“When Russell Vought, the White House budget director, announced last week that he was canceling $8 billion in federal funding for energy projects, it was clear that his directive was aimed at hurting Democrats in states they lead,” the New York Times reports.

“But the energy cuts also appear to have done collateral damage to projects championed by House Republicans in competitive districts in blue states from New York to California — the kind of seats that built the G.O.P. majority, and whose loss could wipe it out.”

Speaker Mike Johnson said that he spoke to Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) over the weekend and assured her the House would pass spending bills if the federal government reopens, Punchbowl News reports.

Said Johnson: “I told her it is my full intention that if we break this impasse and we put these bills together — we have three of them in conference committee right now — whatever the conference committee comes up with, I will put on the floor. I’m ready to go. But we got to open government up so that they can move to that next level, so the conference committee can get that work done.”

“While Johnson said the call was ‘not some sort of confidential thing,’ the conversation is incredibly interesting. There have been absolutely no talks between Republicans and Democrats in recent days.”