House GOP eyes exit over Epstein meltdown
Summer break might come early for the House, as Speaker Mike Johnson faces a Jeffrey Epstein problem that just won't quit.
Republican leaders are considering sending the House home as early as Wednesday, after a bipartisan clash over the so-called Epstein files broke the Rules Committee Monday night, Meredith Lee Hill reports. Rules recessed after Democrats threatened to force a vote on Epstein — a move that is now derailing floor action planned for this week.
Johnson and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said Monday night the plan is still to stay until Thursday. The House can still work through suspension votes on relatively uncontroversial, bipartisan measures that can get two-thirds support from members.
'We're not sending anybody home,' Johnson said.
It's making for an awkward megabill celebration tonight at the White House, where Trump is planning to host Republican lawmakers.
GOP leaders have an understanding with the White House that the House will not vote on releasing further Epstein documents before the August recess.
'The Trump administration's petitioned the courts to release some of the sealed documents,' Scalise said in an interview. 'Hopefully, the court acts swiftly. It'd be important if they got that out.'
Rep. Thomas Massie, who has a discharge petition that would require the release of Epstein-related documents, is undeterred and warning that support for his effort will only be bigger when Congress returns in September. He says at least a dozen Republicans support his proposal – and he appears to have the backing of Theo Von as well.
GOOD TUESDAY MORNING. Only two days left of the Longworth Dunkin'. Email your Inside Congress crew at mmccarthy@politico.com, crazor@politico.com and bguggenheim@politico.com. Follow our live coverage at politico.com/congress.
WHAT WE'RE WATCHINGWith help from Jordan Williams
The House will vote on the Wabeno Economic Development Act and Great Lakes Mass Marking Program Act of 2025 at 4:30 p.m.
The Senate will vote to confirm Terry Cole to be administrator of the DEA and Joshua Divine and Cristian Stevens to be U.S. district judges at 11 a.m.
The Senate will hold its first procedural vote on Emil Bove's nomination for the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals and vote to end debate on the fiscal 2026 Military Construction-VA Appropriations bill at 2:15 p.m.
— House Republican and Democratic leaders will hold their weekly conference meetings at 9 a.m. and their weekly news conferences at 10 a.m. and 10:45 a.m., respectively.
— House Appropriations will mark up the fiscal 2026 Interior-Environment Appropriations bill at 10:30 a.m.
— Senate Republican and Democratic leaders will hold their weekly caucus lunches at 12:30 p.m. and their weekly briefings at 2 p.m.
Pro subscribers receive this newsletter with a full congressional schedule and can browse our comprehensive calendar of markups, hearings and other notable events around Washington. Sign up for a demo.
THE LEADERSHIP SUITE
Schumer readies Democrats for funding fights
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is beginning to organize Democrats around a looming government funding battle, after he received intense criticism from the party's base for helping advance a GOP stop-gap measure in March.
Schumer will talk today with House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries to discuss the funding endgame strategy, three people granted anonymity told Jordain Carney, Nicholas Wu and Jennifer Scholtes.
As Jordain reports in a new piece this morning, Schumer has been holding active, behind-the-scenes discussions and keeping in close touch with Democrats on the Appropriations Committee. He's in 'listening mode,' says Sen. Jack Reed, an appropriator.
Democrats haven't yet landed on their formal demand for Senate Republicans, who need their votes to advance a government funding bill.
Garbarino wins House Homeland Security gavel
Rep. Andrew Garbarino will be the new chair of the House Homeland Security Committee, after the Republican steering committee approved him after two ballots Monday night, Mia reports.
The New York Republican beat out Reps. Michael Guest, Carlos Giménez and Clay Higgins for the gavel. Previous chair Mark Green announced his retirement earlier this year and officially resigned from Congress on Monday.
Garbarino, who focused his pitch on his background in cybersecurity policy, is likely to make the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency a top priority for the panel. Garbarino is currently the chair of the cybersecurity and infrastructure protection subcommittee and will lead one of its hearings today.
POLICY RUNDOWN
CURTIS 'NOT YET SATISFIED' ON CLEAN ENERGY ORDER — Sen. John Curtis, who pushed to soften clean-energy rollbacks in the GOP megabill, says he's not yet satisfied with conversations he's had with the Treasury Department about the administration's recent executive order to sunset clean energy credits.
Curtis said in an interview Monday that he would have concerns if Treasury's 'intent is to change the IRS regulations.'
FINAL SCORE FOR GOP MEGABILL — CBO says in a new estimate that the GOP megabill will add $3.4 trillion to the federal deficit and lead to 10 million people losing their health insurance.
Best of POLITICO Pro and E&E:
CAMPAIGN STOP
MIKE COLLINS INCHES TOWARD SENATE RUN — GOP Rep. Mike Collins posted a video on X Monday hinting at a potential 2026 run for Georgia's Senate seat against Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff.
A person familiar with the Collins campaign told Gregory Svirnovskiy Monday that Collins is likely to officially announce a run soon. He would join Republican Rep. Buddy Carter and Georgia Insurance Commissioner John King in the race.
NORMAN FOR GOVERNOR? — Rep. Ralph Norman plans to announce Sunday whether he will run for governor of South Carolina, he told Jordain.
Norman, 72, has represented South Carolina's 5th District since 2017. Should he decide to launch a gubernatorial bid, he'd join longtime state Attorney General Alan Wilson and state Sen. Josh Kimbrell in the Republican primary.
TEXAS REPUBLICANS AVOID REDISTRICTING TALKS, FOR NOW — House Republicans in the Texas delegation say they're trying to stay out of a new push to redraw the state's congressional map, an initiative that the Texas legislature will take on in a special session convening today.
'I haven't made one phone call or email on the new maps,' Rep. Pete Sessions told Calen Monday. 'I think members will stay out of it. At least until we see the plan.'
Texas Reps. Michael Cloud and Tony Gonzalez also said they weren't trying to influence the plan. Rep. Brandon Gill declined to comment on it.
Republicans hope the redrawing could eke out as many as five new GOP seats, but it also risks potentially helping Democrats in some areas.
THE BEST OF THE REST
Capitol Tea: Thune's Missouri River tunes, from David Sivak at the Washington Examiner
Lawmakers want US tech CEOs to address concerns about submarine cables, from David Shepardson at Reuters
CAPITOL HILL INFLUENCE
Pierre Whatley, a former Democratic Hill aide who's now a principal at the lobbying firm FS Vector, is planning to enter the crowded Democratic primary to unseat Georgia Rep. David Scott, POLITICO Influence reports. Whatley filed paperwork over the weekend to run for the seat and will officially launch his campaign today.
JOB BOARD
Emma Simon is now digital director for House Agriculture Committee Democrats. She most recently was a content producer for former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and is a Jamaal Bowman and More Perfect Union alum.
Kallisti Mandanis is now press secretary for Rep. Ron Estes. She most recently was staff assistant/press assistant for Estes.
Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee have made some staff moves, POLITICO's NatSec Daily reports. Amy English has been promoted to deputy staff director. She was previously Sen. Jeanne Shaheen's foreign policy adviser and worked at the British Embassy. Megan Bartley took over as chief counsel earlier this year.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Reps. John Larson, Robert Aderholt (6-0) and Seth Magaziner … former Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison … Andrew Feinberg … The Boston Globe's Sam Brodey … Erin Maguire … Caleb Smith … Port Side Strategies' Will Fischer … Annie Lowrey … CNN's Terence Burlij … National Association of Counties' Seamus Dowdall … John Shelton of Advancing American Freedom … Whitney VanMeter … former Reps. George Santos, Mike Ferguson and Curt Weldon … Soren Dayton … Arshi Siddiqui of Bellwether Government Affairs … Nathan Naylor … Joy Lee … Ben Leubsdorf
TRIVIA
MONDAY'S ANSWER: Andrew Stahovec correctly answered that Rep. Heath Shuler was a first-round draft pick of Washington's football team back when they were the Redskins.
TODAY'S QUESTION, from Andrew: Who is the only U.S. president who was born on the Fourth of July?
The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Inside Congress. Send your answers to insidecongress@politico.com.
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The Hill
9 minutes ago
- The Hill
Sunday shows preview: Trump remains embroiled in Epstein drama as tariff deadline looms
The Trump administration and Cabinet members remain entangled in a saga entrenched in controversy over files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, which is likely to be a focus of this week's Sunday shows. Members of Congress and the public are continuing to call on leaders to release the names of past clients, associates and businessmen linked to Epstein's dealings, urging President Trump to make good on his campaign promise to provide transparency on the deceased criminal's actions. Their push for more information follows a July joint memo from the FBI and Justice Department (DOJ) that confirmed Epstein kept no 'client list' and said no further files tied to the late financier would be released by the federal government. Epstein's longtime partner, Ghislaine Maxwell, agreed to speak with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche this week about the international sex trafficking ring run by the two. 'This was a thorough, comprehensive interview by the Deputy Attorney General. No person and no topic were off-limits. We are very grateful. The truth will come out,' Maxwell's attorney David Oscar Markus said in a statement to NewsNation, the sister network of The Hill. Maxwell was granted limited immunity amid her push to appeal her conviction before the Supreme Court. DOJ officials have opposed the effort but continue to applaud her cooperation while the president has not completely ruled out the possibility of pardoning Epstein's accomplice, who's now serving a 20-year sentence behind bars. Lawmakers disgruntled by the lengthy delay to unveil new evidence voted Tuesday to subpoena Maxwell to testify before the House Oversight Committee. A House Oversight subpanel on Wednesday approved several subpoenas including one directing the DOJ to turn over materials relating to the Epstein files. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) and Rep. Riley Moore ( will likely discuss the huddle amongst their GOP colleagues this week on Sunday shows, addressing their party's strategy to investigate Epstein's criminal dealings without stepping on the Trump administration's toes. McCaul is set to appear on CBS's 'Face the Nation' and Moore is slated to appear on CNN's 'State of the Union.' Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) is set to address the Democratic push to force transparency on the president's ties to Epstein's illegal actions on his Sunday appearance on ABC's 'This Week.' Amidst the legislative drama, the White House is courting foreign nations to coax mutually beneficial trade deals between the U.S. and its international partners. Officials sent out the first batch of letters earlier this month to other nations informing them of new tariff rates, but those tariffs won't go into effect until Aug. 1, White House officials said. Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), who sits on the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Committee, may address the impact set to strike the country's business through the onset of levies during Sunday appearances on Fox News's 'Fox News Sunday' and NBC's 'Meet the Press.' This week, markets surged as Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell waved off criticism from the president on Thursday and corrected his projected costs for projects undertaken by the entity. The S&P 500 finished 0.4 percent up, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average finished up 208 points or 0.47 percent. Many await further direction from the Fed Chair on inflation as more permanent tariffs take effect and Americans begin to feel the jolt from its repercussions. Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) of the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Development could address how different business ventures may thrive or decline due to newer trade policies. All this and more will be discussed on this week's Sunday shows. Please see the full list of appearances below: NewsNation's 'The Hill Sunday:' Former Amb. John Bolton, Rep. Sean Casten (D-Ill.) and Former Gov. Chris Sununu (R-N.H.) ABC's 'This Week:' Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.); Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) CNN's 'State of the Union:' Sens. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) and Mark Warner, (D-Va.); Rep. Riley Moore ( CBS' 'Face the Nation:' Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.); Rep. Michael McCaul, (R-Texas); International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi; former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb NBC's 'Meet the Press:' Sens. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.); Zohran Mamdani, Democratic candidate for New York mayor
CNBC
10 minutes ago
- CNBC
Ghislaine Maxwell's meetings with Justice Department shrouded in secrecy
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche completed nine hours of meetings over two days with Ghislaine Maxwell on Friday but made no public statements about what she said or the next steps in the Justice Department's much-criticized Jeffrey Epstein investigation. Former prosecutors said it was highly unusual — and potentially unprecedented — for a the department's No. 2 official to personally interview a witness. Secrecy in a criminal investigation is normal, but the prosecutors involved in the case would typically be included in questioning. "I've never heard of a deputy attorney general doing anything like this before," said a former senior Justice Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Victims of Epstein and Maxwell, who was convicted in 2021 of recruiting and grooming multiple teenage girls to be sexually abused by the late financier, questioned the lack of transparency as well. Jack Scarola, a lawyer representing roughly 20 Epstein victims, said he asked to attend the Maxwell interviews but was not included. Berit Berger, a former federal prosecutor in New York, said the interviews by Blanche, who worked as Trump's former defense lawyer, may be performative. "It may be just a way of being able to say, 'Look, we dotted every I and crossed every T,'" she said. "There's value to being able to say that we've tried to speak to everyone we possibly could, including the co-defendant." Attorney General Pam Bondi, Blanche and President Donald Trump himself have struggled to quell the uproar since the DOJ and FBI announced on July 6 that an exhaustive Epstein case review had not uncovered evidence that justified investigating other individuals. FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino — who have both spread conspiracy theories about the Epstein case — backed those findings and a DOJ decision to release no other Epstein case documents. Catherine Christian, a former Manhattan assistant district attorney and an NBC News legal analyst, said the Maxwell interviews could also be an effort to protect Trump, who now faces one of the largest political crises of his second term in the furor over the Epstein investigation. Trump, like dozens of other wealthy Americans, socialized with Epstein. He is among hundreds of individuals whose names appear in 100,000 pages of Epstein case documents reviewed by the DOJ and the FBI. "It's hard to believe this is anything but performative," Christian said. "Or Todd Blanche, just wanting to have her on the record saying, 'Yes, President Trump had nothing to do with any of this. He was not a client.'" Maxwell's lawyer, David Oscar Markus, is a top Florida criminal defense lawyer and a friend of Blanche's. Blanche appeared on Markus' podcast in 2024, where the host praised Blanche's legal skills. After Friday's meeting with Blanche and Maxwell, Markus told reporters that the deputy attorney general "did an amazing job" and asked Maxwell thorough questions. "She was asked maybe about 100 different people," said Markus, who did not disclose which individuals Maxwell was questioned about. "She answered questions about everybody, and she didn't hold anything back," he said. "They asked about every single, every possible thing you could imagine, everything." A senior administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly, said that Maxwell was granted limited immunity by the Justice Department to answer questions about the Epstein case. Granting limited immunity is common in criminal cases and allows defendants to provide information without fear that it will be used against them in court. The immunity is "limited" because it only applies if the defendant is telling the truth. If it is determined that a defendant lied during the interviews, then the agreement becomes void. Prosecutors can take into consideration a defendant's cooperation and recommend a plea deal or a reduced sentence. This is not expected in Maxwell's case, as she has already been convicted and sentenced to 20 years in federal prison. Maxwell's lawyer, Markus, has argued that Maxwell's trial was unfair and an appeal of her conviction is pending before the Supreme Court. Trump, like all presidents, has the power to pardon or commute the sentence of anyone convicted of a federal crime. Asked about Epstein's case on Friday morning, Trump said the focus should be on other people who socialized with Epstein, such as former President Bill Clinton and Larry Summers, the former treasury secretary and Harvard University president. "You should focus on Clinton," the president told reporters. "You should focus on the president of Harvard, the former president of Harvard. You should focus on some of the hedge fund guys." "I'll give you a list. These guys lived with Jeffrey Epstein. I sure as hell didn't," Trump said. Asked if he was considering granting Maxwell a pardon or commuting her sentence, Trump said, "It's something I haven't thought about." "I'm allowed to do it," he added. Mimi Rocah, a former federal prosecutor in New York, said she believes the recent firing of Maurene Comey, a lead prosecutor in the Maxwell case and the daughter of former FBI Director James Comey, was an effort to give Trump appointees full control of the Maxwell case, limit transparency and silence dissent. "That does not seem coincidental. It seems like they wanted Maurene not to be present in the Department of Justice," Rocah said. "To be able to say, 'What the heck, you can't go talk to my client or my defendant.'" Rocah, a Democrat who served as Westchester County district attorney from 2020 to 2024, criticized Blanche's meetings with Maxwell, saying his apparent failure to include a prosecutor with deep knowledge of her crimes was unfair to Epstein's victims. "The head of that entire institution that is supposed to be about protecting victims is talking to her, giving her a platform to say God knows what, without much way to verify it or not," Rocah said. "The real people who could test her truth-telling are the people who worked on the case, not Todd."
Newsweek
10 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Democratic Party Hits Lowest Approval in Over 30 Years: Poll
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A Wall Street Journal poll published on Friday shows the Democratic Party's image has deteriorated to its lowest point in over three decades according to the newspaper's records that date back to 1990. Only 8 percent of registered voters said they view the Democratic Party "very favorably," while 63 percent said it's out of touch with the everyday concerns of Americans. In contrast, Republicans are now trusted more on key issues like the economy, immigration and crime. The poll, which surveyed 1,500 registered voters between July 16-20, found Republicans have taken the lead on eight of 10 issues tested. Despite President Donald Trump's continued unpopularity in the polls, the GOP leads in overall party identification. The Journal's poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points. Why It Matters In last year's presidential election, Trump beat then-Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, by 2 points in the popular vote, 50 to 48 percent. Trump also won the electoral vote, which decides the winner, 312-226. The Democratic Party faced a string of defeats in the 2024 election cycle when it came to the U.S. House and Senate, with the party's struggles for a clear message and effective leadership intensifying as the 2026 midterm elections approach. The new poll signals a significant warning for Democrats. Although Trump remains a polarizing figure, the data suggests that voters are increasingly viewing the party as ineffective on core issues like inflation, border security, and crime. What To Know According to the Journal's poll, Democrats now face a net favorability of -30 points, with only one-third of voters expressing any positive sentiment toward the party. This marks the worst performance for Democrats in the newspaper's polling history to date. While Trump's handling of inflation and tariffs drew significant disapproval—11 and 17 points respectively—voters still trust Republicans more than Democrats to manage those issues in Congress. The GOP holds a 10-point advantage on inflation and a 7-point edge on tariffs. The only policy areas where Democrats outperform Republicans in the poll are health care and vaccine policy, suggesting the party retains some credibility on public health issues. The president's net unfavorability stands at -7 points, with the GOP slightly worse at -11. However, Trump's favorability has remained relatively steady through the first six months of his second term, even as other polls show sharper declines. Despite the negative sentiment, 46 percent of voters say they would back a Democrat for Congress if an election were held today, compared to 43 percent who would support a Republican. That margin is narrower than the 8-point advantage Democrats had at the same point in Trump's first term in 2017. Senate Minority Leader Senator Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, speaks as Senate Minority Whip Sen. Richard Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, and Senator Cory Booker, a New Jersey Democrat, listen during a news briefing at... Senate Minority Leader Senator Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, speaks as Senate Minority Whip Sen. Richard Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, and Senator Cory Booker, a New Jersey Democrat, listen during a news briefing at the U.S. Capitol on July 22 in Washington, D.C. MoreWhat People Are Saying Bill McInturff, a Republican pollster not connected to the Journal's survey, said: "We were already watching the tide moving out for the Republican Party by this point in 2017, and that's not where we are today. And that's worth jumping up and down and trying to explain: how much more competitive Trump and the Republicans are today than in 2017." John Anzalone, a Democratic pollster who worked on the Journal survey, said: "The Democratic brand is so bad that they don't have the credibility to be a critic of Trump or the Republican Party. Until they reconnect with real voters and working people on who they're for and what their economic message is, they're going to have problems." What Happens Next? Democrats face mounting pressure to redefine their economic message and rebuild trust with working-class voters. Meanwhile, Republicans are likely to double down on their perceived strengths in fiscal and foreign policy ahead of next year's midterms.
