Arizona voters teed up a slew of competitive races Tuesday as Republicans look to take back control of the Grand Canyon State’s executive branch in November. Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs, who’s considered the most endangered gubernatorial incumbent this cycle, will face off against Republican Rep. Andy Biggs (Ariz.), a House Freedom Caucus member backed by President Trump. Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5982345-arizona-primary-hobbs-biggs-takeaways/ #Arizona #KatieHobbs #AndyBiggs #Trump #ElectionDenial #Elections
House Speaker Mike Johnson is in an uncomfortably familiar spot: under pressure from President Trump , under fire from members and under the gun to advance a reconciliation bill in just a few days. Why it matters: Johnson (R-La.) is trying to tee up a final party-line legislative package before the midterms, but Republicans remain divided over the contents of the bill and the strategy behind it. - GOP leaders are assembling a narrow framework that would include roughly $67 billion for defense, $20 billion for agriculture and farm aid, and elements of the SAVE America Act . - The prospect of no offsets for billions of dollars in defense funding is not sitting well with conservatives. "No, I'm not," Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) said when…
The House speaker first panned, then endorsed, then punted on, then pitched and now is delaying a bill to reopen the Homeland Security Department, showing his vulnerability in the face of party rifts.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said Wednesday they'll advance a plan to fund the Department of Homeland Security — excluding ICE and CBP— with those agencies deferred to a later reconciliation bill. Why it matters: House Republicans just five days ago rejected that approach, with some vowing to never support a DHS funding package without money for ICE and CBP. - "In following this two-track approach, the Republican Congress will fully reopen the Department, make sure all federal workers are paid, and specifically fund immigration enforcement and border security for the next three years so that those law-enforcement activities can continue uninhibited," Thune and Johnson wrote in a…
Hardline House conservatives are threatening to sink a Senate-passed DHS funding bill , escalating a standoff that's already kept the agency shut down for more than five weeks. Why it matters: House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is staring down a messy path to funding the Department of Homeland Security with no easy off-ramp. - "It is absolutely offensive to the people that we represent that the Senate would send over a bill that doesn't fund Border Patrol and the four core components of ICE," Freedom Caucus member Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) said Friday morning. - "Could the Senate be any more lazy than to send to us a bill that doesn't do the job and then leave town?" Roy added. - GOP leadership has not yet said how they plan to proceed,…
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La,), Freedom Caucus members and other FISA-skeptical lawmakers went to the White House this morning for a briefing on reauthorizing the surveillance authority, four sources told Axios. Why it matters: Johnson may not have the votes to pass a clean extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act — a must-pass bill the White House is pressing to renew. - GOP leaders and President Trump are pushing hard for an 18-month reauthorization. - But conservatives are demanding changes, putting Johnson in a familiar bind when it comes to getting the rule passed . Driving the news: Members received a briefing Tuesday night on Capitol Hill that got heated, as conservatives demanded warrant…
Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) is facing mounting blowback from fellow House Republicans — including calls for his resignation — following allegations that he had an affair with a former staffer before she died by suicide. - Gonzales has denied having the affair. Why it matters: The backlash from conservative lawmakers could create headaches for Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and President Trump, who have continued to back Gonzales ahead of a competitive primary next week. - Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) on Monday afternoon became the first congressional Republican to call on Gonzales to resign. - Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas), a House Freedom Caucus member, later followed suit, posting , "America deserves better. Tony should drop…
