Congress
Ocasio-Cortez set to launch bid for top Dem spot on key panel
As Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez prepares to jump into the race to be the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, she’s testing how far her colleagues are willing to go as they shake up their leadership structure.
She told reporters Friday that an announcement was coming “soon” and to keep an eye on her social media.
Her official launch would mean challenging Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va), who has already announced he wants to run as the top Democrat of the committee after Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), who currently occupies the spot, tossed his hat in for House Judiciary ranking member.
“We talked the other day, and [Ocasio-Cortez] indicated she was headed that way,” about running against him, said Connolly. “And I said: ‘Great, we’ll run an honorable race, a civil race and we’ll be friends at the beginning and at the end.’”
The 35-year-old outspoken progressive has long been critical of party leaders and doesn’t always align with the rest of her party. But she’s learned to play the inside track in the Democratic Caucus, working with colleagues and leadership more rather than always using her proverbial megaphone. Raskin named her the vice ranking member of the Oversight Committee earlier this Congress.
Her likely entry into the race is the latest bullet point as Democrats make sweeping changes to the aging leadership of their committees. Rep. Raul Grijalva of Arizona is stepping aside as the Democrat on the Natural Resources Committee, Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York ended his bid to continue leading Judiciary Committee Democrats and endorsed Raskin, and Rep. David Scott of Georgia is facing tough challenges to keep his job as the top Agriculture Committee Democrat.
A meeting is now underway seeking potential paths for ending the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security.
Tom Homan, President Donald Trump’s border czar, is meeting with top Senate appropriators and other key senators. It’s the second meeting of the same group in as many days.
Speaker Mike Johnson is planning to put a stalled Homeland Security funding bill on the House floor a third time next week, according to three people granted anonymity to discuss private plans, as the GOP moves to further pressure Democrats to end the five-week closure.
Two versions of the bill have already passed the House, each time with just a few House Democrats breaking from party lines to back it. But the bill is still held up in the Senate, where Democrats have refused to approve DHS funding without adding new restrictions on immigration enforcement.
The House will also vote on a resolution next week in support of DHS workers, including TSA officers who have gone without pay as the spring break travel crush stresses U.S. airports.
House GOP leaders are punting a reauthorization vote for the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that they had hoped to hold next week until mid-April, with a GOP hard-liner revolt over warrantless surveillance threatening to tank the legislation, according to three people with direct knowledge of the matter granted anonymity to discuss the conference dynamics.
GOP leaders are still dealing with a dozen or so Republican members who want reforms to the spy powers extension, as Speaker Mike Johnson is trying to pass a clean, 18-month extension without any changes. President Donald Trump has also asked for the clean extension.
Johnson and GOP leaders will instead work through the remaining issues over the upcoming two-week recess and try to put the extension on the floor the week of April 14, the people said.
Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) and a group of ultraconservatives have warned GOP leaders that the reauthorization would fail if Johnson tried to push it through next week.
Another House Republican told Blue Light News there was “no way” a rule to advance a clean FISA extension would pass next week.
Johnson can lose only two votes on a rule to advance the measure, and already a handful of GOP hard-liners have told Blue Light News they would oppose it.
The FISA reauthorization deadline is April 20, and the delay leaves barely any time for the Senate to act.
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