House Republican leaders will announce in the next day or two that they’re bringing the chamber back into session for the first time in more than 50 days.
With the Senate barrelling toward passing a three-bill minibus and a CR with a Jan. 30 expiration date, the House will need to come back as soon as Wednesday or Thursday to pass the package. Senior House GOP leadership aides say that they won’t give the official nod for lawmakers to come back until the Senate passes the package.
Massive challenges await Speaker Mike Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Above all, there’s going to be lots of venting over the enforced absence ordered by Johnson. You can expect a tidal wave of feelings to be expressed, especially from House Democrats. So many feelings.
The vote count. Jeffries is against this spending package — just like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
After a 40-day shutdown, House Democrats are getting little of what they want. There’s no framework to extend the expiring Obamacare tax credits and no language to eliminate President Donald Trump’s ability to enact rescissions without Congress. Addressing those two issues were among the stated goals of this shutdown.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune has agreed to hold a vote on the expiring extended Obamacare subsidies before the end of December. But Johnson hasn’t made any promise to hold a House vote. In fact, Johnson has said he wants to have a “deliberative” process in the House.
The whip count is looking troubling in the House too.
With Jeffries as a no, this becomes the default position in the House Democratic Caucus. House Minority Whip Katherine Clark signaled in a statement that she would vote no as well.
Other high-profile Democrats opposed so far include: Reps. Ritchie Torres (N.Y.), Angie Craig (Minn.), Haley Stevens (Mich.) and Greg Casar (Texas).
Important Democrats to watch include Reps. Josh Gottheimer (N.J.), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (Wash.), Jared Golden (Maine), Don Davis (N.C.) and Henry Cuellar (Texas).
We spoke to several of the Democratic moderates and they don’t seem eager to vote for a deal in which Democrats didn’t get a single concession.
Johnson, meanwhile, will argue that Democrats folded — which is true. But Johnson has big challenges too.
When the House comes back, Johnson has said he’ll finally swear in Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.). The House will then have 219 Republicans to 214 Democrats. This means Johnson and House GOP leaders can only lose two votes and pass a bill on their own.
Two Republicans voted against the last funding bill — Reps. Thomas Massie (Ky.) and Victoria Spartz (Ind.).
This time, Johnson will be asking Republicans to swallow two full FY2026 spending bills — Agriculture and Legislative Branch — that the chamber never passed.
Yet House Appropriations Committee cardinals — including HFC Chair Andy Harris (R-Md.) — helped negotiate the minibus compromise. So the speaker is hoping to get back up from conservatives.
And remember: The White House is in favor of this package. So you should expect Trump to help move votes if needed.
Planes, trains and automobiles. Let’s talk about logistics first, because the House doesn’t have proxy voting anymore.
Airports around the country are snarled due to the shutdown, and that’s going to impact how quickly lawmakers can get to Washington. More than 50% of flights on Sunday were delayed or canceled today, according to Flightly, which tracks commercial aviation.
If you live within driving distance of D.C., we suggest you hit the road. If you’re going to fly, get on a plane today.
Obamacare scramble. With a future Senate Obamacare vote in the mix, House members who want to extend enhanced Obamacare subsidies are jumping in to suggest a middle ground.
Here’s news: Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.), the New Democrat Coalition chair and Ways and Means Committee member, is introducing a bill to extend the ACA credits for four years for enrollees making less than 10 times the federal poverty level.
That would cap benefits at a $320,000 income level for a four-person household in 2025. California Reps. Kevin Kiley, a Republican, and Sam Liccardo, a Democrat, are also out with a bipartisan bill today calling for a two-year extension with reforms and pay-fors.
