House GOP melts again into 'pure chaos'

FISA reforms derailed in yet another Republican rebellion

Apr 11, 2024

Also in today’s edition of ‘Regular Order’ for April 11, 2024:

The MTG Grievance Train rolls on.
Bad inflation news for the White House.
Don’t believe those GOP impeachment trial claims.

GOP DYSFUNCTION. Let me say this again. The fissures and fractures which have developed over the past year inside the Republican Party in the U.S. House are simply unprecedented. Wednesday brought us yet another head-shaking example of that GOP dysfunction as a small group of Republicans once again derailed the legislative plans of their own party.

RULE VOTE. For the seventh time this Congress - the most in over 50 years - the House yesterday defeated a procedural rule for debate, this time sidetracking reforms for foreign intelligence surveillance laws, known as FISA. Nineteen Republicans broke ranks against Speaker Mike Johnson, delivering yet another rebuke to GOP leaders.
DEBATE. Conservatives were angry they weren’t getting what they wanted in the FISA reform bill in terms of details and votes on amendments. "The Speaker of the House put his finger on the scale," complained Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), as Freedom Caucus members walked out on the steps in unison to speak to reporters.
NO DEAL. It was the third time that Johnson had tried but failed to push ahead with a FISA bill. The dispute pits members of the House Intelligence Committee led by Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH) - against those on the Judiciary Committee, led by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH). Turner has the Speaker's backing.

HOUSE GOP. A few hours after the House voted 228-193 against the GOP rule, Republicans gathered for one more closed-door meeting in the basement of the Capitol to try to find a way forward. The meeting turned into yet another legislative family feud. "It wasn't productive," Rep. Max Miller (R-OH) told reporters. "That was pure chaos."

NO CONFIDENCE. Other Republicans echoed Miller's frustration. "If this was a parliamentary system, we'd have a special election next week," said Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK). "The last rule failed by 18 votes," said Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R-ND). "This one failed by 19.”
DEFEAT. I can’t stress enough how unusual it is for a majority party to be screwed over by its own members. In the last six months, Speaker Johnson has lost four rule votes. Speaker McCarthy lost three in eight months. Those are huge numbers historically.
UNDEFEATED. Nancy Pelosi never lost a rule vote in her two stints as Speaker, even when she had the same narrow majority that Republicans have had in this Congress. John Boehner never lost a rule vote. Paul Ryan never lost a rule vote. But Republicans have failed on seven rule votes just in this Congress.

TODAY. Unless there is a FISA deal, the House can only work on minor legislation the rest of this week. Today's schedule includes the Sea Turtle Rescue Assistance Act and Rehabilitation Act and the Puyallup Tribe of Indians Land Into Trust Confirmation Act. It won't surprise me if votes are canceled on Friday.

MRS. GREENE OF GEORGIA. While Speaker Johnson was trying to figure out a way forward on FISA, he also had to deal with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who has been beating him up in public for weeks. The two finally met on Wednesday for over an hour, but didn't seem to settle any of their differences.

GRIEVANCES. Mobbed by reporters as she left the Speaker's office, Greene said she had registered her aggravation with how Johnson handled negotiations over government funding bills and more. Asked how Johnson answered her charges, Greene didn't mince words. "I got a lot of excuses," she said.

UNHAPPY. "He is leading the opposition party against the Biden Administration - and we expect him to lead that way, not to pass the Biden Administration's agenda," Greene said. She made clear to reporters that she is still threatening to force a vote to boot out Johnson - but wouldn’t say when that might happen.

VACATE. "How he handles the FISA process and how he handles funding Ukraine is going to tell our entire conference how to handle the motion to vacate," Greene declared.
CHAOS. At his weekly news conference, Speaker Johnson said a motion to get rid of him would only cause more trouble inside the GOP. "It would be chaos in the House."
REPEAT. I’ll say this again. While no GOP lawmakers have said they’ll back Greene’s motion, this situation is not good for Speaker Johnson. In many ways, he might already be a dead man walking among House Republicans.

ABORTION. A day after the Arizona Supreme Court took that state back to an 1864 law on abortion, former President Donald Trump said he opposed that old law - but wouldn't get specific on what Arizona or any other state should do in terms of abortion restrictions. "It will be straightened out," Trump told reporters. "As you know, it's all about states' rights."

ABORTION BAN. Asked by reporters in Atlanta whether he would support a bill setting out a national abortion ban - Trump said no. "You wouldn't sign it?" a reporter asked. "No," Trump replied again.
I’M JUST A BILL. Just one note about that answer. A national abortion ban *could* become law without a President's signature after 10 days. The better question might be - would you *veto* a national abortion ban?
PRO-LIFE. Not satisfied with Trump's answers, one pro-life group took aim at ballot questions on abortion in Arizona and Florida. "They would wipe away all pro-life laws put in place by the legislature, reflective of the will of the people,” said SBA Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser.
THREAD THE NEEDLE. Trump’s effort to have it both ways - celebrating the end of Roe v. Wade but not saying what he supports in terms of abortion policies - has not pleased the pro-life community. But let’s be honest - do you think those voters are switching to Joe Biden in November?

DEMS. In Congress, Democrats continued to express disbelief about the situation in Arizona and Trump's hands-off response. "No woman should have to comply with a Civil War-era, near-total abortion ban," said Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI).

INFLATION. Instead of abortion, Trump and Republicans would much rather talk about illegal immigration and the economy. And the GOP was handed more ammunition on Wednesday with the latest report on inflation. It showed consumer prices up 3.5 percent in March from a year ago.

TRUMP. “Inflation is back and raging,” Trump said, pumping out social media graphics that emphasized how consumers have been hit with higher gas prices, high food prices, and increased housing costs.
GOP. Republicans in Congress joined in the attacks. "Bidenomics is failing," declared Rep. David Valadao (R-CA). "The average Indiana family is spending an extra $142 per month just to pay for food," said Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN).
INTEREST RATES. The increase in inflation may also mean that the Federal Reserve won’t be cutting interest rates soon. The Fed certainly wants to see that inflation number ticking down - not going sideways or ticking back up.

IT’S THE ECONOMY STUPID. Elections are often about jobs and your pocketbook, and in this one, polls show Republicans have an edge on the economy. For example, a new Quinnipiac poll from North Carolina gives Donald Trump a 55-41 edge over President Biden on who would handle the economy better.

GAS PRICES. I’ve always felt like one of the best gauges of the economy for most people is the price of gasoline. The national average is now up to $3.62 a gallon. The closer the average gets to $4, the better for Republicans. The closer gas is to $3, that’s advantage Democrats.
MY TRIP. I paid between $3.35 per gallon and $5.69 a gallon on my Easter trip out to the desert southwest.

MAYORKAS. Instead of the House presenting the articles of impeachment yesterday against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, GOP Senators tried to drum up outrage against Democrats - demanding a full impeachment trial. Republicans argue it is wrong (for Democrats) to end the trial before any arguments or evidence.

TRIAL. "It is our constitutional duty," argued Sen. John Barrasso. “Senate Democrats voting against holding an impeachment trial has never happened,” said Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE). “The left would’ve gone bonkers if Republicans had done that for Trump.”
HISTORY. Here is the point that I really want to emphasize. Actually, Republicans did try to do that for Trump. They tried to end his second impeachment trial immediately. And you know I have the receipts.
DISMISS. On Jan. 26, 2021, Sen. Rand Paul R-KY tried to use a constitutional point of order to block the Trump impeachment trial before any evidence or arguments were presented. (That’s what Republicans oppose now.)
RAND PAUL. "Let’s put an end to this now. Let’s dismiss this trial and rule it unconstitutional," Paul said on the Senate floor. His motion failed 55-45.
BLUF. I’m sorry - but voting to dismiss the trial in 2021 is no different than voting to dismiss the trial in 2023.

MANCHINATOR. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) has long been a thorn in the side of his own party on a variety of volatile issues. But when it comes to the Mayorkas trial, Manchin has been outspoken against that GOP effort. And after listening to GOP Senators make their complaints on Wednesday, Manchin boiled over a bit on the Senate floor.

FLOOR. "It is basically something that I can't wait to vote against," Manchin said of the GOP impeachment articles, as he implored Republicans to instead focus on ways to combat illegal immigration.
BORDER. "Let's just vote on securing the border," Manchin added, noting that Republicans had blocked a bipartisan border security agreement worked out by both parties in the Senate.
PARLIAMENTARY NERD NOTE. GOP Senators have threatened to slow the work of the Senate unless they get a full trial. So, last night, the Senate had to have a voice vote to recess until Thursday. But because no Republican was there to force a roll call vote, it didn't cause any trouble.

JAPAN. The big ceremonial highlight on Capitol Hill today will be an address to a Joint Meeting of Congress by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. He's the second Japanese leader to address a Joint Meeting - the first was former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2015.

DINNER. I had to chuckle when I saw that President Biden and Mr. Kishida had gone to dinner on Tuesday night at a Washington, D.C. restaurant on MacArthur Boulevard. Yes, that General MacArthur.

PELOSI. A federal judge in California has rejected a request for a new trial by the man found guilty of attacking Paul Pelosi, the husband of ex-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. A jury convicted David Depape of attempted kidnapping and assault.

SPOTTED. After standing outside in the gorgeous warm weather on Wednesday to interview House members, I came back through security to get into the Capitol. I had to wait for a few seconds, because the staffer in front of me was bringing in the mounted head of about a 12-point buck. You don't see that every day.

ALSO SPOTTED. Yes, that was a baby on the Senate floor yesterday for a fleeting few seconds. Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH) carried a baby out while she voted, and then swiftly walked off the floor. Under Senate rules, a kid of under 12 months can be brought on the floor.

RAP SHEET. The arrests continue in the Jan. 6 investigation. A Missouri man - who wasn't identified until over two years after the Capitol attack - was charged with assaulting police, as video shows him pushing and shoving officers outside the Capitol that day. Jack Ryan took a bus to D.C. with a Missouri church group.

MUSE OF HISTORY. April 11, 1968. A week after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., President Johnson signed into law a bill to end discrimination in the sale or rental of housing. "America is outraged at the assassination of an outstanding Negro leader," Johnson said at the White House. "America is also outraged at the looting and the burning that defiles our democracy. We just must put our shoulders together and put a stop to both."

LEGISLATIVE PROGRAM:

The House convenes at 9 am.

The Senate meets at 12:30 pm.

Check President Biden’s schedule.

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