Johnson gets backup from the GOP's governing wing

Presented by the League of United Latin American Citizens: An evening recap of the action on Capitol Hill and preview of the day ahead

Apr 19, 2024 View in browser   By Anthony Adragna and Katherine Tully-McManus Presented by the League of United Latin American Citizens With assists from POLITICO’s Congress team Rep. Steve Womack (R-Ark.) says speaker Mike Johnson "deserves better." | Francis Chung/POLITICO | Francis Chung/POLITICO GOP CENTRISTS: CONSERVATIVES TO BLAME FOR DEM HELP Conservative lawmakers have made it abundantly clear they detest Speaker Mike Johnson’s decision to work with Democrats. To other Republicans, it’s a necessary evil — specifically because of those hardliner colleagues. Many centrist Republicans told us on Friday that Johnson has been left with no other choice, given threats to his speakership and unwieldy demands for border security language that could never pass the Democratic-led Senate and President Joe Biden. “We're asking the impossible,” Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R-N.D.) told Inside Congress. “And that's not fair to Mike Johnson. It wasn't fair to Kevin McCarthy. It's not fair to anybody.” “We've got a group of members who refuse to allow the floor to function. And, obviously, the speaker’s to be commended for finding a way forward,” said Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) in an interview. “We can worry about the political crap later.” To be sure, Johnson’s now broken nearly every congressional norm in his reliance on Democrats to tee up a package of foreign aid to benefit Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, among other priorities. More Democrats (165) than Republicans (151) supported the rule, a stunning development for longtime Hill watchers. (More on that below.) But it was a common refrain from the conference’s governing wing: conservatives gave the speaker no viable alternative — especially now that Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) are explicitly threatening his gavel. Rep. Steve Womack (R-Ark.) said Johnson’s been challenged like no speaker before him. “Mike Johnson deserves better support, but I for one am just very, very proud of what we would all refer to as a profile in courage in the face of these kinds of threats,” he said. Still, that’s not to say Johnson won’t face consequences for the severe break, as conservatives have just started to air their fury. Most lawmakers were unwilling to speculate how that would affect the speaker long term. “It never helps when we pass something that’s not conservative,” Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.), chair of the Republican Study Committee, told us. “Mike Johnson is a friend of mine. He's a brother in Christ. Love him to death. I don't agree with his play calls,” said Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.), one of the more mild criticisms we’ve heard about Johnson recently. It’s not a unanimous position, though. House Freedom Caucus co-founder Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), for example, supported the rule. And some centrists went even further. They didn’t just blame conservatives for forcing Johnson’s hand — they explicitly said any sort of deal or extra power that went to Democrats from now on was hardliners’ fault. “It’s not good enough that they can just vote no,” said Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), who represents a swing seat carried by Biden. “It’s like they have to force all the rest of us to vote a certain way or they will take the ship down.” — Anthony Adragna and Katherine Tully-McManus, with assist from Jordain Carney  GOOD EVENING! Welcome to Inside Congress, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Friday, April 19, where the weather matches this new Taylor Swift album. Please share your favorite song with Daniella, our resident non-Taylor Swift fan!   A message from the League of United Latin American Citizens: The Delta-Aeroméxico partnership has facilitated 1,000 weekly flights that are crucial for connecting the U.S. and Mexico. Now, the Department of Transportation is threatening to terminate this partnership. The move risks isolating the U.S. from its top trading partner and threatens to take away options and hike fares for all travelers. Get the facts.   THE VIEW FROM DEMOCRATS House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) speaks during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol, on April 19, 2024. | Francis Chung/POLITICO On the other side of the aisle, Democrats are hoping Friday’s procedural vote on foreign aid will be conservatives’ nightmare scenario: The beginning of a new era in the House, where Democrats can work with Republicans to bring up more bipartisan legislation. The vote was “one of the best things that’s happened since this era of craziness started,” said Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.). “And if we continue with majority rule, we can get a lot of things done. And I know that there are Republicans who have that same attitude.” “Democrats will provide a majority of our majority as it relates to funding Israel, humanitarian assistance, Ukraine and our allies in the Indo-Pacific,” said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.). The caucus still hasn’t come to a consensus on how to handle any upcoming vote to boot Johnson from the speakership. Democrats are scheduled to huddle tomorrow before the vote on the national security package. Jeffries told reporters Friday that his caucus would have a conversation before making a decision on potentially saving Johnson, though he’s previously observed that a faction of the caucus would step in if the GOP leader brought the foreign aid package to the House floor. First-term Rep. Greg Landsman (D-Ohio) said he hopes that Democrats providing the votes to tee up the legislation means the practice could continue. The minority party typically does not support the vote on the so-called rule in committee or on the House floor, though Democrats also stepped in last year to help get the rule for a package raising the debt ceiling over the finish line. “Maybe the procedural question is one that we should be talking about. Should we start thinking differently about the rule and these sorts of procedural votes?” he said in an interview. Disclaimer: Of course the minority party wants more power. Johnson might rely on Democrats this time, but if he continued doing so conservatives would never stop revolting. Johnson would have to significantly change the rules of his conference. We’re not there, at least not yet. — Nicholas Wu and Daniella Diaz    THE GOLD STANDARD OF POLICY REPORTING & INTELLIGENCE: POLITICO has more than 500 journalists delivering unrivaled reporting and illuminating the policy and regulatory landscape for those who need to know what’s next. Throughout the election and the legislative and regulatory pushes that will follow, POLITICO Pro is indispensable to those who need to make informed decisions fast. The Pro platform dives deeper into critical and quickly evolving sectors and industries—finance, defense, technology, healthcare, energy—equipping policymakers and those who shape legislation and regulation with essential news and intelligence from the world’s best politics and policy journalists. Our newsroom is deeper, more experienced, and better sourced than any other—with teams embedded in the world’s most active legislative and regulatory power centers. From Brussels to Washington, New York to London, Sacramento to Paris, we bring subscribers inside the conversations that determine policy outcomes and the future of industries, providing insight that cannot be found anywhere else. Get the premier news and policy intelligence service, SUBSCRIBE TO POLITICO PRO TODAY.     BREAKING DOWN THE RAREST OF RULE VOTES  A nearly unprecedented situation unfolded on the House floor on Friday, when more Democrats than Republicans supported the rule setting up debate on a four-bill foreign aid package. We’ve been doing this a long time, and rules rarely land a single vote from the minority party — let alone more than the majority. Most Republicans were glad to see the help, with Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) saying Democrats “did the right thing.” “While there are Republicans and Democrats, it is one Congress, and sometimes we have things in interest that are the same,” he added. A stunning 55 (!) House Republicans opposed their party’s rule, mostly from the conservative bloc, including Reps. Eli Crane (Ariz.), Bob Good (Va.), Matt Gaetz (Fla.) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (Ga.). Meanwhile, 39 Democrats opposed the measure, largely from the progressive wing of the conference, where Israel aid has driven a sharp wedge. Those include prominent figures like Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), Barbara Lee (Calif.), Mark Pocan (Wis.) and Jamie Raskin (Md.). — Anthony Adragna and Caitlin Emma HUDDLE HOTDISH  Jared Huffman nabbed the Wordle in one guess (we know the rest of you play and are jealous). Steny Hoyer took a sarcastic view on Saturday work, joking that given the importance of the 72-hour rule for reviewing legislation that all his colleagues will spend their Friday night pouring over the bills. Here come the Taylor Swift references. Tom Carper has an Earth Day playlist on Spotify for your listening pleasure.   A message from the League of United Latin American Citizens:   QUICK LINKS  Third Republican endorses push to oust Johnson, from Olivia Beavers Former Congressman Charged After Collision with State Trooper in Florida, from the Insurance Journal Matt Gaetz attended 2017 party where minor and drugs were present, woman's sworn statement obtained by Congress claims, from Will Steakin at ABC News Appeals court upholds conviction of GOP operative who steered Russian money to Trump camp from Kyle Cheney This G.O.P. Senate Candidate Says He Grew Up on a Family Farm. Not Exactly. from Katie Glueck at the New York Times Menendez Corruption Trial Delayed for One Week, from Benjamin Weiser and Tracey Tully at the New York Times TRANSITIONS  Kelly O’Keeffe is now press secretary for Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.). She previously was comms director and senior adviser for the House coronavirus select subcommittee Democrats.   THE GOLD STANDARD OF POLICY REPORTING & INTELLIGENCE: POLITICO has more than 500 journalists delivering unrivaled reporting and illuminating the policy and regulatory landscape for those who need to know what’s next. Throughout the election and the legislative and regulatory pushes that will follow, POLITICO Pro is indispensable to those who need to make informed decisions fast. POLITICO Pro dives deeper into critical and quickly evolving sectors and industries—finance, defense, technology, healthcare, energy—equipping policymakers and those who shape legislation and regulation with essential news and intelligence from the world’s best politics and policy journalists. Our newsroom is deeper, more experienced, and better sourced than any other—with teams embedded in the world’s most active legislative and regulatory power centers. From Brussels to Washington, New York to London, Sacramento to Paris, we bring subscribers inside the conversations that determine policy outcomes and the future of industries, providing insight that cannot be found anywhere else. Get the premier news and policy intelligence service, SUBSCRIBE TO POLITICO PRO TODAY.     SATURDAY IN CONGRESS (!) The House is in session. The Senate is expected to be in session. SATURDAY AROUND THE HILL Hopefully just votes. TRIVIA THURSDAY’S ANSWER: Mark Silverman was the first to correctly guess that there are 44 senators at the start of the 118th Congress who had previous service in the House. TODAY’S QUESTION, from Mark: How many senators went on to become President of the United States? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Inside Congress. Send your answers to insidecongress@politico.com. GET INSIDE CONGRESS emailed to your phone each evening.   A message from the League of United Latin American Citizens: The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is considering terminating the Delta-Aeroméxico partnership, posing a significant threat to connectivity between the U.S. and Mexico. If the DOT cancels the Delta-Aeroméxico partnership, consumers and travelers, including Latino families, will feel the pain of higher fares and fewer choices. Get the facts.     Follow us

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