The Archive

IN THIS EDITION

McConnell hits GOP — again — over rightward drift in foreign policy

What’s new is old: Johnson joins with Boehner for big Ohio fundraiser

The Vault: Brown draws distinction with Biden on China

House GOP: Let’s wait for Trump on FY2025 spending

THE TOP

McConnell hits GOP — again — over rightward drift in foreign policy

Happy Friday morning.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell opened a new front in his battle to shape the Trump-era GOP this week when he torched Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and called out Republicans who have sought to boost the far-right strongman.

Fresh off his victory on Ukraine aid, McConnell is making clear he isn’t finished trying to blunt what he sees as a dangerous foreign policy doctrine taking hold in the Republican Party under Donald Trump.

McConnell took to the Senate floor Thursday to deliver a forceful rebuke of members of his own party who have fawned over Orbán — though without mentioning Trump by name, of course. Hungary is a European Union and NATO member, which complicates the dynamic even further.

But McConnell pleaded with pro-Orbán conservatives in the GOP to cut it out, citing Orbán’s open hostility to the Western alliance and his deference to U.S. adversaries like China, Russia and Iran.

“This isn’t where America should be taking our foreign policy cues,” McConnell said. “I didn’t think conservatives had any time for those who suck up to Iran.”

The longtime Hungarian leader has won fans in the American right for challenging European governments’ embrace of progressive causes and championing right-wing culture war issues. Trump and many of his allies have hailed Orbán’s government as a model.

McConnell declared that Orbán is undermining Western security by deepening Hungary’s ties with China, cozying up to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and seeking to “legitimize” the Iranian government with trade missions.

McConnell also called out the Republicans who have justified their opposition to Ukraine aid by emphasizing China as the bigger threat while at the same time aligning with an autocrat in Orbán, who just rolled out the “red carpet” for China’s Xi Jinping.

More from McConnell:

Pulling back the curtain: McConnell is riding high after he steamrolled Trump-aligned Republicans in helping push through $60 billion in new Ukraine funding. But McConnell’s influence within the Senate GOP Conference has waned as Trump allies have replaced many of his longtime colleagues. McConnell isn’t seeking another term as GOP leader. McConnell hasn’t said whether he’s running again in 2026.

McConnell’s remarks were significant as he effectively opened a new rift with the Trump-aligned faction of his party, which has grown close with Orbán and his political operation over the years.

Trump endorsed Orbán ahead of his 2022 reelection bid. CPAC has expanded its conferences to include Budapest. And in March, the Heritage Foundation — long a touchstone for conservatives — hosted Orbán.

In the past year alone, Orbán has overseen a strict crackdown on democratic norms including freedom of the press and the independent judiciary, blocked NATO approval for Finland and Sweden to extract unrelated concessions and developed closer ties with China.

McConnell noted that this includes giving Beijing “sweeping law enforcement authorities to hunt dissidents on Hungarian soil.” Hungary has also allowed Chinese telecom giant Huawei to operate in the country, including as part of its 5G expansion. Huawei has been banned in the United States over cyber espionage concerns.

The Senate GOP leader said Orbán’s posture “should raise red flags for anyone seriously concerned about strategic competition with China.”

To be sure: Orbán has invited plenty of criticism from Republican lawmakers over the years.

Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, sought to block weapons sales to Hungary when Orbán was holding up Finland and Sweden’s NATO accession.

Risch told us that Orbán’s government is “bad and getting worse.” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), a close Trump ally, said Hungary will be “isolated” economically and geopolitically for its decision to green-light Huawei.

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who was snubbed by Orbán when he and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) visited Budapest in February, believes McConnell is “looking ahead to the next supplemental” funding bill — whether that’s for Ukraine, Taiwan or another ally.

“He’s trying to send a message to our NATO allies — you’re either with us or you’re not,” Tillis said, lamenting “how far [Orbán] has fallen from his commitments to democracy” in the 1990s.

Among the conservatives who have praised Orbán is Sen. J.D. Vance (R-Ohio), a close Trump ally who’s viewed as a potential running mate. Vance said on Thursday he hadn’t yet heard McConnell’s remarks and declined to weigh in.

— Andrew Desiderio

Upcoming Event! Join us on Thursday, May 23 at 8:30 a.m. ET for a conversation with Rep. Zach Nunn (R-Iowa). Punchbowl News founder and CEO Anna Palmer will sit down with Nunn to discuss the news of the day and how AI can affect productivity and innovation. RSVP to join us virtually!

What’s new is old: Johnson joins with Boehner for big Ohio fundraiser

If you’ve listened to Speaker Mike Johnson recently, there is some John Boehner influence poking through. During his push to pass Ukraine aid, Johnson said: “When you do the right thing, you let the chips fall where they may.” For those who covered the Boehner era, this — or something similar — was a frequent refrain from the Ohio Republican.

Johnson will head to Ohio to headline a fundraiser featuring Boehner in Cincinnati at the end of the month. The Ohio delegation is on the invite — including Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), a top Boehner tormentor.

Grow the Majority, the committee that is benefitting from this event funnels money to 79 different committees, including Johnson’s reelection campaign, his leadership PAC, the Congressional Leadership Fund, a number of state parties, the NRCC and the RNC.

Boehner, who is at Squire Patton Boggs but is not a registered lobbyist, has fundraised for several House Republicans recently. He has been in touch with Johnson in recent months.

But let’s be clear: Boehner is an anathema to the hardline House Republicans of today. He had a close relationship with former President Barack Obama. Boehner also was able to achieve modest Republican achievements in divided government because he compromised with Democrats.

Remember, the speakership is a lonely job. Just five Republicans have had the job in the last 70 years.

Don’t miss: Every Friday from now until November, we’ll be bringing you a regular feature focused on the election. Read all of our Elections 2024 coverage here.

— Jake Sherman

The Vault: Brown draws distinction with Biden on China

As the Biden administration rolls out economic policies to get tougher on China, Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) still isn’t satisfied.

Brown is typically a loyal Democrat, but trade is often the issue where he breaks aggressively with his party. For more than 30 years, Brown has represented a state that has seen its manufacturing jobs disappear as the U.S. economy becomes more globalized.

Now, the Ohio Democrat is opening new fronts in his efforts to push the Biden administration further on trade while he’s facing a tough reelection battle this November. President Joe Biden isn’t overwhelmingly popular in the Buckeye State, either.

Brown’s latest moves include slamming the administration over clean energy tax credit rules and new tariffs that he argues don’t go far enough.

Brown’s decision this week to back a challenge on electric vehicle sourcing rules from the Inflation Reduction Act puts him in rare company. Most Democrats aren’t interested in publicly brawling with the Biden administration over rules for their signature 2022 law.

Brown told us in an interview that he sees progress on IRA rules but wants more:

We sat down with Brown after he delivered remarks this week accepting an award from the Coalition for a Prosperous America. Brown said presidents have “sold us out” on trade and leaders in both parties are now “waking up to the economic threat posed” by China.

What’s next: Brown said during the speech that he’s working on legislation to tighten rules for an IRA clean energy manufacturing tax credit. Brown declared it would address loopholes in the credit that allow benefits for Chinese companies.

Brown also told us that much of his focus in trying to push for tougher trade and China policies is about pressuring the Biden administration on how it’s interpreting the law.

The political reality: Brown emphasizes that he’s pressed every president for stricter trade policies that do more to protect domestic manufacturing and jobs.

Facing the toughest reelection fight of his career, Brown has already placed nearly $42 million in TV ads, outpacing all other incumbent senators this cycle, according to AdImpact. Manufacturing jobs and EV policy are coming up in the campaign.

Republicans have sought to tie Brown as closely as possible to Biden and other Democrats.

When we asked Brown whether he wants Biden to campaign with him in Ohio, here’s his response:

There’s likely going to be plenty more for Brown to press Biden on in the coming months, as the president also attempts to show he’s got tough policies on trade with China.

— Laura Weiss

FY2025 FUNDING

House GOP: Let’s wait for Trump on FY2025 spending

Let’s talk about the FY2025 spending bills and what the outlook is for avoiding a repeat of last year’s slow-moving debacle over funding the federal government.

Based upon what we’re hearing so far — and it’s very early — things aren’t great. Part of the reason is that House Republicans hope Donald Trump wins the presidency on Nov. 5 so that he can dictate what these bills look like. We’ll explain.

House Appropriations Committee Chair Tom Cole (R-Okla.) on Thursday released his subcommittee allocations for the FY2025 spending. The total is $1.6 trillion. Cole’s proposal includes major cuts for non-defense spending while boosting the budget for the Pentagon and Department of Homeland Security by billions of dollars.

Cole also announced that the Military Construction-VA subcommittee will begin marking up its bill on May 21. The Legislative Branch subcommittee will follow two days later. And so on for the remaining 10 bills. Cole’s timetable has all 12 bills finished by the Appropriations Committee by July 10.

This is a very ambitious schedule. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise has told us that he wants to pass all 12 bills on the floor before the August break. There’s almost zero chance it actually happens, yet this is House Republicans’ starting position.

Democrats counter that Cole’s proposed spending levels violate the Fiscal Responsibility Act, last year’s debt limit and budget deal between President Joe Biden and former Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Under the FRA, both defense and non-defense spending for FY 2025 was supposed to increase by 1%. Instead, non-defense spending would be cut by 6% under the Cole plan. The Labor-HHS bill would get slashed by at least 10%. There’s no way Democrats, the White House or the Senate go along with this.

Here’s Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), ranking member of the Appropriations panel, complaining that Cole’s proposal is $75 billion short of where it should be:

And yes Swifties, that DeLauro release is for you. There are lots of Easter eggs in there.

Here’s the issue: The FRA included “side deals” worth tens of billions of dollars to help smooth the path for the final spending bills. Cole argues that neither he nor Speaker Mike Johnson were part of those side deals between Biden and McCarthy, and thus he’s not going to honor them.

However, Cole signaled that he’s open to negotiations. Or Johnson may be.

“It’s an opening position in negotiations, the way you always start,” Cole said. “If somebody above me wants to do side deals later on down the line, that’s up to them.”

On Trump: Cole and the other Appropriations “cardinals” have discussed the possibility of a continuing resolution into February if the spending bills aren’t signed into law by Sept. 30. And they won’t be, of course. Congress usually passes a CR before the election so members can return home to campaign.

But a CR with a February end date would give Trump — if he wins on Nov. 5 — the chance to weigh in on the issue. This would undermine Democrats’ ability to push for more domestic spending.

Cole doesn’t like the idea, but he acknowledges it’s under discussion:

We’ll have lots more on this in the coming days and weeks.

— John Bresnahan

THE CAMPAIGN

In campaign news: Future Forum PAC is the latest Democratic group to endorse Janelle Bynum over Jamie McLeod-Skinner in Oregon’s 5th District primary.

The PAC is made up of Democratic members of Congress looking to elect more young lawmakers.

— Max Cohen

MOMENTS

CLIPS