| | | | |  | | By Caitlin Emma, Jennifer Scholtes and Daniella Diaz | | | With assists from POLITICO’s Congress team
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A majority of Republican lawmakers voted in favor of the first funding package, a sign that Republicans seem ready to move on from a spending fight that has consumed the better part of a year. | Francis Chung/POLITICO | ONE MINIBUS DOWN, ONE MINIBUS TO GO The first six funding bills are through the House after an overwhelming 339-85 passage vote this afternoon. Now comes the tough part. Even as House lawmakers were casting votes on the initial batch, top appropriators were chatting on the floor, trying to move talks forward on the second tranche with a March 22 deadline. The package includes the State-Foreign Operations, Legislative Branch, Labor-HHS-Education, Homeland Security, Financial Services and Defense bills, representing more than two-thirds of overall discretionary spending. Rep. Dave Joyce (R-Ohio) — who oversees the Homeland Security measure, undeniably the most difficult bill to reconcile — was checking in with his Democratic counterpart, Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas. “We’re working diligently to get all the bills passed in a similar style as these first six,” Joyce said. But Republican opposition to President Joe Biden’s border security policies is still a big problem: “We’re not going to continue to supply money,” Joyce said, unless the White House makes an effort to “stop the flow” of migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. The perpetual problem child: A number of the upcoming bills, including the Defense funding measure, are in a good spot, according to appropriators. But Homeland Security continues to be the source of frequent meetings and has had as many as a half-dozen offers traded back and forth — “which is the most I’ve heard in the committee so far,” said Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), a senior appropriator. Cole said he has heard some “speculate” about the possibility of Homeland imploding, culminating in a continuing resolution that would provide stagnant funding just for that measure through the rest of the fiscal year. But that would be a disappointment, he said, since “there’s a lot of good things in there in terms of extra resources.” Chugging along: Several House appropriators still expressed optimism after the first six bills passed the House earlier this afternoon, telling Inside Congress they expect the next six to come on time and to pass the lower chamber before the funding deadline. “This is the most difficult thing [that Congress has] to do. … But what we just saw now is that we're gonna get it done. Appropriators will get it done,” said Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart (R-Fla.), who manages the State-Foreign Ops bill. The Hastert rule: A majority of Republican lawmakers voted in favor of the first funding package, a sign that Republicans seem ready to move on from a spending fight that has consumed the better part of a year. Cole predicted that Johnson will also secure support from a majority of the Republican conference on the second tranche, particularly because the massive military funding measure is an “awfully big bill” critical to so many members’ districts. Immediate next steps: The Senate is expected to pass the minibus before the shutdown deadline on Saturday, likely as soon as Thursday, after an initial procedural vote tonight. But first, all 100 senators must agree to speed up votes on the package before final passage. And conservatives — including Sens. Mike Lee (R-Utah), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) and Mike Braun (R-Ind.) — suggested that they’ll be pushing for amendment votes, likely aimed at stripping out earmarks among other issues. — Caitlin Emma, Jennifer Scholtes and Daniella Diaz
| | | | A message from bp: Across the US, bp supports more than 275,000 jobs to keep our energy flowing. Like building EV charging hubs for fleets of electric buses and starting up new infrastructure in the Gulf of Mexico. See how else bp is investing in America. | | | GOOD EVENING! Welcome to Inside Congress, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Wednesday, March 6, where it’s T-minus one day until the State of the Union. NEWS: OMAR SYMPATHETIC TO MINNESOTA’S ‘UNCOMMITTED’ Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) struck a sympathetic tone after “uncommitted” voters registered a strong showing in Minnesota’s primary on Tuesday in a protest vote. “People are angry and frustrated and sad. They want the president to change his policies,” she said in a brief interview. “They've tried marching. They've tried writing letters. They've tried calling and now they're using their voice at the ballot box.” Nearly 46,000 voters in the state — about 19% — voted against Biden; in Hennepin County, Omar’s home base, the “uncommitted” vote hit 25%. But did Omar, who’s been critical of the Biden administration’s Israel policy, join them? “I didn't actually get to vote,” she said. — Nicholas Wu
| | | | GROWING IN THE GOLDEN STATE: POLITICO California is growing, reinforcing our role as the indispensable insider source for reporting on politics, policy and power. From the corridors of power in Sacramento and Los Angeles to the players and innovation hubs in Silicon Valley, we're your go-to for navigating the political landscape across the state. Exclusive scoops, essential daily newsletters, unmatched policy reporting and insights — POLITICO California is your key to unlocking Golden State politics. LEARN MORE. | | | | | SOTU DECORUM WATCH Capitol Hill’s big day is upon us, and while President Joe Biden will be bearing most of the scrutiny as he delivers his fourth State of the Union address, plenty of eyes will also be fixed on the audience of lawmakers — some of whom could draw attention to themselves, if the recent past is prologue. What we do know: Democrats from the Women’s Caucus are expected to wear white and will also be wearing “Fighting for Reproductive Freedom” pins to display their support for reproductive health and the Biden administration, said Rep. Lois Frankel (D-Fla.), the chair of the bloc. “Our message will be clear: women — not politicians or judges — should be in charge of whether, when, and how to start or grow their families,” she said. “Women must be able to access the health care they need to control their own lives and futures. That includes access to birth control, access to abortion, and access to IVF.” Republicans, meanwhile: Majority Whip Tom Emmer told POLITICO to expect Republicans to respect President Joe Biden’s speech tomorrow. “People, I think, will be on their best behavior,” he said in an interview. — Nicholas Wu, Daniella Diaz and Olivia Beavers
| | | | A message from bp:   | | | NOT GREAT, BOB Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer stopped short of calling on Sen. Bob Menendez to resign on Wednesday — no matter how reporters asked on Wednesday. Schumer was asked three different ways about the New Jersey Democrat’s latest indictments, including what it will take for him to call on Menendez to resign, why he’s OK with Menendez staying on committees and why Menendez is serving on a national security working group. His answer was pretty much the same every time. “The Senate has certain standards that every senator must live up to. Sen. Menendez has not; I am deeply disappointed in him,” Schumer said in one of three essentially identical answers. So … what’s going on here? Aside from Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, who has waged a crusade against Menendez, most Democrats believe the New Jersey Democrat’s time is numbered in the Senate no matter what they do because he’s up for reelection this fall and has basically no chance of winning again. It’s not exactly a courageous stand against alleged corruption, but Democrats seem to think Menendez is a problem that will solve itself by the end of the year. — Burgess Everett
| | | | YOUR GUIDE TO EMPIRE STATE POLITICS: From the newsroom that doesn’t sleep, POLITICO's New York Playbook is the ultimate guide for power players navigating the intricate landscape of Empire State politics. Stay ahead of the curve with the latest and most important stories from Albany, New York City and around the state, with in-depth, original reporting to stay ahead of policy trends and political developments. Subscribe now to keep up with the daily hustle and bustle of NY politics. | | | | | | | | | Spotted today in the Senate: Patrick Leahy. This sums up our feelings about the 2024 presidential election today. The Science Guy celebrated the revival of the Congressional Planetary Science Caucus. Watch yourself, whoever made Jim Risch this mad. Fly-in days this week have staff stressin’. Marco Rubio has some SOTU response advice for Katie Britt.
| | | | A message from bp: bp added more than $70 billion to the US economy in 2022 by keeping oil and gas flowing and developing more lower carbon energy. It’s and, not or. See what doing both means for energy nationwide. | | | QUICK LINKS How the U.S. is sabotaging its best tools to prevent deaths in the opioid epidemic, from Lev Facher at STAT News More members have left the Progressive Caucus, from Andrew Solender at Axios McConnell backs Trump — mildly, from Burgess Everett Moskowitz eyes potential run for Florida governor, from Mia McCarthy California will be without a female senator for the first time in 32 years, from Lara Korte Dave McCormick, who lives part time in Connecticut, is trying to beat back Pa. residency attacks one campaign bus stop at a time, from Julia Terruso at The Philadelphia Inquirer Sen. Katie Britt will stride onto the national stage to deliver GOP’s State of the Union response, from Mary Clare Jalonick TRANSITIONS Sarah Abel is now deputy executive director of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. She previously served as former Wisconsin Rep. Ron Kind’s communications director. TOMORROW IN CONGRESS The House and Senate are in session. THURSDAY AROUND THE HILL 11 a.m. The Pro-Choice Caucus, Democratic Women's Caucus and Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) hold a news conference on women’s reproductive health. (House Triangle) 12 p.m. Financial Services Committee ranking member Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), as well as committee Democrats, hold a news conference on the need for affordable housing and ending homelessness. (2220 RHOB)
| | TUESDAY’S ANSWER: Former Rep. Ron Kind (D-Wis.) and former Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) became honorary Officers of the British Empire in 2023. TODAY’S QUESTION, from the POLITICO Congress team: Which lawmaker got their official portrait painted after serving as speaker for a single day? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Inside Congress. Send your answers to insidecongress@politico.com. GET INSIDE CONGRESS emailed to your phone each evening. Follow Daniella on X at @DaniellaMicaela. | | | | Follow us | | | | |
