Spending stopgap and GOP investigations take centerstage on Capitol Hill
Spending status report: Senate Republicans are resigned to the fact that they’ll need another stopgap measure to finalize spending bills, but some House Republicans are already balking.
Republican Study Committee Chair Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.) said he and others have made their message clear to Speaker Mike Johnson: “No short-term CRs. Either get the appropriation bills done or do a long-term CR.”
Johnson insisted in November that the short-term funding deal would be the last. But there’s not even a deal yet on subcommittee allocations.
Republicans expect to hear more from their leadership on the plan for funding the government at Wednesday morning’s GOP conference meeting.
Senators are stressing that they need time once there is a deal to get it through their own chamber.
"The simplest things take a week in the Senate,” said Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. “I think, frequently, the House doesn’t understand how long it takes to get something through the Senate."
The next spending deadline is Jan. 19. Some, including Senate GOP Whip John Thune (R-S.D.), are talking about a stopgap until March. But spending cardinals on both sides of the Senate aisle hate that idea.
Investigation-mania: There’s a witching hour for GOP investigations and it’s 10 a.m. Wednesday. All happening at that hour:
- House Judiciary Committee markup of a report recommending the House cite Hunter Biden for contempt of Congress.
- House Oversight Committee markup of a resolution to recommend finding Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress for refusal to comply with a committee-issued subpoena.
- House Homeland Security Committee hearing on “Havoc in the Heartland: How Secretary Mayorkas’ Failed Leadership Has Impacted the States.”
Jordain Carney contributed to this report.