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Happy Thursday morning.

News: Frontline House Democrats – the party’s most endangered incumbents this November – have been pressing party leaders in recent days to step up legislative efforts to save their majority.

The roughly 30 House Democrats have long known the political headwinds are against them this yea. Redistricting, inflation, the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, an uneven economy are all big problems. Add to that, the fact that the party in power generally loses seats in the midterms.

But many of these vulnerable Democrats returned to Washington after a week at home particularly spooked. Their frustrations are running high. They’re worried about a lack of legislative victories in 2022. And they badly want Democratic leaders and committee chairs to push more bills that help address the concerns of everyday Americans.

In other words, these Democrats want their leaders to do something to try to reverse the party’s political fortunes before it’s too late.

The entreaties, described by several members of the Democratic leadership and Frontliners, have been relayed in multiple conversations this week.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer – who’s been hearing it from Frontliners – brought up their frustrations during a meeting of Democratic committee chairs this week.

Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.), who represents a competitive district outside Richmond, Va., put it this way: “We’re pushing for some of these common-sense bills that have bipartisan support, many of them – most of them – have companion pieces in the Senate.”

Here’s more from Spanberger:

The thing to know about the Frontliners’ frustration is its multifaceted and complicated. Yes, they’re frustrated at Democratic leaders for not pressuring committee chairs more to move legislation that they can take back home and tout to voters. Yes, they’re frustrated with several committee chairs for prioritizing their own agendas or doing too little with just a few precious months before the midterms.

Yes, they’re frustrated with their own Democratic colleagues, some of whom are in safe districts and won’t, in their minds, just hold their nose and vote for bills that could help Democrats hold onto the majority. Yes, they’re frustrated with President Joe Biden and the White House for not having a consistent rebuttal to Republican attacks. Sometimes it’s “Putin’s price hike,” lately their target has been GOP Sen. Rick Scott’s (Fla.) plan to raise taxes.

And yes, they’re frustrated with forces largely out of their control, including supply chain disruptions caused by Covid and record prices for gas and groceries.

Yet the reality is that some of these vulnerable Democrats are searching for a “Hail Mary” to save the House Democratic majority. And that’s easier said than done.

The leadership has responded to some of these complaints. The House Agriculture Committee is crafting legislation to address the lack of competition in the meatpacking industry. The Energy and Commerce Committee is working on mental health bills and legislation dealing with the opioid crisis. The House will vote next week on addressing price gouging in the oil industry. House-Senate negotiations on a major package to boost competition with China in high-tech research and manufacturing have finally begun.

“The Frontliners have some individual bills that they’re interested in, and I want to make sure we can get them some success on these bills,” Hoyer told us in an interview. “They’re coming to me frustrated that they can’t get movement on their bills.”

Hoyer added: “There’s a lot of things pressing, and everybody’s got their own interests. But I want to make sure that our Frontliners – who are critically important to us in maintaining our majority, and very frankly, defending democracy – get heard.”

Yet there are clearly tensions within the caucus over what’s doable with a five-seat majority, combined with some major ideological differences between the various factions among Democrats.

Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), who represents a swing district outside New York City, is pushing a bill to increase funding in small police departments along with Rep. John Rutherford (R-Fla.). The House Democratic leadership has been cool to the proposal, despite a lobbying campaign on the floor this week.

Here’s what one Democratic aide told us:

Part of this is wishful thinking on behalf of the Frontliners. History and the polls show Democrats’ four-year-old House majority is in deep trouble. Razor-thin margins of control in the House and Senate, coupled with a GOP leadership that is largely uninterested in doing any deals as it plots its takeover in Jan. 2023, make it more difficult as well.

By the way: 180 days until Election Day.

Also: President Joe Biden put out a statement this morning commemorating 1 million deaths from Covid-19.

Biden, during a fundraiser last night in Chicago:

One more thing: The Senate is looking to confirm Federal Reserve Chair Jay Powell today. They also will try to clear the $40-billion Ukraine aid bill.

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