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Johnson: Reconciliation path likely decided by Thursday

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Republicans appear close to settling on a strategy for passing President-elect Donald Trump’s sweeping border security, energy and tax agenda.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said in a brief interview Wednesday evening that House and Senate GOP leaders are likely to make a final decision by Thursday about how they’ll pursue the budget reconciliation process to enact their policy priorities and extend expiring tax cuts.

“We’re coordinating both chambers to align them and we’ll make those final decisions, I think, probably by tomorrow,” said Johnson.

Privately, House GOP leaders are optimistic key senators are getting behind Johnson’s push for one massive reconciliation bill, a procedural maneuver that allows the majority party to advance a legislative package without relying on the minority party’s votes.

However, there are still holdouts who are pushing for two separate reconciliation bills — one narrow measure dealing primarily with border security and energy policies and another addressing taxes more broadly. Trump, who prefers one bill but has waffled on his position lately, is meeting with Senate Republican leaders Wednesday night.

Johnson spent Wednesday meeting with Republicans in his office discussing a long list of potential spending cuts and myriad ways to pay for the bill. Several House Republicans said some more controversial offsets like Medicaid work requirements are still on the table.

Some House Republicans have estimated Trump’s initial sweeping wish list, which includes extending his suite of 2017 tax cuts, could total $10 trillion dollars, and will need at least $5 trillion in pay-fors. It’s possible, though, that GOP leaders could decide to measure the legislation’s cost against an increase in GDP, rather than using a bill “score” from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget office.

Johnson said he wasn’t sure yet where Republicans would land on spending offsets.

Several House Republicans said they believe it’s likely lawmakers will cobble together one huge bill and spending cuts, and then Trump will tell members the rest of the bill will be paid for with tariffs — a move that many Republicans say is not a viable spending offset and have groused about in private.

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Congress

Another DHS funding vote coming to House floor

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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.

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Congress

House GOP leaders punt controversial FISA vote to April

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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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White House sends blueprint for national AI rules to Congress

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The White House on Friday published a long-awaited policy wishlist for artificial intelligence regulation that it hopes Congress will codify into law.

The light-touch federal framework blends the Trump administration’s effort to create a national AI rulebook on issues like political bias within models and reducing barriers to innovation with protections for children and teens online.

It urges Congress to overrule state AI laws that the administration says “impose undue burdens,” in favor of the “minimally burdensome” federal law that it’s recommending. The Trump administration has been trying to establish preemption over state AI laws using Congress and executive order for roughly a year, arguing that the patchwork of laws harms AI innovation.

The blueprint explicitly calls on Congress to preempt any state laws that regulate the way models are developed or that penalize companies for the way their AI is used by others, and instructs U.S. lawmakers not to create any new federal agencies to regulate AI.

It also outlines some areas where the federal government’s laws wouldn’t overrule those of the states, and asks Congress to allow states to keep laws that protect children, including those that ban AI-generated child sexual abuse material.

Trump administration officials have sought to gather support from Republican lawmakers for a light-touch approach to AI regulation in recent months. It’s unlikely, however, to receive bipartisan support in Congress.

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