WASHINGTON (AP) — With a social media assist from President Donald Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson is looking this week to ease the divisions in his Republican ranks and make progress on key legislative priorities before this fall's elections.
Johnson sent lawmakers home early last week after tumult in his conference prevented the House from voting on two spending bills and a measure dealing with veterans' benefits. Meanwhile, the list of legislative
priorities only grew with Trump requesting $87.6 billion in new spending, mostly to cover the cost of the war with Iran.
The week ahead could signal whether Johnson can turn a short summer in Washington into a productive work period that voters will reward in November.
“We have got a lot more to do. We have got to keep it going,” Johnson told Fox News Channel’s "Sunday Morning Futures."
Johnson, of Louisiana, went to the White House moments after the House wrapped up its abbreviated workweek and returned with a coveted Trump social media post telling Republicans to quit voting down the procedural rules that allow for final votes on their legislative priorities.
“No more grandstanding, please!" Trump wrote.
Before Trump's message, Republican and Democratic lawmakers were openly doubting whether the House would even return this week or just follow the Senate's lead and break for the July Fourth holiday.
“I got to have everybody working here on all cylinders, and I’m excited to bring them back," Johnson said on Fox.
The House began last week with a legislative victory that speaks to voters' concerns about affordability, passing bipartisan legislation aimed at lowering the cost of housing. It was the culmination of years of work by members on both sides of the political aisle.
But Trump abruptly called off the bill signing ceremony, saying he would not act until Congress passed legislation that requires proof of citizenship for those registering to vote. Johnson said he will send the housing bill to Trump on Monday and hopes the Republican president signs it with the “biggest, boldest marker that he has.”
Hard-liners in the House have also taken up Trump's demand for the elections bill. More than two dozen of them have signed a letter pledging to vote against any Senate bills unless the elections legislation is attached. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., led the blockade that prompted Johnson to send lawmakers home early.
Democrats seized on the Republican gridlock.
”This is the incredibly pathetic Congress," said Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass. "The fact they can't get their act together, can’t establish discipline to keep this place running, is stunning. I’ve never seen such incompetence.”
Republicans also voiced their frustration.
“I just think it’s a very self-defeating position for anyone to take, that they’re going to shut everything down over one issue,” said Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa.
But Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md., predicted there will be more gridlock ahead unless a bill that includes the elections legislation is sent to Trump. While the House has already passed a version of the measure, it has stalled in the Senate.
“Yeah, I think everything is going to be held up until we come to an agreement on voter ID and especially confirming the citizenship of Americans before they register to vote," Harris said.
Asked if Americans want Congress to be advancing other priorities besides the voting bill, known as the SAVE America Act, Harris replied. “I think they truly believe that this is a very important bill. I’m not sure they believe that a lot of the other things we’re doing here in Washington are very important.”
Trump's admonition to House Republicans to quit voting down their own procedural rules will be put to the test this week. Leadership is expected to tee up a vote on an annual defense policy bill, must-pass legislation that calls for some of the increased spending that Trump wants for the Pentagon.
Luna, a Trump ally, was making no promises about standing down, even after the president's social media post. She has proposed attaching the elections legislation to the defense bill. Because of the narrow Republican majority, it takes only a few Republican “no” votes to block a bill from advancing to a final vote.
“If they want my vote, they should entertain it, debate it, and if they block it, then we’ll see. But that’s how you get my vote," Luna told reporters.
The House is scheduled to be in session for only about 28 days before the midterm elections. The lawmakers are out for virtually all of August and October, giving them additional time to campaign back home for reelection.
In that window, they must pass bills to keep the government running beyond the Sept. 30 end of the budget year. They also aspire to pass a bill on a party-line basis that would include more defense spending, partially paid for by cuts in other programs. Republicans have billed their effort as going after waste and fraud.
It would be the successor to the big tax and spending cut bill that Republicans passed last year. That measure extended the tax cuts passed in Trump's first term and expanded tax breaks for those who get income through tips and overtime. The bill also focused on boosting immigration enforcement, paid in part through reduced spending on Medicaid and nutrition assistance.
Johnson has talked optimistically about being able to pass such a bill before the August recess. He met with members of the House Budget Committee last week as they try to find a path forward. But Republican senators are not counting on it. There are also doubters in the House, given the difficulty of the process that is required to bypass a filibuster in the Senate.
“I’m just not seeing a path forward on it," said Republican Rep. David Valadao, who represents a perennial swing district in California's farm belt.
But Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, said members are close to a framework. He predicted it will be politically rewarded if they are able to address election integrity and curb waste and fraud.
“We have to energize our base, and we have to address the enthusiasm gap," Arrington said.
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AP Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.
