Congress: The Senate & The House

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? Senate vs. "Don-Roe"

Senate Republican leaders are eyeing an eleventh-hour gambit to spare President Trump from a symbolic — but humiliating — defeat on Venezuela.

• But two powerful Senate appropriators — one Republican and one Democrat — are pursuing a more traditional path to constrain the president on Greenland: cutting off the money.

Why it matters: Today's twin developments highlight the challenges Trump faces as he seeks to flesh out his "Don-Roe" doctrine in this hemisphere — and potentially the Arctic.

• GOP leaders are comfortable giving Trump free rein. But a handful of Republicans are growing more assertive in trying to check his ambitions.

Zoom in: Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) introduced legislation today to prevent the administration from annexing or occupying the territory of a NATO member state.

• "The mere notion that America would use our vast resources against our allies is deeply troubling and must be wholly rejected by Congress in statute," Murkowski told the Financial Times.
• The two lawmakers will join a bipartisan delegation to Denmark this weekend — a symbolic winter flight meant to signal firm opposition to annexing Greenland.

The other side: A similar effort to prevent Trump from taking Greenland, by force or by sale, is underway in the House. However, it's mostly a Democratic effort.

• At least one House Republican is pushing for annexation — and statehood.

What we're watching: There has been intense pressure on the five Republicans who defied Trump on an initial procedural vote on the war powers resolution targeting Venezuela, with most people eyeing Sens. Josh Hawley (Mo.) and Todd Young (Ind.).

• At a closed-door lunch today, Republican leaders floated a way to block final passage of Sen. Tim Kaine's (D-Va.) resolution.
• A senator could raise a point of order, arguing the resolution is moot because there are no U.S. troops on the ground — giving Hawley and Young an opportunity to flip their votes.
• "Privileged motions have to do with current war activities, and since there aren't any, I don't think this ought to be able to come to the floor," Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) told us today.

The bottom line: Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

• Republicans are dusting off a procedural tactic Democrats used in 2024 to scuttle a war powers resolution from Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) to block the Biden administration from building a pier to Gaza.
• Democrats succeeded 48-46.

— Hans Nichols and Stef Kight

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Trump vs. his leaders

House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune have quickly distanced themselves from Trump's calls to cap credit card rates. Johnson suggested Trump "probably had not thought through" how banks might react to such a policy shift. "You've got to be very careful if you go forward in that," Johnson told reporters today. Thune said he's not "advocating" for capping credit card rates but conceded the Credit Card Competition Act — cosponsored by Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) — would likely get a vote. Zoom in: Sens. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) jumped to offer to write legislation to back up Trump's other policy proposal of banning big investors from buying single-family homes. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) spoke to Trump about getting the job done on housing. — Stef Kight and Kate Santaliz

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? Schumer's Michigan mess

Rep. Haley Stevens is opening up a two-front war in Michigan, which Minority Leader Chuck Schumer needs to hold if he wants to take back the Senate in 2026.

Why it matters: Stevens' aggressive new strategy will fuel fears among Democrats that a nasty Michigan Senate primary, which isn't until early August, will divide the party.

• She's favored by party leaders but is locked in a close race with state Sen. Mallory McMorrow and progressive doctor Abdul El-Sayed.

Zoom in: "I'm not the one who's calling Michigan manufacturing a dying industry and dreaming about taking cars off the road," Stevens told us of El-Sayed, who has publicly supported the Green New Deal.

• Her campaign pointed to 2019 tweets by El-Sayed that said "climate change is only going to get more expensive to deal w/ ... dying industries" and that a single bus can take several cars "off of the road."
• Stevens also took a shot at McMorrow, alleging, "I ... haven't criticized our manufacturing economy or said that as a state, we've got to focus on something else."
• Her campaign made similar attacks in a memo previewing a more aggressive strategy, which it shared with us.

The other side: El-Sayed spokesperson Roxie Richner said it's "unfortunate to watch a drowning campaign use Fox News talking points in an attempt to stay relevant. Turns out that gobs of corporate money can't buy you a personality or a Senate seat — even if you've paid with your integrity."

• McMorrow spokesperson Hannah Lindow said, "Mallory started her career in car design, and she'll fight for every manufacturing job in our state. Michiganders expect results, not just rhetoric. And too often in recent years, companies have over-promised and under-delivered, using billions in corporate incentives and subsidies."

— Holly Otterbein

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?️ Axios interview: Schumer on midterm recruiting

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) used the threat of two more Trump-appointed Supreme Court justices to bait top Democrats into running for Senate in 2026, the party leader tells Axios' Stephen Neukam.

• Why it matters: Schumer, 75, is up for re-election in 2028, and his longevity as party leader is at stake. But the New York Democrat got his handpicked candidate in all four states where he'll need to flip GOP-held seats.

"North Carolina, Maine, Ohio and Alaska ... those four, we're going to win," Schumer told Axios in an interview Tuesday at Senate Democrats' campaign headquarters in D.C.

• Schumer and Democrats need to flip at least four GOP-held seats to reclaim a majority.
• They'll also need to protect Sen. Jon Ossoff (D) in Georgia — where Schumer predicted his party will win — and prevent Republicans from flipping an open seat in Michigan, where the primary has turned ugly.

?️ The big picture: Schumer's key recruiting victories include former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, Maine Gov. Janet Mills, former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and former Rep. Mary Peltola (D-Alaska).

• "If we lose the Senate by one seat, and Trump puts two 40-year-olds on the Supreme Court ... you won't be happy," Schumer told Axios about his pitch to those candidates. "It was patriotism that motivated these people."
• Trump would need just a majority of votes in the Senate to confirm a Supreme Court justice. A Democratic majority would act as a check to that.

Keep reading.

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Epstein probe

Bill and Hillary Clinton refused to testify on Capitol Hill Tuesday in the House Oversight Committee's Jeffrey Epstein probe despite lawmakers' threat to hold them in contempt. In a letter to Republican Chairman James Comer, the Clintons' attorneys claim that the subpoenas are invalid and meant to embarrass and harass the former president and secretary of state. In recent weeks, the Department of Justice has released thousands of Epstein-related documents, including previously unseen photos of Bill Clinton with the late convicted sex offender. A spokesperson for Clinton has repeatedly said the former president cut ties with Epstein before his arrest on federal charges in 2019 and was unaware of his crimes.   Congress targets deepfake porn   Illustration: Natalie Peeples/Axios Backlash over pornographic deepfakes made with Elon Musk's AI chatbot Grok is fueling a new push to let victims sue, Axios' Maria Curi reports. ? The issue goes beyond one company, with various AI tools driving the spread of digitally created nonconsensual intimate imagery and child sexual abuse material. ?️ The Senate yesterday passed the bipartisan DEFIANCE Act, which would create a federal civil right of action for victims of intimate digital forgeries. Advocates say they expect movement in the House next week. ?‍♀️ Celebrities and actresses have been frequent victims of deepfake pornography — but it's also being used against everyday people. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), sponsor of the DEFIANCE Act and herself a deepfake target, on X: "Across the country, more and more teenage girls are becoming victims of deepfake harassment." Sexual Violence Prevention Association founder and CEO Omny Miranda Martone says a previous measure, the TAKE IT DOWN Act, "is not doing enough to cover this." That law, which takes effect in May, only allows for FTC enforcement actions and doesn't cover content shared in direct messages or emails. ?‍⚖️ The DEFIANCE Act would go after the production, distribution and solicitation of such images, casting a much wider net. Go deeper.

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Venezuela war powers resolution fails in Senate as 2 Republicans bow to Trump pressure

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans voted to dismiss a war powers resolution Wednesday that would have limited President Donald Trump’s ability to conduct further attacks on Venezuela after two GOP senators reversed course on supporting the legislation.

https://apnews.com/article/trump-venezuela-senate-war-powers-2350b162d116090759a7428c4b915eea?

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? Trump defectors fold

After infuriating President Trump last week, Senate Republicans successfully thwarted a final vote tonight on a war powers resolution seeking to restrict future military action in Venezuela.

• Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.) flipped from supporting the war powers proposal to voting to block it from consideration.
• Vice President Vance cast the tie-breaking vote.

Why it matters: It's a big win for Trump and Senate GOP leaders, who mounted a last-minute pressure campaign to avoid another rebuke of the administration's actions in Venezuela.

Zoom in: Young was promised that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would appear before the Foreign Relations Committee in a public hearing after next week's recess and assured that the administration will come to Congress first if U.S. military forces are needed in Venezuela, he said.

• He cited his talks with Rubio as influential in his decision. "To have the secretary of state be at my disposal — really, I mean, countless phone conversations and text exchanges — was very reassuring to me," he told reporters.
• Republicans have argued the fast-track voting process does not apply because there are no U.S. troops on the ground in Venezuela.
• Rubio emphasized in a letter sent this morning to Foreign Relations Committee Chair James Risch (R-Idaho) that no U.S. troops are in that country, Punchbowl News first reported.

The bottom line: Rubio's letter echoed arguments made by Senate Majority Leader John Thune and GOP Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), and appeared successful in swaying Hawley and Young.

• Democrats used a similar tactic in 2024 to avoid a vote on Sen. Ted Cruz's (R-Texas) war powers resolution focused on the U.S.' humanitarian pier in Gaza.

— Stef Kight

ps:What a bunch of wimps!!

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? Fuming over Noem

Articles of impeachment targeting Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem are garnering support from House Democrats at a rapid clip. Not all the party's lawmakers are happy about it.

Why it matters: This is by far the most credible impeachment effort of Trump's second term thus far, but some centrists continue to argue impeachment is a waste of the party's time and energy.

• "One of the things I dislike about D.C. a lot is the number of messaging items. ... People introduce bills that have no hope of any consequential change in people's lives," Rep. Adam Gray (D-Calif.) told us.
• Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-Ga.) said it is "quite possible that impeachment could be a distraction."

State of play: Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.) formally introduced three articles of impeachment against Noem today, which accuse the DHS secretary of obstructing Congress, constitutional violations and corruption.

• DHS has repeatedly dismissed the impeachment effort as "silly" and argued that Kelly, who is running in a contested Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, should focus on issues in her district.
• As of this morning, 70 House Democrats — about a third of the House Democratic caucus — had signed onto Kelly's articles.

Between the lines: Granted anonymity to offer candid thoughts on the matter, several centrist lawmakers went much further in criticizing the Noem impeachment push.

• One House Democrat told us: "There's a frustration with all these impeachments."
• "It's stupid," another told us, expressing shock that so many of their colleagues signed on and adding that "affordability is the issue."

What's next: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, asked today if he plans to take a position on impeaching Noem, told us: "Stay tuned."

— Andrew Solender

ps:That'll be a waste since the do nothing trumplicans will block any thing to save there criminal-in-chief!!!!!

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✈️ Machado's Hill tryouts

House and Senate lawmakers are preparing to meet with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado while she's in Washington for a sit-down with Trump.

Why it matters: The president is cool on Machado and her ability to lead Venezuela. But she has many supporters in Congress, including among Trump's political allies.

• "It's just a matter of convincing the president of her capabilities," said Rep. Carlos Giménez (R-Fla.), who plans to meet with her, though they have nothing on the books yet.
• Some Republican lawmakers are calling on the White House to move faster toward elections in Venezuela — at times breaking with Trump over their support for Machado.

Driving the news: Trump will host Machado at the White House tomorrow, their first meeting since the administration's ousting of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.

• Potentially on offer: Her Nobel Peace Prize (The Norwegian Nobel Committee says it's not transferable).
• After her Trump audience, a group of senators is preparing to meet with her. The group, led by Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), is expected to include Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (N.H.) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) on the Democratic side.
• Sens. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and John Curtis (R-Utah) are expected to attend on the GOP side.
• Machado is scheduled to meet early next week with a bipartisan group of House members, coordinated through the Foreign Affairs Committee, according to multiple people familiar with the plans.

The bottom line: Some House members made it clear the burden is on Machado to make her case to lawmakers. She'll be under pressure to be impressive.

• Machado "should be pointed, well thought out and prepared," Foreign Affairs Chair Brian Mast (R-Fla.) told us today, describing what he wants to hear from her.
• "If somebody comes with less than a presentation of that, then that's troubling as well."

— Kate Santaliz, Hans Nichols and Stephen Neukam

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⛏️ Scoop: Strategic reserve for critical minerals

Illustration: Lindsey Bailey/Axios

A bipartisan group of lawmakers will introduce legislation today to create a $2.5 billion strategic stockpile of critical minerals, Axios' Hans Nichols has learned. Why it matters: President Trump is bringing his prospector's pick to nearly every corner of the globe — including Ukraine, Venezuela and Greenland — in a push to boost the U.S. supply of minerals that are critical to the tech industry's growth. Now Congress wants to join the minerals rush by helping to secure — and stabilize — the domestic market for rare-earth and critical materials. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Todd Young (R-Ind.) — along with Reps. John Moolenaar (R-Mich.) and Rob Wittman (R-Va.) — will introduce the SECURE Minerals Act this morning. ? Zoom in: Most of the world's supply is controlled by China, leaving the U.S. vulnerable to price swings and supply-chain disruptions for minerals needed to make advanced semiconductor chips and EV batteries. The goal is to create something akin to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which was established in 1975 in response to the Arab oil embargo.

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Control of the House is at the center of midterms. These charts help explain the fight

House control is at the center of the 2026 U.S. midterm elections that are taking shape nearly a year into President Donald Trump's second term. History shows that the sitting president's party nearly always loses House seats in midterm elections. Here are some key questions and data to explain the fight ahead.  Read more.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

Democrats see a path to win the Senate. It’s narrow and has little room for error What Americans think about Trump’s first year back in office, according to AP-NORC polling Schumer tells the AP Democrats are preparing for Trump to disrupt and dispute the midterms: Q&A

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✈️ Caracas CODEL

Senators left a meeting with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado with plans to visit her country, but differing views on when she herself should return.

Why it matters: President Trump's forceful removal of Nicolás Maduro continues to split the Senate.

• More than a dozen senators packed into the meeting and praised Machado's courage. But they disagreed over how Venezuela should transition to democracy — and when it would be safe for her to go home.

What they're saying: "That lady's got guts, right?" Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) told us. "I think she needs to be in the country. I think she needs to rally the Venezuelans."

• "She did indicate that she wants to go back as soon as possible — which I advised, in Spanish, is not a good idea," said Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.). "I just think it's dangerous."
• "We would rather have respected leaders of the opposition take their time to go back and be safe."

Driving the news: Machado met earlier in the day with Trump and said afterward on Fox News that she gifted him her Nobel Peace Prize.

• "She didn't mention that, and neither did anybody else," said Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.).

What we're watching: Senators are already discussing a potential CODEL to Caracas, Venezuela's capital.

• "I'll do the interpretation," said Gallego, who says he "discussed maybe senators going down to visit to show support for the opposition."
• Scott is also on board. "I think it's important to go, but we've got to make sure it's safe.

The bottom line: Democrats and Republicans are united in celebrating Machado — but not in embracing the Trump administration's approach.

• "A large group of Democrats were fawning on Machado," Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) said. "Yesterday, they were trying to say that what President Trump did was wrong."

— Hans Nichols and Stef Kight

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Schumer's surprise host

Trump and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer met at the White House today for the first time since last fall's government shutdown.

• The New York Democrat urged the president to release a hold on federal funding for the $16 billion Gateway Tunnel Project, Schumer's office said in a readout.
• Trump last year said he was withholding federal funding from the massive public works project — which includes the construction of new rail tunnels under the Hudson River —after Democrats picked a government shutdown fight.

Zoom in: Schumer confronted Trump over ICE raids and demanded he pull back, the readout said.

• His office also said he urged Trump to push Senate Republicans to take up the House-passed bill that would resurrect Affordable Care Act premium subsidies that expired at the end of last year.

— Stephen Neukam

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Crunch time on ICE

Jet fumes are hitting the Senate, which will only have a week when senators get back from recess to avoid a (partial) government shutdown.

Why it matters: Congress is making real headway on spending bills. But Democrats are demanding ICE reforms in the Department of Homeland Security funding bill, and a bipartisan deal may not be possible by month's end.

• As we've been warning, a "budget without any constraints on DHS isn't likely to get a lot of Democratic votes," Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said today.
• At least six or seven Dems will have to cross the aisle to avoid a shutdown.
• Both Majority Leader John Thune and Schumer have dismissed the idea of another shutdown after last fall's record-breaker.

Zoom in: Congress cleared the halfway point on appropriations bills today after funding Commerce, Justice, Energy and the Interior, as well as NASA and the EPA.

• Funding agencies is Congress' most basic job, and GOP leaders have been adamant about passing more regular appropriations bills.
• Thune and Shaheen both said a spending stopgap is the likely endgame to avoid a DHS shutdown, Semafor reports.

The bottom line: Murphy told reporters that a stopgap "doesn't fix any of the problems either," suggesting Dems wouldn't support an extension of current DHS funding levels.

• But Schumer has been clear he thinks a shutdown is off the table, and a lapse in DHS funding would technically be a partial government shutdown.

— Stef Kight and Stephen Neukam

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? Johnson's 2026, foretold

Data: Axios research; Chart: Axios Visuals The first two weeks of this year are providing a harsh glimpse of what's to come in 2026 for House Speaker Mike Johnson. Why it matters: Johnson's shrinking majority means rebellious rank-and-file Republicans — of any ideological bent — have more influence. Six House Republicans tanked a bill this week that would modify the definition of hours worked under the Fair Labor Standards Act. That's after conservatives, frustrated by the appropriations process, threatened to tank a rule last week. They ultimately backed down — but only after Johnson assured them they would get future amendment votes and more time to review legislation. The big picture: The House majority currently sits at 218-213, meaning a single defection can effectively sink a bill if attendance isn't perfect. "Welcome to ... what is our majority?" Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), one of the holdouts on last week's rule vote, told reporters. Roy is one of seven Republicans who have voted against rules at least twice this session, with dozens more defecting at least once. The bottom line: Don't expect rebellious Republicans to quit exploiting their own party's razor-thin margins to extract concessions from leadership any time soon. — Kate Santaliz and Kathleen Hunter

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? Spicy Senate sideshows

Speaking of futures foretold: Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer face the unsavory prospect of lower-priority races sucking away more cash — and time — ahead of November.

Why it matters: Both parties want to save their big bucks for the North Carolina, Georgia, Ohio and Maine races that will decide the majority.

• But Republicans are bleeding cash in Texas, while Democrats get less comfortable by the day in Michigan.

Zoom in: Texas AG Ken Paxton launched his first negative ad today against Sen. John Cornyn.

• Cornyn and his allies have already spent about $25 million, with the big stretch to come.
• That GOP primary looks headed to a runoff on May 26. Texas is rated as "likely Republican" by Cook Political Report, but Paxton has consistently polled less favorably against Democrats than Cornyn or Rep. Wesley Hunt.
• "I think we have a chance of winning in Texas, it's not one of our top four," Schumer told us in an interview this week. "Both Cornyn and Paxton are very unpopular in Texas."

In Michigan, leadership-favored Rep. Haley Stevens is directly attacking both her Democratic Senate rivals in the race to succeed retiring Sen. Gary Peters (D), as we told you this week.

• Stevens accused Sen. Bernie Sanders-backed Abdul El-Sayed of "dreaming about taking cars off the road," and attacked rising star Mallory McMorrow over comments on economic development.
• All three are narrowly trailing in polling to former Rep. Mike Rogers, the likely GOP nominee who lost to now-Sen. Elissa Slotkin in 2024.
• The Michigan race is listed as a "toss-up" by Cook Political Report. The primary isn't until August, putting the survivor of that primary in a tight spot against Rogers.

— Justin Green, Stephen Neukam and Stef Kight

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Thune losing streak

Senate Republicans are rallying behind Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), but their big-dollar super PAC will likely leave him out to dry.

Why it matters: Senate Majority Leader John Thune is 0 for 3 in the closing stretch on getting President Trump to endorse some critical, embattled GOP incumbents.

• The fractures are forming in the GOP campaign apparatus despite Thune helping secure early Trump endorsements of incumbents in races like Ohio and Florida — and party unity in battleground races like North Carolina and Michigan.

Driving the news: Rep. Julia Letlow (R-La.) is officially challenging Cassidy in the safely red seat — with Trump's backing.

• "The crux of the campaign will not be about endorsements," Cassidy told reporters today. "The crux of the campaign is, how do you make Louisiana and the United States a better place?"
• Letlow seemed to take a swipe at Cassidy in her announcement video, saying, "A state as conservative as ours, we shouldn't have to wonder how our senator will vote when the pressure is on."

Between the lines: NRSC Chair Tim Scott (R-S.C.) made clear last year the Senate campaign arm will back Republican incumbents — no matter what.

• The NRSC has not disclosed where it is spending, but it has made clear it is focused on eight battleground states.
• Louisiana is not on that list, according to a source familiar.

Thune campaigned for Cassidy just over the weekend, and Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) told reporters today that he's supported the senator "from the beginning."

• But leadership's opinion has not proven influential for Trump.
• The president has so far declined to endorse Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and even called for Sen. Susan Collins' (R-Maine) ouster after she voted for the Venezuela war powers resolution.

What to watch: The Thune-linked Senate Leadership Fund (SLF) super PAC and its mega-dollars will likely stay out of the Louisiana race.

• SLF tends to avoid spending in states not viewed as competitive in the general election. "Anything that distracts from our efforts to beat Democrats in November is unhelpful," SLF executive director Alex Latcham said in a statement.
• At the same time, the group's affiliates are funneling millions of dollars into protecting Cornyn from his primary threats.
• SLF announced today a whopping $42 million to defend Collins, as the Wall Street Journal first reported.

The intrigue: Elon Musk is also jumping into the primary game, as our Axios colleague Alex Isenstadt first reported.

• Musk is spending $10 million to support MAGA candidate Nate Morris for the Kentucky seat being vacated by Sen. Mitch McConnell (R).
• Morris has been polling behind other primary contenders Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky.) and former state Attorney General Daniel Cameron.

— Stef Kight

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✈️ Leaders strike back

Congressional leaders are daring their members to vote against the grand plan to avoid a shutdown at the end of January.

Why it matters: In a Congress defined by the silent treatment and name-calling, the leaders have made the calendar their ally.

• Sure, there's some caterwauling from Democrats about missing their best opportunity (for now) to reform ICE. But it doesn't seem loud enough to derail the whole package.
• "I'm not worried about the Senate," House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole (R-Okla.) told reporters. "I think we're sending them what they think they can pass."

State of play: This morning, appropriators released the details of the last four spending bills. The House passed a two-title bill to fund the Treasury and State, as well as the IRS and Federal Trade Commission, last week.

• Once the final minibus — which funds Defense; Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education; Homeland Security; and Transportation, Housing and Urban Development — is passed by the House, the Senate will need to act when it returns next week.

In a creative twist, House Speaker Mike Johnson plans to use the rule he'll need to bring the four-title minibus to the floor to create a single six-title bill for the Senate to vote on — take it or leave it.

• Johnson also plans to give Democrats a separate floor vote on the controversial Homeland Security funding.
• "We're having a conversation in the caucus meeting about it tomorrow," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told us when asked how he and leadership would handle that vote.

The other side: In the Senate, opposition to the strategy is being mostly led by Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.).

• "Democrats have no obligation to support a bill that not only funds the dystopian scenes we are seeing in Minneapolis, but will allow DHS to replicate that playbook of brutality in cities all over this country," Murphy said on X.
• Some senators, like Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), had been urging appropriators to include their legislation in the remaining four-bill minibus.
• But they aren't threatening to tank the minibus, even though their bill — the ROTOR Act — wasn't included.

— Hans Nichols, Andrew Solender and Kate Santaliz

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Impeachment fever

House Democrats now have 100 cosponsors on a resolution to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

Why it matters: The Noem effort represents a mainstreaming of impeachment and offers an early signal of who Democrats may target first if they retake the House in November.

• Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) told us he is under "no illusions about whether it has a chance of passing in this Congress," but "the circumstances are so extreme that a message needs to be sent."
• Minority Leader Jeffries told us: "We haven't ruled anything in and we haven't ruled anything out."

– Andrew Solender

ps:Don't waste everybody's time!!!!!

After Minneapolis, Democrats walk tightrope to battle Trump on immigration Democrats had planned to campaign in the midterm elections on affordability and health care, two issues where Americans are particularly unhappy with President Donald Trump. But the aggressive immigration crackdown in Minnesota, including the killing of an American mother during a confrontation with federal agents, has scrambled the party’s playbook. Read more.

Why this matters: Democrats are trying to translate visceral outrage into political strategy, even though there’s little consensus on how to press forward on issues where the party has recently struggled to earn voters’ trust. Some Democrats want to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a proposal that echoes “defund the police” rhetoric from Trump’s first term, and impeach administration officials like Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. Others have taken a different approach, introducing legislation intended to curb alleged abuses by federal agents.   But pushing back on the administration requires Democrats to step onto difficult political terrain. About 4 in 10 U.S. adults trusted Republicans more to handle immigration, according to a Washington Post/Ipsos poll from September, higher than about 3 in 10 who said the same about Democrats. On the issue of crime, Republicans also held the advantage. About 44% thought Republicans were better, compared to 22% for the Democrats. Republicans feel confident that their intertwined messages on crime and immigration will resonate with voters in the midterms.

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Democrats didn't shut down government to fund health care for 'illegal aliens.' Here's context

Immigrants in the country illegally are not eligible for federal health care insurance plans. The Democrats' proposal does not change that.

Claim:

Democrats forced a U.S. government shutdown because they want to fund free health care for people without legal immigration status in the United States.

Rating:

False

Context

Democrats are trying to extend tax credits that make some health insurance premiums more affordable, but immigrants in the country illegally are not eligible for these programs. Republicans have cited a provision in a Democratic proposal as funding health care for people in the country illegally, but it simply repeals restrictions Republicans placed on federally subsidized health care eligibility for immigrants with a legal right to be in the country.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/government-shutdown-health-care/?

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• ? House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) opposes a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security, he told his caucus during a closed-door meeting today. Democrats are lining up against the bill, which they say doesn't do enough to constrain ICE following the shooting of Renee Good. More from Axios' Andrew Solender.
• ?️ The House Oversight Committee will depose Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell on Feb. 9 in a closed session. Go deeper.

? Dems' new Clinton feud

Nearly half of the Democrats on the House Oversight Committee broke with their party's leadership in stunning fashion today by voting to hold former President Clinton in contempt of Congress.

Why it matters: The vote put them in defiance of Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who actively whipped committee members to vote against the measure, according to four sources familiar with the matter.

• "I've publicly and strongly expressed my opposition to what [Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.)] is trying to do," Jeffries told reporters after the panel vote today.

Driving the news: House Oversight voted separately to hold Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress after they failed to appear last week for scheduled depositions about the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

• The Bill Clinton vote was 34-8, with nine Democrats siding with Republicans. Three Democrats voted with Republicans to hold Hillary Clinton in contempt.
• The Clintons' lawyers had argued that the panel was holding them to an unreasonable standard by not allowing them to provide written answers, as they did with several former FBI directors and attorneys general.
• Both Clintons have denied any wrongdoing.

What they're saying: "I voted my conscience and I voted my district," Rep. Lateefah Simon (D-Calif.) told us of her vote to hold Bill Clinton in contempt, adding that she expects to vote for the measure again when it reaches the House floor.

• Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.), who also voted for the Bill Clinton contempt measure, said there was "plenty of evidence" the former president "might have information that he could share with the committee" on Epstein.

What to watch: Jeffries said he has not decided whether to formally whip against the measure when it reaches the House floor, though sources told us that may be unnecessary.

• One senior House Democrat, speaking on the condition of anonymity, predicted only "between a dozen and 15" Democrats will vote for the measure on the floor but "not much beyond that."
• Oversight Democrats "just wanted to send a very serious message to the [Epstein] victims that they were going to be with them no matter what," the lawmaker said.

— Andrew Solender

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⚖️ Jack Smith makes his case

Photo illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photos: Getty Images

Former special counsel Jack Smith will tell the House Judiciary Committee this morning (10 a.m. ET) that President Trump was charged because evidence showed he "willfully broke the very laws he swore to uphold," Axios' Julianna Bragg writes. Why it matters: Smith's highly anticipated public testimony marks his first open defense of the Trump prosecutions as Republicans intensify efforts to portray the investigations as politically motivated. In his opening statement, Smith will say the investigation "developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt" that Trump engaged in criminal activity after the 2020 election — and that declining to bring charges would have meant failing his duty as a prosecutor.  Full opening statement.

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House approves final spending bills as Democrats denounce ICE funding

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House passed this year’s final batch of spending bills on Thursday as lawmakers, still smarting from last fall’s record 43-day shutdown, worked to avoid another funding lapse for a broad swath of the federal government.

https://apnews.com/article/homeland-security-government-funding-bills-d7ca791c2d1aa81d2982239f81bc86be?

House Republicans barely defeat Venezuela war powers resolution to check Trump’s military actions

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House rejected a Democratic-backed resolution Thursday that would have prevented President Donald Trump from sending U.S. military forces to Venezuela after a tied vote on the legislation fell just short of the majority needed for passage.

https://apnews.com/article/trump-venezuela-house-war-powers-19b78647b9d39cad589fa9fc4477e815?

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? Johnson's Trump assists

It wasn't pretty, simple or easy, but Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) passed a crucial government funding bill out of the House today — and saved his president from one embarrassment while opening him up to another.

Why it matters: Despite some intentional — and unintentional — collateral damage, Johnson continues to demonstrate how to govern with the thinnest of majorities — which sometimes requires recalling a truant Texas lawmaker to fly back to D.C.

• "This isn't just a news conference. I would call it a celebration of sorts," Johnson said at the Capitol immediately following passage of the spending package, which marks a big step toward averting a government shutdown at month's end.

Zoom out: As for the collateral damage, that was restricted to the Senate — and the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue.

? First, the drama: Johnson held open the vote on a Democratic proposal to block President Trump from taking further military action in Venezuela without congressional approval for almost 30 minutes.

• That allowed Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-Texas) to land at Dulles, suffer the indignity of the airport's "mobile lounges" and cast the final vote to make it 215-215. Tie — and the big win— goes to the president.
• Knowing their support was critical, GOP leaders urged Hunt and Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) to return to D.C. after they missed earlier votes today.
• ?Multiple sources also told us that Hunt (with Johnson's help) secured a police escort from Dulles to the Capitol, a trip that normally can take well over an hour during rush hour.

Then the mini-Trump setback: Earlier in the day, the House passed a rule that did not renew a provision essentially shielding Trump from an endless series of reproofs on his tariff policy.

• Now, rank-and-file lawmakers can bring votes of disapproval to the floor at their will, which could get awkward for Trump and House Republicans.

Finally, the reverse Senate jam: The House attached an amendment to the spending package that stripped senators of their ability to sue the Justice Department for up to $500,000 if their electronic records are obtained without their knowledge. Call it payback.

• In November, during the penultimate vote to end the government shutdown, the Senate forced the House to accept the controversial DOJ provision.
• Today, Johnson repaid the favor by attaching an amendment to an appropriations bill that canceled the provision. The Senate will have to eat it.

The bottom line: Trump avoided a war powers rebuke. But his House tariff vaccine is now out of date. And the House jammed the Senate.

— Hans Nichols and Kate Santaliz

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? Schumer's anti-ICE squad

? The Senate's 2028 Democratic presidential hopefuls are tripping over each other to vote against ICE funding — even if that means opposing money for other programs they support and increasing the risk of another government shutdown.

Why it matters: For the 2028ers, voting "no" on a bill that's likely to pass the Senate next week is an easy way to signal their outrage at a president whose actions and policies they detest.

• But for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, it's another reminder that funding a government controlled by Trump can quickly inflame his base, especially if his colleagues are fanning the flames.

? What they are saying: Many of the Democratic senators weighing a run for the White House in 2028 have been vocal on the issue, particularly Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), who has consistently demanded reforms to ICE and threatened to vote against funding for the Department of Homeland Security.

• Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) was also clear on MSNOW on Tuesday night: "I've said repeatedly that I will not support one dime of funding for Trump's lawless ICE operations. I will vote no."
• "Yeah, I am not voting to give whatever ICE has become more taxpayer money," Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) said on X yesterday.
• "I will vote against this bill when and if it comes to the Senate," Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) said on X today.
• "I will not vote to fund DHS and ICE," Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) said on X last week.

Between the lines: Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) suggested at an event in Michigan this week that she may not support DHS funding, but hasn't been definitive.

• Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) has not taken a public position.

The intrigue: Schumer hasn't said how he'll vote on the House-passed minibus, but, earlier this month, he took the idea of another government shutdown off the table.

• Last March, Schumer was filleted for supporting a short-term funding bill.
• In September, he course-corrected and touted his willingness to shut down the government.
• On its own, the 2028ers' opposition wouldn't be enough to derail plans to prevent a government funding lapse after Jan. 30, but that could change if more Democrats join them. 

— Stephen Neukam and Hans Nichols