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Capitol agenda: FISA fight weighs on GOP priorities

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The FISA punt is setting up a chaotic stretch on Capitol Hill, with GOP infighting now threatening to jam up other Republican priorities.

After a dramatic collapse on the House floor, GOP leaders have 10 days to find a path forward on Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act before the law expires April 30.

The timing couldn’t be worse. President Donald Trump’s June 1 deadline to pass immigration enforcement funding and reopen DHS is fast approaching, and Republicans are already running out of runway.

Early this week, Senate Budget Chair Lindsey Graham is expected to release text of a budget resolution that would provide up to $75 billion in funding for DHS immigration enforcement, followed by an initial vote as soon as Wednesday.

House Republicans will need to figure out their FISA deal quickly or risk having the fight weigh on the timeline for adopting the budget resolution. House GOP leaders are already planning to push back work this month on the SCORE Act — the college athletics revamp — because of the spy powers fight.

When it comes to FISA, Senate Republicans are done waiting on the House and are preparing to grab the wheel. Senate Majority Leader John Thune on Friday teed up consideration of a three-year 702 extension.

“We’ve just got to have optionality here,” he said. “I don’t know what the House is going to be able to do, and so we’ll be preparing accordingly.”

Speaker Mike Johnson has to figure out how to address conservatives’ concerns over warrantless surveillance potentially sweeping up U.S. citizens, as well as their demand to ban the future launch of a central bank digital currency as part of the FISA bill — which Thune told us would threaten support in the Senate.

Majority Leader Steve Scalise said in an interview that House Republicans are still figuring out a different legislative vehicle where they could attach the CBDC ban.

“We’re gonna find a place for it,” Scalise said.

Some House Republicans are hoping they just need to massage a five-year 702 extension with relatively minor changes aimed at privacy hawks. But others are predicting they’ll face the same internal schism in 10 days. Some, including Rep. Don Bacon, believe it’s time to make a deal with Democrats.

Sen. Ron Wyden is promising to “pull out all the stops” for stronger FISA reforms. Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on House Intel, is finding himself performing rare “shuttle diplomacy” between GOP factions.

“What I learned tonight,” Himes said as it was all crashing down last week, “was that Republicans don’t talk to each other.”

What else we’re watching:

— Burgum on Blue Light News: A House Appropriations subcommittee will hold a hearing at 3:30 p.m. with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. Appropriators are expected to ask him about plans to downsize the department, including a proposal to cut National Park Service staffing by almost 3,000 positions.

— SCM expulsion push: Republicans including Rep. Anna Paulina Luna will try to force a vote to expel Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick immediately after a House Ethics decision Tuesday on her punishment for ethics violations.

— Iran AUMF incoming? Sen. Lisa Murkowski said she and a group of senators are drafting an authorization for use of military force for the Iran war, as a growing number of Republicans raise public concerns about the conflict. Senate Democrats plan to force a war powers vote this week, and House Democrats may as well.

Meredith Lee Hill, Jordain Carney, Manuel Quiñones and Andres Picon contributed to this report.

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Congress

Massie files to run in 2028 after losing House primary

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GOP Rep. Thomas Massie filed on Monday to run for his Kentucky House seat in 2028, less than a week after losing a primary fight against a challenger backed by President Donald Trump.

Massie became the latest victim of Trump’s revenge tour last week when former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein successfully ousted him in a primary that shattered electoral spending records.

Trump repeatedly railed against Massie, who has broken with the president on several high-profile issues in recent months, including the U.S. and Israel’s war against Iran. Massie also helped lead the congressional effort to force Trump to release the federal government’s files on deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Advertising spending in his primary fight — the most expensive on record — surpassed $32 million as pro-Israel interest groups poured millions into the effort to unseat Massie, who has been an outspoken critic of Israel during his time in Congress.

Massie said in a Monday afternoon statement that the move would allow him “to raise funds to continue my political operations supporting my position as a current office holder and as a potential candidate for federal office,” adding that he had not yet decided which office to seek.

Trump also succeeded in pushing out other Republicans who challenged his leadership in Louisiana and Georgia last week, with GOP Sen. Bill Cassidy and Georgia gubernatorial candidate Brad Raffensperger both losing to Trump-endorsed opponents.

The president also forced out several Indiana state lawmakers who opposed his nationwide redistricting efforts earlier this month, once more proving his iron grip on the party.

But Republicans in Congress and GOP operatives are fretting that Trump’s laserlike focus on vengeance could imperil the party’s legislative agenda ahead of this fall’s midterm elections and potentially cost the GOP control of Texas Sen. John Cornyn’s seat. Trump handed down an eleventh-hour endorsement of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton last week, more than two months after promising to weigh in on the ugly primary fight.

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Khanna expresses disappointment about Massie’s defeat

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Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) expressed disappointment Sunday morning that Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) lost his primary last week.

Speaking on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Khanna said of his reaction: “Sadness, disappointment. Thomas is a real friend. He’s a good man.”

Khanna and Massie are very much on opposite ends of the classic left-right ideological spectrum, but they came together to introduce the Epstein Files Transparency Act, requiring the release of files in the case of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. They also joined together to attempt, unsuccessfully, to block U.S. involvement in Iran.

Those efforts, as well as other votes, led President Donald Trump to repeatedly denounce Massie and campaign on behalf of Ed Gallrein, Massie’s challenger in their Kentucky congressional district. Gallrein won the primary last week with approximately 55 percent of the vote.

Speaking to host Kristen Welker, Khanna offered his analysis of Massie’s defeat.

“He was taken out for two reasons,” Khanna said. “One: He had the courage to go after some very powerful people in working with me to get the Epstein Transparency Act passed. As you mentioned, that’s historic bipartisan legislation that finally got justice for the survivors. And he had people spend millions of dollars and had the president of the United States after him.

“And second, he worked with me to stop this war in Iran. So for taking on the Epstein class and taking on war, he basically lost his state. And I admire his courage in taking those positions.”

With talk this weekend of a possible deal with Iran, Khanna said it is time for the war to come to an end.

“The answer to your question is yes. I do believe we need a negotiated deal,” he told Welker.

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Absent congressmember Tom Kean Jr. starts working the phone

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Rep. Tom Kean Jr., whose two-and-a-half month disappearance has stoked speculation about his health and political future, has begun more actively communicating over the phone.

On Thursday, Kean began calling Republican county chairs in his 7th Congressional District, one of the most competitive in the country in this year’s midterms. The two-term Republican also gave a “lengthy” interview to New Jersey Globe on Thursday afternoon, the first he has granted since he last voted on March 5.

Kean did not respond to a text message from Blue Light News and his voicemail was full Thursday night.

But Kean, 57, gave no details to the Globe on his undisclosed illness, which has kept him out of public view since early March. He said he’s expecting to make a full recovery, that it would not affect his cognitive health, that he plans to run for reelection and that he will publicly discuss his health at an unspecified later date.

“My doctors are confident that I’m on the road to a full recovery,” Kean told New Jersey Globe. “I understand the need for public transparency, and I appreciate the support of my constituents.”

Kean added that he plans to return to voting and campaigning in the next couple weeks. Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), chair of the House GOP’s campaign arm, told reporters Thursday he spoke to Kean and he will be back voting in June.

Kean’s lengthy absence has drawn national media attention, with reporters staking out his home in the wealthy 7th Congressional District, where he faces an extremely competitive reelection, with four Democrats competing in the June 2 primary to take him on in November. His campaign and office staff had repeatedly said that he expects to make a full recovery and would return to work “soon.”

But few people — even Kean’s two fellow New Jersey House Republicans — had recently reported speaking to him. House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters that he spoke to Kean last month.

Kean called Republican chairs in his district on Thursday.

“He sounded good to me. Sounded just as normal as always,” said Carlos Santos, the Republican chair of Union County, where Kean lives.

Santos said that he did not ask Kean about his ailment, and that Kean did not disclose it. But he said Kean confirmed he’s running for reelection and that he has his support.

Tracy DiFrancesco, the GOP chair of Somerset County, also spoke with Kean.

“It was just a simple conversation. He sounded just like Tom always sounds. He sounded perfectly fine. He’s basically back. Hopefully we’re going to see him very soon,” she said. “I think he’s doing well and we’re excited to get back on his campaign.”

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