I’m not sure if Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) wanted the speakership, but he turned out to be the right person for the job. Speaker Johnson continues to impress by passing numerous pieces of legislation with razor-thin majorities. The man gets things done. He’s a closer. We had a defense bill, a spending measure, and legislation to ban congressional stock trading—all of which were passed. Johnson achieved the legislative hat trick after telling the media earlier this week that he had the votes to clear the procedural hurdles.
Three HUGE wins for Speaker Johnson today, while Thune and the Senate flounders. https://t.co/kk8HxAiYr2
— Storm Paglia 🇺🇸 (@storm_paglia) July 22, 2026
NDAA passes! Win for Johnson
— John Bresnahan (@bresreports) July 22, 2026
Budget resolution passed! Win for Johnson! https://t.co/eKFB9dqwQN
— John Bresnahan (@bresreports) July 22, 2026
Mike Johnson scores on budget resolution, NDAA and stock trading bills today in @PunchbowlNews PM.
— Punchbowl News (@PunchbowlNews) July 22, 2026
Plus, Ken Paxton is in D.C.https://t.co/PItWyI8vsP pic.twitter.com/P1yXO585qo
House lawmakers on Wednesday narrowly passed a nearly $1.15 trillion annual defense policy bill, advancing the measure amid increasing tension over military spending and the war in Iran.
The tally was 216-212, with six Democrats voting for the bill and seven Republicans voting against it.
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) expands U.S. defense production capacity, raises all service members’ pay by five to seven percent, authorizes $1.8 billion for barracks and family housing, and expands access to education and childcare for military families. The legislation authorizes $56 billion for aircraft development, including for next-generation fighter jets, B-21 Raiders, P-8 maritime patrol planes, F-35s, Chinook and Blackhawk helicopters.
It greenlights more than $60 billion in funding for construction and support of a fourth Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine, two Virginia-class submarines and two Arleigh-Burke class destroyers. The bill also codifies a number of Trump administration executive orders, including building the Golden Dome, one of President Trump’s top defense priorities.
After the vote, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) lauded the bill as one that would “ensure America maintains the most lethal, most dynamic, most capable fighting force in the world. This year’s NDAA builds on key investments in the Working Families Tax Cuts as Republicans lead the charge to restore America’s military dominance and rebuild the arsenal of freedom.”
The ban on congressional stock trading (via CBS News):
The House on Wednesday passed a bill placing some limits on congressional stock trading, but the lack of tougher restrictions and the inclusion of a voter ID provision complicated its support among Democrats.
Lawmakers approved the bill in a 232 to 198 vote, with 13 Democrats voting with all Republicans in favor.
The Stop Insider Trading Act, introduced by Rep. Bryan Steil of Wisconsin in January, would prohibit members of Congress, their spouses and dependent children from purchasing publicly traded stocks. It would also require lawmakers to publicly disclose each intended sale of stocks at least seven days in advance to the House clerk or Senate secretary. The penalty for a violation is $2,000 or 10% of the transaction's value, whichever is greater, as well as the forfeiture of any realized gains from the sale.
On the reconciliation 3.0 framework (via Fox News):
Speaker Mike Johnson’s plan to bypass Democratic opposition on a key election integrity bill took a major step forward in the House of Representatives on Wednesday.
It’s a major victory for Johnson, R-La., who had to overcome a wall of left-wing opposition and threats of a rebellion within his own GOP ranks.
House Republicans are working to move the Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act as part of a larger $95 billion budget bill that, if successful, would completely sideline Democrats to implement election reforms sought by President Donald Trump.
And what has the Senate done? Nothing. Sen. John Thune (R-SD) wants to cave to Democrats over a separate bill to keep the government open, and cannot quiet the rabble-rousers in his caucus about the SAVE America Act, which is part of the reconciliation package. Working with Democrats? We’ve seen this before. They will stall the process, forcing a must-pass situation to avoid a shutdown on September 30. Everyone sees the political calamity ahead except John Thune, who isn’t suited for this job. Has Johnson secured Democratic votes for things? Sure, and he also gets things done. Thune doesn’t, so his balance is in the red.
Before the circus over Department of Homeland Security funding, Johnson passed 12 appropriations bills, one of which funded DHS, increased ICE resources, and gained Democratic support. The Minnesota shootings killed them. The point is that, with such slim majorities, House Republicans managed to ensure the government was funded. Senate Republicans chose to be tepid, weak, and let Democrats walk all over them.
The DHS funding fight turned into a circus because Thune couldn’t do anything about it. It was a pathetic display of a man who simply couldn’t see the political traps: Thune, Democrats don’t want DHS reopened quickly. Their base demands a shutdown. They have no incentive to negotiate. What the hell are you doing? And when they reneged, no kidding—it only delayed reopening DHS, which was the goal. You got played again. You got owned by Chuck Schumer, and that says a lot because Chuck sucks.
.@POTUS: "We have to pass the SAVE America Act to defend American Elections… We’re not going to take this any longer... Right now, Congress is working to get as much of our plan as possible into the budget bill... everybody call John Thune at the Senate... and tell him to get… pic.twitter.com/uBzhGziRSm
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 22, 2026
We’ve seen how Thune handled the DHS fight. It was a trainwreck. So, while one chamber is making progress, the other is slow and dithering, getting exploited and outmaneuvered by Democrats who know that Republicans often settle for moral victories and defer to institutional procedure—things that either don’t matter, don’t earn political points, and only leave the GOP tricked. Being the bigger, more mature person in the room is irrelevant when you lose all the time. And that’s the Senate GOP, specifically Thune; he’s a pure loser.
Can’t wait to see how he drags this out, gets slapped down by own members, and flanked by Democrats who will be as subtle as a sledgehammer about their intentions, but Thune will be Bird boxing the entire time.
🚨 John Thune is cutting deals with Democrats while IGNORING the biggest loophole in our elections
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) July 22, 2026
Larry O'Connor BLASTS "loser" John Thune for refusing to fight illegal voting on the Senate floor — choosing to negotiate with Democrats instead of backing Speaker Johnson's work.… pic.twitter.com/vnR7TXqBIx
Thune is pretty much Walter McGinn from Gangs of New York here.
Let's settle our grievances the democratic way, only for Senate Democrats to chuck an axe into his back.
Get ready to see this again.
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