Trump speech and government-funding latest: Let’s talk about government funding and what’s going on with efforts to prevent a shutdown after the March 14 deadline. We expect President Donald Trump to address this during his address to a joint session of Congress tonight, but right now, there’s no sign of a bipartisan deal.
We scooped in Monday’s Midday edition that there wouldn’t be a House vote on the CR until next week. Text of the Republicans’ CR package – including critical “anomalies” language covering special provisions – won’t be available until later this week or into the weekend. House Republicans haven’t started whipping anything yet since there’s no bill. There’ll be discussion of the situation during today’s House GOP conference meeting.
With a 218-215 margin, House GOP leaders can only lose one vote on a rule or final passage. Since there’s no deal with Democrats, they have to carry this on their own.
News: Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) told us Monday night that he’ll oppose both the rule and the CR. We don’t see Massie changing his position, so Johnson can’t lose another Republican vote.
House and Senate GOP appropriators want to use a “two-track” approach to a continuing resolution to keep federal agencies open – a “short-term,” roughly month-long bill, and a “long-term” CR that runs through the end of FY 2025 on Sept. 30.
However, we don’t see much sense in passing a short-term bill, and neither does GOP leadership. Both sides would end back at the same place they are now – Democrats demanding guarantees that Trump won’t try to redirect spending approved by Congress and signed into law, while Republicans insist they won’t do anything to bind the president’s hands.
On a long-term CR, House Republicans must prove they can pass both a rule for the CR and then the actual resolution with GOP votes alone. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters Monday night that he’s heard nothing so far from Johnson or the White House:
“We have had no conversations with Republican leadership, in terms of House leadership, and have had no outreach from the Trump administration. If they decide to go it alone, because they have the House, the Senate and the presidency, then they’re probably driving us toward a possible government shutdown,” Jeffries said.
Now there’s been some discussion in GOP circles about possibly adding earmarks to the package to make it easier for Republicans – and maybe some Democrats – to support the CR.
But there’s also concern that if the House Freedom Caucus or mega billionaire Elon Musk “get hold of some of these” earmarks, it will go badly, said a senior House Republican.
And even if the House passes a long-term CR, Republican leaders aren’t totally convinced that enough Senate Democrats will vote to support the package to reach the 60-vote threshold needed if there is a filibuster.
Meanwhile, Musk’s DOGE spending cuts remain a huge issue on the Hill. A group of Senate Democrats led by Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) is out with a letter this morning to OPM’s acting director focusing on the thousands of veterans who have lost their jobs as a result of the federal workforce cuts.
We’ll have lots more on this later today and this week.
Scoop: Vice President JD Vance will introduce Elbridge Colby at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee later this morning.
Colby is Trump’s nominee for the Pentagon’s No. 3 job, under secretary of defense for policy. Vance and Colby are longtime friends. Some GOP defense hawks have privately raised concerns about Colby, though he isn’t expected to face significant hurdles on his path to Senate confirmation.
