Congress
Fetterman tells reporters ‘I just want to go home’ as megabill votes drag on
While most Senate Democrats are looking for pieces to chip away from the GOP megabill in the ongoing vote-a-rama, Sen. John Fetterman just wants the process over with already.
“Oh my God, I just want to go home,” the Pennsylvania Democrat told reporters on Monday. “I’ve already missed our entire trip to the beach… I’m going to vote no. There’s no drama.”
GOP leaders expect rapid-fire amendments to roll in until at least late Monday evening. With a swath of unresolved issues — from potential cuts to the Medicaid provider tax to the phasing out of clean-energy credits — the process could easily extend into the night.
But Fetterman doesn’t think there will be surprises out of tonight’s votes.
“The only interesting votes are going to be on the margin, whether that’s [Susan] Collins or [Ron] Johnson and those,” he said. “All the Democrats, we all know how that’s going to go. I don’t think it’s really helpful to put people here till some ungodly hour.”
Fetterman later posted on X that he’s “here to vote on these amendments and keep the ball rolling” and reiterated his stance against cutting Medicaid and SNAP.
Fetterman has increasingly been a thorn in Democrats’ side as they ramp up opposition to the Trump administration and its policies. Fetterman has been adamant, for example, about not supporting a war powers resolution introduced by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) that would limit the president’s ability to take military action on Iran without congressional approval. Trump on Friday called Fetterman “the most sensible” Democratic senator and suggested he should support the megabill.
Fetterman’s impatience with the vote-a-rama is just his latest break with his own party.
“This bill is the biggest transfer of wealth from the working class to the 1% and Fetterman’s message to voters is that he just wants to go home,” Joe Calvello, Fetterman’s former communications director postedon X.
Congress
Johnson says Senate-passed DHS funding bill will have to change
Speaker Mike Johnson said Monday that language in a Homeland Security funding bill the Senate passed unanimously near three weeks ago is “problematic” and will have to be changed to pass the House.
The bill as written, Johnson said, would “orphan” funding for key immigration enforcement agencies including Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Passage of that measure is part of a two-track DHS funding approach that won President Donald Trump’s endorsement but has faced skepticism from some conservative hard-liners.
The failure of the House and Senate GOP to align on a plan threatens to further delay the passage of DHS funding, even after Saturday’s attempted assassination at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
“It has some problematic language because it was haphazardly drafted,” Johnson told reporters of the Senate-passed bill. “We have a modified version that I think is going to be much better for both chambers.”
The language in question explicitly zeroes out funding for ICE and Customs and Border Protection, which are set to be funded in a second measure to be passed under the party-line budget reconciliation process.
Stripping it out as the conservative are demanding would force the Senate to approve the bill a third time — and could potentially create objections from Democrats who have insisted on putting new restrictions on immigration enforcement.
Congress
‘National emergency’: After assassination attempt, Leavitt urges Congress to fund DHS
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Monday urged lawmakers to fund the Department of Homeland Security after a gunman breached security at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner over the weekend.
The administration has repeatedly blamed Democrats in Congress for holding up DHS funding and again leveled that charge on Monday, saying “Democrats need to do what President Trump has been calling on them to do for 73 days in a row, and fund the Department of Homeland Security. She called the matter a “national emergency.”
“Every member of Congress needs to put their country over party, and get the Department of Homeland Security funded,” she added.
Saturday’s incident has fueled calls from Republicans and Trump administration officials to fund the DHS, which houses the Secret Service, one of the law enforcement agencies managing security for the event. Leavitt mentioned the need to prepare for events that will place additional strain on the agency in the months ahead, including the World Cup, America 250, the 2028 Olympics and the presidential election.
The congressional showdown over DHS funding amid resistance from Democrats that want more guardrails placed around immigration enforcement has dragged into its third month. DHS has been able to paper over some missed paychecks by repurposing some of the massive cash infusion the agency received as part of the GOP megalaw enacted last year, but even that has its limits — DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said this month that his department will run out of money to pay employees’ salaries the first week of May.
President Donald Trump has demanded Republicans use the budget reconciliation process to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol by June 1, after which Congress is expected to enact a bipartisan measure to fund remaining DHS operations and end the record-breaking shutdown.
Republican leadership is working to convince hold-outs to support a Senate budget plan to fund immigration enforcement, in part by promising another package filled with Republican priorities later on. Some House Republicans believe the shooting could push hesitant Republican lawmakers to temporarily abandon their frustrations and support the budget plan, especially amid increasing White House warnings about national security risks inherent in leaving the agency in a funding lurch.
Leavitt praised federal law enforcement’s response to Trump’s attempted assassination.
Law enforcement quickly took down the shooter before he made it into the ballroom of the Washington Hilton, where Trump, Vice President JD Vance, first lady Melania Trump and other dignitaries including members of the Cabinet were gathered for dinner. And Secret Service officers quickly removed the president and other top administration officials from the event space.
“The Secret Service is a vital component of DHS. It has been directly impacted by this reckless political gamesmanship,” Leavitt said. “Everyone in this room who was there on Saturday night witnessed the heroes of Secret Service and federal law enforcement jump into action in the face of grave danger and uncertainty.”
However, how the gunman was able to charge as far past law enforcement as he did — and his ability to bring weapons to the hotel — remains under scrutiny as federal officials examine security protocols for future events.
Congress
GOP member presses Johnson to hold vote on DHS funding as conservatives balk
Republican Rep. Nick Langworthy is pushing Speaker Mike Johnson to call up the stalled Homeland Security funding bill passed by the Senate for an immediate House vote following the weekend shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner that targeted President Donald Trump and top federal officials.
Langworthy, a New Yorker who sits on the House Rules Committee and is strongly aligned with Johnson, told the speaker Monday he is urging “immediate consideration” of the Senate-approved bill funding most of DHS, according to a letter obtained by POLITICO.
Facing a Republican rebellion in their ranks, Johnson and fellow GOP leaders have been pushing to move the Senate-passed bill, which senators approved unanimously April 2, only after the House is able to make progress on a separate, party-line measure to fund immigration enforcement agencies. But that situation is growing increasingly untenable after Saturday’s shooting and recent warnings from Trump officials that DHS is running out of emergency funding as a record shutdown extends past 10 weeks.
“There is no time for delay. As put on full display for the American people with the attack surrounding the White House Correspondents’ Dinner this weekend, our country remains at risk,” Langworthy wrote in the letter. “While we continue to have significant work ahead to fully fund immigration enforcement through the reconciliation process, we should demonstrate clearly that we are committed to delivering solutions at the earliest possible moment.”
-
Politics1 year agoFormer ‘Squad’ members launching ‘Bowman and Bush’ YouTube show
-
The Dictatorship1 year agoLuigi Mangione acknowledges public support in first official statement since arrest
-
Politics1 year agoFormer Kentucky AG Daniel Cameron launches Senate bid
-
The Dictatorship1 year agoPete Hegseth’s tenure at the Pentagon goes from bad to worse
-
Uncategorized1 year ago
Bob Good to step down as Freedom Caucus chair this week
-
Politics1 year agoBlue Light News’s Editorial Director Ryan Hutchins speaks at Blue Light News’s 2025 Governors Summit
-
The Dictatorship8 months agoMike Johnson sums up the GOP’s arrogant position on military occupation with two words
-
The Josh Fourrier Show1 year agoDOOMSDAY: Trump won, now what?




