The House of Representatives recessed on Wednesday. Congress was scheduled to stay in session until August 1, but lawmakers were left with nothing to do — or at least nothing they believed they could get done.
Spending negotiations are stalled and mired in vote-shaking between conservatives and moderates and are slowly stalling. Anything the Senate is working on can be handled in the fall. Plus, DC is super hot right now.
After weeks of Democratic decline, both sides suddenly believe they can win in November — and neither side wants to accept an unpopular government shutdown.
But a holiday away from the capital is no holiday from reality. When they return to the capital on September 9, they will have to work out how to fund the government through the end of that month – with a continuity solution in the short term, and a big omnibus budget in the long term. The Conservatives are strongly opposed to the latter option, but may be willing to take that chance if there’s something in return.
Looming in the upcoming battle is the SAVE Act. The bill, introduced by Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), would take steps to prevent foreign nationals from voting in U.S. elections. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) strongly supported the bill earlier this month, and it managed to get the support of five Democrats to pass it despite condemnation from the White House.
The Senate then ignored it.
Republicans aren’t the only ones calling for the bill to be passed before the November election: Former President Donald Trump was also a staunch supporter of the SAVE Act, and after Lee called for the bill to be added to the list of next-generation must-pass bills in an interview with “Blaze New Tonight,” Trump endorsed the strategy.
On the other hand, conservatives I spent the past few weeks They are calling for the House to prepare for a no-strings, no-spending-increase CR that would last until February or March, at which point the Trump Administration can take control of negotiations and hammer out its own agenda for 2025.
Now, some senators are willing to back down and accept CR until December — that is, if their superiors are willing to fight Democrats over the SAVE Act. Because illegal immigration is an unpopular (and important) issue nationwide, they hope Democrats will be reluctant to fight the shutdown on this issue, so they can pressure the Senate before the November elections.
It’s a gamble, and the Republican leadership hates it. They fear their Democratic media buddies will push the blame onto Republicans, regardless of the facts. But illegal immigration is a big problem, and the leadership is very politically minded. At this point, the candidates, their bases, and their donors all want it. It’s a powerful combination.
But never underestimate DC’s ability to blame others. In this case, it’s easy to imagine Johnson and his team blaming the Senate for not fighting hard enough. They’re even hesitant to threaten the Democratic Senate. The best way for his colleagues on the right to pressure Johnson may be to make this negotiating tactic a condition of his reelection as leader.
This is a strange moment in the race. After weeks of Democratic decline, both sides suddenly think they can win in November. And neither side wants an unpopular government shutdown. That mindset could help them agree to renegotiate spending in December, when both sides think they have the advantage after winning the White House and Congress. It could also help Democrats pass the SAVE Act, avoiding a government shutdown and protecting America’s elections at a time when too few people have faith in the system.
A lot will depend on whether Trump sticks to his guns and presses Johnson to pass the SAVE Act in this way. Will he? Or will the threat of a government shutdown shake his resolve? It may depend on who speaks loudest in his ear this summer.
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Fires Burn: City Journal: Tech giants support Trump
What’s going on in Silicon Valley when not only Elon Musk and Peter Thiel, but also technologists, founders, and funders like David Sachs, Ben Horowitz, and Marc Andreessen have ties to (or are fully committed to) the Republican Party? John Azconas and Robert Bellafiore Jr. report.
After all, the tech industry has never been a bastion of conservatism. Over the past few decades, its political stance has shifted In general, they ranged from Democratic support to an apolitical libertarianism that seeks to avoid government altogether. Republican mega-donor and Vance’s mentor, PayPal and Palantir’s Peter Thiel, had long been the exception that proved the rule that technology and liberalism go together. But not anymore. The nascent “Trump Tech Buddies” movement demands explanation…
… something [beyond self-interest]Solana explains that this more immature technology shift goes beyond retail politics and current events. Identified When the “atmosphere shift” began in February 2023, he had pinpointed a deeper cultural pulse: a growing desire to cast aside timidity and subservience in the name of freedom.
This points to a final reason why tech has lurched to the right: it has become a more dynamic political camp. When Trump said in his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention, “Ambition is our tradition. Greatness is our birthright,” many in tech nodded in agreement. Similarly, Mark Zuckerberg praise “The reaction to Trump getting shot was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen in my life.” The rise of Trump and the New Right has made it possible to rethink old ideas, propose crazy new ones, and lay out bold, ambitious plans for revitalizing America. These plans are organized around an America First agenda, pursuing the national interest, and dovetail well with an industry full of entrepreneurs and builders. Just to achieve something unprecedented and prove that it is possible…
