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There is no such thing as bickering in Congress.
You won’t find a “fraternity row,” with each house decorated with the trifecta of deltas, gammas and epsilons.
No drinking games here.
At least not officially.
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Capitol Hill and Greek pledges share the same value at the moment: the impending doom of “the church of hell.” (Photos by Aaron Schwartz/Middle East/AFP via Getty Images)
But prepare for something on Capitol Hill where many Greek pledges are very familiar:
“I will say next week is hell week,” warned Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, last Thursday. “Next week is going to be hell week.’
And all this was before Saturday night’s tragic episode at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington.
HOUSE GOP BACKS SENATE ‘SINNY’ PLAN TO END RECORD DHS SHUTDOWN
About the church facing Capitol Hill:
House Republicans are facing the devil of the week. They have to get on the same page as the Senate to pass a budget proposal – to further fund ICE and the Border Patrol. FISA, the nation’s controversial spy program, expires Friday morning. That means nothing to try to pass a farm bill.
If they don’t do all of this, “Dean Wormer” (of Animal House fame) might just put House Republicans on a “secret double check” before the week is out.
So let’s examine what makes House Republicans responsible for this.
Let’s start at 3:36 am last Thursday.
We start there, because in the last few weeks, the most important moments in Congress have happened at 2:12 on Friday morning, at 2:16 on Friday morning and now at 3:36 on Thursday morning.
3:36 am is when the Senate approved a budget proposal that would potentially fund ICE and CBP. Republicans use a special legislative gambit called “reconciliation” to bypass the filibuster. That’s because the Democrats won’t help. They have never confirmed the changes they need to support ICE. So the Republicans went it alone.
“We’re trying to use the reconciliation process to get money to secure the border,” said Senate Budget Committee Chairwoman Lindsey Graham, RS.C.
Democrats have been increasingly cold on funding ICE since the winter murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. (Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Democrats have refused to fund ICE since the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis this winter.
“They want to give $140 billion to ICE and the Border Patrol without any changes,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, DN.Y. “(They’re) adding $140 billion to an agency that no one — well, two agencies, the Border Patrol and ICE — that no one in this country respects.”
That prompted an explosive response from Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin during an appearance on Fox.
“It makes my ears ring red. It takes a lot to piss me off. But Chuck Schumer, no one respects you. The definition of a politician who lies. That’s you,” said Mullin of his former Senate colleague.
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Perhaps that’s why white-hot rhetoric on both sides may have contributed to Saturday night’s chaos.
Mullin says DHS emergency funding is about to expire. Therefore, the pressure is intensifying for the House to comply with the Senate without any change in the framework adopted by the Senate.
“It has to be clean, because it has to be fast,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. “The final salaries are coming out at the end of this month.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., says the Senate bill contains “problematic language.” (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
But remember, this is just the House meeting with the Senate on a plan to address ICE and CBP funding shortfalls. The assassination attempt at the White House dinner increased the need to fund DHS. And quickly. However, Johnson refused to take up a bill to fund everything else at DHS that passed the Senate twice. Johnson then agreed to pass the bill after rejecting it. But the House never agreed.
Johnson says the Senate funding bill — not the reconciliation bill — has “problematic language” because it was “arbitrarily drafted.”
And now Johnson suggests there still might be another one DHS funding bill in the works.
That may be inevitable, given the weekend’s chaos.
REPUBLICANS REPUBLICANS END THE GOVERNMENT AND SHUT DOWN FOREVER BECAUSE THE DEMS ARE AFRAID TO DO IT AGAIN
Budget reconciliation takes a while.
“Reconciliation is still going to be slow,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, RS.D. “They are running out of ways to support a lot of those organizations.”
But here’s another problem with reconciliation: Many conservatives insist on additions.
“We have to take a comprehensive approach to reconciliation,” said Rep. Chip Roy R-Texas.
Here’s what they add up to: Probably money to pay for Iran’s war. Maybe a freeze on the federal fuel tax. More tax cuts. You name it.
Many on the right are calling for the SAVE America Act to be included. The bill requires proof of citizenship to vote.
“I think you’re going to see a lot of people on our side jumping on it if they had it,” said Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., about the SAVE America Act.
Many on the right are calling for the SAVE America Act to be included in the reconciliation bill. Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., argued, “you’re going to see a lot of people on our side jumping on it if they had it.” (Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
However, even SAVE America Act advocates doubt the GOP would include that in a Senate bill that should be fiscal in nature. Many want a broader, broader reconciliation bill that is not limited to DHS.
“This is probably the only reconciliation we will have before the break. That is a bad excuse for the work we are doing up here,” complained Rep. Ralph Norman, RS.C. “One debt with that limited amount.”
“Perhaps people intend to make a third reconciliation bill. But you are not looking at Bambi’s brother here,” said Seni. John Kennedy, R-La. “This is the last train out of the station.”
Are you in?
SENATE TAKES FIRST STEP TO RECONSTRUCT, SET TERMS FOR ASSISTANCE OF DEM’S ISSUANCE OF FINANCIAL PROCEDURE
For now, President Trump remains focused on the reconciliation framework.
“We need all Republicans to join together and support this Budget Blueprint, which will allow us to pass the Democrat obstruction in the Senate, and fund Immigration Enforcement with only Republican votes. The Senate passed this Blueprint last week on Thursday morning, and now, House Republicans must UNIFY, and pass the same Blueprint to make it a Bill,” wrote the President of Public Truth.
The President added that he wants a “FAST and FOCUSED” bill before June 1.
That’s about five weeks from now.
Hence the challenge of the week.
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“This is very difficult. Up here, we can’t agree on much,” Nehls fumed.
But here’s a little secret. Every week on Capitol Hill in recent memory has devolved into political chaos. A failed government funding operation that has continued since last summer. Fight with the Epstein files. Resignation amid dark political scandals. Attempts to expel other lawmakers. You name it.
“If you’re going through hell, keep going,” said Winston Churchill.
Maybe that’s why Congress goes through the same hellish, legislative situation almost every week.
