The House is coming back into session to end the shutdown after more than 50 days in recess. Here’s what to expect in the next 24 to 36 hours.
Chiefs of staff for House members have received notice to make arrangements for their bosses to return to Washington. The chamber has a lengthy to-do list that’s piled up since lawmakers have been back in their districts, but the first task is taking up Senate-passed legislation to reopen the government.
Today is a federal holiday in observance of Veterans Day, but House GOP leadership is prepared to convene a Rules meeting sometime in the afternoon to tee up the government funding package for floor consideration Wednesday. Votes could occur as soon as Wednesday at 4 p.m. according to a whip notice that went out Monday night.
Republicans appear ready to support the bill, which would fund a handful of agencies for the full fiscal year and the rest of the federal government through the end of January. Speaker Mike Johnson said Monday he thinks he has the votes. The House Freedom Caucus “is cool” with it too, according to one of the caucus members, who said the group sees it as a win because it doesn’t include an extension of the expiring Obamacare subsidies.
President Donald Trump has also called it a “very good” deal — an endorsement that’s likely to help some wavering fiscal conservatives get on board.
Johnson’s biggest dilemma at the moment involves travel logistics for his members, many of whom will be contending with canceled or delayed fights as a result of major shutdown-related air travel disruptions. Johnson has encouraged lawmakers to make arrangements to come back to town as soon as possible.
It’s less clear how many Democrats will break ranks in support of the bipartisan deal brokered in the Senate. Most members of the minority party are irate to be caving without a deal to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits. House Democratic leaders plan to vote against the bill and are whipping against it.
In a new statement shared first with Inside Congress, leadership of the moderate New Democrat Coalition — which makes up the largest ideological caucus of Democrats in the House — is also opposing the package.
“While New Dems always seek common ground, our Coalition remains united in opposition to legislation that sacrifices the wellbeing of the constituents we’re sworn to serve,” New Democrat Coalition Chair Brad Schneider (D-Ill.) said in the statement.
Some Democrats could break ranks. Rep. Jared Golden of Maine was the only Democrat to support the GOP-led continuing resolution back in September; keep an eye on other centrists, like Reps. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.) and Henry Cuellar (D-Texas). But none of them has revealed how they could vote this week.
What else we’re watching:
— GOP ACA group: As Congress works toward a bipartisan solution to extend expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies and prevent insurance premiums from skyrocketing, Sens. Mike Crapo of Idaho, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Rick Scott of Florida and Roger Marshall of Kansas will represent Republicans at the negotiating table, Senate Majority Leader John Thune announced Monday night. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer will run point for Democrats in the health care talks.
— Thune’s Leg Branch provision: Senate Republicans secured a provision in the bipartisan, shutdown-ending government funding package that could award senators hundreds of thousands of dollars for having their phone records collected without their knowledge as part of a Biden-era investigation. It turns out that legislative language came directly from Thune.
Calen Razor, Nicholas Wu, Meredith Lee Hill, Jordain Carney and Hailey Fuchs contributed to this report.
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