Earlier today, House Republicans defeated legislation designed to end the Iran War, marking a win for President Donald Trump and another setback for those fighting to reaffirm Congress’s unique powers to use military force overseas. The vote was 213 to 214, with one Republican — Representative Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky) — bucking GOP leaders to support the resolution. One Democrat, Representative Jared Golden (D-Maine), joined most Republicans in opposing it. Republican Representative Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) voted present. The practical effects of the vote are negligible because even if the resolution had passed, the Senate has failed on multiple occasions to adopt a similar measure. The most recent of those votes came on Wednesday, when the upper chamber easily beat back a Democratic war powers resolution by a tally of 47 to 52, largely on partisan lines.
Later today, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) will try again to push the House to extend an imperiled spy powers law after GOP resistance forced him to punt a vote Wednesday. Speaker Johnson is scheduling a procedural vote for 3:15 P.M. and final passage around 5 P.M. saying that he believed negotiators needed “a few more hours” to wrap up discussions on a potential compromise with conservatives concerned about U.S. citizens being caught up in government surveillance. Talks between White House officials and House Republican hard-liners are ongoing, and there’s no deal yet, and an agreement by Friday seems more likely at this point and it’s possible Speaker Johnson has to delay the vote again ahead of the Monday expiration. The Speaker is racing to close out the internal GOP battle as President Trump demands an 18-month extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act which would need to be sent to the Senate before the Monday deadline, leaving barely any time for the Senate to act and threatening a rare weekend session.
For today, the Senate will consider Passage of H.J.Res.140 – Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Bureau of Land Management relating to Public Land Order No. 7917 for Withdrawal of Federal Lands; Cook, Lake, and Saint Louis Counties, MN and a Motion to invoke cloture on Executive Calendar #671 Andrew B. Davis, of Texas, to be United States District Judge for the Western District of Texas.
The House is expected to take up H.R. 6409 – FENCES Act, H.R. 6398 – RED Tape Act and H. Res. 1156 – Expressing support for tax policies that support working families.
As mentioned, the House may then consider H.R. 8035 – To amend the FISA Amendments Act of 2008 to extend the authorities of title VII of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 through October 20, 2027 followed by a Democrat Discharge Petition H.R.1689 – To require the Secretary of Homeland Security to designate Haiti for temporary protected status.
