If there is a master plan to keep the government funded through March 1, no one seems to know what it is yet on Capitol Hill. https://t.co/b6mPTES3qn — KWWL (@KWWL) February 22, 2024 Be a lot more fun if so many innocent peoples’ lives weren’t hanging on the results, but I’ll take some consolation in …
Saturday Night Slap Fights Open Thread: <em>Repubs in Disarray!</em>Post + Comments (193)
Sources involved tell CNN that House and Senate appropriators have been working in good faith to try and finish each of the 12 appropriations bills, figuring out how to dole out $1.66 trillion in funding that leaders agreed to earlier this year. But, those same sources say a series of controversial policy riders had slowed progress. Complicated issues have been kicked up to the leadership level where it’s not clear they can be resolved quickly, especially if Johnson digs in. And if negotiators can’t announce a deal by the weekend or early next week, it’s unclear how even a few of those bills could pass in time.
That means Johnson and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer could be staring down yet another short-term spending patch, something that Johnson has repeatedly said he didn’t want to do, in part because it could land him in hot water with his right flank. Congress has already passed three, short-term spending bills – called a “continuing resolution” or “CR” – since September to keep the government funded for this fiscal year – one of which triggered a motion to oust Kevin McCarthy from the speakership. Now, appropriators are warning Congress will soon need to turn its attention on passing next year’s bills. ..
For months, Johnson has struggled to control and contain his shrinking majority. Members of the House Freedom Caucus have continued to tank procedural votes known as rules on the House floor, and the House failed to impeach Mayorkas the first time because of attendance issues (he was later impeached in a subsequent vote). Johnson also had to pull plans to vote on a reauthorization of section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act for a second time last week because of divisions in GOP ranks, and Johnson is still grappling with how to handle moving ahead with aid to Ukraine, something that defense hawks in his conference are clamoring for and isolationist conservatives have warned could end his tenure as speaker…
Elsewhere: (Hi, TFG!)
NEWS: 2 resolutions now circulating within RNC that could slow Trump's takeover if passed
1 would ensure RNC remain neutral/not take on staff from a campaign until candidate is nominee
2 bar the RNC from paying candidate legal bills unrelated to this election w/ @DanielStrauss4— Kristen Holmes (@KristenhCNN) February 24, 2024
RNC member Henry Barbour has submitted two resolutions for the party’s members to consider that would block the party from paying the legal bills of any candidate and require the party to be neutral until a candidate gets 1,215 delegates, per drafts. pic.twitter.com/MN8xcKQTOa
— Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) February 24, 2024
Previously…
House Republicans wonder: ‘Is it worth it?’@MZanona and @AnnieGrayerCNN on the growing number of House Republicans in a rush to get away from their colleagues
— Edward-Isaac Dovere (@IsaacDovere) February 19, 2024
"High-profile Republicans head for the exits amid House@GOP dysfunction" https://t.co/UzjHvj82T6 #DemsInDisarray 😆 pic.twitter.com/qTOEZq5hxa
— Prof Michael E. Mann (@MichaelEMann) February 19, 2024
Punchbowl (Politico for people with even shorter attention spans), sensing blood in the water, piles on…
… This is the most chaotic, inefficient and ineffective majority we’ve seen in decades covering Congress. It started this way under former Speaker Kevin McCarthy and has gotten worse under Johnson.
And things aren’t going to get easier. The House is leaving town today by 2:30 p.m. for the 13-day Presidents Day recess. When members return on Feb. 28, there will be only three days to fund a huge swath of the federal government or face a partial shutdown. There’s another full shutdown deadline a week later.
Fair or not, there’s a tremendous amount of criticism focused on Johnson right now. The 52-year-old Louisiana Republican — speaker for just 113 days — is a very pleasant man. But he and his top aides, most of whom are new to the leadership, have still failed to get a feel for governing successfully. And hanging over this is the possibility of another motion to vacate if Johnson alienates hardline conservatives…
Johnson truly keeps his own counsel. His leadership colleagues often begin the week having no idea what the speaker is thinking or what he hopes to achieve. The speaker was also particularly hamstrung by having House Majority Leader Steve Scalise out for the last six weeks. Scalise has deep relationships across the conference and a true sense for fault lines within the GOP. Johnson has at times ignored the guidance of House Majority Whip Tom Emmer as well.
“There’s always this internal struggle [for Johnson] being a movement conservative and then having to be pragmatic. So that’s playing out a lot,” said a top Republican of Johnson. “It feels like chaos. Rudderless.”
Some of the power centers in the House Republican Conference seem more eager to buck Johnson than help him. House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), for example, has been yanked around on the rewrite of FISA, a top priority for the outspoken conservative. Many factions in Johnson’s conference feel the same way on other issues.
Unlike speakers before him, this House Republican Conference was built without Johnson’s input or effort. McCarthy was the lead architect for this majority, having traveled incessantly for hundreds of candidates across the country. Former Speaker Paul Ryan led two committees, helping build relationships with dozens of lawmakers as he wrote budgets and passed bills. Former Speaker John Boehner had two stints in leadership, led a committee and traveled all year for the GOP.
Johnson has done none of that. He’s a backbencher plucked from obscurity to be the third-highest-ranking official in the American government…