Are you having major déjà vu? We are.
The House is set to vote today on a short-term funding bill that won’t pass. GOP lawmakers are grumbling about messaging, strategy and yearning to get back home to run for reelection. And Speaker Mike Johnson is being publicly and privately cagey about his next move, frustrating the entire House Republican Conference, which is looking for guidance about the leadership’s plans.
In fact, the GOP leadership is even in the dark at most times as to what Johnson is thinking and planning.
Johnson is putting a bill on the floor that his entire leadership team — Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana and Tom Emmer of Minnesota — knows is going to fail. One House Republican lawmaker entered a meeting of GOP whips Tuesday and told us that he was “going to see how well they’re polishing this turd.”
In theory, the impending failure of the six-month stopgap funding bill coupled with the SAVE Act will lead House Republicans toward accepting a clean CR. Johnson can then tell hardline conservatives that he has no other option.
“It’ll fail, then we’ll go back and do something that’s to the end of the year clean,” said Rep. Mark Amodei (R-Nev.), a senior House appropriator. “That’s just reality. We’ve been through this drill enough times to know that nobody’s come up with a silver bullet to put somebody in a chokehold ‘till they scream, ‘Uncle.’”
Remember when you watch the vote today that Johnson foisted this plan on the House Republican Conference. He could’ve pushed through a clean stopgap funding bill (with Democratic votes), closed up shop and passed messaging bills for the rest of the month. Johnson is choosing failure.
What’s next: Senate leaders tell us they hope the collapse of the House effort will prompt a Four Corners discussion on a bipartisan CR that can pass both chambers.
Appropriators will also need to incorporate anomalies and extenders — many of which aren’t in the House bill — and potentially reach an agreement on a Secret Service funding patch. Disaster relief is also on the table.
“The appropriators have not been asked [yet] to get together to start working,” Sen. Susan Collins (Maine), the top GOP appropriator, told us. “But time is growing very short.”
Given those time constraints, it’s unclear whether Congress can address Secret Service funding in the CR, especially amid bipartisan outrage over the agency’s handling of lawmakers’ requests.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), who wants to see new money for the embattled agency included in the CR, said the Secret Service may have to get “creative” with its suggestions — and fast.
“Right now the urgency is to get us from now until the inauguration,” Murphy added.
The current discussions revolve around expanding overtime pay, allowing partnerships with other federal agencies and funding for new technology. There could also be a provision that permits the Secret Service to spend existing funds more quickly.
What’s certain is that the eventual CR won’t last for six months. Senate leaders are eyeing Dec. 13 as the end date, with Dec. 20 as a backup.
Task force news: The House’s bipartisan task force investigating the assassination attempts against former President Donald Trump will be briefed by the Secret Service this afternoon on the latest incident Sunday at Trump’s Florida golf course. There’s also some discussion about visiting the site in West Palm Beach, Fla., but nothing has been finalized yet.
This morning’s fun: The House Republican Conference will be at the Capitol Hill Club today. What a time for House Republicans to be talking about politics, as Democrats continue to pummel them in fundraising — despite Johnson’s much-touted 198-city fundraising tour.
What Republicans will hear this morning:
– This is interesting: Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy will give out $4 million from Protect the House, his joint fundraising committee, during a visit to the Hill today. This will include $1.2 million to vulnerable rank-and-file House Republicans and $1.7 million to the NRCC. He’ll also give checks to the Congressional Leadership Fund, the House GOP super PAC, and state parties.
McCarthy has given $40.5 million to members, candidates, the NRCC and state parties this cycle. McCarthy plans to stay politically engaged to help Johnson and House Republicans keep their majority, he told us.
– Johnson will use the closed meeting to announce a transfer to the NRCC and tell Republicans he raised $4 million in Texas over the weekend.
– Scalise will dole out $3 million today, a mix of transfers to the NRCC, candidates and state parties. Scalise will announce a $1 million transfer to the NRCC. Scalise has given $26 million to candidates, lawmakers, the NRCC and state parties this cycle — more than he did all last cycle.
– Emmer will announce another $750,000 transfer to the NRCC and $1.1 million to candidates and incumbent House Republicans. Emmer will also host a fundraiser this afternoon for three dozen Vanguards — GOP candidates running in safe Republican seats. This event will raise $1 million. Emmer has transferred $12 million to candidates, members and the NRCC this cycle and raised nearly $30 million overall.
– Several House Republicans running in safe open seats will also be making the rounds in Washington today, including Florida GOP candidate Mike Haridopolos, who will donate $178,800 during the NRCC’s altar call.
— Jake Sherman, Melanie Zanona and Andrew Desiderio
