‘Hell Week’ in Washington: A look at House Republicans’ current bind, and how we got here

There’s no such thing as hazing in Congress.

You won’t find “fraternity row,” with each house festooned with a trifecta of deltas, gammas and epsilons.

No drinking games here.

At least not officially.

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But get ready for something on Capitol Hill with which many Greek pledges are all too familiar:

“I’m going to say next week is hell week,” warned Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, last Thursday. “Next week is going to be hell week.’

And this was all before the harrowing episode Saturday night at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington.

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To wit about the week facing Capitol Hill:

House Republicans face a devil of a week. They must get on the same page as the Senate to pass a budget framework – to prospectively fund ICE and the Border Patrol. FISA, the nation’s controversial spy program expires early Friday morning. That’s to say nothing of trying to pass the farm bill.

If they don’t get all of this done, “Dean Wormer” (of Animal House fame) might just place House Republicans on “double secret probation” before the week is through.

So let’s examine what got House Republicans in this bind.

Let’s start at 3:36 a.m. last Thursday.

We begin there, because in the past several weeks, the most important moments in Congress have unfolded at 2:12 on a Friday morning, 2:16 on a Friday morning and now 3:36 on a Thursday morning.

3:36 a.m. is when the Senate approved a budget framework to possibly fund ICE and CBP. Republicans are running a special legislative gambit called “reconciliation” to bypass a filibuster. That’s because Democrats won’t help. They’ve never secured the reforms they need to support ICE. So Republicans are going it alone.

“We’re trying to use the reconciliation process to get money to secure the border,” said Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.

Democrats have balked about funding ICE since the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis over the winter.

“They want to give $140 billion for ICE and Border Patrol without any reforms,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. “(They’re) adding $140 billion to an agency that nobody – well, two groups, Border Patrol and ICE – that nobody respects in this country.”

That prompted an explosive response from Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin during an appearance on Fox.

“It makes my ears red. It takes a lot to get me upset. But Chuck Schumer, no one respects you. The definition of a lying scumbag politician. That is you,” said Mullin of his former Senate colleague.

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Perhaps this why the white-hot rhetoric on both sides may have contributed to the mayhem of Saturday night.

Mullin says emergency DHS money is about to expire. So pressure is intensifying on the House to align with the Senate with no changes to the outline adopted by the Senate.

“It has to be clean, because it’s got to be quick,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. “The last paychecks go out at the end of this month.”

But remember, this is just the House lining up with the Senate on a blueprint to address the funding lapse at ICE and CBP. The assassination attempt at the White House dinner only amplified the need to fund DHS. And fast. However, Johnson refused to pick up a bill to fund everything else at DHS which the Senate passed twice. Then Johnson agreed to pass the bill after dissing it. But the House has never synced up.

Johnson says the Senate funding package – not the reconciliation framework – “has some problematic language” because it was “haphazardly drafted.”

And now Johnson is suggesting there may be yet another DHS funding bill in the works.

That may be inevitable, considering the chaos of the weekend.

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Budget reconciliation takes a while.

“Reconciliation is still a little ways off,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. “They’re running out of runway to fund a lot of those agencies.”

But here’s the other problem with reconciliation: Many conservatives insist on add-ons.

“We should be taking a broader approach to reconciliation,” said Rep. Chip Roy R-Texas.

Here’s what they’re mulling: Maybe money to cover the cost of the war in Iran. Perhaps a suspension of the federal gasoline tax. Additional tax cuts. You name it.

Many on the right demand the inclusion of the SAVE America Act. The bill requires proof of citizenship in order to vote.

“I think you’d see a lot more folks on our side jump on board with it if they had that,” said Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., about the SAVE America Act.

However, even advocates of the SAVE America Act doubt the GOP can stuff that into a Senate bill which must be fiscal in nature. Many demand an additional, expansive reconciliation bill which is not limited to DHS.

“This is probably the only reconciliation we’re going to have before the break. That’s a poor excuse for the work we’re doing up here,” complained Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C. “One bill with that limited amount.”

“People probably intend to do a third reconciliation bill. But you’re not looking at Bambi’s baby brother here,” said Sen. John Kennedy, R-La. “This is the last train leaving the station.”

All aboard?

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For the moment, President Trump is still focused on the reconciliation outline.

“We need all Republicans to join together and support this Budget Blueprint, which will allow us to bypass Democrat obstruction in the Senate, and fund Immigration Enforcement with only Republican Votes. The Senate passed this Blueprint last week on Thursday morning, and now, House Republicans must UNIFY, and pass the same Blueprint to get the Bill done,” wrote the President on Truth Social.

The President added that he wants a “FAST and FOCUSED” bill by June 1.

That’s nearly five weeks from now.

Hence the challenge of the week.

“This is so difficult. Up here, we can’t agree with much,” fumed Nehls.

But here’s a little secret. Every week on Capitol Hill in recent memory has morphed into a political inferno. A failed exercise to fund the government which lingered since last summer. Fights over the Epstein files. Resignations amid dark political scandals. Efforts to expel other lawmakers. You name it.

“If you’re going through hell, keep going,” said Winston Churchill.

Which is maybe why Congress goes through the same hellish, legislative landscape nearly every week.