Hurry Up and Wait

Punchbowl News: “House Republicans anticipate having attendance issues as the week drags on and the Memorial Day recess looms. So as soon as the GOP leadership has 217 votes for the reconciliation package, they’ll move to bring it up on the floor. The House Rules Committee is meeting at 1 a.m. on Wednesday to prepare the bill for floor consideration.”

“But here’s the other critical dynamic – Speaker Mike Johnson and his top lieutenants aren’t close to 217 votes yet. The bill is still very much a work in progress. Some of the most controversial elements of the package – Medicaid spending cuts, SALT and rolling back clean energy credits – are still being fought over by conservative hardliners and moderates inside the GOP conference.”

“On the one hand, Johnson wants to move fast. Faster is better and creates momentum to vote yes. But on the other hand, he’s nowhere close to reaching a consensus yet.”