Johnson’s low-drama strategy meets reality

An evening recap of the action on Capitol Hill and preview of the day ahead

May 15, 2024 View in browser   By Jordain Carney and Katherine Tully-McManus With assists from POLITICO’s Congress team House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) arrives at the U.S. Capitol May 15, 2024. (Francis Chung/POLITICO) | AP THE SPEAKER'S ROCKY ROAD  Speaker Mike Johnson is hoping to turn down the drama, and highlight GOP unity, heading into November. But there’s an obvious hurdle: his own conference. With Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s motion-to-vacate threat behind him (for now) and the decks cleared of major legislation, Johnson is turning his narrow majority toward messaging bills ready for his vulnerable members to deploy on the campaign trail against President Joe Biden’s administration and their Democratic opponents. This week marks the first real test of Johnson’s low-drama strategy, with Democrat-splitting measures on Israel assistance and law enforcement moving across the floor. And, so far, things have been downright placid by House GOP standards, with the rank-and-file largely keeping their fire trained on Democrats, not each other, for once. One of Johnson’s most vocal critics, Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), even voted Wednesday for the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization — one of those sprawling bipartisan deals moved under suspension of the rules Roy has been railing against for months. (The inclusion of language paving the way for a direct flight from Reagan National Airport to San Antonio, he said, “for me is worth the price of admission.”) Is the era of GOP infighting really over, though? Republican Study Committee Chair Kevin Hern (R-Okla.) proclaimed himself an “eternal optimist.” But asked if Republicans could be entering a “kumbaya moment,” he joked: “Well, I don’t know about that. … I don’t know about kumbaya.” Indeed, there are some speed bumps coming down the road … Funding drama: We’re already into fiscal 2025 appropriations season, and while there’s broad recognition that a continuing resolution will be needed ahead of Sept. 30, when fiscal 2024 ends, there’s disagreement on next steps. Members of the House Freedom Caucus want a CR into the first quarter of 2025 — giving a potential President Donald Trump leverage if he’s elected. But Johnson and Appropriations Chair Tom Cole (R-Okla.) want to start writing individual spending bills now, with a goal of getting them out of committee by the end of July. Any CR, the appropriations crowd believes, should expire before the end of 2024, allowing them to clear the barn for whoever takes control come January. Said one GOP appropriator about a punt into 2025: “Hell no.”  Primary infighting: Republicans still have a slate of heated primaries that have split members of their conference — to the point that some colleagues are publicly campaigning against each other. Most closely watched is Freedom Caucus Chair Bob Good’s Virginia primary on June 18, where several GOP members are backing his opponent, state Sen. John McGuire. Also in the spotlight: Rep. Tony Gonzales’ Texas primary runoff on May 28, where some House conservatives are backing challenger Brandon Herrera.  Trump wildcard: Trump isn’t in office, but his iron grip over the party continues — giving him the ability to throw a wrench in Johnson’s best-laid plans. While Trump backed the speaker against Greene’s ouster attempt, he has also totally dismantled entire legislative weeks for the speaker. (Look no further than the former president’s attempt earlier this year to kill the reauthorization of a key surveillance authority.) As we get closer to November, expect Republicans to start paying more attention to what their presidential nominee is doing — not what their own leadership is planning.  Culture warring: Any major legislation moving through committee this year, including the annual defense policy bill and those spending bills, will be battlegrounds for divisive but base-pleasing “culture war” provisions. As with some of the messaging bills, there’s a chance that those hard-line measures could squeeze Republicans in Biden-friendly districts whom the GOP needs to again eke out a majority.  — Jordain Carney and Katherine Tully-McManus GOOD EVENING! Welcome to Inside Congress, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Wednesday, May 15, where we know Hill staffers (or reporters) can’t afford this.   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.     HAWLEY VS. JOHNSON Josh Hawley has been on the warpath over Congress’s refusal thus far to extend the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, which expires on June 7. And he’s leaning on Speaker Mike Johnson to meet with radiation victims and advocates for those who benefit from the program as the deadline approaches. In an interview the Missouri Republican senator said he’s spoken to Johnson “multiple times” about the matter and is not happy that things are moving slowly. Hawley said the victims group is in Washington this week and plans to meet with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, among others, but still does not have anything on the books with Johnson: “It's extraordinary. No veterans groups. No other victims groups. He just won’t meet with them. I mean, I just find this unbelievable, but obviously the pressure is on.” We’re told that Johnson’s office is attending a meeting with RECA advocates on Thursday morning, which was set up by Rep. Ann Wagner (R-Mo.) and the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. The meeting comes as Congress wrestles with how to handle the expiring program, which Hawley has sought to expand. The Senate passed his legislation, which is also championed by Sen. Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.), in March. But the time is ticking on whether the House will act. “It's unconscionable to not move the bill. And even worse, to add insult to injury, is to see for weeks now, actually months … victims groups, veterans groups trying to meet with them and they just won’t do it,” Hawley said. — Burgess Everett and Olivia Beavers CORNHUSKER CLUSTER The Nebraska Democratic Party said Wednesday it would not support independent Dan Osborn against incumbent Sen. Deb Fischer (R) and instead offer a yet-to-be-named write-in candidate of its own. The announcement came after Osborn reversed course and declared that he would not accept any party endorsements. “For months Dan has told the Democratic party that he wants the party’s endorsement and asked us to keep our ballot line open so we could form a coalition,” state party Democratic chair Jane Kleeb wrote. “Today by Dan going back on his word he is telling Democratic voters that he doesn’t want their party’s support.” Osborn has been waging an uphill battle against Fischer in a deep-red state by seeking to coalesce anti-Republican voters: “I will be declining the endorsement of every party and politician in America,” he said in a statement on Wednesday. The incumbent nearly won her last reelection contest in 2018 by almost 20 percentage points. — Anthony Adragna TARGET: DOJ Republicans are returning their focus this week to one of their favorite enemies within the administration: the Justice Department. The Oversight and Judiciary committees will vote on resolutions recommending Attorney General Merrick Garland be held in contempt on Thursday after the DOJ refused to hand over audio of former special counsel Robert Hur’s interview with President Joe Biden. (The department did hand over a transcript and provide access to other documents, while explaining in a letter that handing over the audio could negatively impact cooperation with future investigations, among other reasons for the decision.) Republicans are also setting their sights on special counsel Jack Smith. Some hard-liners, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), have pushed to defund the Trump prosecutor. While Johnson has indicated that’s unlikely, he said Wednesday that Republicans are discussing next steps. In that vein: Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) told us he floated one idea to Johnson last week: reining in a special counsel’s ability to investigate current or former presidents. What that would mean in practice is unclear — and Jordan stressed in multiple interviews that he was just thinking out loud about potential legislative options. Possibilities include specifying in the legislation when a president could be investigated or to require a congressional vote beforehand — though he noted the latter carries potential separation-of-powers concerns. In other words, stay tuned. — Jordain Carney GARCÍA'S PERU PROTEST Rep. Robert García (D-Calif.) has dropped out of a scheduled June event with the Peruvian embassy in response to the country’s Ministry of Health designating transgender people as “mentally ill,” Inside Congress has learned. García, who is gay and the first Peruvian American to serve in Congress, condemned the ruling in a statement Wednesday. “Instead of working on real problems — democratic backsliding, illegal mining and logging, and worker exploitation — this extreme measure moves Peru backward. I’ll be working directly with the State Department to push back on this direct attack on LGBTQ+ Peruvians,” he said in the statement. — Daniella Diaz HUDDLE HOTDISH  Minnesota’s new flag has many enthusiastic supporters. We can’t get over all the jokes about Steny Hoyer dancing Angela Alsobrooks to victory. We have a new fastest male member of Congress: Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) ran today’s 3-mile ACLI Capital Challenge in 19 minutes and 33 seconds. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) retained her title as the fastest woman on the Hill, running it in 23 minutes and seven seconds. But Rep. Rich McCormick wants in. Former Sheriff David Clarke bashed presumptive Wisconsin Senate GOP nominee Eric Hovde as someone that “there’s no buzz about.” And he slammed Hovde’s comments calling into question the ability of some nursing home residents to vote: “You can't talk like that. What the hell is wrong with you?” QUICK LINKS  Durbin says he’s open to reinstating rule that could slow judicial confirmations, from Jennifer Haberkorn and Katherine Tully-McManus Detroit congressman Shri Thanedar spending big on TV ads, billboards using taxpayer funds from the Detroit News’ Melissa Nann Burke House conservatives try to plan Trump trial visit, from Jordain Carney and Olivia Beavers TRANSITIONS  Savannah Newhouse will be comms director for Sen. Marsha Blackburn’s (R-Tenn.) reelect. She was most recently press secretary in Blackburn’s Senate office. Eliana Locke is now regional press program director for the Biden campaign in Wisconsin. She previously was comms director for Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.) and is a Priorities USA alum. TOMORROW IN CONGRESS The House and Senate are in session. THURSDAY AROUND THE HILL 9:45 a.m. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and his leadership team hold a news conference urging Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to bring the Israel Security Assistance Support Act to the Senate floor for a vote. (House Steps) 10 a.m. Reps. Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.) and Don Bacon (R-Neb.) hold a news conference on the Filling Public Safety Vacancies Act. (House Triangle) 11 a.m. Reps. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) and Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) hold a news conference on legislation to help American families of terror victims. (House Triangle) 11 a.m. Rev. William Franklin "Billy" Graham Sr. Statue Unveiling Ceremony (Statuary Hall) 1:15 p.m. Reps. Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-N.M) and Cori Bush (D-Mo.), and Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.) hold a news conference on the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act. (House Triangle) 2:30 p.m. Rep. Shontel Brown (D-Ohio) holds a news conference on legislation to address uterine fibroids. (House Triangle) 3:30 p.m. Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and CPC Members hold a news conference on their 2025 Proposition Agenda. (House Triangle) TRIVIA TUESDAY’S ANSWER: Paul Hagner was the first to correctly guess that according to legend, the ghost of John Logan — Civil War general, vice presidential nominee, U.S. senator and key figure in the movement to establish Memorial Day — appears in the Senate’s old Military Affairs Committee room looking for a horse. TODAY’S QUESTION, from Paul: Who was the first president to wear contacts while in office? 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.   LISTEN TO POLITICO'S ENERGY PODCAST: Check out our daily five-minute brief on the latest energy and environmental politics and policy news. 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