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IN THIS EDITION

Congress leaves town with everyone mad

The TikTok fight comes to your television screen

Veepstakes on the Hill

THE TOP

Congress leaves town with everyone mad

Happy Monday morning.

It’s recess. Both the House and Senate are out for the next two weeks. President Joe Biden will be on the road this week, traveling first to North Carolina with Vice President Kamala Harris and then on to New York City.

If you were awake very early Saturday morning like we were, you watched the Senate pass the $1.2 trillion minibus spending package by a 74-24 margin, averting a shutdown that would have affected a number of federal agencies.

That vote ended a 10-month ordeal that began with last May’s spending and debt-limit deal between President Joe Biden and former Speaker Kevin McCarthy. After McCarthy was ousted in October, House Republicans tried to alter the agreement, but Hill Democrats and the White House were having none of it.

“I hope they understand that when you strike a deal, you have to stick to it,” Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.) lectured House Republicans following the vote Saturday. “It has to mean something.”

Murray’s remarks capture the current mood on Capitol Hill. The 118th Congress is the least productive in decades. And everyone left town mad as they do the bare minimum legislatively with the November election looming. We’ll sum it up for you (and we’re leaving some stuff out for clarity):

Things are so bad that members are just quitting Congress without even telling party leaders. House Republicans will be down to a one-vote margin soon. One. Vote.

Let’s start with Johnson’s situation. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) filed a motion to vacate the chair — meaning oust the speaker — before the House left for the recess, a sign of the fury on the right. MTG called it a “warning and a pink slip” for Johnson, although she didn’t set a date for a floor vote. A total of 112 Republicans voted no on the minibus — including eight committee chairs — compared to just 101 supporting the measure.

Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), a leading member of the House Freedom Caucus, wouldn’t say whether he would back a motion to vacate against Johnson during an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday. But he didn’t say no either.

“I can promise you, if you put a Ukraine bill on the floor and you haven’t secured the border, there’s going to be a problem… within the ranks on Capitol Hill,” Roy told Jake Tapper.

On CBS’ “Face the Nation,” House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Michael McCaul (R-Texas) said Johnson has committed to putting a Ukraine bill on the floor after Easter, although he acknowledged Johnson is in a “tough spot.” Johnson hasn’t said this publicly.

Johnson — nowhere near as politically radioactive as McCarthy or former Speaker John Boehner were in similar situations — insists he’s not worried. Johnson has already announced that the House “will take the necessary steps” to address the Ukraine funding bill passed by the Senate, as well as unveiling immigration and border security proposals.

The Louisiana Republican will spend the recess holding fundraisers and meetings in California, Arizona, Arkansas and Florida, a Johnson spokesperson said.

Across the aisle: Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), chair of the HELP Committee, is angry that the minibus included billions of dollars in military aid for Israel.

“While hundreds of thousands of Palestinian children face starvation in Gaza, this bill actually prohibits funding to [UNRWA], the key United Nations aid agency delivering life-saving humanitarian support,” Sanders said in a statement. “This bill also provides another $3.3 billion in U.S. military aid for Netanyahu’s right-wing government to continue this barbaric war.”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) described the Israeli military campaign as “an unfolding genocide” during a speech on the House floor Friday. AOC — who called on the Biden administration to stop sending weapons to Israel — was one of 22 House Democrats who voted against the minibus.

And Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) — another no — continues to demand that Johnson allow a vote on Ukraine aid: “If the speaker puts Ukraine funding on the floor, it will pass with a bipartisan vote; if he does not, he will have to explain why he lost Ukraine.”

— John Bresnahan

ON THE AIR

The TikTok fight comes to your television screen

The fight over banning TikTok, long confined to congressional committees, federal boards and online screeds, has now moved to television screens across the country.

Two entities are running ads about the perceived danger of the popular social media app, which is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company.

The American Parents Coalition is up with a new ad urging Congress to pass legislation to ban TikTok. The spot says it takes eight minutes on TikTok to promote eating disorders and two minutes to “glorify self-harm.” The spot says TikTok is “targeting America’s youth” and notes that 41% of children spend 120 minutes a day on the app.

“We can’t go on like this,” the spot says. “Stop the poison.”

According to our friends at AdImpact, the ad is running in Philadelphia, Lansing, Mich., Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Cleveland-Akron, Peoria-Bloomington, Ill., Augusta, Ga., Ft. Myers-Naples, Fla., and Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto, Calif.

The other ad is being paid for by State Armor Action, a national-security-focused group. It’s running in Columbus, Ohio, Billings, Mont., and Missoula, Mont. — three areas with competitive Senate races in November.

This ad says that Zhang Fuping, the vice president of ByteDance and a member of the CCP, “controls what 170 million Americans think.” The spot continues that TikTok is “stoking division and driving misinformation.”

“China is using TikTok to sway American politics and opinion,” the narrator says.

On Capitol Hill: Senate leaders are still weighing how to address TikTok after the House overwhelmingly approved a bill forcing its divestment from ByteDance. TikTok would be banned in the United States if the sale doesn’t occur within a certain timeframe.

Members of the Senate Intelligence and Commerce committees got a classified briefing last week about the national security threats posed by TikTok. But it provided little clarity about how the Senate will proceed.

Intelligence Committee Chair Mark Warner (D-Va.), who supports the forced-divestiture bill, noted that House members received the same briefing before voting unanimously to advance the bill in committee. Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) was noncommittal after the briefing, suggesting at one point that she and Warner’s panels do a joint hearing.

Proponents of the House bill are concerned that the Senate could slam the brakes on the effort. Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has said he’s still talking to his colleagues about how to handle the issue.

— Jake Sherman and Andrew Desiderio

2024 WATCH

Veepstakes on the Hill

With former President Donald Trump a lock for the GOP presidential nomination, all eyes are on who he’ll tap as his No. 2.

There are several contenders on Capitol Hill. But they risk any opportunity of moving up in the Hill ranks if they take the chance of joining Trump on the presidential ticket. Here’s a look at who we are watching in Congress:

1) Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.): As House Republican Conference Chair, Stefanik has led GOP messaging, including being one of the most outspoken Trump defenders amid his many legal sagas. Stefanik speaks with Trump frequently and has long aligned herself with the former president, despite coming into Congress as a more centrist member.

“I had said I’d be honored to serve in the Trump administration. That continues to be the case,” Stefanik told us recently.

Stefanik was the only senior House GOP leadership member who didn’t run for speaker after Kevin McCarthy’s ouster. Stefanik has a chance to move further up in Republican leadership ranks next Congress and would likely be considered for a spot in a Trump administration if she’s not his VP pick.

2) Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio): Jordan chairs the House Judiciary Committee and remains one of Trump’s closest allies on the Hill. The Ohio Republican campaigned with Trump in Ohio and Georgia this month.

“I’m traveling pretty much every weekend all over the place to help our team, so that’s what we’re focused on,” Jordan told us.

If Democrats win the majority in November, some members speculated to us that Jordan could run for minority leader. Others said Jordan would make a good White House chief of staff.

3) Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.): Donalds is a fellow Floridian and staunch Trump supporter. The sophomore has quickly made a national name for himself and regularly appears on Fox News and Newsmax. Donalds is a member of the House Freedom Caucus.

4) Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio): Vance is part of the new wave of populist lawmakers who have followed Trump’s “America First” platform, especially as it relates to foreign policy. Donald Trump Jr. mentioned Vance as a potential contender for VP.

Vance told Columbus WBNS that the best way to support Trump is to “be a good senator,” adding that that’s where he plans to stay for the next few years. “We’ll see what happens, but I like my job, and I plan to stay in it,” Vance said.

5) Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.): Trump has already floated the former presidential candidate as “a great advocate” for him. Of course, Scott’s own presidential campaign lasted roughly six months.

If he stays in the Senate and Republicans take over the chamber, Scott could become chair of the Senate Banking Committee. Scott is currently the panel’s ranking member.

6) Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.): NBC News reported that Rubio is among the VP contenders, despite Trump taunting him as “Little Marco” during the 2016 campaign.

Rubio said it would be “an honor” to serve if Trump chooses him. Rubio would be the first Hispanic to be on a major-party presidential ticket.

7) Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.): Greene is one of Trump’s loudest advocates on the Hill. The Georgia Republican appears regularly at Trump rallies and frequently talks to the former president. At the State of the Union address last month, Greene wore a “Make America Great Again” hat.

Greene also continues to falsely claim that President Joe Biden didn’t win the 2020 election. Here’s what Greene told us about being Trump’s potential pick:

There are also many contenders outside of Capitol Hill who are in the running. These include South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (a former member); former Democratic presidential candidate and Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard; Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders; Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake; and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.

— Mica Soellner

THE MONEY GAME

It’s recess. So what’s better than going to a Zach Bryan concert at Capital One Arena tonight with Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.)? Tickets will set you back $2,000, but time with Swalwell? Priceless.

Also just announced: Head to Lexington, Ky., for “spring racing” with Rep. Hal Rogers (R-Ky.).

— Jake Sherman

THE CAMPAIGN

News: The Blue Dog PAC is endorsing Will Rollins and Lanon Baccam in two crucial red-to-blue seats. Rollins is challenging Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.) and Baccam is running against Rep. Zach Nunn (R-Iowa).

“I look forward to working with both of them to win back the House, protect our democracy, and ensure our country’s fiscal stability,” Blue Dog PAC Chair Rep. Mike Thompson (D-Calif.) said.

Ohio news: Bernie Moreno, fresh off his victory in the bitter Ohio Senate GOP primary, was spotted going into the Republican Senate lunch on Thursday. Behind the scenes, Moreno also had some other important meetings.

Moreno — who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump — huddled with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Steven Law, CEO of the Senate Leadership Fund, the super PAC aligned with Senate Republican leaders.

Additionally, Moreno has gotten a $200,000-plus boost from the NRSC’s Ohio nominee fund, as well as a direct contribution from the committee. NRSC Chair Steve Daines endorsed Moreno following his primary victory

— Max Cohen and John Bresnahan

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