare during a meeting at the White House, senators said Thursday.

https://www.axios.com/2025/06/05/senate-republicans-medicare-trump-budget?

ps:Of course he did!!!!!!!

House budget bill would kick 15 million people off health insurance and damage local economies

House Republicans wanted to find a way to defray the cost of the tax cuts they passed for the richest households in the country. They chose to slash programs helping some of the most vulnerable families—including Medicaid and subsidies that let people buy health insurance through the Affordable Care Act (ACA). This direct transfer of income from vulnerable families to the richest can be summarized in a striking symmetry: If the bill becomes law, the annual cuts to Medicaid would average over $70 billion in coming years—the same amount millionaires and billionaires would gain in tax cuts each year.

https://www.epi.org/blog/house-budget-bill-would-kick-15-million-people-off-health-insurance-and-damage-local-economies/?

ps:Lets just give these millionaires and billionaires there tax breaks and to hell with the rest of the working class people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The upside-down priorities of the House budget

As economists who have devoted our careers to researching how economies can grow and how the benefits of this growth can be translated into broadly shared prosperity and security, we have grave concerns about the budget reconciliation bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on May 22, 2025.

https://www.epi.org/publication/the-upside-down-priorities-of-the-house-budget/?

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☢️ Musk's new exile

For Democrats in both chambers, Elon Musk will remain persona non grata, even if they were cheering him on during his slugfest with President Trump.

Why it matters: Musk is learning that he's a man without a party if he can't resolve his MAGA feud.

• He has bags of cash that some Democrats are eyeing, but he has even more political baggage — from his opposition to trans rights to his heavy focus on white South African farmers.

☢️ That makes him radioactive in Democratic primaries, and his companies are risking the same fate.

• Democratic candidates in New Jersey, Michigan, Illinois and Minnesota are facing questions about donations from Musk's SpaceX and its lobbyists.
• Many of the Democrats say their campaigns have donated away the contributions to wash their hands of the Musk connection.

? Musk won't get a lifeline from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who said Trump "might not be the president of the United States ... without the hundreds of millions [Musk] spent."

• House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), asked about some Democrats saying the party should embrace Musk, told us: "I have not heard that."

⚠️ Zoom in: Even Democrats who previously expressed some affinity for Musk said their party should keep him at arm's length.

• Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) said Democrats should "engage in every asset we have as a check on Donald Trump" but said Musk "has to be held accountable" for his work at DOGE.
• "His decimation of the federal government was an unforgivable sin," Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) said, adding that Musk is also "so erratic and so mercurial as to be unreliable, just like Donald Trump."

The disdain extends deep into the Democratic ranks:

• "Personally, I don't associate myself with someone who does Nazi salutes in public," said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).
• "He's a lunatic," Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) told us about Musk. "We'll agree with him on some of the things he's saying, but embracing him is pretty out of the question."

A Musk spokesman did not respond to a request for comment.

Go deeper

— Andrew Solender, Stephen Neukam and Hans Nichols

?Two advocacy groups are launching a $5 million advertising campaign urging vulnerable Republican senators to oppose the GOP's "big, beautiful bill." Go deeper.

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Republicans in Congress axed the ‘green new scam,’ but it’s a red state boon

WASHINGTON —  Clean energy manufacturers and advocates say they’re perplexed how the repeal of tax credits in President Donald Trump’s “one big beautiful bill” will keep their domestic production lines humming across the United States, particularly in states that elected him to the Oval Office.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/06/06/repub/republicans-in-congress-axed-the-green-new-scam-but-its-a-red-state-boon/?

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? Dems splinter on ICE

A protester holds a sign reading: "ICE: Out Of Our Communities" as cars burn in Los Angeles. Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images 75 House Democrats broke with Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries today and voted for a Republican resolution that condemned the Boulder attack and celebrated ICE. Why it matters: Democrats spent the day criticizing President Trump for sending in the National Guard to put down protests in Los Angeles over ICE operations. Earlier in the day, Jeffries said the House resolution "is not a serious effort." A majority of his caucus, 113 members, voted against the resolution. But a third of House Democrats voted to express "gratitude to law enforcement officers, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel, for protecting the homeland." The chaotic images out of LA — and the near universal consensus from Democrats that ICE is overstepping its bounds — made it an especially difficult day to endorse Trump's immigration authorities. "They need to comply with the law," Congressional Hispanic Caucus chair Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.) told us about ICE. Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.), a member of Democratic leadership, told us that "everyone" in the caucus is "on board with the fact that what's going on right now is not right and … a reform is needed." Between the lines: Some Democrats didn't want to vote against a resolution that also focused on condemning antisemitism. But 194 Democrats voted for a separate resolution today that "condemns in the strongest possible terms the June 1, 2025, targeted act of terror in Boulder, Colorado, as a cowardly act of ideologically motivated violence." The bottom line: Senate GOP leaders think they've got a winning argument with the protests and are urging senators to double down on condemning them, we scooped this afternoon. — Andrew Solender, Hans Nichols and Stef Kight

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Freshman wishlist: Schiff-Trump 2.0

Sen. Adam Schiff has some advice for Trump when attempting to demean him: Pick one nickname.

Why it matters: The California Democrat rose to cable TV stardom as an anti-Trump foil while leading the first impeachment in the House. "Shifty Schiff" or "Watermelon Head" learned to give as good as he got.

• Trump called Schiff names. Schiff ensured Trump was impeached — twice.

Now he's in the Senate, and Trump's back in the White House:

• "I've been thrust back into a lot of that responsibility again because what he's trying to do in the second term is even worse than what he tried to do in the first term," Schiff told us in an interview.

Zoom out: "I have my brand pre-Trump and my brand post-Trump," Schiff said.

• Before Trump dominated the national conversation, Schiff considered himself a fairly nonpartisan national security expert. (Don't laugh. He endorsed Jim Mattis for Secretary of Defense in 2016, when other Democrats didn't.)

Schiff had hoped for another rebrand in the Senate. "I was expecting a Biden or a Harris presidency, and the ability to just focus exclusively on what positive things I could get done," he told Axios.

• He is enjoying visiting redder areas of the state after spending years representing just a slice of heavily Democratic Los Angeles.
• "I knew I had made progress when one of the farmers looked at me and said, 'I don't know why he calls you watermelon head. You have a perfectly normal-sized head.'"

Driving the news: Two days after our interview, Trump deployed National Guard troops to LA.

• "This action is designed to inflame tensions, sow chaos, and escalate the situation," Schiff posted on X on Saturday.
• He also repeatedly called for violence to stop at protests. "Assaulting law enforcement is never ok," he posted yesterday.

Zoom in: Schiff tried to pass a resolution shortly before our interview to stop the administration from stripping civil rights leader Harvey Milk's name from a Navy ship.

• He has also demanded financial disclosures from the White House, written letters to stop DOGE from shutting down USDA offices, and tried to block the repeal of EV rules.

— Stef Kight and Hans Nichols

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? Dems appeal to farmers on Trump cuts

Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) will hold a "shadow hearing" Thursday to draw a direct link between Trump's plans to cut foreign assistance and the farmers that sell crops to the programs.

Why it matters: Democrats are looking for ways to make the president's DOGE and budget plans uncomfortable for farm state Republicans and want to appeal directly to their constituents.

• The Trump administration has called for deep spending reductions for international food programs run by USAID and USDA.
• Those programs buy agricultural products from U.S. farmers to the tune of $2 billion a year, according to Shaheen.
• Some farm state Republicans have questioned administration officials about programs such as Food for Peace.

Zoom out: Out of power and in the minority, congressional Democrats have been holding shadow hearings to use experts to convey their message and offer counter-programing to GOP-controlled committee proceedings.

• Republicans don't attend and think of them as political stunts.

Go deeper.

— Hans Nichols

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?️ Four ex-staffers to former President Biden — deputy chief of staff Annie Tomasini; special assistant Ashley Williams; Anthony Bernal, a senior adviser to First Lady Jill Biden; and Neera Tanden, who served as director of the Domestic Policy Council — have agreed to testify in House Republicans' probe of Biden's mental acuity. Go deeper.

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? GOP warning shots

House GOP leadership is pleading with the Senate to back off its plans to dramatically reshape the Trump budget bill, warning the whole bill could implode if their carefully negotiated deals are discarded at whim.

Why it matters: Senate Republicans are determined to put their mark on the "one big, beautiful bill." But the changes they're signaling would cross red lines for House GOP holdouts.

• "Change it 10%, but I think 30% is a lot," House Republican Conference Chair Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) told us in a wide-ranging interview today.
• McClain was responding to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who today talked about preserving just 60% or 70% of the House-passed legislative text.
• "I realize the Senate has to put their fingerprints on it," McClain told us. "Touch very lightly."

Driving the news: Senate Finance Chair Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) laid out the changes he plans to make to his portion of the bill to fellow senators today.

• Atop his list: Bring the SALT cap down, and make the business tax cuts permanent. They're also looking at changes to renewable energy tax credits and the number on border security.
• If the Senate makes substantial changes, House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune will be forced to go to conference and hammer out the differences in July, with the threat of a debt default hanging over negotiations.
• "I really don't think there's a huge appetite to go to conference because of the timing," McClain said.

Zoom out: "I happen to believe them when they say that," McClain told us about blue-state Republicans threatening to crash the entire bill if the $40,000 SALT deduction cap is lowered.

The big picture: House lawmakers want to move on a $9.4 billion rescissions package tomorrow.

• "If we can't pass this rescission package, we are really in trouble," she said.
• "I think we're going to pass it," she said, saying she expected more rescissions requests throughout the year.

— Hans Nichols and Stef Kight

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ICE funding wars

Demonstrators take part in an anti-ICE protest in Los Angeles yesterday. Photo: Taurat Hossain/Anadolu via Getty Images) Incensed House Democrats are warming up to putting ICE on the 2026 ballot, with some threatening to use the appropriations process to force changes at the agency if they retake Congress. Why it matters: Many Dems are scarred by GOP attacks on the #AbolishICE movement. But ICE-focused protests and grassroots pressure are making the party inch away from its defensive crouch on immigration. "[O]ur base is demanding more and more of us every day," said one House Democrat, speaking on the condition of anonymity. "A number of us have been told by constituents that we have to be willing to get shot" while trying to conduct oversight at ICE facilities and "be able to make news out of it," the lawmaker added. Between the lines: Some progressives are eyeing actual funding cuts as moderate border hawks draw a bright red line in opposition to that idea. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) criticized "hypocrisy" among Democrats, "where folks want to campaign against ICE when we're in the minority, but then when we're in the majority, we continue to funnel unfettered funds with absolutely no guardrails." "Some of us would like to see it completely broken down. ... I've been talking about reducing funding," said Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.). Ramirez was clear-eyed that "you're not going to see an abolishing of ICE" even though "some of us might want that." But centrist Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), a member of the Appropriations Committee, told us he is "sure there will be a push," but he "will not support reducing ICE" funding. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told us: "We have to secure the border, we have to fix our broken immigration system, we want to do it in a comprehensive and bipartisan way, and we are going to defend DREAMers and farm workers and law-abiding individuals." The bottom line: Congressional Hispanic Caucus chair Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.) said he believes Democrats should "reassess the funding possibilities. Absolutely." He said of being denied access to an ICE facility this weekend: "They ask for money, right? And then ... I go there and they don't allow us to go and check out the facilities."  — Andrew Solender ps:Lets not blame ICE, blame the actual culprit!!!!!!!!!!

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? Schumer targets silencers

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer will fight to strike a provision on gun silencers from the GOP's "big, beautiful bill." Why it matters: The House-passed version of the bill doesn't just scrap a $200 tax on silencers. It also takes the more drastic step of removing silencers from the National Firearms Act altogether, wiping out federal registration requirements. Schumer will argue that going beyond a tax cut into changing a non-budgetary law violates Senate rules on budget reconciliation and should be tossed out of the package. He will rally gun violence victims and gun advocacy groups tomorrow to oppose the measure. Read more — Stephen Neukam

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⚾️ GOP'S hot bats

Data: U.S House of Representatives; Chart: Axios Visuals Democrats will try to stop the GOP's four-year winning streak tonight at the annual Congressional Baseball Game. Why it matters: The games started in the early 1900s, with lawmakers sometimes competing against members of the press. It's been red vs. blue since 1962. In that time, Republicans have won 38 times and Democrats have won 23 times, according to stats kept by the House. There has been one tie, and the game was canceled in 2020 because of COVID-19 concerns. ⚾️ First pitch: 7pm ET, with Fox News' Kevin Corke and Chad Pergram calling the game. — Stef Kight ⚾ 1 for the road: GOP's winning streak   Majority Leader Steve Scalise — who was shot during a Congressional Baseball Game practice in 2017 — bats leadoff for the GOP. Photo: Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images Republicans routed Democrats 13-2 for their fifth consecutive win at the annual Congressional Baseball Game, which raises money for charity and was first played in 1909. The GOP leads the all-time series 47-42. More pics ... Rosters.

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Ex-congressman Billy Long confirmed as commissioner of the IRS, an agency he once sought to abolish

Former U.S. Rep. Billy Long of Missouri was confirmed on Thursday to lead the Internal Revenue Service, giving the beleaguered agency he once sought to abolish a permanent commissioner after months of acting leaders and massive staffing cuts that have threatened to derail next year’s tax filing season. Read More.   California Sen. Alex Padilla forcefully removed from Noem’s press conference by security Democratic California U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla was forcefully removed Thursday by security officers from a press conference being held on immigration by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Video shows a Secret Service special agent on Noem’s detail grabbing Padilla by his jacket and shoving him from the room. Read More.   Dem senator removed from DHS presser Democratic lawmakers are on edge today after Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) was aggressively detained by Homeland Security officers. Padilla interrupted a press conference by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in Los Angeles. Agents then shoved him out of the room, held him on the ground and handcuffed him. Video of the incident shows Padilla saying, "I am Senator Alex Padilla," and that he had "questions for the secretary," as he was being removed from the room. ? Multiple House Democrats told Axios' Andrew Solender they're increasingly worried about violence or arrest. They noted that the Justice Department indicted Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.) following a scuffle at a DHS facility. ⚡️ What they're saying: DHS said on X that Secret Service agents protecting Noem thought Padilla "was an attacker and officers acted appropriately." "Senator Padilla chose disrespectful political theatre and interrupted a live press conference without identifying himself or having his Senate security pin on as he lunged toward Secretary Noem," the department said. Noem and Padilla met for 15 minutes after the dust settled. ? Republican lawmakers are divided over the incident. "It's horrible," Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) told reporters. "It is shocking at every level. It's not the America I know." "He got what he wanted," Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said.   ? D.C.'s lonely defectors The tape was clear. The response was divided. Why it matters: Nearly every lawmaker and leader retreated to their partisan corner today when Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) was forcibly removed from a press conference after interrupting DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. House Speaker Mike Johnson suggested Padilla should face censure: "It was wildly inappropriate," he told reporters. "You don't charge a sitting Cabinet secretary." House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Padilla "was at that press conference doing his job ... and he was recklessly and aggressively manhandled." Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said the incident "reeks of totalitarianism. ... This is not what democracies do." Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he wants "to get the full scope of what happened and do what we would do in any incident like this involving a senator." Thune said he's spoken with Padilla and is attempting to speak with Noem. Zoom in: We counted just three (3!) deviations in the responses. Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine), who represents the reddest district among Democrats, told us today that "storming into the FBI headquarters and trying to break up a press conference and rushing on a [Cabinet] secretary is not really the job of an elected official." Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), the sole GOP senator in a state Harris won, said, "It looks like he's being manhandled and physically removed, and it's hard to imagine a justification for that." Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), who's repeatedly proved her independent streak, told reporters the incident was "shocking at every level. It's not the America I know." The bottom line: Rep. Blake Moore (R-Utah), the vice chair of the House Republican conference, told us: "We cannot let the tinderbox that's going on right now ... continue. We need to have a peaceful weekend." Case in point: As the Hill processed the Padilla incident, Rep. John Mannion (D-N.Y.) shocked colleagues in both parties by tearing into Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) on the House floor. A House Dem standing close by said Mannion told Lawler "something to the effect of, 'You've got to do something. Stand up. Grow a pair of balls.'" Lawler's response, they said: "F**k you. ... I have no idea what you're talking about." — Andrew Solender, Hans Nichols and Stef Kight

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? Senate's turn on DOGE

After flipping two "no" votes on the House floor, Speaker Johnson passed a rescissions package today that would claw back $9.4 billion of DOGE cuts to appropriated funds, including for foreign aid and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which funds NPR and PBS. Why it matters: Once again, Johnson snapped victory from the jaws of defeat. Now comes the Senate hurdle, with some senators promising changes. "I want us to put our imprint on it," Collins, chair of the Senate Appropriations panel, told us this week. Collins opposes cuts to PEPFAR that could limit HIV/AIDS prevention and treatments for millions of people around the world. Between the lines: The package can be amended, but no new cuts can be added. "That's more complicated, however, than you think," Collins told us on Tuesday, "because the rules are really precise." Congress only has until July 18 to fully pass it. Senate Appropriations has just 25 days before it can be discharged. Collins said they are "still figuring out the procedure, but I'm opposed to the cuts in PEPFAR," as Axios Pro: Health Care Policy reported. — Stef Kight

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? Dems' five-alarm fire

Democrats spooked by President Trump's strongman streak point to what happened yesterday to Alex Padilla, California's senior U.S. senator, as a crossing-the-Rubicon moment, Axios' Noah Bressner writes.

• Padilla, a Democrat, was forcefully removed from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's press conference in LA after interrupting it.

Padilla was handcuffed but not arrested. Noem tweeted: "After he interrupted our press conference with law enforcement, I met with Senator Padilla for 15 minutes."

• "We probably disagree on 90% of the topics but we agreed to exchange phone numbers and we will continue to talk ... I wish he would've acted that way in the beginning rather than creating a scene."

Between the lines: To Trump's most loyal allies, Padilla's actions were an exercise in political theater. House Speaker Mike Johnson was among the Republicans blaming Padilla, saying that "at a minimum," the senator should be censured.

• To Democrats, the episode crystallized fears about the administration's willingness to crush dissent.

Keep reading.

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? The pre-strike briefings

Trump administration officials provided classified briefings for congressional leaders before Israel struck Iran yesterday, with more planned for next week when lawmakers return to Washington.

Why it matters: Briefing key lawmakers is a matter of protocol. But it's also a way for the White House to guard against second-guessing from Congress, especially if U.S. forces are targeted by Iran and the conflict turns into a broader war.

• In briefings with senior members of Congress, White House officials have told them the administration isn't involved and doesn't think Israel attacking Iran is the appropriate thing to do at the moment, a U.S. official told Axios' Barak Ravid.

Driving the news: Johnson, Thune and Schumer received briefings before the strikes began, according to people familiar with the matter.

• "Pursuant to federal law, I expect to receive a high-level briefing on the unfolding situation in the Middle East from the administration expeditiously," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement.

Zoom in: Members of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence expect to be briefed by administration officials when senators return to Washington on Monday afternoon, according to a person familiar with the matter.

• Senate Intel staff were briefed this morning, with a second briefing planned for this afternoon.

— Hans Nichols

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? Scoop: Dems target Hegseth on renaming ships

House Democrats are introducing a long-shot bill that would block the U.S. Navy from renaming the USNS Harvey Milk and other ships named for civil rights figures.

Why it matters: The bill is the latest sign of animosity between congressional Democrats and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, driven in part by the Pentagon chief's anti-DEI crusade.

• In addition to Milk, the two-page bill would stop the Navy from renaming ships named for Cesar Chavez, Medgar Evers, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Dolores Huerta, Thurgood Marshall, Lucy Stone and Harriet Tubman.
• "Secretary Hegseth claims that this hateful move would return a 'warrior ethos' to the force, but renaming these ships won't help better train or equip a single servicemember," said Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.), who introduced the bill.
• It has no GOP cosponsors.

Zoom out: Jeffries has previously called for Hegseth to be fired over Signalgate.

• Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.) told Hegseth to "get the hell out" of the Defense Department during a House Committee on Armed Services hearing yesterday.
• "You're an embarrassment to this country," Carbajal replied after Hegseth dismissed his question about whether political allegiance to Trump is a requirement to serve in the military as "silly."

— Andrew Solender

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? Scoop: Dem endorsements polling

Democratic figures have already started firing off endorsements for the 2026 midterms. But new polling from Data for Progress shows only a fraction of those endorsements motivate primary voters.

1. Sen. Bernie Sanders — Net +48 (More likely: 60%, Less likely: 12%)
2. Sen. Elizabeth Warren — Net +46 (More likely: 56%, Less likely: 10%)
3. Sen. Cory Booker — Net +38 (More likely: 51%, Less likely: 13%)
4. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries — Net +37 (More likely: 47%, Less likely: 10%)
5. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — Net +31 (More likely: 44%, Less likely: 13%)
6. Sen. Amy Klobuchar — Net +29 (More likely: 40%, Less likely: 11%)
7. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer — Net +27 (More likely: 43%, Less likely: 16%)
8. Rep. Jasmine Crockett — Net +26 (More likely: 33%, Less likely: 7%)
9. Sen. Chris Murphy — Net +19 (More likely: 26%, Less likely: 7%)
10. Sen. Ruben Gallego — Net +10 (More likely: 21%, Less likely: 11%)

Data for Progress polled 409 likely Democratic primary voters from June 6-8. The margin of error for the poll is +/-5%.

— Stephen Neukam

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? Minnesota killing rattles Congress

Bullet holes mark the front door of the house of Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife in Champlin, Minn. Photo: Bruce Kluckhohn/AP A long-simmering fight over congressional security boiled over again this weekend following a pair of shootings against Minnesota state legislators at their homes that left two dead and two others hospitalized. The shootings have deeply unnerved members of Congress, who feel that any one of them could be the subject of an unanticipated attack — particularly at home in their districts or while in transit, Axios' Andrew Solender reports. The latest: Minnesota state House Democratic Leader Melissa Hortman and her husband were shot and killed at their home early yesterday. The suspect, identified by law enforcement officials as 57-year-old Vance Boelter, also allegedly shot Democratic state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife at their home, leaving both hospitalized. Boelter was allegedly dressed as a police officer and driving a vehicle similar to those used by local law enforcement. He also had what investigators described as a "manifesto" that listed other Democratic lawmakers, as well as prominent abortion rights advocates, officials allege. ⚡ State of play: The shooting sent shockwaves through Capitol Hill, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) saying he asked for increased security for Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.). House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said he similarly asked security officials to "ensure the safety of our Minnesota delegation and Members of Congress across the country." The Capitol Police said in a statement Saturday it was "aware of the violence targeting state lawmakers in Minnesota" and had "been working with our federal, state and local partners," but declined to offer further details. House Republicans held a call yesterday afternoon, in which lawmakers pushed their leadership to provide more security resources to individual members. Specific proposals included increasing security measures at members' homes and at airports, as well as boosting security for meetings, according to three House Republicans who were on the call. ? Zoom out: Personal security details are largely a privilege for top congressional leaders and a few other high-profile members facing specific, credible threats. Rank-and-file members are renewing a push for greater security — arguing for their own details, greater safety measures at their homes and in airports, and more stringent measures to hide personal information. Read on.

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Josh Hawley Blames Nonprofits for “Bankrolling Civil Unrest” in LA Without Evidence

As protests against immigration crackdowns spread from Los Angeles to cities around the United States this week, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., leveraged the perceived unrest to target nonprofits supporting the very communities the Trump administration has put under siege. 

https://theintercept.com/2025/06/12/josh-hawley-la-protests-ice-nonprofits/?

? Senate picks a fight

Senate Finance Chair Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) has picked a big intra-GOP fight on SALT, Medicaid and clean energy — all but ignoring some of the House's most delicate budget compromises.

? Why it matters: Neither the House nor the Senate wants to go to a formal conference, but the Senate text released this afternoon showed just how extensive, and contentious, the conference-like negotiations will be.

• "That would be a big mistake," Majority Leader John Thune told us about an actual conference. "That would drag this thing out."

Zoom in: Members of the House SALT caucus were outraged that the limit was reduced from $40,000 to $10,000 in the Senate text.

• "Everyone knows this 10K number will have to go up. And it will," Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) said on X.

? To help pay for his priorities, Crapo cut deeper on Medicaid and reopened the debate on the provider tax.

• The House wanted to cap the provider tax threshold at 6% for Medicaid expansion states, but the Senate version plans to gradually lower the threshold to 3.5% in 2031.
• Crapo also put limits on how much can be deducted for President Trump's key priorities — no tax on tips, no tax on overtime and no tax on seniors.

On energy tax credits, Crapo wants to allow more projects to claim them before the credits sunset.

• Crapo also reduced the child tax credit from the House-passed $2,500 to $2,200.

? Even the House's Trump-supported provision to strip sports team owners of a lucrative tax break was ignored.

• And on the so-called "revenge tax" on foreign subsidiaries, the Senate watered down the House language and delayed its implementation until 2027.

The first test will be getting 51 senators on board, and just a few hours after the text came out, it was already on shaky ground in the Senate.

• "We're further away than we were before," one GOP senator told us after leaving a meeting tonight with the rest of the conference to discuss the bill.
• Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) said he's a "no."
• Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) blasted the changes to Medicaid.

Other Republicans were eerily quiet or said they needed time for review.

For Democrats, the deeper cuts to Medicaid and scaled-back child tax credit are ready-made to blast the GOP.

• "This could lead to even more than the 16 million people expected to lose health insurance and the hundreds of hospitals and health centers facing higher risk of closure," Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said of the bill on X.

— Hans Nichols, Stef Kight and Stephen Neukam

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? Dems on Norton: "She's missing stuff"

As House Democratic leaders grapple with the party's battle over aging lawmakers, one longtime member is coming under particular scrutiny.

Why it matters: Eleanor Holmes Norton, the District of Columbia's delegate in the House, has long been a formidable presence in the halls of Congress despite her nonvoting status. Now 88 years old, Norton's presence has diminished considerably, some of her colleagues tell us.

• "She's missing stuff," a senior House Democrat said of Norton's apparent decline, telling us Democratic leadership's deliberations about her potential reelection bid are "delicate."

Zoom in: Lawmakers said Norton has been much less involved recently at critical moments for D.C., as Trump and his allies in Congress threaten to overturn the city's laws and squeeze its budget.

• "There was a time when she lobbied her colleagues to explain D.C.'s positions," one House Dem said. "She doesn't do that anymore."

The big picture: While she possesses a robust staff, Norton keeps her public appearances to a minimum. On rare occasions, she has talked to reporters this year, but her staff has twice walked back her answers.

• "She reads what her staff puts in front of her," said a fourth House Democrat.

The other side: Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.), the acting ranking member on the House Oversight Committee, said Norton has been "more visible than I've seen most members" as the panel has considered D.C.-related bills.

• "Last Congress, I successfully blocked nearly all of the 100+ federal legislative attacks on D.C.," Norton told us in a statement.
• Norton said her office "was on the phone with Republican leadership within minutes" about the D.C. budget issue. 

— Andrew Solender and Axios D.C. co-author Cuneyt Dil

? Scoop: Warren challenges Bessent

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is leading a Democratic effort to challenge Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on the victory he claimed last week on increasing tax revenue in April and May.

• Driving the news: In a letter to Bessent and IRS Commissioner Billy Long, Warren led Democrats in warning that IRS staff cuts will only plunge revenue in the coming years.

Go deeper

— Stephen Neukam and Hans Nichols

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Spending bill

The GOP-led Senate Finance Committee released its proposal for President Trump’s agenda bill on Monday and it includes some notable changes. While the committee wants to keep many of the provisions contained in the legislation that the House approved last month, it is also calling for: * Deeper cuts to Medicaid * Raising the debt limit by $5 trillion * Lowering the cap on state and local tax deductions * Slowing the elimination of some clean energy tax cuts * Lowering the child tax credit from $2,500 to $2,200 but making it permanent * Limiting tax relief on tips and overtime * Making some business tax breaks permanent Senate Republicans hope to pass their package by next week so the two chambers can work out a final deal to send to President Trump by July 4.

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? Senate's wait-and-see

Israeli air defenses intercept Iranian missiles over Tel Aviv. Photo: Menahem Kahana/AFP via Getty Images

Senate leaders are avoiding direct answers on whether President Trump needs approval from Congress before taking military action against Iran. Why it matters: Congress is reluctant to second-guess the commander in chief before he authorizes strikes. But Democrats have a visceral distrust of Trump, and a growing GOP faction is deeply suspicious of foreign military interventions. "Those questions have been debated, litigated for a long time about ... how much authority the President has as commander in chief," Senate Majority Leader John Thune said when asked if Trump needed congressional approval to strike Iran. "I believe Congress and the Senate, Senate Democrats, if necessary, will not hesitate to exercise our authority," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said at a press conference today. Lawmakers have privately stressed to Schumer the need to maintain the military's flexibility in this situation, sources tell us. Driving the news: The world is awaiting a decision from Trump on whether he'll deploy bunker-busting bombs on Iran's underground nuclear facilities. "For too long we've surrendered [war powers] to presidents who have since eroded the constitutional clear mandate," Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) told us. Zoom in: Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) is on the hunt for GOP senators to back his war powers resolution — and he is convinced he's making progress. Kaine will need at least four Republicans to cross the aisle and join him. "Some have told me that they're likely to vote for it," Kaine told us. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is viewed as most likely to join Democratic efforts, but he declined to say how he plans to vote. He argues the Constitution requires congressional approval of military strikes. Kaine isn't able to force a vote on his resolution until 10 days after it was filed. Zoom out: War powers resolutions are more symbolic than substantive. Even if one cleared the Senate, it would still need to pass the GOP-controlled House. And Trump would almost certainly veto it, requiring an override vote in both chambers. Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Foreign Relations Chair Jim Risch (R-Idaho) both declined to answer questions on the issue, calling it "sensitive" and a "very complicated question." But some Republicans are giving Trump the green light. "A single bombing run, historically, has not been understood to require congressional authorization," Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said. Asked if the president needs congressional approval to launch strikes on Iran, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told us simply: "No." — Stephen Neukam, Stef W. Kight and Hans Nichols

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? Deficit estimate goes up, up, up

The Congressional Budget Office released a new "dynamic" score of Trump's "one big, beautiful bill," estimating it would increase budget deficits by as much as $2.8 trillion over the next decade. Why it matters: The fresh score exceeds CBO's previous estimate of $2.4 trillion in deficit costs, thanks to factoring in the effect of higher GDP growth and higher interest rates. Republicans will likely agree the bill will increase real GDP growth, which the CBO puts at 0.5% higher over the decade, bringing in an additional $124 billion in revenue. But Democrats are expected to seize on its impact on interest rates, which CBO estimates will increase by an average of 14 basis points, resulting in an additional $441 billion in interest payments. Zoom out: Scoring the effects of a given piece of legislation is always a matter of controversy. In 2022, Republicans argued the CBO underestimated the cost of President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act, which was originally credited with $238 billion in deficit reduction over a decade. But a 2024 CBO analysis calculated the IRA would actually increase the deficit by $300 billion over 10 years, due to the popularity of some of the EV tax credits. Democrats tend to be more skeptical of so-called dynamic scoring, which factors in the effects of tax and spending cuts across the entire economy, typically by boosting GDP. But they have embraced it when it suits them. — Hans Nichols

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? Scoop: Bipartisanship on banning phones

Sens. Jim Banks and Elissa Slotkin. Photos: Via Getty Images

Congress is joining the phone wars, with a bipartisan pair of freshmen senators introducing a bill today that would ban the use of cellphones in schools for kids of U.S. military members. Why it matters: Sens. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) and Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) — both veterans who sit on the Armed Services Committee — want to draw attention to an issue that bedevils parents and experts alike. There are more than 65,000 children of service members who attend DoDEA schools in the U.S. and overseas. Some school districts already ban students from using their cellphones during the school day. Research highlights the harms of cellphones — and social media — to child development, but implementing changes has been challenging. What they're saying: "Cell phones in the classroom distract from learning and lead to all kinds of issues for students," Banks said in a statement first provided to us. "At school students should be able to focus, learn, and build real relationships, and we cannot shy away from taking bold action to support that goal," Slotkin said in her statement. The bill allows for exceptions such as medical emergencies and lets DoDEA decide where and how cellphones should be stored. Zoom out: Eleven statewide school phone bans or restrictions have been implemented and seven states issued policy recommendations as of April, according to KFF. ? Last summer, a book by Jonathan Haidt, "The Anxious Generation," documenting the dangers of "phone-based" childhoods, stormed to the top of the New York Times' bestseller list. — Stef W. Kight

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Cracking down on screens

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

Mounting research shows that too much screen time is fueling anxiety and depression in kids and teens, prompting parents and teachers to rethink smartphone use. Why it matters: There's growing momentum — in statehouses, in classrooms and in neighborhoods — to rein in screens and protect kids' mental health. ? The big picture: Phone bans in schools are spreading in red and blue states, including Arizona, Arkansas, New York and Minnesota, Axios' April Rubin reports. At the same time, new tech tools are offering parents more control. Kid-focused smartphones like the Bark and Pinwheel limit web browsing and social media, and let parents monitor kids' phone activity. Schools are also turning to Yondr, a company that makes lockable phone pouches, to help create screen-free classrooms and reduce distractions. ? The intrigue: Some parents are trading smartphones for "dumb phones," or landline phones, The Atlantic reports today. It's a clever work-around. Instead of banning phones outright, parents give kids a way to chat with their friends without the downsides of smartphones. Parents who are part of a "landline pod" in Portland, Maine, told The Atlantic's Rheana Murray that using landlines is helping their kids become better listeners and communicators. They're more focused on conversations, without the pull of games, apps or social media. Reality check: This approach worked largely because a group of parents teamed up and agreed to all skip smartphones and give their kids landlines, The Atlantic notes. One big reason kids want smartphones is FOMO — when their friends get phones, they don't want to be left out. ? Between the lines: Examining kids' phone use is pushing some parents to reflect on their own screen time, a new survey from Yondr finds. 78% of Gen Z and millennial parents say their child spends too much time on their phone — but about as many (77%) admit they regret being distracted by their own devices around their kids.