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Congress

Capitol agenda: CRs hit the floor

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9 months ago

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Congress is barreling toward votes on stopgap funding bills Friday before lawmakers leave for recess. Here’s what to watch:

IN THE HOUSE — The House will vote this morning on the GOP-led continuing resolution funding the government through Nov. 21. Expect nearly every Democrat to vote against it, though Reps. Jared Golden (D-Maine) and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.) have stayed quiet about their plans. (Golden was the sole House Democrat to break from his party in the March shutdown fight.)

In an extended interview with Blue Light News Thursday, Whip Tom Emmer said he’s confident Republicans can muscle their CR through the House — though he declined to say whether leaders will need to call in President Donald Trump for backup.

“I talk to the White House, I keep them advised as to where we are,” the Minnesota Republican said, when asked if they’re prepared to get Trump on the phone Friday if needed. “We’re going to pass this.”

While the hard-liners appear on board, a few rank-and-file Republicans could cause headaches for GOP leaders. Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) told Blue Light News he’s “disappointed” there is no plan past the CR, but declined to say how he’ll vote Friday. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) is a likely “no.” Republicans can only lose two of their members with full attendance for party-line passage.

If the funding patch passes, House GOP leaders are considering not coming back into session until after Oct. 1 — jamming Senate Democrats and daring them to vote against the CR right before the deadline.

IN THE SENATE — The Senate will vote Friday on competing CRs, one led by Republicans and one led by Democrats. Both are expected to fail, raising the chances of a shutdown in less than two weeks.

Majority Leader John Thune said Thursday it’s “unlikely” the Senate will come back next week. That means the next vote on the GOP’s stopgap bill would be the evening of Monday, Sept. 29 — less than 48 hours before a potential shutdown.

“I do not believe that Chuck Schumer and the Democrats are actually going to shut the government down,” Emmer told Blue Light News. “That would be one of the most foolish things you can do.”

Read more from our sitdown with Emmer on Blue Light News Pro.

What else we’re watching:   

— Schiff, Kaine to force war powers vote: Democratic Sens. Adam Schiff (Calif.) and Tim Kaine (Va.) will introduce a war powers resolution Friday blocking the use of U.S. armed forces to engage in hostilities against certain non-state organizations. It follows U.S. strikes on boats allegedly trafficking drugs from Venezuela, which Democratic lawmakers said they were not briefed on.

— Senate tries again on NDAA: Senators failed to reach a deal Thursday to vote on amendments to the annual defense bill and ultimately pass the legislation. Thune said senators were optimistic they could wrap up the NDAA by Friday.

— RSC hosts anti-abortion group: The Republican Study Committee will host influential anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America at a briefing Friday morning on the looming expiration of Obamacare subsidies. The meeting is a sign that abortion opponents are ramping up lobbying against continuing the subsidies, which they argue effectively subsidize abortion.

— More en bloc nominees: Senate Republicans started the process Thursday night to confirm a second batch of nominees in a single vote. The new bloc has 108 nominees, including Herschel Walker to be U.S. ambassador to The Bahamas, Sergio Gor to be U.S. ambassador to India, Hung Cao to be under secretary of the Navy and Arch Capito to be U.S. attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia.

Jordain Carney, Jennifer Scholtes, Calen Razor, Connor O’Brien and Benjamin Guggenheim contributed to this report.

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Congress

Johnson says he will send housing bill to Trump on Monday

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12 hours ago

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June 28, 2026

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House Speaker Mike Johsnon said he plans to send President Donald Trump a bipartisan housing bill Monday, just days after the president abruptly canceled a signing ceremony for the legislation after Congress failed to pass his elections security act.

Speaking with Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures,” Johnson said the 21st Century ROAD To Housing Act is a Republican priority for lowering costs for Americans.

“I’m going to send the bill over to him on Monday, and it will become law,” the Louisiana Republican told host Maria Bartiromo. “I certainly want him to take the biggest, boldest marker that he has and do that big Trump signature proudly on that legislation because we’re delivering for the people, and that’s what he wants to do.”

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Johnson’s remarks.

The bill is the product of almost a year of back-and-forth between all four congressional corners and aims to increase affordability by boosting housing supply and home ownership. It passed both chambers of Congress with wide bipartisan support.

Trump was scheduled to sign the bill into law last week but canceled the ceremony “until such time as we pass the desperately needed SAVE AMERICA ACT, which I consider to be a National Emergency.”

Trump’s SAVE America Act would require voters to present a photo ID at the ballot box and effectively end mail-in voting. Trump has also said he would like the bill to include prohibitions on transgender athletes competing. But Republican leaders have repeatedly indicated the legislation does not have enough votes to pass.

Congressional leaders appeared taken aback by Trump’s signing cancellation, but Johnson on Sunday said he and the president have since met in the Oval Office to discuss the housing bill “in great detail.”

“We made a lot of promises to the voters, and we’re fulfilling those every single day of this Congress,” Johnson said. “This is a big part of that because this will increase the availability, the access to more housing, bring down cost, cut regulations, do the things we know are very important for that market. The president and I talked about that at length. Of course he wants to do those things.”

But if Trump does not sign the housing bill into law within the next few days, it would still become law unless he were to veto it. Congress also has the power to override a presidential veto.

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Congress

Sen. Thom Tillis rails against Trump’s fixation on voting legislation

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13 hours ago

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June 28, 2026

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Sen. Thom Tillis on Sunday expressed frustration with President Donald Trump’s continued fixation on passing the SAVE America Act.

In an interview with BLN’s “Face the Nation,” the retiring North Carolina Republican lamented “the impossible task” of implementing the requirements of the legislation ahead of November’s crucial midterms.

“Why are we doing more things to undermine our confidence in elections, rather than getting the strong message out that will win for Republicans this year?” Tillis said.

Rather than promoting the bill — which would require voters to present a photo ID at the ballot box and effectively end widespread mail-in voting — Tillis said Republicans should tell voters about “the rise of the Democratic Socialists of America” while accepting the current voting laws.

“Win by the good results that Republicans have produced and stop undermining the confidence in the elections,” said Tillis. “This is a bedrock of our 250-year history of success as the democracy that changed the world. Let’s not mess with that between now and November.”

Trump has said the SAVE America Act is his “No. 1 priority” ahead of midterms, going so far as to abruptly cancel a bill signing for major bipartisan legislation on housing affordability until Congress passes his elections bill. But many Democrats are staunchly against the bill, arguing it could disenfranchise millions of voters, and Republican leaders in Congress have repeatedly indicated it does not have the votes to pass.

Tillis co-sponsored the original SAVE America Act but has objected to Trump’s version of the legislation, which would also bar transgender athletes from women’s sports.

It’s not the first time Tillis has clashed with Trump.

Earlier this year, Tillis blocked Trump’s Fed chair nominee, Kevin Warsh, until the Justice Department dropped an investigation into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. He has also spoken out against the Justice Department’s $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund,” calling it a “payout for punks.” And he has emerged as a fierce critic of Bill Pulte, Trump’s interim director of national intelligence.

“Let’s try and figure out a way to completely and finally end these distractions so that we can focus on the damage Democrats could do if they take the House, if they beat incumbent Republicans in the Senate. That’s what Republicans need to be talking about between now and November,” Tillis said Sunday.

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Congress

Sen. Bill Cassidy on Trump: ‘Sometimes he acts as if Congress is merely an appendage’

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14 hours ago

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June 28, 2026

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Sen. Bill Cassidy appeared to question President Donald Trump’s view of Congress, saying in an interview that he is not sure Trump grasps that Congress “is a separate body, separate from the presidency.”

“Sometimes he acts as if Congress is merely an appendage, and, frankly, sometimes Congress acts like it’s an appendage,” the Louisiana Republican said in a pre-taped interview with CBS’ “Face the Nation” that aired Sunday.

The latest criticism in a public clash between the two leaders, Cassidy also told host Margaret Brennan that he would be focused on affordability, including the cost of health care and groceries, if he were president.

“If I were president, I would be focused on those people that they have, my people, our people, us at the kitchen table. How do you make their life better? And that’s what I think the president should be focused on,” Cassidy said.

The relationship between Cassidy and Trump has been rocky for some time. Cassidy was one of only a handful of Republican leaders who voted to convict Trump for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.

Trump and Cassidy recently clashed in a closed-door meeting between GOP leaders, with Cassidy admitting he raised his voice to “match” the president’s.

“The president said something negative about me. I received it as attempting to bully me from asking a question that I think the American people need to know, and I’m not going to be bullied,” Cassidy said at the time.

However, after receiving a special briefing from Vice President JD Vance and special envoy Steve Witkoff, Cassidy changed his vote on a resolution designed to rein in Trump’s power to wage war against Iran.

“They said right now the negotiations are delicate, and they could collapse if they’re not nursed along in the appropriate way. I can accept that,” Cassidy said.

“That’s the reason they said for their kind of lack of being forthcoming. I can accept that, but my goal was to be briefed, to have the truth in order to make a decision for the benefit of my country, and that was satisfied.”

Still, Cassidy’s stance against Trump has cost him: After serving more than a decade in the Senate, Cassidy lost his campaign for renomination after Trump endorsed against him. Rep. Julia Letlow will be the Louisiana Republican Senate candidate this fall.

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