US politics – Congress matters

A Democratic effort to pass a bill paying active-duty military members during the government shutdown was blocked on the House floor Friday by the GOP. The presiding Republican, Rep. Mike Bost of Illinois, gaveled a brief pro forma session to a close before Rep. Sarah Elfreth (D-Md.) could make a procedural move to try to pass the legislation by unanimous consent. Bost said after the session he didn’t allow Elfreth to move forward because the House was in a “perfunctory” session and he was “representing the speaker.” “Sometimes, when you stand at the helm [it] doesn’t necessarily mean you’re in charge of the ship,” Bost said. Speaker Mike Johnson has said repeatedly in recent days that the onus is on Senate Democrats to pass the stopgap spending bill the House approved last month and has ruled out a troop-pay standalone. President Donald Trump’s administration has been weighing options to continue paying military service members without requiring any additional congressional action. The House has not been in full session since Sept. 19. Since then, Democrats have tried to take advantage of the brief pro forma sessions to try to swear in Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.), who won a special election last month. Hill Republicans have said she’ll be sworn in when the House is back in session. Meredith Lee Hill contributed to this report

Speaker Mike Johnson expressed fresh skepticism Friday that a deal to extend Affordable Care Act health insurance subsidies — a key Democratic demand amid the 10-day government shutdown — is within reach. Speaking on a rare joint call with House Freedom Caucus members Friday, Johnson said “it will take a lot of work to build consensus” on any bipartisan deal to address the tax credits expiring Dec. 31, “if there is even any version of a reform that could find consensus and pass.” Those doubts from Johnson reflect widespread sentiment inside the House GOP opposing to any extension of the subsidies, though there some House Republicans who want to make a deal. The speaker made clear on the call he won’t provide Democrats any assurances that the kind of agreement they’re seeking to reopen the government can ever be reached. He also reiterated that any deal on the tax credits is an “end-of-the-year policy decision,” even though some of his own GOP members want to show progress before open enrollment for ACA plans begins Nov. 1. “There’s no way for us to project today what that final outcome would be, because we’re in a deliberative body with 535 members, and it takes a lot of time to reach a point of decision on a matter like that,” Johnson said. “The Democrats know that.” Democrats continued insisting Friday that a deal to extend the subsidies is a firm condition for ending the shutdown. “What we said to our Republican colleagues is, we have to address the health care crisis that they’ve created decisively,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said. “That means legislatively.” Besides health care, Johnson raised another issue on the call that could cause Democrats to dig in further: potentially clawing back more congressional approved funding. Ending so-called rescissions are another key Democratic demand for ending the shutdown. But Johnson cast them as a key part of Republican efforts to address the national debt. “We worked on rescissions, and there’ll be more of that, we expect, in the days ahead,” he said, putting them on a menu of potential actions to reduce budget deficits. Johnson also raised the prospect of a more thorough overhaul of health care policy, saying lawmakers “need to bring down the cost of health care, accessibility, and increase the quality of care, but it’s going to take us some time to do that, because the roots of Obamacare are ingrained in so deep.” Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.), the Freedom Caucus chair, also said Friday he wanted “a more comprehensive health policy deal,” not just an extension of the expiring tax credits, while House Majority Leader Steve Scalise separately bashed the ACA. Scalise told reporters the solution is to expand Health Savings Accounts and association health care plans — both of which were elements of ACA replacement plans that the GOP attempted and failed to pass in 2017. Nicholas Wu contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump is now the only person with the power to keep 1.3 million active-duty military members from missing their paychecks Wednesday after the Senate failed to act on spending legislation Thursday then left Washington for the long holiday weekend. If all active-duty troops are not paid on time, it would be a first in U.S. history. Trump, however, has publicly assured service members several times now that they will get their pay regardless of the shutdown. White House officials have been reviewing options to shift funding around to avoid the pay lapse, and many Republicans on Capitol Hill believe Trump will intervene — even amid questions about the legality of the move. “My expectation is they are going to have to start making some decisions about how to move money around,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters Friday. But senior Hill Republicans are arguing they need to let troop pay lapse in order to demonstrate the real consequences of Senate Democrats blocking the short-term spending bill the House passed last month, according to four people granted anonymity to discuss behind-the-scenes strategic conversations. If Democrats can make it through the Oct. 15 troop pay deadline without feeling overwhelming political consequences, the shutdown will drag on for weeks, those Republicans argue. Many congressional Republicans have pushed their leaders to pass a standalone bill allowing troop checks to go out, but those leaders are holding firm against it — leaving intervention by Trump as the only other way to pay troops at this point. House GOP leaders have no plans to try to pass troop pay legislation, led by Rep. Jen Kiggans of Virginia, by unanimous consent during the House’s pro forma session Friday, according to three people granted anonymity to describe plans. Speaker Mike Johnson said earlier this week that Monday is the real cutoff point for a decision given the Pentagon’s payroll process. Now with both chambers out of town until after that deadline, it’s up to Trump. Thune, asked in a brief interview Thursday night about the troop pay, replied with exasperation: “Open up the government.” As far as the options Trump officials have been discussing, Thune said he’s been “talking constantly” with the White House but wasn’t aware of Trump’s latest statement on the matter. Thune made clear earlier this week he didn’t believe such a vote was necessary, jumping in after Johnson seemed open to the idea when the two appeared together at a news conference. Thune has floated trying to move a stand-alone Defense Department funding bill, but that would take buy-in from Democrats and wouldn’t be passed before the paycheck deadline. Johnson has since closed the door to the possibility of a stand-alone troop pay bill. “We’ve had that vote,” Johnson told Fox News Friday morning. “And now they realize the real consequences, I think the House Democrats have realized the real consequences of what they’ve done. And it’s shameful.” Benjamin Guggenheim contributed to this report.

Lawmakers are desperately throwing around ideas on how to end the shutdown as it heads toward its third week — and as federal workers start feeling the hole in their paychecks Friday. The Senate officially headed home for the long weekend and will return Tuesday to vote for an eighth time on the GOP-led CR. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer can still force one more vote on the Democratic stopgap. However, Republicans are not expected to let him file cloture again on his party’s bill, Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) told POLITICO. The shift in strategy to cut off more votes on the dueling funding measure is a bid to force Democrats to make a binary choice on the GOP-led bill. One off-ramp idea from Senate Republicans is to vote on Obamacare subsidies as soon as the government reopens — something New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the lead Democratic negotiator, called “promising.” Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), the White House’s unofficial Democrat whisperer, pitched a new stopgap funding plan Thursday that would push the deadline to Dec. 18 or 19, rather than Nov. 21. Those were nonstarters for Democratic leaders. Whip Dick Durbin said he is “looking for more” than a promise to vote on extending Affordable Care Act subsidies. Schumer echoed that sentiment, and also told POLITICO that Mullin’s plan “doesn’t make the grade.” Schumer said neither proposal guarantees a vote in the House. Any tweaks to the CR would also require the House to pass a new stopgap — and Speaker Mike Johnson is dead set on keeping the House out of session as long as it takes to pressure Senate Democrats. “Emotions are high. People are upset — I’m upset,” the speaker said Thursday. “Is it better for them, probably, to be physically separated right now? Yeah, it probably is, frankly.” Johnson’s sticking to his strategy amid growing pushback from his own members. That includes Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), a member of Johnson’s leadership team, who said the House should come back to pass standalone funding to pay the troops. Active-duty service members are on track to miss their first paychecks of the shutdown Wednesday, though the White House is trying to figure out how to shift funds around to pay them. Rep. John Rutherford (R-Fla.) told POLITICO he wants the Senate to get rid of the filibuster to reopen the government. A few other Republicans like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio have also flirted with that idea. But Senate Majority Leader John Thune on Thursday ruled out deploying the so-called nuclear option, and a number of other GOP senators worry it would come back to bite them once they’re in the minority. What else we’re watching:    — On the agenda: Johnson will hold a press conference with other House GOP leaders and House Administration Chair Bryan Steil at 10 a.m before co-hosting a press call with the House Freedom Caucus at 11 a.m. House Democrats will have a virtual caucus at noon. — Next steps for the defense bill: Senators struck a deal to break their monthlong impasse on the annual defense authorization bill Thursday, agreeing to vote on a package of 17 amendments and ultimately passing the full $925 billion measure in a 77-20 vote. That puts leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services committees on track to begin negotiating a compromise defense bill by their goal of Thanksgiving. Jordain Carney and Connor O’Brien contributed to this report.

“There is absolutely no reason for the House to be out of session,” GOP Rep. Kevin Kiley said. “It’s embarrassing.”

The IRS is walking back guidance on back pay for staffers a day after the agency furloughed almost half its employees and suggested they would receive retroactive paychecks, according to an email obtained by POLITICO. “An earlier memo circulated on furlough guidance incorrectly stated the nature of the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019 as it relates to compensation for non-pay and non-duty status,” the email to employees, sent Thursday, reads. “The Office of Management and Budget will provide further guidance on this issue, and you will be updated accordingly.” The newest guidance contradicts the IRS’ initial guidance in its furlough decision letter, which is still posted on the agency’s website and includes a reminder that “employees must be compensated on the earliest date possible after the [government funding] lapse ends, regardless of scheduled pay dates,” as per the 2019 law President Donald Trump signed. The initial letter came a day after a White House memo suggested furloughed federal employees might not receive back pay. The move will likely roil employees who have seen the federal workforce as a relatively stable career path. The Trump administration has spent much of the year unwinding the federal government, and in the process has terminated or offered deferred resignations to tens of thousands of people. The IRS itself has shed more than 26,000 workers this year. Earlier this week, the Interior Department similarly reversed guidance on back pay, POLITICO reported. The Treasury Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. And the National Treasury Employees Union, which represents IRS workers, declined to comment.

The Senate rejected dueling bills to fund the government for a seventh time Thursday, as the federal shutdown appears all but guaranteed to slide into a third week. Senators will vote again on the two stopgap measures as soon as Friday. But with no votes flipping since last week, there’s no sign that they are close to breaking the impasse. Instead, Republicans believe they were handed a new political gift: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s suggestion that the shutdown is getting better politically “every day” for Democrats. “He says every day gets better for us. … He’s not talking about the American people,” Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) told reporters shortly before Thursday’s votes. Barrasso and Senate Majority Leader John Thune both spoke on the floor Thursday morning with signs that featured Schumer’s remarks, which were made during an interview with Punchbowl News. Several other GOP senators and the White House weighed in on the comments Thursday. “No matter what Chuck Schumer thinks, Americans struggling is not good, and the Democrats must stop inflicting this pain on them and reopen the government now,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement. Schumer didn’t directly address the remarks during a speech from the Senate floor on Thursday, instead sticking to Democrats’ main message: that Republicans, as the party in power, could break the stalemate by coming to the negotiating table on government funding and health care. But he appeared to indirectly clarify them, adding that “each day our case to fix health care and end the shutdown gets better and better, stronger and stronger.” “Donald Trump, Speaker [Mike] Johnson and Republicans in Congress are nowhere to be found,” he said, adding that the three GOP leaders “need to sit down with Democrats and have a serious negotiation.” Top Republicans, however, have repeatedly warned that they will not negotiate on the substance of soon-to-expire Affordable Care Act tax credits while the government is shut down. Thune and Barrasso, the No. 2 Senate Republican, told reporters Thursday that GOP leaders were open to giving Democrats a vote on some priorities, including on the Affordable Care Act, once the government reopens. “I think there are discussions about that,” Barrasso said. “We need to open the government and then we can have all the discussions and votes and talks and all of those things.” Thune, asked recently about the possibility of guaranteeing an ACA vote, didn’t dismiss it, but said he didn’t believe Democrats would take that as an off ramp. He added Thursday that Republicans were open to “thoughts and ideas” that Democrats might have, “obviously subject to re-opening up the government.” There are bipartisan discussions going on about what would happen after the government reopens, including on the larger full-year funding bills and health care. But they have not yet borne fruit. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) told reporters on Thursday she has been in “close contact” with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), “who is very constructive and is trying to find a path forward.” But, she said, “we need to open up the government today.” Diana Nerozzi contributed to this report.

For Texas Sen. John Cornyn, the more the merrier. Despite the entry of Rep. Wesley Hunt into Texas’ ferocious GOP Senate primary, a new poll from a pro-Cornyn super PAC obtained by POLITICO shows the four-term incumbent Republican in the lead. The poll was conducted by Texans for a Conservative Majority in the days immediately prior to Hunt announcing that he would turn the Senate between Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton into a three-way contest. It shows Cornyn with the support of 33 percent of Texas Republican primary voters, followed by Paxton at 28 percent and Hunt at 21 percent. Still undecided are 18 percent of primary voters. Hunt’s entry into the race cannibalizes Paxton’s support, according to the poll. When Hunt voters are forced to choose between the two, 48 percent would be willing to back the Texas attorney general, while 24 percent would opt to support Cornyn. Public polling has also shown a tight three-way race. A recent poll from the University of Houston and Texas Southern University has shown Paxton and Cornyn virtually tied with a third of the vote each, with Hunt trailing at 22 percent. A simple plurality though isn’t good enough for Cornyn. Texas has a primary runoff system, which would mean a second round of voting in late May 2026 if no candidate earns an outright majority in the March 3 primary. Cornyn has steadily improved his standing in public and private polls in recent months on the basis of a major television advertising effort on his behalf. A private poll in May had Cornyn down nearly 20 points in a head-to-head matchup against Paxton but he has steadily closed the gap since. The new poll shows Paxton’s job approval among Republicans falling as the controversial attorney general faces attacks over a host of ethics issues which culminated in a failed 2023 impeachment attempt against him. The pro-Cornyn poll was conducted by Deep Root Analytics from Sept. 22 to Sept. 28 among 1,142 Texas Republicans likely to vote in the primary.

The Senate broke a monthlong impasse on its annual defense policy bill and secured a deal that could see the legislation pass as soon as Thursday. Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) locked in an agreement on the floor to vote on 17 amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act, a substantial package of less controversial changes and passage of the bill itself “at a time to be determined” by party leaders. Why it matters: The deal salvages passage of the defense bill, a legislative effort senators in both parties were concerned might have been abandoned without a breakthrough this week. Ahead of the deal, Wicker and Majority Leader John Thune had predicted votes could come as early as Thursday if Democrats agreed. “We’ve got about 18 amendment votes that we could start today and finish today,” Thune (R-S.D.) told reporters. The details: The roster that will receive votes includes 17 standalone amendments, plus a manager’s package of nearly 50 less controversial changes from both parties. The list includes several Democratic priorities, including votes on National Guard deployments and roles in assisting law enforcement. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also gets a vote on his proposal to block funding for President Donald Trump to retrofit a gifted Qatari jet for use as Air Force One. And Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) will get a vote on his proposal to repeal the 2002 Iraq War authorization. The agreement requires a 60-vote majority to adopt any amendments and to pass the overall bill. Deadline drama: Senators in both parties largely acknowledged that this week is make-or-break for efforts to pass the NDAA on the floor. Leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services panels aim to negotiate a compromise defense bill by Thanksgiving. If a vote didn’t happen this week, many senators expected the chamber to abandon the effort and head straight to negotiations with the House, which passed its own bill in September. “If we do not bring this to the floor today, this matter will not have time for deliberation on the Senate floor,” Wicker warned on the Senate floor. Background: The NDAA came to the Senate floor in early September, but has seen little action since then. Democrats and Republicans have traded offers for amendments, but have been unable to break the logjam. All 100 senators must agree to quickly hold votes on amendments, meaning any single senator can’t throw up a roadblock and stall the process. One hurdle was resolved recently when Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) dropped a push for a vote on his amendment to label Ashli Babbitt — an Air Force veteran who was shot and killed by police while attempting to enter a restricted area adjacent the House chamber during the Jan. 6 insurrection — ineligible for military funeral honors after the Air Force announced in August it will provide them. Jordain Carney contributed to this report.

Speaker Mike Johnson told House Republicans on a private call Thursday that he doesn’t plan to put a standalone bill to pay troops up for a vote before they miss paychecks Oct. 15, arguing the Senate would kill that measure while Democrats also block an already-passed stopgap bill that includes servicemember pay. Johnson also made clear he doesn’t plan to bring the House back next week, or at all, until the Senate passes the continuing resolution the chamber passed weeks ago, according to five people granted anonymity to describe the call. He said the House would remain on 48-hour recall notice indefinitely. On the call, Johnson sought to tamp down a growing push among rank-and-file House Republicans by pressing them to deliver a clear message as to why a separate troop pay bill is unnecessary: House Republicans passed a bill weeks ago that funds troops, air traffic, floor insurance and more, Johnson argued. “We’ve done our job,” he said, adding that Republicans should use their franking privileges to get that message out. Several House Republicans raised their concerns to Johnson directly about his plans to keep the House out on recess indefinitely, according to the people on the call. GOP Reps. Jay Obernolte of California and Julie Fedorchak of North Dakota warned about the political fallout of Johnson not bringing the chamber back into session as the standoff continues in the Senate, arguing it was becoming increasingly untenable as the shutdown continues. Other Republicans argued the Senate should change its rules to end the filibuster to pass legislation ensuring troops are paid and the shutdown ends. But putting a standalone troop pay bill on the floor would lessen GOP leaders’ leverage to push Senate Democrats to simply pass the House-approved stopgap. And in another complication for GOP leaders, Trump has said he will get military members their pay regardless. White House officials privately say they will move around funds to pay troops if Congress doesn’t act. But Johnson’s argument that a troop pay bill wouldn’t clear the Senate is encountering skepticism. Republicans believe Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) would not block that legislation from passing via unanimous consent; his office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Rank-and-file Senate Democrats widely believe that standalone bill would pass, as well. “We have no idea what Speaker Johnson is talking about,” an aide to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in response to the claim that the Senate would block the bill.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune shot down speculation that Republicans would deploy the so-called nuclear option to break the funding stalemate. The idea has gained traction on social media, particularly among Democrats who already support getting rid of the 60-vote threshold needed for legislation. But it found a new footing when a sliver of GOP lawmakers — including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) — suggested that it should be an option on the table. Thune, asked about the possibility, said Thursday he is opposed to changing the legislative filibuster and indicated that he had not gotten pressure from the White House to do so. “There’s always a lot of swirl out there, as you know, from social media, et cetera, but no, I have not had that conversation,” Thune said when asked if the White House was advocating for the move. Deploying the nuclear option — where the Senate changes its rules by a simple majority vote — would require near unity in the Senate GOP. A few members have flirted with the idea — including Moreno, who said during a Fox News interview this week that “maybe it’s time to think about the filibuster.” But a larger swath of Republicans don’t have much of an interest in getting rid of the hurdle. Nuking the legislative filibuster sparks unease and outright opposition with a number of GOP senators, who worry that it will come back to bite them when they are in the minority. Thune, when he became majority leader in January, reiterated his support for the legislative filibuster. And Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), the No. 2 Senate Republican, reiterated Thursday he also does not support getting rid of it. They got support from Speaker Mike Johnson this week. The Louisiana Republican said that while it’s ultimately a decision for the Senate, he believed it would be a misstep. “Is it possible? Yes. … Is it wise? A lot of people would tell you it’s not,” he told reporters Wednesday. “I mean, on the Republican side, I would be deeply concerned if the Democrats had a bare majority in the Senate right now.” Meredith Lee Hill contributed to this report.

Speaker Mike Johnson heard a plea from a military family to move legislation paying active-duty forces amid the government shutdown in a remarkable televised exchange Thursday. Johnson is already under pressure from a growing number of fellow House Republicans to pass legislation to prevent a potential missed paycheck due Oct. 15 — in addition to the seven-week continuing resolution the House passed last month that would also pay the troops. But on C-SPAN, he heard directly from “Samantha,” a caller who identified herself as a Republican military mom from Fort Belvoir in Virginia and urged him to call the House back and take action. “I’m begging you to pass this legislation,” she said, her voice cracking. “My kids could die.” Johnson so far has ruled out that possibility, arguing that it’s incumbent on Senate Democrats to pass the seven-week CR, and he’s kept the House out of session since it passed Sept. 19. The caller was not convinced by that argument. “As a Republican, I’m very disappointed in my party, and I’m very disappointed in you, because you do have the power to call the House back,” she said, adding, “You could stop this and you could be the one that could say: ‘Military is getting paid.’… And I think it is awful and the audacity of someone who makes six figures a year to do this to military families is insane.”The caller said she has “two medically fragile children,” a husband who has PTSD from two tours in Afghanistan and that her family lives paycheck to paycheck. “Samantha, I’m so sorry to hear about your situation,” Johnson replied, saying he has been “so angry” this week because of situations like hers. He noted he has huge numbers of impacted military members in his own district. But Johnson also claimed Senate Democrats led by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer would block such a standalone bill in the Senate, and he argued that Democrats are holding troop pay hostage as they continue to block the House-approved stopgap measure. “Democrats are the ones preventing you from getting a check,” Johnson said, arguing it would be a “show vote” in the House. Schumer declined to address whether Democrats would back a standalone troop pay measure in comments to reporters Wednesday. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said he supported the move. White House officials, meanwhile, are quietly preparing a slate of options to shift funds in order to pay troops if Congress doesn’t act in time. Trump will not let the military pay lapse, they’ve said. In his C-SPAN appearance — the first live-caller appearance on the network for a House speaker in 24 years — Johnson was also peppered with a series of questions about the expiring Affordable Care Act insurance subsidies, GOP cuts to Medicaid and the fallout for rural hospitals as well as Trump’s threats to mass fire federal workers and deployment of military troops to American cities. One GOP caller praised Johnson’s work as speaker. Another said Johnson’s characterization that people in cities where Trump has deployed the National Guard are happy with the results was “dystopian.” Pressed by a caller from Texas what Republicans’ plan to fix the ACA was, Johnson replied, “Great question.” “There’s a lot of improvement that’s needed. Obamacare did not do what was promised,” he continued. “We’ve got to fix that. Republicans are the party that have the ideas to do that.” He added the ACA is “very, very complicated“ and can’t be torn “out at the roots.” Johnson said he spoke to Trump about the topic as recently as yesterday: “He wants to fix the health care system, and we have a lot of ideas to do that,” he said. The speaker also addressed the yet-to-be-scheduled swearing-in of Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.), who won a special election more than two weeks ago. She will be the 218th signature on a discharge petition to release Jeffrey Epstein documents, but Johnson said that has nothing to do with the decision. Pressed by another caller why he has not sworn Grijalva in, he said that “right now, Chuck Schumer holds the cards” on when the government reopens and the House can return — and proceed with her swearing-in.

Rep. Ken Calvert, the House Republican in charge of defense funding, is throwing his weight behind a bipartisan bill that would allow members of the military to get paid during the government shutdown. It’s something of an act of defiance against GOP leaders who are now intimating they won’t allow a vote on such a measure, arguing it’s Democrats who are holding troop pay hostage by blocking passage of a clean stopgap spending bill in the Senate that includes the servicemember salaries. The California Republican quietly signed his name Wednesday onto the legislation, which was introduced by Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-Va.) in mid-September but has been steadily picking up steam since the shutdown began Oct. 1. Other senior Republicans have become co-sponsors following the start of the shutdown, including National Republican Congressional Committee Chair Richard Hudson of North Carolina and House Administration Chair Bryan Steil of Wisconsin. The legislation as of Thursday morning has a total of 148 cosponsors, 104 of them Republican. But Calvert’s support, in his capacity as chair of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, is significant: It’s a highly unusual step for a senior appropriator to seemingly buck leadership in this manner, and Calvert oversees the annual funding bill for military operations. “Unlike every California Democrat in Congress, I voted to pay our troops, our TSA agents, and federal law enforcement,” Calvert posted on social media earlier in the day Wednesday, before making his support for the Kiggans bill public. “If you see these heroes, thank them for the job they’re doing during this shutdown and amidst uncertainty with their pay. I will continue to support them.” Both Democrats and Republicans are blaming the other side for closing down the government — and, with no signs of the standoff ending anytime soon, the Oct. 15 date is fast approaching where military troops are due to miss their first paycheck since the shutdown began. Congressional GOP leaders want their members to hold the line and force Democrats to vote to fully reopen the government rather than making piecemeal concessions that could lower the stakes for the minority party to play ball. But pro-military Republicans — and vulnerable 2026 incumbents, like Calvert — will increasingly face pressure from their constituents to act on the issue. And some of these members are, in turn, dialing up the pressure on their leadership. The dynamic is especially tricky for Speaker Mike Johnson. He insisted Wednesday that he will not bring the House back from its recess to vote on the troop pay bill ahead of the first military paycheck deadline. Johnson also declined to answer a question over whether he would try to pass the legislation via unanimous consent — a maneuver that would not require lawmakers to return to Washington from the current recess but could be derailed with a single objection from any one member in the House who is present. Republicans close to leadership say there are no plans to attempt this gambit. “We’ve already had that vote. The job in the House is done,” Johnson said, referring to the House-passed, seven-week funding patch that the Senate has been unable to clear. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said in a recent interview with Fox News that “at some point” when Americans realize it’s Democrats who are blocking the troop pay, “this is going to hit home.” “That’s exactly what’s going to happen here in a couple of weeks if something doesn’t change,” Thune added. House Democratic leadership believes a standalone troop pay measure would pass with large Democratic support if it goes to the floor, according to two people with direct knowledge of the conversations. As many as 70 House Democrats are preparing a letter to Johnson calling for such a vote, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is also backing the effort. Separately, White House officials are considering a variety of options for President Donald Trump to shift funds around to pay troops without congressional action, if needed, as POLITICO first reported. Trump, according to White House officials, will not allow the troop pay to lapse, even if Congress fails to act.

Chuck Schumer is winning over critics who bashed him for surrendering during this spring’s shutdown standoff. That could change fast. A POLITICO survey of Democratic lawmakers and activists finds that Schumer has exceeded their low expectations in the latest funding standoff. But they’re watching his actions closely, wary that Senate Democrats will cave if pressure grows. “A lot of people wondered whether we would be bullied again, and we have not been,” said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), who broke with Schumer when the minority leader moved to keep the government open in March. “Sen. Schumer understands the gravity of this moment.” “He hasn’t surrendered yet,” said Indivisible co-founder Ezra Levin, who in March called on Schumer to step down. “I call that progress, and we’re cheering him on now.” What’s worrying some progressives is that Schumer hasn’t drawn aggressive red lines like House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who is demanding that Obamacare subsidies be extended via “ironclad” legislation, and that he may agree to reopen the government with only verbal assurances. “A handshake agreement is capitulation,” Levin said. “Health care and rescission language is the demand, and it’s broadly popular. No reason to cave for less.” One House Democrat granted anonymity to candidly discuss the shutdown dynamics said they would publicly call for Schumer to give up his leadership post if he folds now. An aide to another senior House Democrat said a significant number of lawmakers would be inclined to push for Schumer’s ouster in that scenario. On the other side of the aisle, Speaker Mike Johnson will hold an 11:30 a.m. call Thursday with House Republicans as he faces growing pressure from his own ranks to bring the House back and negotiate an Obamacare extension. Some Republicans are calling for votes to ensure active-duty military members and other federal workers don’t miss their next paychecks. What else we’re watching:    — Johnson’s day ahead: The speaker will take viewer calls on C-SPAN’s “Washington Journal” at 8:30 a.m. before hosting a 10 a.m. news conference with Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Whip Tom Emmer, Conference Chair Lisa McClain and Veterans’ Affairs Chair Mike Bost. He plans to hold a call with the full House Republican caucus at 11:30 a.m. — Senate to advance more Trump noms: Senate Judiciary Republicans are poised Thursday to advance five judicial nominees who, if confirmed, would further expand Trump’s conservative imprint on the federal judiciary. That includes Rebecca Taibleson, the president’s pick to serve as U.S. circuit judge for the Seventh Circuit. Meanwhile Senate HELP will consider nominees including Crystal Carey to be general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board and former Rep. Anthony D’Esposito to be the Labor Department’s inspector general. — Approps action? Senate Republicans are discussing next steps on how to proceed with full-year funding bills during the shutdown stalemate. Senate Majority Leader John Thune floated the Senate taking up a standalone defense appropriations bill. Another idea, according to GOP senators, is to go to conference with the House on the Senate-passed appropriations bills with funding for defense, agriculture programs and Congress itself. Nicholas Wu, Meredith Lee Hill and Jordain Carney contributed to this report.

The Maine oyster farmer is winning praise from some Democrats as he prepares to face Chuck Schumer’s dream recruit.

The guardedly positive reviews for the New Yorker’s leadership come as the shutdown fight enters a politically perilous new phase.

President Donald Trump’s administration is considering options to pay members of the military if the government shutdown drags on, according to two White House officials granted anonymity to discuss private deliberations. Those options include Trump shifting available funds or pressing Republican leaders on Capitol Hill to put a standalone troop pay bill on the floor, according to one of the officials. The White House is not seeking a vote on troop pay at the moment and is reviewing internal options to address the pay issue, the other official said. Active-duty military members are set to miss their paychecks Oct. 15 if Congress does not act. “The president has been clear that he is going to pay the troops,” one of the officials said. Asked Wednesday if he would encourage Congress to pass a standalone bill to pay troops amid the shutdown, he replied: “Probably.” He added, “Our military will always be taken care of.” But Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune have so far refused to consider a separate bill, arguing Democrats need to stop blocking the stopgap funding measure passed by the House last month. House action on a standalone bill would require Johnson to seek to pass the measure via unanimous consent or call the House back into session. Asked if he would do either late Wednesday, Johnson said it was up to Democrats to approve the clean stopgap measure. “I’m so sick of them playing politics,” Johnson said. Johnson will hold a call with House Republicans Thursday morning to discuss the current state of play around the shutdown. Republicans involved say it’s likely the troop pay issue will come up, with Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-Va.) publicly pushing Johnson Wednesday to put her legislation on the floor “immediately.” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Wednesday said he would support a standalone troop pay bill. The House Democratic leadership circle believes such a measure would pass with large Democratic support, according to two other people granted anonymity to describe the conversations.

The IRS said it was furloughing nearly half of its workforce and shuttering most operations Wednesday, but will continue work to implement President Donald Trump’s signature tax cuts. Work on preparing for next year’s tax-filing season will also continue, but numerous operations will be halted, including taxpayer services like call site operations. The agency will also suspend non-automated tax collections and “most headquarters and administrative functions not related to the safety of life and protection of property” during non-filing season, according to the agency’s latest contingency plan. The plan will idle tens of thousands of employees. While 39,870 — 53.6 percent of the total workforce — will remain at work, 34,429 will be furloughed. The union that represents IRS workers condemned the move. “Today, due to the government shutdown the American people lost access to many vital services provided by the IRS,” said Doreen Greenwald, the national president of the National Treasury Employees Union. “Expect increased wait times, backlogs and delays implementing tax law changes as the shutdown continues. Taxpayers around the country will now have a much harder time getting the assistance they need, just as they get ready to file their extension returns due next week.” When the government shut down last week, the agency exempted all of its employees from furlough for at least five business days, saying it would stay open by using special funding it was given by Congress in 2020. But Wednesday morning, the agency announced that, “An IRS-wide furlough began on October 8, 2025, for everyone except already-identified excepted and exempt employees,” according to a statement on the IRS’s website. “Employee[s] who are not exempt or excepted are furloughed and placed in a non-pay and non-duty status until further notice.” The IRS’s furlough decision letter — which came a day after a White House memo suggested furloughed federal employees might not receive backpay — includes a reminder that “employees must be compensated on the earliest date possible after the lapse ends, regardless of scheduled pay dates,” per a law Trump passed in 2019. The Treasury Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The agency originally dodged the furloughs in part because it bore responsibility for implementing the administration’s marquee tax cuts, including no tax on tips, overtime and Social Security, which Republicans are counting on for a boost in next year’s midterm elections. “We suspect people will be getting notified all day,” said Daniel Scharpenburg, a union leader at the IRS.

The Senate rejected dueling government funding bills for the sixth time Wednesday amid growing frustration over the shutdown stalemate. The back-to-back votes come as there’s no sign of a quick offramp, with congressional leaders only becoming further entrenched the longer the funding lapse drags on. Pouring new fuel into the standoff — and catching top Republicans off guard — was a recent suggestion from White House officials that furloughed federal workers might not get back pay. Yet more than a week since lawmakers blew past the deadline to fund government operations, party leaders continue to talk past each other in press conferences, television interviews and social media posts. “We are in Day Eight of the government shutdown, which is unfortunate and unnecessary and totally at the behest of left-wing Democrats’ special interest groups who have pressured the Democrat leadership into a position that makes absolutely no sense to any thinking person,” Majority Leader John Thune said ahead of the vote. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer reiterated that Democrats are ready to discuss both government funding and health care. “This is not an either-or-thing, which Republicans are making it,” Schumer said. Democrats believe the first step to breaking the impasse involves Republicans at least talking to colleagues across the aisle. Top Republicans, however, are solidified in their stance that there is nothing to negotiate on soon-to-expire Affordable Care Act subsidies before reopening the government. “The only way they’ve communicated is through these AI meme videos, which is a ridiculous way to run a country,” Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.) said in a brief interview. “You get to an outcome by actually talking to each other, not by press conferences, not by silly meme videos.” The House has been out of session since last month, with Speaker Mike Johnson vowing he won’t bring the chamber back until the Senate passes the GOP-led stopgap bill, which funds the government through Nov. 21. “When the House agrees on something that’s not offensive … you ought to take it with a bow, thank them for it and pass the damn thing,” Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), who served in the House for six years, said in a brief interview. “If we send something more complicated back to the House, I just think we run the risk of it collapsing.” Thune plans to make the chamber vote as soon as Thursday for the seventh time on both the Republican stopgap and the Democratic alternative, which would run through Oct. 31 and force Republicans’ hands with health care concessions and guardrails around spending. The same, failed outcome for each bill is all but guaranteed. “You’ve got to ask our Democratic colleagues,” said Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) when asked if he expected a different result. A bipartisan group of senators are having conversations about what could happen once the government reopens as far as the fate of the ACA credits and the appropriations process, but so far those talks have not garnered enough Democratic support.

Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday had a heated, face-to-face exchange with two Democratic senators over the government shutdown and the swearing-in of Arizona’s Democratic Rep-elect Adelita Grijalva, who will be the 218th signature on an effort to end-run Johnson and force a vote on releasing Jeffrey Epstein-related documents. Arizona Sens. Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly were talking to reporters outside Johnson’s office about what they said was the speaker’s failure to swear-in Grijalva. House GOP leadership has said they will swear in Grijalva when the House returns for votes. But Gallego accused Johnson of wanting to “cover up for pedophiles on the Epstein list, and number two, put his members in a really rough position when it comes to voting and extending these ACA tax credits.” Johnson came out of his office at one point to argue he hasn’t scheduled Grijalva’s swearing in because she was elected after the House was out of session, unlike some previous examples. The speaker also made clear he wouldn’t bring the House back, and therefore swear in Grijalva, until Senate Democrats vote to reopen the government and pass the clean, short-term stopgap through Nov. 21. “So I am anxious to administer the oath to her, as soon as you guys vote to open up the government,” Johnson said to Kelly and Gallego at one point. Kelly and Gallego argued to Johnson that he swore in two Florida Republicans during a previous pro forma session. But Gallego shot back: “You don’t want to be on the Epstein discharge.” Johnson quickly responded: “That’s totally absurd. You guys are experts in red herrings…It has nothing to do with Epstein.”

Longtime Washington congressional Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton raised just $3,200 for her reelection campaign last quarter, according to a campaign finance report filed Wednesday, as she faces serious primary challengers and questions about her ability to serve in Congress. Norton, 88, has repeatedly said she will seek reelection next year. But the capital city’s delegate in the House has faced questions about her age amid a broader Democratic reckoning with generational change and doubts from longtime allies as to whether she is fit to serve another term. She also faces several primary challengers, including two D.C. Council members, Robert White and Brooke Pinto. White previously served as a staffer to Norton. Both campaigns launched recently and have not yet filed reports with the Federal Election Commission, although Pinto’s campaign said she raised more than $300,000 in her first day. That stands in sharp contrast to Norton. The incumbent’s campaign reported just over $700 raised from individual donors in the third quarter, along with $2,500 from the American Trucking Association. The campaign spent just over $26,000 in the period, primarily on staff salary and fundraising consulting. It also reported $90,000 in debt, all owed to Norton, who previously loaned money to the campaign, and just shy of $6,500 cash on hand. While Norton has never needed to be a prolific fundraiser, she raised $19,200 from donors over the same period in 2023. A spokesperson for Norton’s office directed questions about her fundraising to the campaign. A campaign spokesperson did not immediately respond to questions Wednesday afternoon.

Speaker Mike Johnson continued to hit Senate Democrats on Wednesday for blocking a government funding stopgap — this time by highlighting the shutdown fallout in their states. During a press conference Wednesday, Johnson showcased a series of headlines from across the country. “Remember Georgia’s two Democrat senators, [Raphael] Warnock and [Jon] Ossoff, have now voted five times to keep the government closed down,” Johnson said, telling the story of families in the Peach State worried about access to food banks. “I suspect they may continue, and they’re hurting real people in the state of Georgia.” He moved on to New Hampshire Democratic Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan. “Let me point out that both senators … have repeatedly voted to keep to keep government closed and New Hampshire’s national park sites closed by extension,” Johnson said. Johnson also noted the fallout to air traffic controllers and flights safety across the country as aviation sector employees continue to toil in high-pressure jobs without certainty of when they’ll receive their next paychecks. Later Wednesday morning, the Senate will hold a sixth vote on dueling stopgap funding bills that are both expected to fail as both parties remain dug in and formal negotiations to end the stalemate remain nonexistent. Privately, Republicans admit they were perhaps too confident that Democrats would quickly fold and now the shutdown continues with no end in sight.

Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed called a fundraising email that went out on the anniversary of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel a mistake in a statement provided first to POLITICO. “That email mistakenly went out yesterday. Abdul has been clear and consistent: he holds equally valuable the lives of all innocent people and condemns violence against them,” said spokesperson Roxie Richner. The fundraising email from El-Sayed’s campaign started by marking that “Two years ago this month, Netanyahu’s military launched a ground invasion of Gaza. Since then, the world has watched tragedy unfold in real time.” It drew condemnation from many on the right and some Democrats, who criticized it for omitting any mention of Hamas’ attack on Israel at the outset of the war. El-Sayed put out a separate statement on the two-year anniversary of the conflict Tuesday condemning Hamas’ “heinous attack on Oct. 7” and also condemning Israel’s “horrific genocide on Gaza.” The Israel-Hamas war could become a major flashpoint in the Michigan Senate race, with Democrats believing the influential American Israel Public Affairs Committee could intervene in the contest. The group’s political arm has previously backed Rep. Haley Stevens, who’s also vying for the Senate nomination, during her time in Congress. State Sen. Mallory McMorrow, the third major candidate in the race, recently staked out a new stance on the conflict and said she believed Israel’s war in Gaza was a genocide. El-Sayed had been a backer of Michigan’s “uncommitted” movement during the 2024 election, though he’d said he would still support Democrats over Donald Trump. He ultimately endorsed Kamala Harris’ presidential bid.

One week into the shutdown, Republicans are trying to stay on message — but President Donald Trump is making that difficult. Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune want to show Democrats there’s no daylight inside the GOP: Republicans will negotiate a deal to extend expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies only once the government is back open. But Trump is causing major headaches by going off-script. On Monday, Trump pointed to health care negotiations with Democrats that didn’t appear to exist, but would have contradicted Johnson and Thune’s red line about no ACA talks until the shutdown ends. On Tuesday, the White House further complicated matters by sending a memo stating some federal workers might not receive backpay after the shutdown’s over. Republicans scrambled to refute that message. After all, Trump himself signed legislation in 2019 guaranteeing all federal workers would be paid following a shutdown — and many Republicans voted for it. “You can’t not pay them for work they’ve done,” Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) told POLITICO. “I don’t think [Trump] seriously would. I think he’s playing hardball the way he sometimes does: Negotiating on the one hand, flexing leverage on the other.” Johnson and Thune have also found themselves occasionally out of sync. During a joint news conference Tuesday, the speaker said he was “certainly open” to having the House vote on emergency legislation to pay essential personnel, like military or air traffic controllers, during the shutdown. “Honestly, you don’t need that,” Thune interjected, before reinforcing that Democrats could just vote to reopen the government. House Republicans are also freelancing their shutdown messaging back in their districts. Rep. Rob Bresnahan of Pennsylvania is rolling out new legislation to bar federal income taxes from being collected during the shutdown, per a release shared first with Inside Congress. Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona has introduced a bill that would repeal Obamacare completely. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia called on the Senate to get rid of the 60-vote threshold to reopen the government — a nonstarter for Thune. Some rank-and-file senators are taking matters into their own hands. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), leaving the Senate floor Tuesday, said she had just talked to New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, one of the lead Democrats facilitating bipartisan conversations. And a bipartisan group was scheduled to meet over Thai food last night, including Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.). Mullin has been tapped by the administration to serve as a conduit to Democrats amid government funding talks, according to one person close to the White House. Asked if he had been given an informal role, however, he shrugged: “I don’t have a badge.” What else we’re watching:    — Shutdown action for the day: The Senate will vote for a sixth time on dueling stopgap funding bills at 11:20 a.m. Meanwhile, the House is out, and its leaders plan to hold press events. Speaker Mike Johnson, joined by other GOP leaders and Appropriations Chair Tom Cole (R-Okla.), will hold a news conference in the Rayburn Room at 10 a.m. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, joined by other Democratic leaders and the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, will host a forum at noon on health care. — War powers vote: Democratic Sens. Adam Schiff of California and Tim Kaine of Virginia will force a vote Wednesday on a resolution that would terminate the use of the U.S. Armed Forces for hostilities in the Caribbean Sea. — Government censorship hearing: The Senate Commerce committee, chaired by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), will hold a hearing Wednesday morning on how the Biden administration allegedly pressured Big Tech into censoring speech protected by the First Amendment. Democrats on the panel plan to turn the tables on Republicans by drilling into “the censorship that happened the last few weeks” under the Trump administration, according to ranking member Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.). Dasha Burns and Jordain Carney contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump, Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune are straining to project a united front against Democrats.

Senate Republicans confirmed more than 100 nominees Tuesday evening, largely clearing the backlog of President Donald Trump’s picks who have been awaiting a floor vote. The party-line vote comes after Senate Republicans changed the rules last month to allow most executive branch nominees to be confirmed as a group, whereas lawmakers previously had to hold a vote on each one. The change does not include Cabinet picks or judges. This latest bloc represents the biggest number of nominees Republicans have cleared at once since the rules change. It includes former GOP Senate candidate Herschel Walker and Sergio Gor, ex-director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office, to be ambassadors to the Bahamas and India, respectively. Republicans ultimately deployed the “nuclear option” — meaning a party line rules change — amid growing frustration about the slow pace of confirming Trump nominees amid widespread Democratic opposition. Republicans briefly debated allowing Donald Trump to make recess appointments, which would let the president bypass the Senate on nominees when the Senate is not in session. So far, Republicans have held back over concerns that it would come back to bite them the next time they are in the minority.

Speaker Mike Johnson said the House could come back to pass emergency legislation to pay troops during the government shutdown. Senate Majority Leader John Thune wasn’t willing to go there. The unusual tactical disagreement between the two top congressional leaders played out in front of cameras Tuesday on Capitol Hill as the shutdown heads into its second week. The House has been out of session as Johnson seeks to pressure Senate Democrats to approve the GOP-led stopgap funding bill his chamber already passed. But he opened the door at a Tuesday news conference to calling members back to vote on standalone legislation paying troops, who could miss paychecks on Oct. 15, or air traffic controllers, who could miss their first checks Friday. “I’m certainly open to that,” Johnson said. “We’ve done it in the past. We want to make sure that our troops are paid.” But Thune — who has consistently said it’s Democrats’ responsibility to pass the seven-week House stopgap — interjected after Johnson spoke, saying, “Honestly, you don’t need that.” “Obviously, there are certain constituencies — many of them are going to be impacted in a very negative way by what’s happened here,” Thune said. “But the simplest way to end it is not try to exempt this group or that one or that group. It’s to get the government open.” Johnson then spoke again to say the priority should be to open the government and that Democrats could do it quickly. He added that any plan to pay members of the military would have to pass by Oct. 13 in order to process the paychecks on time.

Just weeks weeks after Sen. Adam Schiff was called a “buffoon” and a “fraud” by FBI Director Kash Patel during a Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing, the California Democrat was similarly pilloried Tuesday by Attorney General Pam Bondi. A heated exchange between the California Democrat and the nation’s top prosecutor encapsulates the seething tensions between the lawmaker and the Trump administration years after Schiff, as a member of the House, managed Trump’s first impeachment trial. The DOJ is now actively investigating Schiff for mortgage fraud — allegations Schiff has vehemently denied. “As a former federal prosecutor myself, I served in a [Justice] Department that — whether it was under a Democratic or Republican President — would never use the office to go after the president’s enemies or to hide the corruption of his friends,” Schiff said during the Senate Judiciary hearing where Bondi was testifying Tuesday. “The Department has become President Trump’s personal sword and shield to go after his ever growing list of political enemies and to protect himself, his allies, and associates.” “If you worked for me, you would’ve been fired because you were censured by Congress for lying,” Bondi told him. And, in response to Schiff’s questions about whether the Justice Department dropped a bribery investigation into border czar Tom Homan following Trump’s 2025 inauguration, Bondi asked Schiff, “will you apologize to Donald Trump for trying to impeach him?” Her broadsides against Schiff were notable given the senator is the current subject of a DOJ investigation, but Bondi had barbs for multiple Judiciary Committee Democrats over the course of Tuesday’s nearly five hour-long oversight hearing. At one point, Bondi accused Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) of misrepresenting his military record; at another moment, she suggested that Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) had ties to “dark money” groups and supported legislation that would “subsidize [his] wife’s company.” Neither Blumenthal nor Whitehouse responded directly to the attacks. She also told Sens. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) she wished they loved their home towns “as much as you hate Donald Trump,” referring to their opposition to National Guard deployment in their respective states.

Sen. Josh Hawley falsely claimed Tuesday that newly disclosed records revealed that the FBI “tapped” the phones of eight sitting U.S. senators during special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation of President Donald Trump’s bid to subvert the 2020 election. Hawley was describing an FBI document, publicly released Monday by Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley, that referenced a “preliminary toll analysis” of nine lawmakers. Grassley underscored that the records revealed a subset of calls made and received by those lawmakers and did not reveal the content of those calls — only the time and duration. Attorney General Pam Bondi, during her Tuesday testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, did not correct Hawley’s characterization of the records. Bondi said she had spoken with FBI Director Kash Patel “at length” about the records and could not discuss the details “for very good reason.” It’s unclear why the FBI reviewed the phone records of the particular set of senators included on the list. Though some, like Hawley, were deeply engaged in efforts to block the certification of Joe Biden’s win in the 2020 election, others appeared less involved.