The Archive

IN THIS EDITION

Democrats’ CR week from hell

Unpacking the Senate Dem retirements

The Conference and The Power List

An assessment of Mike Johnson after an interesting week

THE TOP

Democrats’ CR week from hell

Welcome to The Readback, our weekend digest featuring the best of Punchbowl News this week — a quick roundup of all our scoops, analysis and Capitol Hill insight you won’t find anywhere else. We’ve also included a few of our favorite outside reads from the week.

A lost, disjointed opposition: On Thursday afternoon, as Democrats’ closed-door lunch meeting had been dragging on for two-plus hours, I could hear Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand’s (D-N.Y.) voice from the other side.

I was standing just outside the LBJ room, which is just off the Senate floor, where Democrats were on their third day of private deliberations over how to handle House Republicans’ government funding bill — the only thing standing between them and a weeklong recess, the first of 2025.

Gillibrand was talking about how devastating a government shutdown would be. This, of course, was the only live alternative to the House GOP bill, which Democrats also viewed as a terrible option.

At one point, I heard Gillibrand say: “This will not be a normal shutdown.”

The moment was a perfect encapsulation of what ended up being a complete disaster for Democrats, raising fresh doubts about the party’s ability to serve as an effective opposition to President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans.

Democrats spent multiple days this week delivering dueling messages in private vs. public. They led their base to believe one thing but did the complete opposite. Most Democrats believe Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer did the right thing by clearing a path for the House’s CR to pass. But few were willing to say so publicly.

Amazingly, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries continued to pressure Senate Democrats to reject the CR even after Schumer’s announcement. And at a press conference on Friday, Jeffries refused — multiple times — to say whether he has confidence in Schumer.

For all the talk about Republicans being afraid of their base, this episode made clear that Democrats are, too. Any suggestion about a shutdown being worse than the House GOP CR was met with immediate and intense pushback from the left.

We saw a flurry of public statements this week from Democrats who were trashing the CR and declaring their opposition to it even as they privately, and sometimes publicly, warned that a shutdown would be much worse.

Call it “vote no, hope yes.” Schumer was speaking for that crowd when he announced on Thursday that he would allow the House-passed CR to move forward.

It’s obvious that a shutdown would have been the worst outcome here. Schumer was essentially being the adult in the room by acknowledging this fact. But there’s an argument to be made that he should have come out sooner to avoid what essentially became a multi-day charade that saw Democrats embrace an idea — a short-term CR — that was never going anywhere.

Schumer’s threat to filibuster the bill on Wednesday, which came in the form of a public declaration that there weren’t enough Democratic votes to help Republicans pass it, fed into this as well.

I’ll borrow a line we used in yesterday’s AM edition: When you have no cards, fold them early.

What I’m watching: I’m still on my Eagles Super Bowl high, but Phillies spring training has been really fun to watch this year.

— Andrew Desiderio

You can find The Readback in your inbox every Saturday at 8 a.m. And don’t hesitate to reach out to readback@punchbowl.news with feedback. Enjoy The Readback.

Unpacking the Senate Dem retirements

In journalism, we say that trends come in three. And Sen. Jeanne Shaheen’s (D-N.H.) announcement that she wouldn’t seek reelection this week — joining retiring Sens. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.) — officially made it a total of three Democrats in competitive states choosing not to run in 2026.

My initial reaction was that these three retirements were bad news for Democrats. The party entered the year controlling only 47 seats in the Senate and needing a massive upset to stand any chance of flipping control of the chamber in 2026.

So when three longtime incumbents in battleground states decide not to run again, it’s far from ideal. Instead of focusing all their efforts on ousting Republicans — in Maine, North Carolina and some other far redder states — Democrats will now have to divert significant resources to holding their existing seats in more unpredictable open elections.

Democrats reminded us that Republicans haven’t won a Senate election in Minnesota since 2002, Michigan since 1994 and New Hampshire since 2010. But on the presidential level, things were much closer last year. President Donald Trump won Michigan by a point, lost Minnesota by four and lost New Hampshire by only three points.

But there’s an argument to be made that the trio of retirements aren’t as negative as they seem for Democrats. With Republicans controlling the White House, Senate and House, historical indicators suggest Democrats will have a strong showing in the 2026 midterms.

So if there ever was a time for incumbents to eye the exits, 2026 may be the right environment. Plus, Democrats have a strong bench of younger contenders in all three states who are eager to run for the Senate.

Republicans, of course, see the situation differently and are gleeful at the opportunity to press Democrats on their own turf. The NRSC is already viewing New Hampshire as a toss-up and will be heavily targeting Michigan. Minnesota is more of an outside target, but with the right GOP candidate, Republicans could put the state in play.

What I’m watching: The NCAA basketball conference tournaments. This is March!

– Max Cohen

The Conference and The Power List

Talk to just about anyone in Washington, and they’ll tell you this week was wild. It was a hectic one, too, for Punchbowl News in particular. On Tuesday, we held The Conference, a full-day event that brought together key stakeholders in the public and private sector to focus on the new power players in Washington.

I had an odd experience covering some of The Conference’s segments having recorded the voiceovers that introduced all of the speakers. Throughout the day, I’d get a jump scare hearing my booming voice throughout the venue, imploring the audience to silence their devices and take their seats.

Speaking of the venue, for about as long as I’ve lived in D.C., I’ve wanted to explore the Smithsonian Arts + Industries Building from the inside. It’s a beautiful space in an excellent location on the National Mall.

To coincide with The Conference, we also released The Power List earlier this week. The list acts as a guide to the most important people in President Donald Trump’s Washington. This collection of Washington’s power players consists of insiders spanning from Capitol Hill to the White House. These are the people who have the ears of the president, Cabinet members and congressional leaders.

With Republicans controlling the House, the Senate and the White House, knowing who the key GOP players are is critical. Some of them even stopped by The Conference for on-stage conversations. Be sure to bookmark the list or keep it somewhere handy. You’ll need it.

What I’m watching: The 2025 Formula 1 season kicks off this weekend with the Australian Grand Prix. I’m bummed that Daniel Ricciardo won’t be racing this year, but I am looking forward to seeing how the five rookies handle the Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit.

— Robert O’Shaughnessy

An assessment of Mike Johnson after an interesting week

My colleague Robert O’Shaughnessy just filled you in on The Conference. It was awesome.

But I wanted to take a minute to discuss Speaker Mike Johnson. At The Conference, Johnson said that reporters – including at this publication – underestimate and doubt him. Of course, it’s in our nature to be uncertain of political leaders and cast a skeptical eye on whether they can achieve their goals.

“Keeps me humble,” Johnson said of Punchbowl News’ coverage of his tenure.

But Johnson does deserve some credit after this week. He passed a CR with only Republican votes – a big feat for a GOP speaker. A few weeks back, he passed a budget resolution. Of course, much of this is being done with President Donald Trump’s help. But Johnson is the speaker. So, these are his victories as well.

There are lots of bumpy roads ahead of Johnson. He wants to get reconciliation done by early May. He has to lift the debt limit. There’s wildfire funding. And another government funding fight in September.

What I’m reading/watching/listening to: Trey Anastasio, the lead singer of Phish, is in the middle of his solo acoustic tour. Here’s a video from his show in Rochester, N.Y. Anastasio is in D.C. April 4.

– Jake Sherman