Congress
Johnson confident ahead of government funding vote
Speaker Mike Johnson said in an interview Tuesday morning he expects House Republicans “are going to pass” a bill to fund the government later in the day, ahead of the looming March 14 deadline to avoid a shutdown.
His comments came as Vice President JD Vance is attending the House GOP Conference’s weekly meeting to rally members ahead of the big vote, which would keep federal operations afloat through the end of the fiscal year.
Johnson predicted there would be “maybe just one” GOP defection on this bill, appearing to reference Rep. Thomas Massie. President Donald Trump has called for a primary challenge against Massie over the Kentucky Republican’s opposition to the funding plan, which Trump is pressuring House Republicans to support.
Johnson needs virtually all Republicans to vote yes on the bill, given his razor-thin majority and House Democrats lining up against the plan. Republican Reps. Kat Cammack of Florida and Tim Burchett of Tennessee both said they were still undecided as they walked into the meeting.
Vance is expected “to talk about the importance” of passing the GOP funding bill in his remarks to the conference this morning, Johnson added.
Vance didn’t answer questions as he entered the meeting.
Congress
Johnson pledges House probe into Tesla threats
Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday said Congress will probe “domestic terrorism” attacks targeting the Tesla car brand after vehicles and storefronts were vandalized.
“Congress will investigate the sources of these attacks and help the DOJ & FBI ensure those responsible are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Johnson said in a post on X.
Johnson’s announcement is the latest attempt by Republican leaders to rally around Department of Government Efficiency head Elon Musk after Tesla’s stock price took a dive in recent days and the company faced a wave of attacks and heated demonstrations. Trump said this week he would buy a Tesla in support of Musk.
Johnson did not explain what committees would be empowered to lead the investigations. Spokespeople for Johnson and House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Hailey Fuchs contributed to this report.
Congress
Jeanne Shaheen won’t seek reelection
New Hampshire Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen will not seek reelection, she announced Wednesday, becoming the third Senate Democrat to announce their retirement ahead of the midterms.
Shaheen, who is 78 and was first elected to the Senate in 2008, said she made the “difficult” decision to step aside: “It’s just time.”
“There are urgent challenges ahead, both here at home and around the world, and while I’m not seeking reelection, believe me, I am not retiring,” Shaheen said in a video.
New Hampshire will be a critical battleground in the fight over control for the Senate, but it was already a challenging map for Democrats to retake the majority even before the retirements.
Congress
Capitol agenda: Johnson puts Senate Dems in a corner
House Republicans passed their stopgap funding bill Tuesday evening, which means Senate Democrats can now no longer delay their long-dreaded decision: Do they give up a chance to stand up to Donald Trump or let the government shut down in three days?
Democrats plan to huddle around lunchtime to try and hash out their strategy for confronting the government funding fight. They have already held one “vigorous discussion,” and even the chattiest senators emerged from their Tuesday meeting tight-lipped about their strategy. Many declined to say if they were unified in their approach.
They don’t appear to be. Republicans need at least eight Democrats to vote in favor of the six-month stopgap, given GOP Sen. Rand Paul’s expected opposition. Sen. John Fetterman is expected to cross party lines. But most of the 20 Democrats we surveyed in the minutes after the continuing resolution passed the House were noncommittal — particularly among the swing-state set.
A few are varying shades of “no.” Sen. Jeff Merkley said he will oppose it, while Sen. Richard Blumenthal is a “likely no.” Sen. Alex Padilla said he would not be in favor unless it offered California disaster aid after the Los Angeles wildfires.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer hasn’t said a word publicly since the House vote. Sen. Elizabeth Warren issued a charge of her own: “Democrats in the House have shown us they are united,” she told reporters after all but one House Democrat voted against the stopgap. “Why should it be different in the Senate?”
But Senate Democrats are agonizing over a few things: Getting blamed for the shutdown, especially after House GOP leaders sent members home for recess, is a big consideration. And they’re worried it would give Trump — who’s set to be on Blue Light News today for the annual Friends of Ireland luncheon — unchecked authority to shutter even more parts of the federal government. That’s an especially fresh concern after his administration moved Tuesday to gut the Education Department.
“A shutdown is uncharted territory when you’ve got an administration that, at least in some ways, probably would welcome a shutdown because that would give the president almost unlimited power in deciding who’s essential, who’s nonessential, holding up agencies,” Sen. Angus King, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, told reporters. “That’s the dilemma that’s being discussed.”
What else we’re watching:
- Dem retreat: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is looking to get his caucus on the same page at their annual retreat that starts Wednesday, especially after a disjointed response to Trump’s joint address to Congress last week. Democrats’ challenge: How do they channel the anti-Trump energy of the Democratic base — and many of their members — while calibrating their message to the swing voters they need to win?
- Johnson and Thune meeting: Johnson met with the Senate majority leader on Tuesday as the top congressional Republicans look to hash out their other big problem: a path forward for Trump’s sweeping domestic policy agenda. “Both of us understand we’ve got to get this done. We’re trying to figure out the best way to do that,” Thune said afterward.
- Visa revisions: House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan is eyeing his party’s flagship immigration bill as the legislative vehicle for giving Musk the overhaul he wants on high-skilled visa rules. Musk has pushed for increasing immigration levels for those with expertise in science, technology and engineering.
Nicholas Wu, Brendan Bordelon and Hailey Fuchs contributed to this report.
-
The Josh Fourrier Show4 months ago
DOOMSDAY: Trump won, now what?
-
Uncategorized4 months ago
Bob Good to step down as Freedom Caucus chair this week
-
Economy4 months ago
Fed moves to protect weakening job market with bold rate cut
-
Uncategorized4 months ago
Johnson plans to bring House GOP short-term spending measure to House floor Wednesday
-
Politics4 months ago
RFK Jr.’s bid to take himself off swing state ballots may scramble mail-in voting
-
Economy4 months ago
It’s still the economy: What TV ads tell us about each campaign’s closing message
-
Politics4 months ago
How Republicans could foil Harris’ Supreme Court plans if she’s elected
-
Politics4 months ago
What 7 political experts will be watching at Tuesday’s debate