House Republicans have been blocked from doing business for days as a renegade group of far-right lawmakers refuses to back a House rules package that will allow legislation to advance — and there are no signs the standoff is cooling down, Politico reported on Monday.
One of the main ongoing crusaders leading the charge is Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), who has demanded action in the Senate on President Donald Trump's package of voting restrictions known as the SAVE America Act. Republicans don't have the votes in the Senate to either get around a Democratic filibuster or change Senate rules to do so.
"Before the July 4 holiday break, she blocked votes on the annual defense policy bill in protest, frustrating GOP colleagues are now just wondering if she can be persuaded to stand down," the outlet wrote. Rep. Craig Goldman (R-TX) remarked, “The hope is that when we come back, we start moving legislation again" — but so far, Politico noted, "It's not looking good."
Luna is not alone in her revolt.
A number of other lawmakers, per the reporting, are furious that House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is not following through on a supposed "handshake agreement" to allow new anti-immigrant legislation through.
According to the report, GOP leaders in Congress "have asked the White House for help leaning on the Republican holdouts." Vice President JD Vance, who has had his hands full heading up Trump's supposed anti-fraud task force, "is set to visit a Tuesday conference meeting and encourage Republicans to reopen the floor and advance Trump’s agenda."
The upshot is that House Republicans still don't know what, if anything, is going to break the impasse — and there is even more coming that could be derailed by the situation.
"Also in a state of paralysis is the yearly appropriations process as a Sept. 30 funding deadline approaches," said the report, which also noted that even without the House woes, this process is struggling in the Senate, "where a partisan stalemate over spending levels had left the Appropriations Committee unable to act."