Democrats' massive Israel shift

IN THIS EDITION

Record number of Senate Dems vote against Israel

Driscoll faces Hill amid Army shakeup

House, Senate Dems post giant Q1 numbers

What we’re watching

How AI is boosting economic activity

THE TOP

Record number of Senate Dems vote against Israel

Happy Thursday morning.

We have a bunch of topics to cover this morning.

Democrats and Israel. A stunning 40 Senate Democrats voted late Wednesday to block a U.S. weapons sale to Israel, the latest sign of the party’s growing rift with the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu-led government over its continued military campaigns in the region.

Two Senate resolutions authored by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) got an unprecedented level of support from the Democratic Caucus even as their leader, Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), voted against both. Schumer — strongly pro-Israel but anti Netanyahu — is the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in U.S. history.

Overall, just seven Senate Democrats voted no on the first Sanders disapproval resolution, and 11 on the second. Sanders hailed the results as a sign of Democratic discontent “with Netanyahu and his horrific, illegal wars.” No Republicans voted for either resolution.

The previous Sanders resolution to block arms sales to Israel, which came last July, won support from just 27 Senate Democrats. In April 2025, a similar resolution got only 15 Democratic votes.

“It means that Netanyahu really screwed up the politics of the Middle East, and he is destroying the bipartisan nature in terms of support for Israel,” said Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), who previously opposed such efforts but flipped to “yes” on Wednesday. “Certainly a lot of us aren’t going to support offensive actions in a war that we don’t support,” Gallego added.

FISA flop. The House Republican leadership’s bumbling, stumbling and general dysfunction over renewing FISA is a disaster months in the making.

We should say at the outset that Speaker Mike Johnson should be able to pass an extension of FISA Section 702 today or Friday. Johnson is usually able to wriggle out of messes like this with the White House’s help. And FISA is far too important for U.S intelligence operations to be allowed to expire, lawmakers continue to repeat.

The White House and House Republicans have been negotiating over modest changes to warrant requirements, possibly in exchange for a FISA extension longer than the 18 months previously envisioned. But Trump administration officials are finding themselves having to rebuff requests for the inclusion of non-FISA related policies, including a ban on a central bank digital currency.

“Oh it’ll probably get done this week,” said House Freedom Caucus Chair Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.), who has been opposed to FISA. “There’s plenty of time.”

But the fact that Johnson finds himself just four days out from FISA’s expiration having not passed a bill is stunning. It’s easy to say that Johnson has a two-seat majority and legislating is hard. That’s true.

Just consider all of the steps — some say missteps — that led to this moment.

In April 2024, Johnson and House Republicans abandoned plans to extend FISA for five years after President Donald Trump — then out of office — urged members to vote no. Some reforms were included in an eventual compromise, but GOP lawmakers gambled that Trump would be back in office to oversee the program and would be interested in a rewrite. He’s clearly not.

The White House has pushed hard for a clean 18-month extension. If that’s what he gets, that might force Trump into high-stakes negotiations with a Democratic-run Congress in 2027.

The House GOP leadership whistled past the graveyard a bit by not waving Trump off the clean extension. The HFC was always going to be opposed to FISA without warrant requirements. This looming trainwreck was visible from a mile away.

Also, House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) never held a hearing to mark up a FISA bill. That’s where many of these policy discussions could’ve been hashed out in advance.

Approps. House Republican appropriators are pushing ahead this week with FY2027 spending bills, despite the fact that Congress still hasn’t finished up on FY2026 funding. The Department of Homeland Security has been shut down for 61 days — more than two months — due to Republican infighting and overwhelming Democratic opposition.

House GOP appropriators will begin markups on Friday, releasing some bills that will propose cuts from FY2026 levels. Like last year, House Republicans will try to move forward with the smallest funding bills first because there’s no topline spending deal yet.

House appropriators will begin marking up FY2027 Financial Services and General Government and MilCon-VA bills on Friday. These will be partisan bills that likely won’t get any Democratic support.

House Appropriations Committee Chair Tom Cole (R-Okla.) said he’d prefer that House and Senate Republicans plus Democratic leaders come to an agreement on toplines. If that doesn’t happen, as it didn’t last year, Cole is prepared to tell his cardinals to move forward with bills that can advance out of the committee.

“It’s easier for me to get a bill out of committee than it is for Steve Scalise and Tom Emmer to get it across the floor. They’ve got a bigger problem,” Cole said. “So we work very closely with them as well.”

But appropriators are still reeling over the DHS shutdown. Cole said Appropriations cardinals discussed their concerns with the DHS deal during a meeting on Wednesday evening.

“Not to be critical of our leadership or what they’re trying to do, from an appropriator’s standpoint this is not a good solution. It’s better than no solution but it’s not the right solution,” Cole said. “Senate Democrats and the Senate Republicans are more interested in protecting the filibuster than defending the appropriations process.”

Democrats slammed Republicans for starting the FY2027 funding process while DHS is still shut down.

“Republicans are marking up FY27 funding bills while actively blocking us from finishing FY26,” House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) said. “‘My colleagues across the aisle would rather talk about anything other than the work they are failing to complete.”

— Andrew Desiderio, Jake Sherman, Anthony Adragna, Samantha Handler, John Bresnahan and Rachel Umansky-Castro

The Daily Punch 🥊 With new episodes every weekday morning, The Daily Punch brings you inside Capitol Hill, the White House and Washington all in less than 15 minutes. Listen to today’s episode now.

DEFENSE

Driscoll faces Hill amid Army shakeup

Army Secretary Dan Driscoll will appear before House lawmakers today as Republicans grow increasingly outraged by the ousting of his former uniformed counterpart atop the military’s largest branch.

The abrupt firing of the Army’s former Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George, who was supposed to testify alongside Driscoll this morning, is sure to cast a pall over the Defense Appropriations subcommittee hearing.

Driscoll, who is ostensibly on the Hill to sell the FY2027 budget request, faces a delicate balancing act: He’ll be looking to shore up support for the Army’s modernization push while likely confronting concerns about the tumult in the military branch’s highest ranks during wartime.

“Absent credible information about any failures on the part of Randy George, I have serious concerns about dismissing the leader of America’s ground forces in the middle of a conflict,” Rep. Steve Womack (R-Ark.), a member of the subcommittee, said. “That just doesn’t compute with me.”

Questions remain. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s decision earlier this month to oust George, who had more than one year left in his term, has drawn blowback from across the Hill. Hegseth didn’t detail the reason for the ouster, but he’ll testify before the House Armed Services Committee on April 29.

“I don’t know anybody who thought this guy was not a superb chief of staff of the Army,” Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) said of George. “If you’re gonna fire somebody, you should have an explanation.”

In the meantime, Driscoll will bear the brunt of lawmakers’ questions, despite the fact that the Army secretary, an ally of Vice President JD Vance, has also found himself in Hegseth’s crosshairs. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said Hegseth “maintains excellent working relationships” with Driscoll and other military secretaries.

“I don’t understand it, and I was not happy about it,” Armed Services Committee Chair Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) said of George’s forced retirement. But Rogers added that he continues to have confidence in Hegseth.

War-time removal. Driscoll could face questions about any disruptions George’s departure may have on U.S. operations targeting Iran. George was in charge of training and equipping the Army personnel deployed to the Middle East.

Driscoll has no plans to leave his post at the helm of the Army. The White House has also commended the Army’s “extraordinary talent” — in the words of spokesperson Anna Kelly — during the military’s Iran operations.

“President [Donald] Trump has effectively restored a focus on readiness and lethality across our military with the help of leaders like Secretary Hegseth and Secretary Driscoll,” Kelly said in a statement.

Lawmakers may also seek answers on Hegseth reportedly blocking the promotion of four Army officers. The New York Times reported that Driscoll refused to remove those officers’ names from a promotions list, despite pressure from Hegseth.

Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.) raised the issue during an Armed Services subcommittee hearing on Wednesday. At the time, he also said George was “very unfairly treated.”

Pivot to budget. Driscoll’s written testimony highlights the Army’s so-called “transformation initiative” — a push he co-led with George. Driscoll will make the case for continued congressional support for the effort, which sought to cut programs, downsize staff at the Army’s headquarters and change how officials buy defense equipment.

— Briana Reilly and Anthony Adragna

CASH DASH

House, Senate Dems post giant Q1 numbers

It’s a good time to be a Democrat running for Congress.

Democratic candidates in the House and Senate saw a massive windfall of donations during the last three months. Incumbents from both parties posted strong fundraising. But on the challenger side, Democrats in swing seats are the most impressive.

This bodes well for a minority party desperate to reclaim the House gavel and pick up as many Senate seats as possible in the midterms.

Here are our top takeaways from the fresh trove of data:

1) Democrats outraised the GOP in almost every major Senate battleground, often by large amounts.

In Georgia, North Carolina, Maine, Michigan, Ohio, Texas, New Hampshire and Alaska, at least one Democratic candidate raised more than a Republican.

In five of those states, the Democrat raised more than $8 million in Q1: Texas state Rep. James Talarico ($27.1 million); Sen. Jon Ossoff in Georgia ($14 million); former Sen. Sherrod Brown in Ohio ($10.1 million); former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper ($8.8 million) and former Rep. Mary Peltola in Alaska ($8.7 million).

And here is the really staggering part: None of their GOP opponents raised more than $3.5 million to their campaign accounts.

Of course, this is only part of the picture. Candidates are now using joint fundraising committees to air TV ads. Super PACs will play a big role.

GOP Rep. Ashley Hinson did raise the most in Iowa’s open Senate race. And Democratic primaries will drain some resources. But there’s no way for Republicans to spin this: Their candidates are getting crushed.

2) House Democratic challengers are raising gobs of money. Eleven of them raised more than $1 million in purple seats last quarter without heavy self-funding, per a Punchbowl News analysis of the data. That feat has become relatively normal for incumbents, but is extremely impressive for challengers.

The list: JoAnna Mendoza in Arizona ($2.4 million); Rebecca Cooke in Wisconsin ($2.4 million); Janelle Stelson in Pennsylvania ($2.2 million); Eileen Laubacher in Colorado ($2.1 million); Christina Bohannan of Iowa ($2.1 million); Elaine Luria in Virginia ($1.7 million); Sarah Trone Garriott in Iowa ($1.7 million); Paige Cognetti in Pennsylvania ($1.5 million); Sean McCann of Michigan ($1 million); Jonathan Nez in Arizona ($1.1 million) and Nancy Lacore in South Carolina ($1 million).

3) Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s major recruits didn’t outraise Democratic primary opponents.

In Maine, Gov. Janet Mills raised $2.7 million to oyster farmer Graham Platner’s $4.1 million.

In Michigan, Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) raised $2 million. State Sen. Mallory McMorrow raised $3 million and former health official Abdul El-Sayed raised $2.3 million.

In Iowa, state Rep. Josh Turek, the preferred pick of Democratic leaders, and state Sen. Zach Wahls both raised $1.1 million. (Turek technically raised about $220 more.)

– Ally Mutnick

📆

What we’re watching

House. There should be a House vote today on at least the rule setting up a FISA vote.

The House will vote on final passage of the Haiti TPS discharge petition. The House voted on Wednesday on a motion to discharge the bill, which won the support of six Republicans and one Independent, Rep. Kevin Kiley (Calif.).

Army Secretary Dan Driscoll will appear before an Appropriations subcommittee at 10 a.m. amid the ouster of former Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will testify before the House Ways and Means Committee at 9 a.m. and in front of a House Appropriations subcommittee at 2 p.m.

There will be more administration officials in the House for Appropriations subcommittee hearings throughout the day, including an 11 a.m. appearance by U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.

Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chair Mike Selig is in front of the House Agriculture Committee at 10 a.m. We scooped his written testimony last night.

The House China Committee will delve into what it calls “China’s Campaign to Steal America’s AI Edge” at an 11 a.m. hearing.

Senate. OMB Director Russ Vought will appear before the Senate Budget Committee at 10 a.m.

On the floor, senators will vote on a Minnesota public lands CRA, as well as a judicial nominee before leaving town for the weekend.

Around Washington. Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Dan Caine will hold a briefing at the Pentagon at 8 a.m.

Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr will make appearances at two events. He will participate at the USTelecom’s American Connectivity Forum at 12:30 p.m. and at 5:30 p.m. Carr will join the Bull Moose Project for a fireside chat.

President Donald Trump will participate in a roundtable in Las Vegas, where he’ll deliver remarks on Tax Day.

The Campaign. Voters in New Jersey’s 11th District will elect a replacement for former Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.). Democrat Analilia Mejia is the favorite to win.

— Max Cohen, Laura Weiss, Brendan Pedersen and Briana Reilly

THE AI INNOVATORS

How AI is boosting economic activity

The final installment of our series, The AI Innovators, examines the economic promises of artificial intelligence, from increased spending by major tech companies to improved workplace efficiency.

Small businesses are also using AI to improve their productivity, handle routine administrative tasks and boost their online presence.

As the technology becomes a greater part of economic activity and the financial world, lawmakers are taking a careful approach to crafting regulations.

While there have yet to be mass layoffs attributed to AI, policymakers are concerned about those who have already lost their jobs and want to mitigate the technology’s impacts on people’s careers.

The four-part series, in partnership with Google, explores the way AI is transforming society across different sectors, with a particular focus on health care, education, cybersecurity and the economy.

Read the full feature here, and check back on The Daily Punch feed later this morning to listen to the accompanying podcast.

– Shania Shelton

AND THERE’S MORE

Endorsement news. Rep. Ami Bera (D-Calif.) is endorsing San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan for California governor, hailing Mahan as “a proven problem solver.” Bera had backed former Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) before yanking his endorsement following the sexual assault allegations.

Ad news. Liberal outside group Unrig Our Economy is running a $210,000 ad buy featuring a Marine veteran criticizing Rep. Tom Kean (R-N.J.) for voting for the GOP reconciliation bill.

Virginia watch. Rep. Ben Cline (R-Va.) held an anti-redistricting tele-townhall featuring GOP Reps. August Pfluger (Texas), Brandon Gill (Texas), Morgan Griffith (Va.) and John McGuire (Va.). The event, labeled “Stop the Gerrymander,” reached a peak live viewership number of 8,200.

— Max Cohen