Congress: The Senate & The House

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Wounded Knee Massacre site protection bill passes Congress

The U.S. Senate sent President Donald Trump a bill Thursday that would protect a portion of the Wounded Knee Massacre site on the Pine Ridge Reservation.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/12/13/repub/wounded-knee-massacre-site-protection-bill-passes-congress/?

⏭ House skips Johnson

Dozens of Speaker Mike Johnson's own members are racing to solve Republicans' most urgent political problem — without his help.

Why it matters: House Republicans are nowhere close to consensus and the speaker's olive branch to moderates — a show vote extending the Affordable Care Act's enhanced subsidies that expire in two weeks — could be in trouble.

• "We are rightly going to reject this enrichment of the insurance companies," Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas.), who sits on the powerful House Rules Committee, said today on Fox News.
• Moderates are vowing to extract a concession — or derail the whole package on Wednesday — if their show vote is scuttled.

Zoom in: There are now three discharge petitions aimed at forcing a vote to extend the ACA subsidies, a direct circumvention of GOP leadership.

• Two of them — one led by Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) and the other by Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) and Jen Kiggans (R-Va.) — already have a substantial number of Republican signatures.
• The third petition, led by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, would need only four GOP signatures to force a vote, giving moderates enormous leverage.

—Kate Santaliz

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⚡️ Primary the leader

First it was Zohran Mamdani ally Chi Ossé flirting with — then skipping — a primary challenge against Jeffries.

• Now it's Jonathan Paz mounting a left-wing primary challenge against House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.).

Why it matters: Clark is the highest-ranking Democrat to face an active intra-party threat to her reelection at a time when progressives across the country are trying to unseat establishment incumbents.

• Dozens of House Democrats face anti-establishment primary challenges from insurgents who say they will do a better job of taking on President Trump.
• "Listen, everybody is entitled to run, and we look forward to a vigorous campaign," Clark told us about a Paz challenge.

The bottom line: Paz will have an uphill battle. Clark reported having $1.8 million in campaign funds going into October of this year.

— Andrew Solender

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? Cruz pressures Thune

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) (L) supports Christina Stovall (R) who lost her son Michael "Mikey" Bret Stovall, during a press conference with other bereaved families from the January 29, 2025 DCA plane crash. Photo: Heather Diehl/Getty Images

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) voted "no" tonight on a procedural vote for the National Defense Authorization Act to protest House-passed language on air traffic safety, he told us. Why it matters: Cruz is putting Senate Majority Leader John Thune on notice — both for the NDAA, but also for a government funding bill that Congress must pass next. "We need to strike this section," Cruz said about a provision the House included in the NDAA. "It does not belong in the bill, and I'm gonna press very hard to strike okay." He also hinted that he's going to use an appropriations bill next month to try and force Congress to adopt his approach to improving communication between military and civilian aircraft. Driving the news: Last week, the House included language in the NDAA that would relax the current rules for military aircraft flying around Ronald Reagan National Airport, according to National Transportation Safety Board chair Jennifer Homendy, Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Cruz. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy had issued new regulations in response to the Jan. 29, 2025 collision between a U.S. Army helicopter and an American Airlines jet above the capital that killed 67 people. "This is shameful," Homendy said last week about the new language. Zoom in: Cruz and Cantwell were holding out hope that the Rotor Act, which creates new rules on sending and receiving flight information around major metropolitan airports, would be included in the NDAA. Not only was it not included, but the new DOT rules were modified. Cruz is talking with Thune about including an amendment on the Senate floor to strike the House-passed NDAA language, but it's highly unlikely to be included in this week's vote. The amendment, if it passed, would require the House to revote on the NDAA and accept the Senate's modifications. The bottom line: Cruz isn't directly threatening to vote against the next government funding bill if he doesn't get his way on air safety. But he's clearly contemplating it. "Eleven months ago, 67 souls perished in a collision over DCA that was imminently preventable," he said. "We have an obligation to the flying public, to all our families, to do everything we can to prevent another fatal accident from happening." — Hans Nichols

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? Johnson picks sides

Moderates are furious at Speaker Mike Johnson ahead of tomorrow's big health care day on the House floor.

• "It's idiotic, it's political malpractice," Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) told reporters today of Johnson refusing to give them an ACA extension vote.

Why it matters: The speaker is stuck between conservatives who'll never support an ACA extension — and moderates who could be facing pain in 2026.

• Johnson met with centrists today in a lunch that got heated.
• Outside the room, we could hear Lawler yelling. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) described it as "tense."

Zoom in: Lawler, along with Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) and Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.), didn't rule out signing on to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries' discharge petition.

• But four Republicans would need to jump to force a vote on a clean three-year extension of the subsidies. The plan would likely die in the Senate.
• Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-Va.) has ruled out signing on for the moment, a source familiar with her plans told us.

Between the lines: Johnson told reporters that they tried to find a "pressure release valve" for members who wanted a vote on extending the subsidies but, in the end "there was not an agreement."

• Kiggans plans to try to offer her ACA extension bill that includes a payfor as an amendment to the GOP leadership plan, a source familiar with the matter told us.
• It's not clear whether that can get through the Rules Committee.

What's next: House Democratic leadership is hopeful that if they refuse to budge on their three-year extension red line, Republicans will eventually defect and sign on to Jeffries' discharge petition, two senior House Democrats told us.

• A House Democrat who has spoken with Republican moderates is skeptical that their threats to sign Jeffries' petition are anything more than performative. The Gottheimer discharge petition (see item No. 2) is a backstop for that scenario, the Democrat told us.
• Several progressives did not rule out supporting an extension shorter than three years — if it has Jeffries' support. "I'm deferring to leadership to assess the situation," said Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.).

— Kate Santaliz and Andrew Solender

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? Dems fear a new gang of 20

Democratic lawmakers are privately raising concerns about a little-noticed provision in Rep. Josh Gottheimer's (D-N.J.) discharge petition to extend the Affordable Care Act's premium tax credits for one year, Democratic aides told us.

Why it matters: The discharge petition would also empower a 20-member bipartisan group to draft a health care reform package that would be guaranteed a floor vote next summer — right ahead of the midterm elections.

• Discharge petitions, by design, take control of the House floor away from the majority party.
• Gottheimer's proposal goes a step further, giving a group of 10 Democrats and 10 Republicans the authority to effectively write the health care bill — and set the terms of the debate heading into the election season.

What they're saying: Gottheimer said he aimed to find a bipartisan compromise that can pass both chambers.

• "Our goal will always be to find something that's productive, that would obviously help people, and could become law," he said.

State of play: Gottheimer's petition trails Jeffries' effort in total signatures, but he has lined up 12 Republicans along with 30 Democrats — a more bipartisan mix than Jeffries' approach.

• If Republicans balk at joining Jeffries, Gottheimer's bill could become the likeliest vehicle to reach the floor.

The bottom line: If Gottheimer's discharge petition succeeds, it would automatically extend the ACA tax credits for one year.

• It would also launch a process for pursuing "more significant reforms" — as long as any resulting bill "has accumulated at least 10 co-sponsors from each of the majority party and the minority party," according to the petition language.

— Hans Nichols

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? Rare Hill moment

Speaker Johnson and Minority Leader Jeffries — joined by Virginia's delegation — unveiled the newest contribution to the Capitol today.

• A statue of the late Barbara Rose Johns, a teenage civil rights activist who protested school segregation in the early 1950s, replaces the Confederate general Robert E. Lee, whose statue was removed in 2020.
• Virginia's other statue — each state gets two — is of George Washington.

Members of Congress and Virginia politicians at the unveiling ceremony for a statue of Barbara Rose Johns. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

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? Sanders pushes AI pause

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said yesterday he's pushing for a moratorium on the construction of data centers powering the AI boom: This moratorium will give democracy a chance to catch up with the transformative changes that we are witnessing and make sure that the benefits of these technologies work for all of us, not just the wealthiest people on Earth. Why it matters: Sanders is tapping into fears that AI could erase jobs and consolidate wealth — a potentially potent message for the midterms and beyond. Sanders said "very few members of Congress are seriously thinking about this," adding that the technology is "moving very, very quickly, and we need to slow it down." An OpenAI spokesperson told Axios in response to Sanders' vow: "We see it quite differently and have been working collaboratively with governments around the world to ensure AI is a force for good, including the foundational infrastructure." Context: Voters' anger at high electricity bills and data centers looms over 2026 midterms.

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House Speaker Johnson rebuffs efforts to extend health care subsidies House Republican leaders are determined to push ahead with a GOP health care bill that excludes efforts to address the soaring monthly premiums millions of Americans will soon endure as pandemic-era tax credits for people who buy insurance through the Affordable Care Act expire at year’s end. Read more.

What to know: Speaker Mike Johnson had discussed the prospect of allowing more politically vulnerable GOP lawmakers a chance to vote on their amendment that would temporarily extend pandemic-era subsidies for ACA coverage. But after days of private talks, leadership sided with the more conservative wing of the conference, which has assailed the subsidies as propping up a failed ACA marketplace.   The maneuvering surrounding the health care vote all but guarantees that many Americans will see substantially higher insurance costs in 2026.   In the Senate, a bipartisan group was still trying to come up with a compromise to extend the subsidies, which fueled this year’s government shutdown. But senators made clear that any potential legislation would likely wait until January, after the holiday break.

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"It's idiotic": House moderates fume at Johnson over inaction on ACA

House GOP moderates are threatening to cut a deal with Democrats after Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) ruled out giving them a vote on extending expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies.

https://www.axios.com/2025/12/16/mike-johnson-aca-moderate-republicans?

4 Republicans defy Speaker Johnson to force House vote on extending ACA subsidies

WASHINGTON (AP) — Four centrist Republicans broke with Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday and signed onto a Democratic-led petition that will force a House vote on extending for three years an enhanced pandemic-era subsidy that lowers health insurance costs for millions of Americans.

https://apnews.com/article/health-care-subsidies-aca-speaker-johnson-1087a9f64168d66b2acf9082af16c253?

Senate passes $901 billion defense bill that pushes Hegseth for boat strike video

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate gave final passage Wednesday to an annual military policy bill that will authorize $901 billion in defense programs while pressuring Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to provide lawmakers with video of strikes on alleged drug boats in international water near Venezuela.

https://apnews.com/article/defense-bill-boat-strikes-hegseth-a0886906eb50432c38a4d5bf08e6a719?

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Johnson faces health care revolt

Photo Illustration: Natalie Peeples/Axios. Photo: Samuel Corum Getty Several House Republican centrists defied House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) today by helping Democrats force a vote on extending Affordable Care Act tax credits, Axios' Kate Santaliz and Andrew Solender report. It's an extraordinary revolt against GOP leadership — and a boon to top Democrats, who want a long-term extension. ? But the proposal will likely run aground in the Senate, where Republicans voted down an identical measure. Today's developments will "get the Senate to try and pay attention to this, and then our job is to work together going forward," said Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.). A bipartisan group of House and Senate lawmakers met this morning to explore a compromise more palatable to Republicans. ? Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) sent shockwaves through Capitol Hill this morning by signing on to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries' (D-N.Y.) discharge petition on a "clean" three-year ACA extension. ✍️ He was quickly joined by Reps. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), Robert Bresnahan (R-Pa.) and Ryan Mackenzie (R-Pa.), hitting the necessary 218 signatures. ? The House will now have to vote on the measure — but Republican leadership can punt until January. House GOP moderates have been working for months on health care. ? ACA premiums are set to skyrocket next year if the enhanced subsidies expire, and many lawmakers fear voters' wrath on affordability heading into the midterms. ? But most House Republicans will never support anything tied to the ACA, one of former President Obama's top legislative accomplishments. ? Moderate House Republicans were livid yesterday after Johnson denied them a vote on extending the subsidies. ? Fitzpatrick, after signing the petition: "The only policy that is worse than a clean three-year extension without any reforms, is a policy of complete expiration without any bridge." "Unfortunately, it is House leadership themselves that have forced this outcome." Get the latest ... Discharge petitions explained.

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Senate passes $901 billion defense bill that pushes Hegseth for boat strike video

The Senate gave final passage on Wednesday to an annual military policy bill that will authorize $901 billion in defense programs while pressuring Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to provide lawmakers with video of strikes on alleged drug boats in international waters near Venezuela. Read more.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

WATCH: Senators speak out after seeing second Venezuela boat strike video 4 Republicans defy Speaker Johnson to force House vote on extending ACA subsidies China exploits US-funded research on nuclear technology, a congressional report says South African authorities raid a US refugee processing center, resulting in protests from Washington

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? How Jeffries beat Johnson

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries adhered to a single principle to outflank Speaker Mike Johnson on extending the expiring Affordable Care Act tax credits:

• Don't give an inch to Republican moderates looking for an escape hatch.

Why it matters: Jeffries got everything he wanted. Democrats will get a House vote on a three-year extension of the subsidies without any income caps or cost offsets.

• One senior House Dem told us of leadership's thinking: "We're going to have to negotiate with the Senate, but you don't start from a place of weakness."

Between the lines: Jeffries was pressed by several of his centrist members to throw his support behind discharge petitions introduced by Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), senior Democrats said.

• He held firm. In the end, Republicans — who tried and failed to attach ACA amendments to the bill the House passed tonight — came to Jeffries just as he hoped they would.
• Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), Rob Bresnahan (R-Pa.) and Ryan Mackenzie (R-Pa.) all signed on to Jeffries' petition earlier today.

That left some Republicans fuming. "Our team should've put in the compromise. Now we're voting for the worse one. It's just sort of dumb," said Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) of his own party leadership's strategic choices.

• "We should put the best bill forward, now we're putting the worst bill forward. It doesn't make any sense," he added.

Zoom out: The result is a salve to Democrats who have watched their party leadership battered throughout the year by grassroots voters demanding they "fight harder" and "grow a spine."

• Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) said Jeffries has been "validated completely" after Democrats started 2025 with "a lot of angst and people wondering if we had the mettle."
• "He held his ground and he won," said Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.).

— Andrew Solender

Go deeper: House passes GOP health bill without subsidies

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⚡️New Senate momentum

The prospect of a forced House vote has given new life to bipartisan Senate negotiations on the soon-to-expire health care subsidies for millions of Americans.

• "I think it keeps the conversation live," Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio), who has been involved in bipartisan talks, told us.

Why it matters: The Senate has already rejected the language in the House discharge petition. But some key senators are holding out hope for a last-gasp, bipartisan effort to revive the subsidies early next year.

• Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters a House-passed bill would create "a revenue vehicle that we could use for something if there ever is a deal that emerges."
• Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) told reporters the "House discharge petition is certainly a boost."

Zoom in: The bipartisan talks have centered on a proposal from Sens. Collins and Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) to extend the subsidies for two years with changes like an income cap on eligibility and a minimum premium payment aimed at fraud.

• Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (N.H.) a key Democratic moderate in the talks, told us today she is open to that proposal, "depending on the technical details as it gets written."
• "We have sort of a compromise proposal that we're putting the finishing touches on," Husted said. "But whether there's votes for it or not, I have no idea."

Between the lines: There's lingering debate over limits for abortion funding, and upcoming appropriations deadlines and a possible government shutdown are looming next month.

• Even if there is a deal, there's no guarantee Thune would give it a vote.
• But "any bill that comes out of the Senate will get a vote here," Rep. Fitzpatrick said, even if it requires another discharge petition.

The bottom line: Moreno told us today that there is "no scenario" where the Senate passes a clean extension.

• But he added: "An extension with reforms is possible."

— Stef Kight, Peter Sullivan and Kate Santaliz

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✈️ Cruz's shock turnaround

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) hinted all week that he was willing to play hardball to get a vote on his aircraft safety bill. Why it matters: In the end, he passed it without even a vote, via unanimous consent. For a bill that was in search of a legislative vehicle for several weeks, it was a remarkable turnaround. Cruz, chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, also included language that would strike Section 373, the controversial provision we told you about earlier this week that the House attached to the National Defense Authorization Act. ROTOR – and language to strike Section 373 – now goes to the House as the country approaches the first anniversary of the fatal Jan. 29, 2025 collision between an Army helicopter and an American Airlines flight above the capital. Between the lines: Cruz also extracted public praise from the Pentagon for his bill. "The department supports this legislation," Sean Parnell, a spokesman for the Department of Defense, said in a statement. Expect Cruz to use the Pentagon's support to pressure the House to move quickly and accept all of his changes. P.S. Immediately after ROTOR sailed through the Senate, Jared Isaacman received his confirmation vote to serve as NASA administrator. — Hans Nichols

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✏️ GOP's Biden eraser

Data: Sources: Congress.gov, Senate GOP whip office; Note: Zero rules overturned in years not shown; Chart: Axios Visuals Senate Republicans undid a whopping 23 rules and regulations this year put in place at the end of the Biden administration. Why it matters: That's more rules overturned this year under the Congressional Review Act than in all other years combined since the CRA became law in 1996. "Republicans rolled back punishing Biden regulations," Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) said on the floor today. "By reining in Biden's heavy-handed bureaucrats, we are saving Americans $180 billion." Zoom in: A major CRA move came in May, when Republicans used the nuclear option to ignore opinions from the Government Accountability Office and Senate parliamentarian in order to repeal California's EV mandate. — Stef Kight

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?️ America's worst job: GOP skewers Speaker

The House GOP's long-simmering internal tensions burst open yesterday as Speaker Mike Johnson faced the prospect of temporarily ceding control of the floor at the start of next year, Axios' Hans Nichols and Kate Santaliz write.

• Why it matters: GOP frustration with Johnson (R-La.) isn't new. But infuriated House Republicans are taking out their anger on each other.

"Those members need not ask me for any help in their campaigns whatsoever," Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Mo.) told Axios of his centrist GOP colleagues who signed the discharge petition that will force a House vote on extending the Affordable Care Act's premium tax credits.

• Conservatives loathe the idea of doing anything to prop up the ACA. For some, that made yesterday's defections feel like a personal betrayal.

? Zoom in: Centrist Republicans were furious that Johnson refused to allow a vote on their proposals to extend the subsidies, pushing some to conclude their only option was to side with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.).

• Four Republicans — Pennsylvania Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, Robert Bresnahan and Ryan Mackenzie, along with Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) — signed the discharge petition.
• "Our team should've put in the compromise. Now we're voting for the worse one. It's just sort of dumb," said Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.).

The big picture: Johnson insisted he hasn't "lost control of the House."

• "We have the smallest majority in U.S. history. These are not normal times," he told reporters yesterday.

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Health care

House Republicans have approved a narrow package aimed at lowering health care costs for some Americans in the coming years — marking a win for party leadership, even as some of their members say it falls short of addressing rising prices in 2026. The House voted 216-211 to send the measure to the Senate, which is unlikely to vote on it before lawmakers leave for the holiday recess. However, House Republicans are largely ignoring the issue of the expiring enhanced Obamacare subsidies that help people afford premium costs. Those tax credits are set to expire at the end of the month, likely causing premiums to spike for tens of millions of Americans next year.   Moderate US House Republicans join Dems to force vote on extension of health care subsidies WASHINGTON — Republican leaders in the U.S. House will face a floor vote in early 2026 on Democrats’ plan to extend enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits for three more years, after passing their own legislation Wednesday night that has little chance of a future in the Senate and does not address the tax credits. https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/12/17/repub/moderate-us-house-republicans-join-dems-to-force-vote-on-extension-of-health-care-subsidies/?   US Senate Democrats warn of fallout from Trump Education Department transfers WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Democrats on Tuesday blasted ongoing efforts from President Donald Trump’s administration to dismantle the Department of Education, including plans to shift several of its responsibilities to other Cabinet-level agencies.   https://floridaphoenix.com/2025/12/17/repub/us-senate-democrats-warn-of-fallout-from-trump-education-department-transfers/?

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Congress Squanders Last Chance to Block Venezuela War Before Going on Vacation

The House voted down a pair of measures to halt strikes on alleged drug boats and on Venezuelan land on Wednesday, hours after President Donald Trump announced a blockade on the South American country.

https://theintercept.com/2025/12/17/venezuela-war-powers-vote-congress/?

Republicans Are Splitting Over Israel. Will Democrats Take Advantage?

In a presidential primary election, a significant number of Republican voters — 44 percent — said they would vote for a Republican candidate who supports reducing the flow of U.S. taxpayer-funded weapons to Israel, according to a new poll released Tuesday by the Institute for Middle East Understanding Policy Project and conducted by YouGov.

https://theintercept.com/2025/12/16/aipac-israel-republicans-democrats-midterms-trump/?

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? Top senators on Google

Data: Google Trends; Chart: Axios Visuals — Stef Kight

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Epstein Deadline Arrives

Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released roughly 70 photos from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate yesterday, one day before the Justice Department’s deadline today to disclose a separate trove of “Epstein files” under the new Epstein Files Transparency Act. The photos, from a batch of 95,000 the committee received last week, include passports, text messages, and private gatherings with public figures, as well as phrases from the book “Lolita”—which covers child sex abuse—written on parts of a woman’s body. The photos are not timestamped and do not implicate anyone. Republicans have accused Democrats of selectively publishing the photos to shape a misleading narrative. See photos (warning: sensitive content). The act, signed by President Donald Trump in November, orders the DOJ to post all Epstein- and Ghislaine Maxwell-related materials in a publicly searchable database. Agencies may redact limited details to protect victim safety, privacy, or national security, but cannot withhold information for political or personal reasons.

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? House work-from-nowhere

Data: House Clerk; Chart: Axios Visuals House lawmakers barely edged out COVID-era voting days in 2025, despite being in the make-or-break year for President Trump's MAGA agenda. Why it matters: House Speaker Mike Johnson's lawmakers are frustrated and losing their cool, and aside from the "one big, beautiful bill," Republicans don't have much to brag about. "You cannot deliberate with your colleagues if you're out somewhere else," Johnson said in March, arguing against allowing new parents to proxy vote. ? But Johnson kept the House out for 54 days during the government shutdown, a major contributor to the year's unusually light calendar. Johnson argued the House had "done its job" by passing a clean government funding measure. At the time, most of his conference was publicly supportive of the approach. The speaker also frequently canceled votes when internal tensions flared or legislation wasn't going his way, further shrinking days of floor action. His use of distance as a governing tool helped seal the deal on crucial votes. But it came at a cost. The other side: "Congressional Republicans executed the most ambitious and successful agenda by any Republican Congress in history," a Johnson spokesperson told us, pointing to the passage of the "Working Families Tax Cut," and the codification of 70 of Trump's executive orders. ? Between the lines: When lawmakers returned from their two-month hiatus, the agenda was filled with resolutions to punish colleagues, infighting and even a literal fire at the Capitol that some viewed as a fitting metaphor for the state of the House. Members across the spectrum are frustrated by the chamber's inaction, with many acknowledging that little has been accomplished since passing the "big, beautiful bill." That includes failing to pass any appropriations bills since the shutdown ended. It also includes letting Democrats seize the initiative on Affordable Care Act subsidies, which will expire at the end of this year, by forcing a vote in January. ? What they're saying: Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) told us Johnson "squandered" Republicans' opportunity to move their agenda while they control all of Washington. "This has not exactly been the finest hour for the U.S. House of Representatives. Over the last several months, the House has been missing in action in a lot of ways," Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.) said in early December. Congress has been "sidelined by Johnson under full obedience" to the White House, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said in her resignation statement. The bottom line: "There's a lot of palpable frustration, which is why I think you're seeing a lot of people retire, you're seeing a lot of people leave," Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.) told us. — Kate Santaliz

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? Bitter Dem feud returns

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

"Medicare for All" is starting to fracture Democrats in Senate races, much like it did in the 2016 and 2020 presidential primaries. Why it matters: Party leaders like Schumer want to make the midterms a referendum on affordability and health care. But top progressives view the 2026 primaries as a critical opportunity to remake their case for Medicare for All ahead of 2028. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) told us this week that "the opportunity now is to prove aggressively that Medicare for All is right." Zoom in: In Maine, progressive Graham Platner supports Medicare for All. Maine Gov. Janet Mills, the pick of party leaders, has called on Congress to extend expiring ACA tax credits. In Michigan, progressive Abdul El-Sayed has backed Medicare for All for years. Mallory McMorrow has bashed Medicare for All but supports a public option. Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) wants to strengthen the ACA. In Minnesota, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, who has the support of national progressives, is backing Medicare for All. Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) supports a public option but not Medicare for All. The bottom line: Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) told us this week that Democrats' "next step is to stop tinkering with a broken system." — Stephen Neukam

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? Top House lawmakers on Google

Data: Google Trends; Chart: Axios Visuals — Stef Kight Go deeper

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? Stefanik's surprise exit

Photo illustration: Shoshana Gordon/Axios. Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) is suspending her campaign for New York governor and will not seek reelection to the House next year. Stefanik, one of President Trump's most prominent backers on Capitol Hill and a member of House GOP leadership, just entered the race for governor in November after Trump helped clear the field for her, Axios' Kate Santaliz and Andrew Solender write. ? The announcement comes just days after Nassau County executive Bruce Blakeman decided to jump into the race. Trump and GOP leadership's effort to clear the field for Stefanik included convincing Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) not to run. Between the lines: National Republicans earlier this year embarked on a polling project aimed at deciding who of the three — Stefanik, Lawler and Blakeman — would be the strongest GOP opponent to incumbent Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, Axios' Alex Isenstadt reported. Stefanik fared the best. Keep reading.

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? The brewing divide over AI

Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios.

The future of AI is dividing the Democratic Party, as potential 2028 presidential candidates and key stakeholders stake out clashing positions in what's already shaping up as a major policy battle in the primary. Why it matters: If Democrats win back the White House in 2028, where they land on AI will shape how the country approaches the new technology — with big consequences for the economy and workers. ?️ The big picture: Two main arguments are playing out within the party: Democrats should embrace AI to beat China and capture the jobs that come with the many data centers AI companies are building. (The Trump administration has a similar approach, though some Democrats think it's too hands-off toward AI.) Democrats should slow down and push for more regulation of the AI industry, given its potential power to displace millions of workers and the volume of natural resources being sucked up by new data centers to power the technology. ?️ Driving the news: Swing state governors such as Pennsylvania's Shapiro and Michigan's Gretchen Whitmer — both potential 2028 presidential contenders — have welcomed AI companies investing in their states. Some labor unions, especially those in the building trades, also have partnered with the AI industry and applauded the potential jobs it could bring to their members. The other side: Some progressive Democrats eyeing the 2028 race, such as New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and California Rep. Ro Khanna, have been much more critical of AI companies. They've called for significant government regulations and new policies to protect workers who may be displaced by the technology. While some unions are warming up to AI, others are fighting it because they believe it will replace their members' jobs. The Teamsters have called for all self-driving trucks to have a human operator in the vehicle — setting up a clash with AI companies. Some Democrats, including Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, have backed the union's demands, while others have been quiet on the issue. Asked whether Shapiro agrees with Fetterman, the governor's spokesperson declined to say. Read more. — Alex Thompson