Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) works to keep the lights in Washington in the first week of President Trump's second term, so he has passed his suspension funding bill by Friday's deadline and is trying to lock his votes in order to avoid government shutdowns.
Johnson announced the ongoing resolution on Saturday. This kept the government funding up until September 30th, the end of the fiscal year. StopGap promotes defense funding and reduces non-defense programs.
President Trump approved the measure shortly after his release, urging Republicans to vote when they hit the floor with “yes.” Meanwhile, House Democrat leaders have denounced the measure as a “partisan” bill that “recklessly” cuts many benefits and announced they would vote against the bill.
With the majority of House Democrats likely following a leadership lead, Johnson requires almost indifference to move the measure out of the lower room, as many hardline conservatives and moderates are withheld from the vote.
Also, House Democrats will be convened this week for their annual conference in Leesburg, Virginia. The Caucus is struggling to work together on a close-up strategy to combat Trump's second administration. Throughout the Capitol, the senators vote to confirm former Rep. Lori Chavez Deremar (R-ore.).
Congress races to avoid closure
Johnson hopes to clear the ongoing resolution on Tuesday and send measures to the Senate for consideration ahead of the Friday night shutdown deadline. However, it remains unclear whether he has a vote to move the measure out of his room.
If all Democrats oppose the measure and there are full attendance, Johnson has lost one Republican vote and can only clear the bill. And some cracks have already appeared at the House GOP meeting.
Rep. Thomas Massey (R-Ky.), who frequently overthrows the party on fiscal issues, is likely to vote against the measure as he does not include provisions that implement a 1% cut in funding across the board, including the provisions he defended in 2023. He also questioned last week's idea of stopgap.
Apart from Massie, many other hard-line conservatives have withheld support from the bill. Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), for example, told Hill on Sunday that the measure had not yet been decided.
Even some moderate Republicans quickly stopped supporting the measure. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) said Sunday that he wasn't in legislation yet, saying, “Like most bills, there's a few good things there, and not very good there.” Meanwhile, Rep. Tony Gonzalez (R-Texas) said he would make a “game time decision” on CNN's “union status” on Sunday, saying he would make a “game time decision” on whether to support the measure.
The uncertainty between both corners of the House GOP meeting spells out the trouble for Johnson, who needs to have consecutive ducks ahead of Tuesday's expected vote and the closure deadline on Friday.
But if the measure squeals the House, its fate in the Senate remains unknown, with at least seven Democrats joining Republicans, clearing the 60-vote threshold and supporting a measure to send the bill to Trump's desk. Just one Democrat, Sen. John Fetterman (Pa.), has shown so far that they may support the measure.
Sen. Patty Murray, a top Democrat on the Budget Committee, issued a statement on Saturday denounced the measure as a “continued resolution of the Slash Fund,” indicating that he “gives more federal spending on Donald Trump and Elon Musk,” and that he opposes the bill, like her and others, as leadership.
Even some Democrats representing the swing nation have raised doubts about the measure. Sen. Elissa Slotkin, who represents Michigan, who Trump won in November, said he is still pushing the language with measures to ensure that Congress properly commands allotted money.
“The fundamental thing about approaching this at least is that the president is deciding how to spend money anyway, even if there's a budget voted on by both Democrats and Republicans. That's a constitutional issue, right?” Slotkin said on NBC's “Meet the Press” Sunday. “Everyone knows that Congress has the power of a wallet, so I'll refrain from voting until I see that, until next week, I see some assurances that whatever we pass, that money will be spent like Congress's intentions.”
Senate votes for Chavez Deremar for Secretary of Labor
Chavez Deremar is confirmed as the next Secretary of Labor on Monday night and is expected to place her on top of the department following an unconventional nomination process.
The Senate is scheduled to vote Monday at 5:30pm.
Chavez Deremar's potential confirmation comes days after the Senate advanced her nomination with a bipartisan 66-30 votes, tees her for the final vote.
However, a few weeks ago, I wasn't sure about her confirmation.
Unlike other candidates, Chavez Deremar was scrutinized by Republicans to support professional law. Chavez Deremar co-hosted the law when she worked at home.
Due to his history, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY.) voted against Chavez Deremar on the Senate's Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. But support from the Democrat trio helped her to send her to the Senate floor.
House Democrats to hold problematic meetings
House Democrats are scheduled to meet in Leesburg, Virginia for this week's annual conference. This is a hideaway that comes as the party continues to search for cohesive messages and appropriate messengers to fight the second Trump administration.
The meeting is scheduled to take place from March 12th to March 14th.
But what will happen at the retreat remains unclear if the home doesn't pass the funding bill by Wednesday. The midnight closure deadline on Friday allowed the Caucus plans to throw curveballs.
Meanwhile, the agenda is already in shape. Kentucky Gov. Andy Besher (D), Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D), and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D), will all be speaking at the event. Politics.
In the first month and a half of the second Trump administration, Capitol Hill Democrats worked to find effective messages against the president's actions, and sometimes failed. The Caucus has largely condemned the GOP's potential plans to cut Medicaid with a drastic agenda bill and move by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
However, these ideas were largely owned last week when they dominated the conversation after speech when they protested in Trump's speech to a joint session in Congress.
House Democrat Caucus Speaker Pete Aguilar (Calif.), said this week's group will focus on working on their path to regain control of the Lower Chamber next year.
“Republicans are wasting the majority by failing to deal with the costs of the living crisis, but House Democrats have united to beat the Americans and bring about real relief,” Aguilar said in a statement when the meeting was announced earlier this year. “Now, more than ever, families across the country are relying on us beyond partisan politics, which defines Republican control and finds bipartisan solutions for the most pressing concerns. This year's issue highlights its commitment and helps the Caucus paint a pathway to bringing people's homes back.”
