Speaker Mike Johnson defended the recent Republican discord as part of the “messy” process of making decisions on Capitol Hill. “He can’t perform miracles,” said Sen. John Kennedy (R-Louisiana).
House finally ends record Department of Homeland Security shutdown
The House finally ended the historic shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, passing a funding bill for the department with near-unanimous support.
WASHINGTON – House Speaker Mike Johnson said the impossible is being done at the Capitol.
For the past few weeks, he has been hard at work negotiating with House and Senate Republicans to pass President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda in a critical midterm election year despite historically narrow vote margins.
That’s one way to look at it.
Republican Sen. John Kennedy, from Johnson’s home state of Louisiana, said otherwise: “Mike is going through a tough time.”
“He’s a good person,” the often outspoken lawmaker said in the halls of the Capitol last month. “But he can’t perform miracles.”
Kennedy’s observations came during a particularly difficult week in the House. Infighting in the Republican Party is in full swing as Prime Minister Johnson struggles to muster the votes needed to advance his farm bill, extend the government’s major spy program and end the record-long Department of Homeland Security shutdown.
The Republican family drama caused voting to drag on for hours in what is normally a painless process. At one point, Representative Zach Nunn, a Republican from Iowa, yelled at Johnson from the other side of the House chamber, saying the two needed to “have a talk.”
“It’s been a whirlwind,” Nunn said the morning after late-night negotiations over the stalled farm bill. Although the bill passed, it faces an uncertain future in the Senate, where provisions regarding cancer warnings on pesticides remain at odds with Republicans in agricultural states and supporters of “Make America Healthier.”
November traffic jams are dangerous for Republicans
The impasse within and between Republican-controlled Congresses is already having a tangible impact on the American people. Sharp disagreements between House and Senate Republicans are part of the reason the DHS shutdown dragged on, leaving tens of thousands of federal workers worried about paychecks and travelers worried about the reopening of long security lines at airports.
But as the midterm elections approach, public intraparty brawls pose a greater risk to Republicans. Democrats, who already have a strong advantage in taking back the House in November, are sure to do everything they can to undermine the Republican pitch to voters that Congress should remain under full conservative control.
At stake is Mr. Trump’s last, and perhaps only, chance to win a major victory in Congress.
“The process around here is sometimes messy. That’s how it works,” Johnson told reporters recently. “But despite their historically slim majority, House Republicans continue to serve the American people.”
Johnson’s Shrinking Room
Rep. Kevin Kiley said Congress has been intent on implementing the basics of the legislation “for some time.”
The Republican-turned-independent California congressman, who remains active with the party, insisted that no one (including Mr. Johnson) is to blame for the ongoing dysfunction.
“I would say he’s operating under particularly difficult circumstances,” Kyrie told USA TODAY.
Currently, the chairperson can only allow two defections on a given vote. This leaves little room for fine-tuning in the crowded legislative schedule. Not to mention the fact that yet another scandal-hit House Republican, North Carolina Rep. Chuck Edwards, could soon face a vote to lose his job.
With House and Senate Republicans at odds over several issues, from enacting voting restrictions to lowering the Senate’s 60-vote threshold, known as the filibuster, getting major legislation across the finish line between now and November won’t be that easy.
Even Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-South Dakota) hasn’t been able to fully hide his frustration with other chambers. On April 29, a reporter asked him outside his office how the Senate can continue to function amid the recent political turmoil in the House. Frustrated, Toon shook his head.
“We will do everything we can,” he said.
Meanwhile, there are many issues at stake in Congress, including a Republican plan to spend more than $70 billion on immigration enforcement and an additional $1 billion for security at the new White House ballroom. The Pentagon is also preparing additional defense spending requests amid the Iran war, which has already cost taxpayers about $25 billion.
A bipartisan effort is also underway, with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle pushing for amendments to rein in the Espionage Act. Some want to move quickly to put more guardrails on online gambling. A major bipartisan housing reform bill is also on track to pass in both chambers, but has been stalled in the House for weeks due to concerns from some Republicans.
“Especially when you’re operating within such a small majority, that might be a good reason to try to do things in as bipartisan a manner as possible,” Kiley said. “Then the calculations are much easier. And it tends to lead to better policy as well.”
Zachary Schermele is a Congressional reporter for USA TODAY. You can email us at zschermele@usatoday.com. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and on Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social.
