This week on the Hill: Reconciliation bill runs up against Republican infighting
Key takeaways
- If things were testy then, they might be tenser now, since Trump-endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton defeated longtime incumbent Sen.
- It s hard to divorce anything that happens here from what s happening in political atmosphere around us, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told reporters last week.
- The anti-weaponization legal defense fund the White House proposed last month is not part of the reconciliation bill that was ironed out and set to pass before the recess.
Why this matters: political developments that affect policy direction and public trust.
Instead, the Senate will return Monday evening, preparing for a showdown over the bill after negotiations on the measure blew up more than a week ago following the White House s announcement of the creation of a separate, controversial anti-weaponization fund that would issue payouts to those who believe they were wronged by the government.
Senate Republicans of all stripes were so frustrated with the administration over the fund — as well as Trump s move to endorse primary challengers to well-respected incumbents — that leadership cancelled the planned vote series on the enforcement bill and lawmakers rushed out of town. If things were testy then, they might be tenser now, since Trump-endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton defeated longtime incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, the GOP leadership pick, in a primary last week.
It s hard to divorce anything that happens here from what s happening in political atmosphere around us, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told reporters last week. You can t disconnect those things.