House

House returns amid stalemate as Trump indictment reverberates on Capitol Hill

by Mychael Schnell - 06/12/23 6:14 AM ET

The House returns Monday amid an unprecedented stalemate set off by a conservative revolt last week, though most of the focus likely will be fixed on the historic federal indictment of former President Trump.

The House descended into a standstill last week after a coalition of 11 conservatives rebelled against Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), refusing to advance legislation to the floor and bringing the chamber to a pause. The group is protesting the debt limit deal McCarthy struck with President Biden, which was signed into law earlier this month.

One day after the House broke for the weekend amid the blockade, Trump announced he had been indicted by the Department of Justice (DOJ) as part of its investigation into his handling of classified documents. The DOJ unsealed a 37-count indictment against Trump on Friday.

House Republican leadership is looking to get the floor back on track this week, with a schedule full of last week’s to-do list and more, but it remains unclear if conservatives are ready to retreat from their revolt. In the meantime, however, lawmakers will likely be pressed on the indictment of Trump, as the former president remains the GOP front-runner for the 2024 election.

The Senate also returns to session Monday and is slated to vote on nominations, while House and Senate committees are scheduled to hold hearings this week.

Trump indictment to dominate Capitol Hill

Last week’s indictment of Trump is likely to reverberate on Capitol Hill this week, as the former president’s GOP allies are thrust on defense and Senate GOP leaders are pressed to comment on the historic charges after remaining silent in their immediate aftermath.

The indictment, as part of the investigation into Trump’s handling of classified documents, marked the first time in history that a former U.S. president faces federal charges. Trump is accused of withholding classified documents pertaining to defense and weapons capabilities of the U.S. and foreign countries, including other topics, then obstructing attempts by authorities to regain the records.

He is scheduled to appear in court in Miami at 3 p.m. Tuesday, then he will deliver remarks at his club in Bedminster, N.J., at 8:15 p.m. Tuesday.

Trump announced his indictment by the DOJ last Thursday night, after the House and Senate adjourned for the weekend, giving lawmakers an opportunity to react to the news on their own terms — if they wanted to. Several of Trump’s staunchest allies on Capitol Hill defended him on social media and television airwaves, while some of his fiercest opponents sounded off on the same channels.

Other members of Congress — specifically members of Senate GOP leadership — however, have remained mum on the topic, opting against issuing statements or airing their thoughts on cable news.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and his two top deputies — Senate GOP Whip John Thune (S.D.) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) — have not commented on Trump’s indictment. The three Republicans in the past, however, have indicated they do not want Trump to be at the top of the GOP ticket in 2024.

Those Republicans and others will likely be pressed on the Trump indictment this week when lawmakers return to the Capitol.

The silence among Senate GOP leaders has put the conference at contrast with the House GOP, whose top figures immediately ran to Trump’s defense, vowing retribution for the historic indictment.

“Many officials, from Secretary Hillary Clinton to then-Senator Joe Biden, handled classified info after their time in office & were never charged. Now Biden’s leading political opponent is indicted—a double standard that must be investigated. @Jim_Jordan & House Republicans will get answers,” McCarthy tweeted Friday.

“Merrick Garland: the American people elected us to conduct oversight of you. We will fulfill that obligation,” he added.

Asked about next steps during an interview with CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, teased future depositions.

“We depose people every single week to try to get to the bottom of how these federal agencies have been turned on the American people. And we’re going to continue to do that important work,” he said.

Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) speaks to reporters as he returns to his office June 6 in Washington. (Greg Nash)

House GOP looks to get chamber back on track amid stalemate

House Republican leadership is looking to get the chamber back on track this week after a conservative revolt held up legislative business for the majority of last week.

On Monday, the chamber is scheduled to vote on a slew of measures under suspension of the rules — meaning they need at least two-thirds support of the chamber to pass. The measures, however, are largely bipartisan and expected to have the votes to pass.

On Tuesday, the chamber is slated to consider legislation that was held up because of the revolt last week, plus other measures. It remains unclear, however, if conservatives who paused business last week are ready to break the impasse.

A group of 11 GOP lawmakers opposed a partisan procedural vote last week, tanking the effort and preventing legislation from advancing to the floor for debate and a vote. The conservatives are frustrated with the debt limit deal that McCarthy struck with Biden, which was signed into law earlier this month to prevent an economy-rattling default.

Departing the Capitol last week, those conservatives were not concerned with the duration of the deadlock. “I’m in no hurry,” Rep. Lauren Boebert (Colo.), one of the GOP rebels, told reporters on Thursday.

McCarthy and the rest of GOP leadership, however, appear optimistic about the impasse subsiding, considering the slate of bills they teed up for the week.

One piece of legislation on that list is a measure that was at the center of last week’s revolt: a resolution sponsored by Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) that calls for blocking the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives from banning pistol brace attachments.

Clyde had accused House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) of threatening to deny a vote on the legislation if the Georgia Republican did not support a rule for the debt limit bill — which he ultimately opposed. Scalise, however, said he told Clyde that the bill did not have the support to clear the chamber.

Conservatives, nonetheless, expressed frustration with how Clyde’s bill was handled when discussing last week’s revolt. Whether that bill coming to the floor is enough to break the deadlock, however, remains unknown.

Hearings

House Financial Services Committee: “The Annual Testimony of the Secretary of the Treasury on the State of the International Financial System”

When: 10.m. Tuesday
Witnesses: Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen

Senate Judiciary Committee: “An oversight hearing to examine Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and related surveillance authorities”

When: 10 a.m. Tuesday
Witnesses: CIA Deputy Director David Cohen; NSA Deputy Director George Barnes; Office of the Director of National Intelligence General Counsel Chris Fonzone; FBI Deputy Director Paul Abbate; Matt Olsen, assistant attorney general at the National Security Division of the Department of Justice

House Oversight and Accountability Committee: “Oversight of CDC Policies and Decisions During the COVID-19 Pandemic”

When: 10:30 a.m. Tuesday
Witnesses: CDC Director Rochelle Walensky

House Oversight and Accountability Committee: “Death by a Thousand Regulations: The Biden Administration’s Campaign to Bury America in Red Tape”

When: 10 a.m. Wednesday
Witnesses: Anthony P. Campau, principal at Clark Hill Public Strategies; Casey Mulligan, professor in Economics at University of Chicago; Adam J. White, co-executive director of The C. Boyden Gray Center for the Study of the Administrative State at George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School

House Homeland Security Committee: “Open Borders, Closed Case: Secretary Mayorkas’ Dereliction of Duty on the Border Crisis”

When: 10 a.m. Wednesday
Witnesses: Former acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf; Rodney Scott, visiting fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation; former border patrol chief; Joe Edlow, managing member at the Edlow Group; former acting director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

Senate Judiciary Committee: “Hearings to examine ensuring the safety and well-being of unaccompanied children”