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Capitol agenda: Johnson’s budget dare, RFK Jr. confirmation vote

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Speaker Mike Johnson is daring conservatives to sink his budget resolution, setting up a make-or-break moment in the House Budget Committee later today.

The speaker emerged from hours of talks Wednesday with two hard-liner holdouts — Reps. Chip Roy and Ralph Norman, both House Freedom Caucus members who also serve on the Budget Committee — saying he would not change his budget blueprint to meet their demands for deeper spending cuts and other adjustments.

Neither conservative would commit to voting for the framework in its current form, saying that they still want guarantees that spending cuts will total closer to $2 trillion than the $1.5 trillion floor Johnson proposed.

The good news for Johnson: Roy and Norman haven’t ruled out supporting the plan. And if all Budget Committee members are present and voting, GOP leaders can afford to lose two Republicans in a party-line vote — but not three.

White House officials have encouraged members to let the process move forward but aren’t cracking the whip — as key members of the administration remain divided over whether the one- or two-bill approach is best. Norman told reporters Wednesday that Trump administration officials had called him to check in, and the White House was also in constant contact with House GOP leaders over both the sweeping policy package and souring bipartisan government funding talks.

Hard-liners are entangling those two major legislative priorities. Roy hinted that conservatives want assurances on the funding talks in order to support the budget resolution today. Appropriations Chair Tom Cole said he has not personally heard any requests along those lines, but he made clear he was not thrilled with the suggestion.

“If I were them, I would stop worrying about a few billion dollars and start worrying about the trillions of dollars of tax increases they’re talking about,” Cole said of the hard-liners. “They’ve got to grow up and decide they’re going to be members of Congress instead of TV stars on cable.”

The back-and-forth is setting up a dramatic day inside 210 Cannon, where it’s likely to remain unclear well into the day whether Budget Chair Jodey Arrington can close the deal and send a budget resolution to the floor.

Even if the panel delivers, there are plenty of potholes still to dodge: Norman and Roy aren’t the only conservatives raising doubts, and New York Republicans are getting anxious that the current tax parameters may not provide enough wiggle room to expand the SALT deduction. And you can expect House tax writers to keep pushing for a larger deficit allowance than the $4.5 trillion outlined in the current plan.

Meanwhile, senators moved forward with their own budget blueprint Wednesday, which they continue to frame as a back-up plan to the House proposal. It could come to the floor as soon as next week. Get your vote-a-rama snacks ready, folks.

What else we’re watching:

  • Nominations: The Senate will vote to confirm Robert F. Kennedy as HHS secretary this morning at 9 a.m. Keep an eye on Sen. Mitch McConnell, a polio survivor, to see if he confirms Kennedy — he opposed Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence Wednesday and Pete Hegseth for Defense secretary last month.
  • CR talks: Cole said on Wednesday that bipartisan discussions on appropriations bills are continuing and he has not been told to stop negotiating with Democrats. But privately, things may be moving towards a temporary funding bill, according to one person granted anonymity to speak on the matter. Cole said he requested a meeting with the speaker to talk about the next steps.

— Benjamin Guggenheim 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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