ONE DOWN: Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) scored a key win on Tuesday as the House passed a stopgap measure to fund the government through Dec. 4, approving legislation to try to avoid a funding fight at the end of September.
The bill now heads to the Senate, where it’s uncertain whether it can pick up the Democratic votes to pass. Republicans are trying to avoid a shutdown trap ahead of the midterms by moving early on the stopgap measure. Government funding doesn’t run out until Sept. 30.
The House earlier had voted 214-211 to pass a rule advancing a few major GOP priorities, overcoming initial resistance from some holdouts.
The vote set up floor debate and final votes on several high-profile legislative measures: the stopgap measure, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a budget framework for a third reconciliation package and a stock trading ban bill. The rule also included language that would tie the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE America) Act to the NDAA before it’s sent to the Senate.
The vote was not initially guaranteed to clear the House after Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and other GOP holdouts staged what the libertarian called a “minor revolt” — withholding their support for the rule early Tuesday morning.
After huddling with Republican leaders on the House floor, GOP Reps. Lauren Boebert (Colo.), Anna Paulina Luna (Fla.) and Tim Burchett (Tenn.) changed their votes, while Massie remained a “no.”
While Johnson managed to eke out an initial win with the rule vote, The Hill’s Sudiksha Kochi reports the budget framework for the reconciliation package still faces significant hurdles, as conservative hard-liners remain uneasy over the lack of spending offsets.
GOP leaders are aiming to secure final passage for the legislative package before members depart for August recess.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) suggested Tuesday that the upper chamber would not act immediately on a budget reconciliation framework that the House passes, in case it needs to be used as a vehicle to pass a government stopgap measure in September.
“If they give us a budget resolution as a vehicle, we will hold that subject obviously to be able to move a continuing resolution to fund the government,” Thune said.
“It’s a possibility that if necessary we could pull that budget resolution passed by the House and use it to fund government. I hope that’s not necessary,” he said.
▪ The Hill: House Democrats not supportive of ‘bad’ resolution.
▪ The Hill: GOP links SAVE America Act to Olive Garden’s pasta deal.
MIDDAY PLANE TO GEORGIA: Trump is heading to Georgia this afternoon to talk about the economy and affordability, but his growing rivalry with Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) may take focus.
The Hill’s Julia Manchester reports Republican strategists are concerned Trump isn’t spending enough time focusing on affordability concerns. The issue of election security may be at the front of Trump’s mind in Georgia, a state that has been central to his unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 elections.
Ossoff has increasingly emerged as a top antagonist to Trump, mostly recently slamming him ahead of and following the president’s address to the country last week in which he accused China of interfering in U.S. elections. The senator is one of the top targets for the GOP this year running for reelection in a state Trump carried in 2024, but Democrats have been bullish about Ossoff’s chances.
Ossoff’s rising star has also spurred speculation about a 2028 presidential run, though he has so far dismissed the possibility.
▪ The Hill: Ossoff says Dem midterm wins would be rebuke of Trump.
▪ NBC News: Republicans zero in on Keisha Lance Bottoms.
NEW RULES: Johnson said he would support expanding the House’s ban on sexual relationships between lawmakers and staffers amid recent reports and rumors of such relationships taking place.
“We should, at a bare minimum in Congress, have rules and traditions that are adhered to in corporate America,” Johnson said. “So, that’s an easy one for me.”
A New York Post story published last week returned the subject of ethics rules and relationships within Congress into the national spotlight, reporting that Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) had relationships with two aides to Texas Democrats who did not report to him while he was a House member. Those relationships didn’t violate any House rules.
The House adopted a prohibition in 2018 against sexual relationships and staff members under their direct supervision or staff members of a committee on which they serve. The rule allows members to have relationships with staffers in other offices or committees.
▪ MS NOW: Justice Department is quietly investigating Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.).
DOUBLING BACK: The Trump administration is pausing more than $1 billion in Medicaid payments to California and Minnesota over fraud concerns, the second time it has targeted the states over such allegations.
The moves continue the administration’s funding freeze to left-leaning states as part of its crackdown on alleged fraud. Officials indicated concerns were raised over claims that care was provided to deceased people and billing for large numbers of people happened at the same time.
The administration has already been withholding $1.3 billion in Medicaid funding from California and nearly $260 million from Minnesota.
“Today’s actions show that the federal government is acting again in unprecedented and punitive ways as part of their war on Medicaid and its recipients. Partnership – not politics – is required to stop criminals and protect services for the people who need them,” said John Connolly, Minnesota’s temporary commissioner and state Medicaid director.
▪ The Washington Post: Senator proposes expanding Medicaid to cover all children.
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