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The Hill
31-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
New Main Street Caucus chair prepares for funding showdown
Rep. Mike Flood (R-Neb.), the newly elected chair of the Republican Main Street Caucus in the House, is gearing up for the next big fight in Congress: How to fund the government before the Sept. 30 deadline, preferably while avoiding a stopgap measure. 'I'm giving voice to a caucus of people that are reliably there to do the right thing, and a large number of appropriators. Why serve on [the] Appropriations [Committee] if we're going to govern with CRs?' Flood said in an interview Wednesday, referring to a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government at current levels. 'And why live under the Biden White House's priorities?' Flood was elected chair of the Main Street Caucus earlier this month after Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.), who had been the group's chair since 2023, stepped down as he ramps up a gubernatorial run. Before joining Congress in 2022, Flood was the Speaker of Nebraska's state Legislature and founded what is now one of the largest media operations in Nebraska. The government funding fight will be Flood's first test in his new role. Congress in March approved a measure to extend government funding at levels set during the Biden administration, with leaders arguing it would give more time for the new Republican trifecta to hash out funding details. Time is running short, though. The House, which is out until September, has approved just two of 12 regular appropriations bills. Chatter is growing about a continuing resolution, possibly even a full-year measure that does not increase spending — a proposal that House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris (R-Md.) signaled he is open to. 'I actually hate the idea of talking about a CR,' Flood countered, noting that there are many members of the House Appropriations Committee in his group. 'We can still arrive at a final spot, and I would think it's in the Democrats' best interest to find common ground with us. Because if we end up in some kind of a government shutdown situation, their nemesis, President Trump, has pretty broad powers as it relates to federal spending when Congress fails to do its job,' Flood said. Also hanging over the funding process is the threat of White House budget chief Russell Vought eyeing ' pocket rescissions,' or a request to claw back funding so late in the fiscal year that funding expires before Congress can act. Asked about that gambit, Flood pointed to Congress's power of the purse. 'Our Constitution isn't designed to have the executive branch controlling spending. It's designed to have the Congress do it. And why sign up for this job if you don't want to do that work?' Flood said. The Main Street Caucus is made of self-described 'pragmatic' Republicans, with members ranging from blue-state moderates to deep-red district conservatives. Stylistically, it draws a stark contrast with the confrontational, no-holds-barred Freedom Caucus. But despite garnering less attention as its members veer toward institutional responsibility, Main Street, which comprises 83 members, has emerged in the last few years as a key behind-the-scenes force in the House Republican Conference. Over the first half of this year, that meant being deeply involved in crafting the 'big, beautiful bill' of President Trump's tax cut and spending priorities. 'As it relates to protecting Medicaid, I think we were a key voice at the table,' Flood said about the group's involvement. 'The president wanted to protect Medicaid. We wanted to protect Medicaid.' The group pushed hard for the inclusion of the $50 billion rural health fund that will distribute funds across states with the intention of protecting rural hospitals threatened by reforms and cuts to Medicaid in the megabill. The race is now on to fill the Main Street Caucus's open vice chair role, which Flood previously held — and there is ample interest in the position. The contenders for that position so far, Flood said, are Reps. Laurel Lee (R-Fla.), Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.) and Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.), with a caucus election set for Sept. 3. Flood said the interest in the caucus's vice chair slot shows how influential the Main Street Caucus has become. The group has grown from around 50 members when Flood joined Congress in 2022 to more than one-third of the GOP conference. There are regularly 50 or 60 members at its weekly meeting, Flood said — which often features White House officials like Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr. White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller is slated to visit the group soon as well. 'We have leaders that are going to make a real imprint on the future of Congress,' Flood said. 'My goal is to continue what Dusty did and lift up our members to put all of us in a position to be engaging on every corner.'
Politico
31-07-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Dems grapple with Trump resistance dilemma
IN TODAY'S EDITION:— Dems' big decisions ahead on spending, noms— Schumer's new Epstein push— Flood previews policy battles for Main Street Caucus Senate Democrats have a chance to show their voters they can effectively stymie President Donald Trump as Republicans work to advance spending bills and a flurry of nominations. But publicly and behind closed doors, the Democratic Party is grappling with whether to resist or — in Minority Whip Dick Durbin's words — seek a 'quid pro quo,' Jordain Carney reports. Inside Democrats' lunch Wednesday, senators talked through potential September strategies. Among the ideas they are floating is securing policy wins, like preserving soon-to-expire Affordable Care Act tax credits, or getting a commitment from Republicans not to pursue more rescissions. Sen. Cory Booker's fiery protest on Tuesday, urging his party to 'have a backbone' in dealing with Trump, could preview the potential progressive backlash if they cut a deal. Some Democrats, like Sen. Elizabeth Warren, are questioning why they should agree to help the administration fast-track filling its ranks at all, though plenty of other Democrats would disagree. The party is pushing back at Trump in smaller ways as it tries to reach consensus. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Homeland Security Democrats invoked a little-known law this week trying to force the release of files related to late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein — an issue Republican leadership has avoided putting on the floor. The immediate stakes of Democrats' strategy are limited to the fate of their August recess for the moment. But how they move now could set the stage for the bigger looming test: averting a Sept. 30 government shutdown. They don't want a repeat of the spring showdown where Schumer infuriated Democratic activists by helping to advance a GOP-written funding bill. 'The Republicans can roll us once, but we sure as hell shouldn't let them roll us a second time,' Warren said in a brief interview. GOOD THURSDAY MORNING. If you have the pack of recalled Celsius, please share. Email us: crazor@ mmccarthy@ and bguggenheim@ Follow our live coverage at WHAT WE'RE WATCHINGWith help from Alec Snyder The House is out. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is holding a news conference with Texas Democrats on Republicans' redistricting efforts in Texas at 11 a.m. The Senate will vote to advance the nomination of Cheryl Mason to be inspector general at the Department of Veterans Affairs and to confirm Tyler Clarkson to be general counsel of the Department of Agriculture at 11 a.m. Lawmakers will vote to confirm Mason, Gadyaces Serralta to be director of the U.S. Marshals Service and Matthew Kozma to be an under secretary for intelligence and analysis at DHS at 2:15 p.m. More votes are expected later in the day. — Senate Armed Services will hold a hearing on nominations, including for Michael Powers to be deputy Defense under secretary/comptroller at 9:15 a.m. — Senate Appropriations will mark up the chamber's fiscal 2026 Defense and Labor-HHS-Education spending bills at 9:30 a.m. — Senate Finance will advance nominations for Jonathan McKernan to be an under secretary of the Treasury for domestic finance and Alex Adams to be an assistant HHS secretary for family support at 9:45 a.m. The committee will hold a hearing on additional nominations at 10 a.m. The rest of the week: The Senate will consider government funding bills and the president's nominations. The House will meet on Friday for a pro forma session at 10 a.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 GOP leaders back Grassley over blue slips Senate Republican leaders are siding with Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley despite attacks from Trump over his decision to uphold the so-called blue slip process, a practice that allows home state senators to object to some personnel picks in their state. 'I'm happy to hear what Senator Grassley and some of my colleagues say, but no, I don't think there's any strong interest in changing that up here,' Thune told reporters Wednesday. 'We used the blue slip process in South Dakota to get the first Republican judge confirmed in our state since the Reagan administration ... so it's, you know, like I said, it's a process both sides have used.' Thune added that he would see where conversations go with other senators, but he didn't 'sense any rush to change it' and said the Senate is 'making good headway' on confirming judges from Trump's list. Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso also said he supported Grassley. Johnson pushes back on stock trading ban discharge Speaker Mike Johnson has been privately pushing back on an effort from Rep. Anna Paulina Luna to force a vote on a bill banning stock trading for members of Congress, three people granted anonymity to discuss the effort tell our Meredith Lee Hill. Luna said on Fox News Wednesday night she's 'taking a lot of heat' and 'a lot of pushback from leadership' for her discharge plan. She did not specifically name Johnson. Meanwhile on the Senate side, Trump is attempting to quash a similar effort from Sen. Josh Hawley, who joined Democrats to help advance a bill banning trading for lawmakers, the president and vice president out of committee on Wednesday. Trump called Hawley a 'second-tier senator' afterward. Hawley brushed off the attack and said he'd be willing to tweak his bill to get the president to sign it. Growing support from Dems for Israel arms sales ban Twelve new Democrats backed an effort from Sen. Bernie Sanders to block the sale of arms to Israel in a late-night vote Wednesday. The procedural vote failed 70-27, but a majority of Democrats opposed an Israeli arms sale for the first time since the Gaza War started nearly two years ago. Schumer voted against blocking the sale. POLICY RUNDOWN MAIN STREET CAUCUS CHAIR PREVIEWS UPCOMING POLICY FIGHTS: Meredith's wide-ranging interview with Rep. Mike Flood, the new chair of the Republican Main Street Caucus, is a must-read to understand the biggest policy battles set to play out later this year. Flood — who recently took over for outgoing chair Dusty Johnson as he prepares to run for South Dakota governor — said among other things that there would be 'severe pushback' if GOP leadership tries to further slash Medicaid in a second budget reconciliation bill. Flood also said the 'overwhelming' majority of his 83-member caucus wants earmarks in any government funding deal in September. Here's what you need to know: — The Main Street Caucus is meeting with the Freedom Caucus once a week to 'understand where everybody's coming from,' per Flood. — Flood has told GOP leadership that earmarks must be included in any government funding bill, and he believes Main Street has an unlikely ally: 'Our members want community project funding ... and the Freedom Caucus agrees with us.' — House Republican committee chairs will likely come forward with a menu of options for a second budget reconciliation bill, with Flood seeing some opportunities in the housing policy space. — Speaker Johnson and Flood haven't yet discussed the looming expiration of Affordable Care Act premium tax credits yet, but Flood acknowledged it's an issue that the GOP will confront after lawmakers deal with government funding. WINKLEVOSS BROS. VS. CFTC NOM: Cryptocurrency billionaires Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss pushed Trump this past weekend to sub out his nominee for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Declan Harty and Sophia Cai scooped. The brothers told Trump that Brian Quintenz, the White House pick to head the CFTC, wouldn't do enough to shake up the agency, which oversees financial derivatives and has expanded its purview over digital assets. The pressure campaign prompted the administration to ask Senate Agriculture to scrap its planned Monday vote to advance Quintenz's nomination — though a White House spokesperson says he remains the nominee. The Winklevosses previously had to pay a $5 million settlement amid charges from the CFTC that their company, Gemini, made misleading statements about a crypto investment product. FACIAL RECOGNITION BILL COULD SOON BE REVIVED: A bill to put guardrails on TSA's facial recognition program will likely be back on the menu soon after it was unexpectedly dropped from the agenda during a Senate Commerce markup Wednesday, according to Democrat Jacky Rosen. 'We expect it to come up on the next markup,' said Rosen, who told Benjamin she's been working with Sen. Jeff Merkley, the chief sponsor of the bill, to make tweaks to the measure to ensure it wouldn't close down PreCheck or make airport lines too long. Rosen noted that the legislation would affect the Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, which sees 50 million visitors a year, and needs to be 'thought through a little bit more.' Senate Commerce Chair Ted Cruz, who had previously expressed confidence in the bill's prospects before his panel, also told Benjamin Wednesday he intends to try again 'at a subsequent markup.' But the legislation has been the subject of intense lobbying by the travel industry, which had been warning in recent days the proposal was in trouble. Best of POLITICO Pro and E&E: THE BEST OF THE REST How Tim Scott and Elizabeth Warren agreed on a sweeping housing package, from Liz Goodwin and Rachel Siegel at The Washington Post Tom Cole's Powerful Spot on the Appropriations Committee Is Motivating Him to Stay in Congress, from Em Luetkemeyer at NOTUS CAMPAIGN STOP TEXAS GOP UNVEILS NEW CONGRESSIONAL MAP — Texas Republicans have unveiled a new proposed congressional map that would provide their party with five new GOP-leaning districts, Andrew Howard and Liz Crampton report. The redraw would put more Republicans into districts held by Democratic Reps. Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzalez, who both represent Latino-heavy areas of the Rio Grande Valley, and make some Democratic-controlled districts even bluer in an attempt to create GOP-leaning districts elsewhere. Jeffries, meanwhile, was in Texas Wednesday and plans to be there today organizing an on-the-ground response with local legislators and stakeholders. He plans to hold a news conference with Democrats in the Texas House delegation at 11 a.m. As Democrats consider redistricting in bluer states like New York and California, their plans could collide with legal challenges — and in some cases, pose threats to lawmakers' career plans, Jeremy B. White reports. DAVIS TO PASS ON REELECTION — Democratic Rep. Danny Davis, 83, is expected to announce today he won't run for reelection in 2026, according to two people granted anonymity to discuss his plans in advance, Shia Kapos reports. The field is already heating up: State Rep. La Shawn Ford has already announced he's running and is expected to get an endorsement from Davis. Former County Commissioner Richard Boykin, businessperson Jason Friedman and Marine Corps officer-turned-comedian John McCombs are also running. Walter Burnett Jr., who until recently was a Chicago alderman, and state Rep. Kam Buckner are among the other potential candidates expected to enter the race. CODEL CORNER FIGHT ACROSS THE POND — Rep. Jamie Raskin found himself in a scuffle with Nigel Farage, the leader of the United Kingdom's conservative Reform party, during a bipartisan trip to the U.K., Anthony Adragna reports. According to Raskin and three other Democratic lawmakers on the trip, Raskin had started talking about the history of free speech in the U.S. which led to current threats from Trump. That's when they said Farage interrupted him saying, 'We're not here to talk about Donald Trump,' and that Raskin was 'the most pig-headed person he'd ever met.' The top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee clapped back to Farage: 'This is why we had a revolution against you guys.' The trip was organized by Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan for Republicans to push back against the country's new Online Safety Act and free speech concerns in the U.K. HOUSE MEMBERS MEET MILEI — A bipartisan group of seven House members traveled to Argentina to meet President Javier Milei Monday to discuss the country's financial landscape. Led by Financial Services Chair French Hill, the group included GOP Reps. Warren Davidson, María Elvira Salazar, Troy Downing and Tim Moore and Democratic Reps. Don Davis and Janelle Bynum, according to a statement from Hill. The group also met with Minister of Economy Luis Caputo, head of the Argentinian Central Bank Santiago Bausili and Minister of Foreign Affairs Gerardo Werthein. In addition to discussing the relationship between the U.S. and Argentina, the group talked about digital assets' risks and opportunities. TUNNEL TALK ON ONE KNEE IN THE SPEAKER'S BALCONY—Timothy O'Neill, legislative director for Rep. Tom McClintock, and Ashtyn Rouland, comms director for Rep. Chuck Edwards, recently got engaged on the speaker's balcony, per Playbook. The couple met as staffers for Rep. Debbie Lesko. JOB BOARD Alley Adcock is joining the Treasury Department as deputy assistant secretary for legislative affairs, appropriations and management. She most recently was a professional staff member on the House Appropriations Commerce-Justice-Science subcommittee. Emily Flower is joining the Kennedy Center as a director of PR. She was previously comms director for Sen. Roger Marshall. Terrence Clark has joined Amazon's corporate comms team handling crisis, issues and reputation management. He most recently was senior comms adviser and spokesperson for the Justice Department and is a Raphael Warnock alum. HAPPY BIRTHDAY Rep. Joe Wilson … former Rep. Adam Putnam … Nelson Garcia … Todd Novascone of OGR … U.S. Chamber of Commerce's Lexi Branson … Matthew Ballard of Ballard Strategy Group … Micah Spangler … Lauren Allen … Dan McFaul … James Floyd of Durbin's office … Terry Schilling … former Massachusetts Govs. Bill Weld (8-0) and Deval Patrick … Dan Schnur … Alana Peisner of Rep. Mike Levin's office … Joe Novotny of HB Strategies TRIVIA WEDNESDAY'S ANSWER: Brad Fitch correctly answered that upon Theodore Roosevelt's death, the sitting vice president exclaimed, 'Death had to take Roosevelt sleeping, for if he had been awake, there would have been a fight.' TODAY'S QUESTION, from Brad: Who was the first speaker of the House to lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Inside Congress. Send your answers to insidecongress@
Politico
01-07-2025
- Business
- Politico
Johnson, Trump push wary House Republicans for July 4 passage
In a key sign of the bill's momentum, influential budget hawks who have been key players in blocking the bill in recent months in order to forge better deals are not raising objections this time. It's an acknowledgement that Trump and GOP leaders will push through the bill at any cost this week. Still, Roy and other ultraconservatives have tried to push back on White House pressure to swallow the bill as is. He argued that Trump officials' efforts to undercut fiscal hawks' concerns about the legislation was 'garbage.' Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.), who frequently acquiesces to Trump's pressure, also noted the Senate version 'violates the minimum fiscal framework … by roughly half a trillion dollars.' 'So members will have a decision to make,' she said. Another significant obstacle for GOP leaders are the dozens of GOP members concerned about deeper Medicaid cuts in the new bill. Many are in competitive districts and already shaken by Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) torching his conference's Medicaid provisions on the Senate floor shortly after he announced his retirement. Johnson in recent days tried to push Senate GOP leaders to soften the Medicaid cuts in their bill, to no avail. Privately, he warned Republicans the Senate's approach could lose House Republicans the majority in the midterms. But shortly after the Senate cleared the bill Tuesday, Johnson said he was still pushing to pass the bill by July 4. At the same time, he appeared to acknowledge the reservations among some members. 'They went a little further than any of us would have preferred,' Johnson told reporters. The alarm among a swath of members about Medicaid has only escalated in recent days. On Monday, Johnson tried to calm anxious GOP members on a call with Main Street Caucus Republicans. But it went south for frustrated Republicans as Mehmet Oz, the Trump official who oversees Medicaid, insisted the Senate's cuts went after waste, fraud and abuse. Even a swath of conservative House Republicans don't want to vote on the Senate Medicaid cuts as they hear from their state hospital and the health care lobbies. Other moderate House Republicans declined to weigh in on the Senate-passed bill. That includes Rep. Don Bacon, a key centrist Republican who announced this week he would not seek reelection. 'I'm keeping my powder dry,' he said. Cassandra Dumay, Benjamin Guggenheim and Calen Razor contributed to this report.
The Hill
30-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Rep. Dusty Johnson launches bid for South Dakota governor
Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) launched a bid for South Dakota governor on Monday as a handful of Republicans look to replace Gov. Larry Rhoden (R), who has not said whether he'll seek reelection. 'South Dakota is a special place where hard work, conservative common sense and firm handshakes are a way of life,' Johnson says in a two-minute ad. 'That's why it's been such an honor to work for you in Congress. We rolled up our sleeves and got things moving in the right direction, cutting trillions in wasteful spending, standing with President Trump to secure our border and finally getting tough on China.' 'Those were important fights to build a better country for our kids, but their future doesn't begin in some far away place,' he continues. 'It begins here at home in South Dakota.' Johnson, who's served as South Dakota's at-large House member since 2019 and helms the Republican Main Street Caucus, is the latest Republican to throw his hat in the ring. South Dakota House Speaker Jon Hansen and businessman Toby Doeden have also announced campaigns for Rhoden's seat. Rhoden previously served as lieutenant governor under Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem when she was governor of the state; Rhoden later rose to governor when Noem took her current position within the Trump administration. Democratic candidate Robert Arnold, a 19-year-old student at Dakota State University, is also running for the seat and is considered a longshot contender in the reliably red state. Rhoden has left the door open to running again though it's not immediately clear when an announcement will be made. 'I'm not making a decision based who I'm running against, I'm making a decision based what I'm running for,' the South Dakota governor told KOTA in April.
Washington Post
28-06-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Centrist Republican Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska won't seek reelection
WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, a centrist Republican who represents Nebraska's second district with its so-called 'blue dot' that includes many progressive voters around Omaha, will not seek reelection. That's according to a person familiar with his plans and granted anonymity to discuss them Friday. Bacon is known as an independent-minded Air Force veteran who serves on the House Armed Services Committee and has been at the center of many debates in Congress. He has also been chairman of the conservative-centrist Republican Main Street Caucus in the House.
