Trump's priorities are in deep trouble after his revenge tour
· Axios
Congressional Republicans are countering President Trump's meddling in their primaries with a revenge tour of their own.
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Why it matters: Politically, Trump had a successful week, picking winners and settling scores. Legislatively, it's turning into a disaster.
- 💣 He's on the edge of an Iran war rebuke: House Democrats are one step closer to finally getting a successful Iran war powers vote as their last holdout plans to flip and at least one Republican says they may follow suit.
- 💰 His "anti-weaponization" fund is taking heat: Republicans in both chambers put him on notice that the nearly $1.8 billion carveout will be subject to legislative scrutiny.
- 🕺 And the ballroom money is out (for now), but there's still an open question about whether any of the other funding for the Secret Service will survive.
🛑 Zoom in: The anti-weaponization fund is "kryptonite" for Republicans, and they are exploring ways to restrict — or regulate — it, according to one GOP senator.
- Questions about the fund — where the money is coming from and whom it can be paid to — were repeatedly raised during a closed-door Senate GOP lunch on Wednesday.
- "There's going to be an attempt to address the questions that are out there on it," agrees Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.). He adds that the questions and potential amendments would be coming from "our side" rather than from Democrats.
- Outgoing Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) called it a "$1.8 billion fund for the President and his allies to pay whomever they wish with no legal precedent or accountability."
🔪 In the House, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) says he will "try to kill" the fund.
- Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.) says he will "likely" sign a discharge petition from Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) to force a vote to impose restrictions on the fund.
🤗 Between the lines: House Speaker Mike Johnson brushed aside concerns about party conformity on Wednesday. He told reporters that lawmakers shouldn't be "trying to carve out their own lane and do something that's destructive."
- "You have to give up your personal preferences sometimes, because you're in a deliberative body," Johnson added.
👎 But Johnson's members are pushing back: "A yes-man mentality, it's not good for the president, it's not good for our party, not good for Congress," retiring Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) tells Axios.
- "We don't report to any party or any person here in D.C.," says Fitzpatrick, who was the target of barbs from Trump today over failing to be in lock-step.
- Fitzpatrick says he's not worried about Trump finding a primary challenger to run against him.
- "He should make his case and not threaten [Fitzpatrick]," Bacon tells Axios about Trump.
⚡️ What's next: Senate GOP leaders are expected Wednesday evening to release the text of a roughly $70 billion package to fund ICE and Border Patrol for the next 3 1/2 years.
- "We're focused on a very narrow bill," Rounds says.
- Democrats are preparing amendments aimed at imposing restrictions on the "anti-weaponization" money — what they are calling a "slush fund."
- The vote-a-rama could begin as soon as Thursday.