With House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) having sent lawmakers home on recess last week, time is “truly running very short” to enact any of President Donald Trump’s remaining priorities, which, due to an ongoing “crisis” within the party, are at risk of imploding, Punchbowl News reported Monday.
“Republicans are in a state of chaos, unable to open the floor for serious legislative business for a second straight week thanks to infighting with conservative hardliners,” Punchbowl News’ report reads. “Johnson said on Fox News Sunday that he ‘decided it was best’ to send everyone home for July 4 – a bit of an oversimplification given that he had no choice after failing to get things moving again.”
Trump’s top priority has been his controversial voter ID bill known as the SAVE Act, a bill that has passed the House multiple times but stalled in the Senate. Johnson has faced a small GOP rebellion over Congress’ inability to advance the SAVE Act, pushback that has crippled the chamber’s ability to function.
The GOP in-fighting over the SAVE Act has also stalled other key priorities, including the passage of the annual defense authorization bill and other spending bills.
With lawmakers on recess again, and with Congress scheduled to be gone for nearly all of August, return briefly around the start of September, break again for Labor Day week, and then be out for nearly all of October, less than 20 real legislative days remain before the midterm elections.
“This would put the House at a significant disadvantage come the lame-duck session,” Punchbowl News’ report reads. “What should you expect this week? The GOP leadership is going to work the phones to try to find a way out of their floor crisis. As you can tell, there’s a lot that’s undone and uncertain.”