Tipsheet

Speaker Johnson Just Clinched a Massive Win in the House Today

Matt Vespa
Matt Vespa  |  April 29, 2026 2:30 PM

The third assassination attempt on Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner has dominated the headlines, but the business of government continues, and this week was quite a mountain with such a slim Republican majority. We got the farm bill, FISA reauthorization, and DHS funding on the docket. I mean, look at this docket per PBS’ Lisa DeJardins—dear Lord:

The word of the week is "mess". #Congmess?

  • - This centers on ->House Republicans and major issues hitting internal divide there.
  • - Let me just have one long thread here explaining.

FISA

  • - The program that supporters call essential to protecting the US from foreign/terror threat expires THURSDAY. 
  • - One proposal for a 3-year extension could not get through (GOP-led) Rules Committee last night. 
  • - Hold-outs are demanding warrant requirements for US data caught up in the program.
  • - The Senate may move first now, cloture was filed last week. 

DHS FUNDING

  • - DHS runs out of the paycheck money it found *this week*. 
  • - Reminder the agency has been in a technical shutdown for *72 DAYS* 
  • - Democrats triggered this over ICE conduct.

- But House Republicans have now eclipsed the attention on Democrats ... and given them a chance to turn the tables ... because House GOP is blocking a Senate-passed bill to fund most of DHS. That, until a separate ICE/Border Patrol funding measure to move (more below). 

ICE/BORDER PATROL FUNDING

  • - The Senate has taken the first step toward passing ICE/Border Patrol funding - three years worth - via reconciliation.
  • - But the House also has not acted on that measure yet and it is not yet clear when it will.

[…]

Current balance of power in the House: 217-212. That is a two-vote margin. (Rs can lose two votes and still win w/out Dem help.)

And the rules vote didn't go smoothly at first, though some politicking was involved, with the farm bill to be voted on separately later. The Make America Healthy Again group threatened to reject the bill unless provisions that reportedly protected pesticide manufacturers from lawsuits were removed. There were whispers that some of these rule votes might happen in the dead of night, but that didn’t happen. After two hours, this procedural hurdle was cleared 216-210, paving the way for passage unless the House GOP decides to tweak it, which will infuriate the White House.

These rules votes are a good sign of passage, but we're hardly in the clear. I mean, here's how the vote kicked off: