Republicans flail on housing with Trump adrift

IN THIS EDITION

Trump’s on the ROAD to nowhere

The White House’s heavy FISA lift

Will a Trump backlash knock off Salazar?

Pelosi backs Dorothy McAuliffe for Congress

THE TOP

Trump’s on the ROAD to nowhere

Happy Thursday morning.

When Hill Republicans succeed, President Donald Trump serves as their center of gravity, helping quiet intra-GOP disputes and pulling the party together.

Yet Trump — dealing with a difficult war in Iran and other priorities — isn’t playing that part for the GOP right now. If that vacuum persists, it could send a crucial, hugely bipartisan push for housing legislation completely off the rails.

The Senate is expected to pass the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act in a big bipartisan vote later this morning. The effort is led by Senate Banking Committee Chair Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).

But as we scooped Wednesday night, Speaker Mike Johnson informed House GOP leaders this week that the president told him “no one gives a [bleep] about housing” — a message intended to convey that Trump has made the SAVE America Act his top legislative priority instead. And all of this is far in the background of the Iran war, which is dominating everything in Washington.

Without clear marching orders from Trump, Republicans are descending into a pitched bicameral standoff. Rank-and-file House Republicans and their leaders are threatening to force a formal negotiation, potentially unraveling the carefully crafted Senate package.

Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) told us he’d spoken to House colleagues on Wednesday about potential tweaks to the Senate’s housing bill. But the Louisiana Republican also warned that if the House rips the bill apart, Congress’ chance to pass a housing bill this year will be over.

“We missed one opportunity. This is our second,” Kennedy said, citing the attempt to include housing legislation in the NDAA. “But I will tell you, if we don’t pass it this time, it’s going to be very difficult.”

Opposition from House GOP leaders to the Senate housing package has only strengthened in recent days, reflecting widespread angst among rank-and-file Republican members about the proposal and their lack of input on the final product. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Johnson said that they’re willing to force a formal conference negotiation, which opponents say would be arduous and time-consuming.

Much of the resistance has been led by House Financial Services Committee Chair French Hill (R-Ark.) and members of the House Freedom Caucus, though key House Democrats aren’t exactly thrilled either.

Counterpoint. Scott and Warren have argued that their housing bill is bicameral and incorporated many provisions from the House’s housing bill, dubbed the Housing for the 21st Century Act.

House leaders simply disagree, saying they’ve been cut out of the process and object to key alterations made without their buy-in. Likewise, conservatives haven’t been convinced by a crypto policy sweetener — a prohibition on the Federal Reserve from creating a central bank digital currency until 2031.

Senators remain confident their bill will prevail, meaning the House will get jammed.

“I think we’ll just stay the course, get the housing bill completed and, hopefully, this will still be one of those things that [Trump] can look at and say, this can be a victory for us,” Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) said.

But presidential distractions will just keep on coming, and the legislative calendar is tightening as the midterms approach.

Whatever the reason, Trump’s absence from this domestic policy fight simply gives House Republicans more time to sharpen their knives. That, in turn, cranks up the political capital it will take to force the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act through the other chamber.

The Senate’s housing package has a lot going for it. The White House has expressed strong support for the Senate housing bill. The president got himself a crackdown on institutional investors buying single-family homes included in the package.

More importantly, the bill is a rare example of legislation actually addressing cost-of-living issues that Congress could pass before the midterms. Warren called it a “damn fine piece of legislation” in an interview Wednesday night.

All of that could be true, and none of it may matter if Trump doesn’t pull himself off the sidelines.

“There’s overwhelming support in the Senate,” Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) said. “We’re going to get this over the finish line. And if the politicians will center the people rather than their own petty and partisan differences, we’ll get this done.”

News: Trump has appointed Republican lobbyist Jeff Miller to be the chair of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, which runs the Holocaust Museum. Miller has been on the board since 2021. Miller is the founder of Miller Strategies and is one of the top GOP lobbyists in D.C.

— Brendan Pedersen, Laura Weiss and Jake Sherman

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FOREIGN SURVEILLANCE

The White House’s heavy FISA lift

Competing factions of lawmakers are sure to make the Trump administration’s push to renew a lapsing spy authority a herculean lift for party leaders in both chambers.

Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act has long been a contentious issue that cuts across party lines.

The program authorizes surveillance of foreign nationals outside the United States and is described by proponents as an indispensable national security tool. Civil libertarians, meanwhile, have long criticized the program over Fourth Amendment concerns.

The 702 authority expires on April 20, and top Trump administration officials are already lobbying lawmakers to support a clean extension, despite top House Republicans wanting to rewrite the program. The program was last reauthorized in 2024 and included reforms intended to placate privacy hawks.

Let’s examine the competing factions for the next big must-pass legislative battle.

National security institutionalists. Veteran lawmakers from both parties, especially those who serve on national security committees, are indicating they favor a clean extension of the program.

They also signaled that the changes Congress made to the 702 program during the last reauthorization cycle are sufficient for now.

“The statute is absolutely essential, and the protections contained in it are adequate,” Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) said.

Libertarians. FISA fights have long broken apart traditional partisan camps, with Democrats and Republicans insistent on adding a warrant requirement for domestic communications caught up in foreign intelligence operations.

Who to watch here: Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

Lee and Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin introduced a bill last month to renew the surveillance authority for two years. The legislation includes what Lee and Durbin described as a “narrow warrant requirement,” plus a host of other changes.

SAVE Act. House GOP hardliners pushing legislation requiring photo ID and proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections are vowing to try to attach the measure to any FISA extension — and they have tremendous leverage here given the miniscule majority Speaker Mike Johnson has.

“FISA WILL NEED TO HAVE SAVE AMERICA ACT ATTACHED. No excuses,” Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) wrote on X Wednesday.

That dug-in bloc of House Republicans could withhold support for rules on the floor, denying GOP leadership the ability to bring up a FISA bill. President Donald Trump has dubbed the SAVE America Act his top priority and could encourage this effort.

But such a move would doom the bill in the Senate. Here’s what Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chair Mark Warner (D-Va.) told us:

Take what they can get. Several Republican lawmakers said they’d take any bill to renew FISA — with or without tweaks.

“I think it has to be reauthorized and I’ll vote to reauthorize it, no matter if there are subtle changes to the bill or whatever,” Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) said.

Hyper-partisans. A number of lawmakers indicated they’d follow Trump’s wishes on the lapsing authority.

“The president’s calling for a clean reauthorization, so that’s what I’m supporting,” said Sen. Jim Banks (R-Ind.).

But that calculus works both ways. Plenty of Democrats will surely stand in the way simply because Trump wants it.

— Anthony Adragna, Andrew Desiderio and Briana Reilly

SUNSHINE STATE

Will a Trump backlash knock off Salazar?

CORAL GABLES, Fla. — In 2020, Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar’s (R-Fla.) Miami seat was ground zero for the massive Latino swing toward Republicans in the Donald Trump era. Six years after Salazar first flipped her seat red, Florida Democrats feel they can knock her off because of a restless electorate fuming at Trump’s mass deportations and high prices.

Salazar is still a favorite to win another term, as evidenced by her 20-point reelection victory in 2024. But the top Democrats vying to unseat her — Robin Peguero and Eliott Rodriguez — say Salazar has failed to stick up for her constituents amid Trump’s deportation push.

Salazar acknowledged that Trump’s policies are a “problem” for her district and she’s urging the president to refocus his immigration agenda.

“The problem comes when we are deporting those who do not have a criminal record,” Salazar told us at the House GOP retreat. “My constituents don’t like this because those people are contributing to the construction, hospitality, agricultural, health care sectors.”

But Democrats say Salazar’s rhetoric doesn’t match her actions.

“Salazar needs to speak up if she really means what she’s saying about being a champion of immigrants,” Rodriguez said.

Primary watch. The top two contenders in the Democratic primary are Peguero, a former prosecutor and Capitol Hill staffer backed by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus BOLD PAC, and Rodriguez, a longtime local TV anchor who jumped into the race on Tuesday.

Peguero has raised $700,000 to date. But Rodriguez enters with massive name recognition due to his decades-long television career.

“People say, ‘Oh, you’ve been coming into my home at night, during the daytime. I trust you,’” Rodriguez recounted. Rodriguez also said his Cuban-American identity will mean Salazar “can’t accuse me of being a communist, which is her normal playbook.”

Peguero said the primary shouldn’t be a “coronation” simply due to Rodriguez’s local celebrity status.

“I haven’t been neutral for 20 years while I’ve watched my country really stick it to the working class,” Peguero said. “Maria Elvira Salazar was a TV journalist with zero experience… we don’t need more of the same.”

Both Democrats also said the affordability crisis is hitting Miami residents particularly hard. And both noted the district has a large number of ACA enrollees who were hurt by the expiration of the enhanced tax credits.

— Max Cohen

OLD DOMINION

Pelosi backs Dorothy McAuliffe for Congress

Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi is endorsing Dorothy McAuliffe’s run for Virginia’s newly created 7th District.

McAuliffe, an attorney and former first lady of Virginia, on Wednesday entered the crowded Democratic primary for the district, which spans out from northern Virginia and is shaped like a lobster. Her competition includes state Del. Dan Helmer, who has twice run for Congress, and former federal prosecutor J.P. Cooney.

Pelosi’s endorsement could be powerful currency in a Democratic contest. The district is safely blue and winning the Democratic primary is tantamount to winning the general election.

All Democrats in the district are running under the assumption that voters approve the April 21 referendum to install a new congressional map. This seat was one of the newly created Democratic districts.

McAuliffe’s husband, former Gov. Terry McAuliffe, and Pelosi have a longstanding relationship.

“From tackling childhood hunger to supporting military families and helping survivors of sexual violence find justice, Dorothy has never backed down from the fights that matter. I’m proud to endorse her for Congress,” Pelosi said in a statement.

Pelosi is retiring after a storied congressional tenure, although she’s waded into a few open-seat races. Most recently, she endorsed former Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn, who is running to succeed retiring Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.). Hoyer has endorsed a different candidate in the race.

McAuliffe announced endorsements from state Senate President Pro Tempore Louise Lucas, former state House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn and several former Virginia first ladies

Helmer rolled out 80 endorsements, including Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-Va.).

But in a clear sign of how contentious this primary will be, former Gov. Ralph Northam is backing Helmer, while his wife, Pamela Northam, is backing McAuliffe.

– Ally Mutnick

… AND THERE’S MORE

Money Game. theGROUP DC is hosting a breakfast fundraiser for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries next Tuesday — St. Patrick’s Day. Check out the green-themed invite here.

Staff training. Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) on Wednesday addressed aspiring field directors and fundraisers taking part in the National Democratic Training Committee’s staff training cohort’s eight-week program. NDTC is investing $1.25 million into its staff training efforts ahead of the midterms.

“We are in a moment of chaos,” Frost told attendees. “But the exciting thing is campaigns have the opportunity to take people’s concern and anger and anxiety and put it into action.”

Health funding. More than 50 patient advocacy organizations are urging the House and Senate Appropriations committees to provide at least $51 billion for the National Institutes of Health in FY2027 funding legislation.

The letter, organized by United for Cures, comes as NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya is set to testify at the House spending panel next week. The Trump administration is expected to release its budget request in the coming weeks.

– Heather Caygle, Max Cohen and Samantha Handler

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