What we learned from this wild week

IN THIS EDITION

That was a hell of a week

Back to the future with Dem committee leadership

News: FIFA-W.H. dispute is slowing down World Cup coin

White House deems Iran war ‘terminated’

THE TOP

That was a hell of a week

Happy Friday morning.

Happy May, everyone. What a wild week this was.

FISA Section 702 has been reauthorized for 45 days. Congress reopened the Department of Homeland Security after a 75-day shutdown. The House passed a farm bill, even if it will die in the Senate.

Speaker Mike Johnson had quite the week, having squeezed through FISA, DHS and a budget resolution to begin the process of passing a second reconciliation bill to fund ICE and Border Patrol for three years.

The whole process was a mess. It was chaotic. It was Congress at its best — or worst.

Congress is now on recess until the week of May 11. Most lawmakers will be home campaigning. Some will be on PAC trips or CODELs. But when they return to Washington, members and senators have yet another FISA deadline. Republicans have two reconciliation bills to tackle. FY2027 funding bills will be up. There’s absolutely zero election-year slowdown.

Let’s review for a moment some of the dynamics that have cropped up during this legislative period. These will help define the next few months.

House and Senate Republicans aren’t getting along. Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune are remarkably divided right now. They may make nice publicly, but in private, House and Senate GOP leaders are knifing each other with stunning regularity.

Top House Republicans say Thune folded to Democrats when he passed a DHS bill last month to fund the entire agency besides ICE and Border Patrol. Yet Johnson ended up passing that same bill Thursday after initially saying no and then dragging his feet for a few more weeks.

The bad feelings were exacerbated by Thune panning the House’s proposed three-year FISA extension, which was paired with a ban on a central bank digital currency, a big issue for conservatives. The CBDC provision was House Majority Whip Tom Emmer’s proposal. Thune called it a poison pill, which it likely was.

Thune told reporters that Johnson was well aware of the CBDC objections in the Senate. But the House GOP leadership wasn’t pleased with how everything was handled.

“John Thune asked to be the leader of the Senate but he is not leading,” said Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio), a big booster of the CBDC. “He didn’t even bring this to the floor for a debate. He keeps throwing up excuse after excuse. … Anyone can find an excuse. Leaders find a way. And it’s time for John Thune to do that or step aside.”

Davidson’s harsh take isn’t really a problem for Thune, but the bicameral Republican frustration is mutual. Senate GOP leaders have been irked at Johnson’s refusal to put the bipartisan DHS bill on the floor for weeks. They saw it as an abandonment of Johnson’s promise to fund DHS “in the coming days.”

Furthermore, after Johnson railed on Senate Republicans for passing the DHS bill via unanimous consent, the speaker passed the same DHS bill by voice vote in the House in the end.

“Yeah,” Thune responded when that was pointed out, before adding that he probably shouldn’t say more.

Johnson’s handling of the CBDC ban in FISA angered Senate Republican leadership, who feel the speaker keeps sending them bills he knows can’t pass to avoid getting blame from his members. Thune then has to take the heat.

So tensions are high and patience is running thin.

But as GOP leaders move into the next phase — trying to pass a three-year bill to fund ICE and a third reconciliation bill — it’ll be crucial for Republicans to find their way back to some semblance of normalcy.

House Republicans always fold. On issue after issue this week, House Republicans folded. Over and over again. Despite claims that this time would be different.

Midwest Republicans again abandoned their insistence on securing year-round sale of E15 fuel. They got the commitment for a vote alongside the farm bill but eventually relented on those demands when it was clear it was holding up the underlying package. Rep. Ann Wagner (R-Mo.) was furious at Johnson for punting on the E15 vote.

Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) said she’d vote against the rule, blocking GOP leadership’s ability to bring these bills to the floor. Boebert was angry that her amendments weren’t made in order. But Boebert voted yes after she was offered a seat on the farm bill conference committee — if there is one.

What you should watch for in May. Reconciliation is going to be the biggest item on the Senate’s agenda when Congress returns.

Senate GOP leaders will need to do all the intense public and private work of putting together a reconciliation bill within the two-week May work period. Thune said he’s hoping to have the final package on the Senate floor by the week of May 18, then send it to the House in time to meet President Donald Trump’s June 1 deadline.

This reconciliation bill is much narrower than most, which should make it much easier to pass. But there are still a number of procedural and political hurdles, like the Senate’s vote-a-rama before final passage.

Meanwhile, GOP leaders will need to be thinking about FISA. The 45-day extension buys time, but not all that much considering how intense the Republican infighting on the deadline has gotten.

And then Republicans need to start thinking about reconciliation 3.0. Right in the heat of election season.

– Jake Sherman, Laura Weiss and Anthony Adragna

HOUSE DEMOCRATS

Back to the future with Dem committee leadership

If Democrats win the House majority, their victory will be driven by fresh faces and a desire for change in Washington. But the Democrats in line to lead House committees are largely the same figures who led panels four years ago.

Leadership changes are guaranteed atop the House Agriculture and Small Business Committees given member departures. Apart from that, every other current ranking member is expected to retain their top slot, per conversations with House Democratic insiders.

It’s an awkward reality for a caucus grappling with generational shifts and calls for a new batch of leaders. Despite a far younger leadership trio of Hakeem Jeffries, Katherine Clark and Pete Aguilar, Democratic committee leadership skews older.

Of the likely incoming chairs, two are in their 80s — Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro (83) and California Rep. Maxine Waters (87). Neither is expected to face challenges to their roles atop the powerful Appropriations and Financial Services Committees respectively.

A further seven potential chairs — Democratic Reps. Bobby Scott (Va.), Frank Pallone (N.J.), Mark DeSaulnier (Calif.), Gregory Meeks (N.Y.), Bennie Thompson (Miss.), Zoe Lofgren (Calif.) and Richard Neal (Mass.) — are in their 70s.

Another seven are in their 60s: Democratic Reps. Adam Smith (Wash.), Jamie Raskin (Md.), Jared Huffman (Calif.), Joe Morelle (N.Y.), Jim McGovern (Mass.), Mark Takano (Calif.) and Rick Larsen (Wash.).

Rep. Jim Himes (Conn.) is the only Democratic ranker in his 50s. Reps. Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.) and Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) are in their 40s.

The age breakdown is a reflection of the fact that Democrats, unlike Republicans, have no term limits on their top committee posts. As a result, there’s a plethora of senior members who’ve been at their positions for decades. This has sometimes led to frustration among younger Democrats, who face the prospect of waiting forever to claim a gavel — or never getting one.

“It’s not about how old you are, it’s about are you doing a good job and can you make that case to the caucus?” Smith, the top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, said.

Signs of youth. The seeds of change started under Jeffries’ leadership, when Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) successfully challenged late Rep. David Scott (D-Ga.) and beat out Rep. Jim Costa (D-Calif.) for the top spot on the Agriculture Committee. After that, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) forced out Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) for the top Judiciary Committee Dem slot.

Huffman also forced the late Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) out of the top position on the House Natural Resources Committee. Grijalva didn’t seek another term and instead endorsed Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) to succeed him. Huffman ended up defeating Stansbury.

Two former ranking members — the late Reps. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) and Grijalva — have died while serving in office in recent years. Both stepped down from their committee leadership posts shortly before their deaths. Garcia, 48, replaced Connolly on the House Oversight Committee.

Musical chairs. As we reported in January, Rep. Shontel Brown (D-Ohio) is seen as the firm favorite to take over the Agriculture Committee from Craig, who’s running for Senate. Costa could run again, but the veteran lawmaker raised eyebrows when he voted to advance the farm bill out of committee.

Rep. Lateefah Simon (D-Calif.) could replace retiring Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.) as the top Democrat on the Small Business Committee.

“If I’m the best candidate to lead any subcommittee, or committee, and my wonderful peers push me forward, I’ll do it,” Simon said. “You need folks who’ve run a payroll.”

Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-Conn.) is a potential candidate for the top Democratic spot on the Education and Workforce Committee, according to multiple sources. But Bobby Scott, 79, told us he’s running again and Hayes said she was focused on running for reelection, not the Education slot.

“I’m getting reelected right now, so in the next Congress, we’ll make next Congress decisions,” Hayes said.

— Max Cohen

WORLD CUP

News: FIFA-W.H. dispute is slowing down World Cup coin

A commemorative coin for the FIFA World Cup is delayed amid a disagreement between the Trump administration and FIFA about where the proceeds should go.

The legislation Congress passed to create the coin sends the proceeds to “FWC2026 US, Inc., for the purpose of aiding or executing United States-based soccer programs and activities.” This is a Florida-based nonprofit subsidiary of FIFA created to organize the 2026 World Cup.

But Andrew Giuliani, the executive director of the White House World Cup Task Force, wants all proceeds sent to the Pentagon’s Morale, Welfare and Recreation program.

The Treasury Department and FIFA have been negotiating for months over the coin program. The department has been pushing for greater transparency about how surcharge funds will be allocated, according to a senior Treasury official.

The official noted that coin production is taxpayer-funded, but FIFA will get control of how surcharge funds are distributed.

We’ll also note FIFA has a much-publicized history of corruption and misappropriation of funds.

In an April 1 email to FIFA senior adviser Carlos Cordeiro, Giuliani argued that directing funds to the DOD’s MWR program instead “would meet the law’s intent of promoting FIFA’s soccer legacy for youth and underserved communities.”

Giuliani wrote that the MWR program “provides for community, child, and youth support programs (including sports) for military families.”

In a statement, Giuliani told us “we remain committed to transparency and appreciate FIFA seeking input on how to best utilize proceeds from the commemorative coin to support the legacy of soccer.”

Giuliani added that supporting military families, veterans, Gold Star families and Medal of Honor recipients through the coin program “would be a fitting tribute.”

Hill angst: Meanwhile, Hill Republicans are growing frustrated with the Trump administration, given the World Cup is less than two months away and the coins still haven’t hit the market.

“It would be deeply unfortunate if the United States failed to deliver a duly enacted commemorative coin program,” Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Rep. Darin LaHood (R-Ill.), who sponsored the 2024 coin bill, wrote to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on April 21.

Young and LaHood write that in December 2024, Congress unanimously passed the legislation directing the U.S. Treasury and Mint to start issuing and selling World Cup-themed coins beginning Jan. 1, 2026.

“Failure to move the program forward would be a significant missed opportunity for the U.S. We respectfully urge the Department to move expeditiously to finalize production, complete any remaining administrative steps, and ensure that the program is executed consistent with the statute,” the lawmakers added.

Young and LaHood, the GOP co-chairs of the Congressional Soccer Caucus, noted in the letter that “all required advisory reviews have been completed.”

The Republicans called on Treasury to “move expeditiously to finalize production, complete any remaining administrative steps, and ensure that the program is executed consistent with the statute.”

Mexico and Canada — the other cohosts of this summer’s World Cup — are moving forward with their commemorative coins, the GOP lawmakers add.

— Max Cohen and Laura Weiss

DEFENSE

White House deems Iran war ‘terminated’

War? What war?

The Trump administration considers the conflict with Iran that began on Feb. 28 to have “terminated” when it comes to the law that requires Congress to authorize military actions overseas, a senior administration official said late Thursday.

The 1973 War Powers Resolution states that congressional approval is needed for military operations to continue beyond 60 days. Friday marks 60 days since President Donald Trump notified Congress the war with Iran began.

But the administration official said that an April 7 ceasefire has been extended and there’s been no exchange of fire between the United States and Iran since then. U.S. Navy ships are currently blockading Iranian ports.

However, the White House asserts that the war powers clock has been reset. Democrats and some Republicans are sure to reject this argument.

Democrats have repeatedly forced unsuccessful war powers votes related to Iran, most recently on Thursday.

Democratic leaders did pick up support from Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) for the first time on that vote. The Maine Republican said the 60-day deadline for the administration to either get congressional approval or end hostilities is “not a suggestion; it is a requirement.”

Though Collins is the only one to break publicly, Republican unease over the lack of a clear exit strategy for the conflict has mounted in recent weeks.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told the Senate Armed Services Committee earlier on Thursday that days of ceasefire don’t count toward the 60-day mark, an argument immediately brushed aside by congressional Democrats.

– Anthony Adragna

AND THERE’S MORE

Ad news. Unrig Our Economy, the liberal nonprofit group, is airing a $415,000 ad buy in Minnesota’s 1st District targeting Rep. Brad Finstad (R-Minn.). This is a significant sign that Democratic outside groups think they can compete in Finstad’s district, which voted for President Donald Trump by 12 points in 2024.

The ad features a small business owner who says her business has been crushed by tariffs.

Nebraska 2nd District scoop. Democrat Denise Powell is airing a $10,000 digital ad buy arguing that if her primary opponent — state Sen. John Cavanaugh — succeeds, Nebraska’s “blue dot” is at risk. This is one of the most contested primaries nationwide.

— Max Cohen