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House Nears Final Vote on GOP Megabill

May 22, 2025 at 6:07 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

New York Times: “It is just before 6 a.m. on Capitol Hill and the chamber is full of bleary-eyed lawmakers, many of whom have been up all night debating the bill. But as the final vote on this massive spending package approaches, the energy on the House floor is rising. With a vote expected sometime within the hour, seats are filling up and lawmakers wielding energy drinks and coffees are showing up to buttress the final remarks from their party leaders.”

Playbook: “After another dramatic evening of backroom deals and through-the-night debates, Johnson and the GOP conference are set to win a showdown vote on the floor of the House this morning.”

Quote of the Day

May 22, 2025 at 6:02 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“This is one big, ugly bill that House Republicans are trying to jam down the throats of the American people, under the cover of darkness. his legislation will not make life better for the American people. The G.O.P. tax scam represents an assault on the economy, an assault on health care, an assault on nutrition assistance, an assault on tax fairness and an assault on fiscal responsibility.”

— Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), quoted by the New York Times, using his “magic minute” to speak out against the Republican reconciliation bill.

Two Staffers from Israeli Embassy Killed in D.C.

May 22, 2025 at 5:57 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Two staff members of the Israeli Embassy in Washington were shot and killed Wednesday evening while leaving an event at a Jewish museum, and the suspect yelled, ‘Free, free Palestine’ after he was arrested,” the AP reports.

Wall Street Journal: Killing of embassy staffers stokes Israeli fears of increasingly hostile world.


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Republicans on the Verge of a Big Win

May 22, 2025 at 5:44 am EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Punchbowl News: “Speaker Mike Johnson is one step closer to his biggest achievement since becoming speaker 575 days ago. And President Donald Trump is on the brink of securing the first step toward a major legislative victory, one that will define his return to the White House.”

“The “One Big, Beautiful Bill” Act cleared its key procedural hurdle around 2:40 a.m. Every Republican except for Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) voted for the rule. All of the House Freedom Caucus members who said that they still needed weeks to work on this bill ended up voting to proceed to debate. That came after Trump warned them a no vote on the legislation amounted to the ‘ultimate betrayal’ – you’re either with Trump now or you’re not.”

Trump’s Clubs Are Taking In More Money Than Ever

May 21, 2025 at 10:17 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Donald Trump’s private clubs have emerged as a moneymaking venture for the president’s second term, and a hub for donors and favor-seekers alike,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“It now costs a record $1 million to join Mar-a-Lago, Trump’s Florida resort, up from about $500,000 during his first term.”

“The initiation fee at Trump’s golf club in Bedminster, N.J., rose to $125,000, surging from $75,000 in recent years… Another Trump golf club in Florida, near Mar-a-Lago, now charges more than $300,000 to join.”

Trump Says in Private Putin Isn’t Ready to End War

May 21, 2025 at 10:16 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“On a call Monday, President Trump told European leaders that Russian President Vladimir Putin isn’t ready to end the Ukraine war because he thinks he is winning,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“The acknowledgment was what European leaders had long believed about Putin—but it was the first time they were hearing it from Trump. It also ran counter to what Trump has often said publicly, that he believes Putin genuinely wants peace.”

House GOP Leaders Modify Trump Agenda Bill

May 21, 2025 at 10:15 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Republicans released a package of revisions to their massive party-line bill for President Donald Trump’s agenda Wednesday night, with the hope of quickly bringing it to the House floor and passing it,” NBC News reports.

“The 42-page amendment to the multitrillion-dollar legislation includes moving up the enforcement of work requirements for eligible Medicaid recipients by two years to the end of 2026, phasing out clean energy tax credits earlier and expanding the federal deduction for state and local taxes to $40,000 for individuals earning less than $500,000 annually.”

‘The View’ Told to Tone Down Trump Bashing

May 21, 2025 at 10:01 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Disney and ABC News have asked the hosts of “The View” to tone down their political rhetoric, the Daily Beast reports.

Schumer Says Blue State Republicans Caved

May 21, 2025 at 7:43 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is already taunting blue state Republicans over the deal they secured to raise the state and local tax deductions as part of the GOP’s megabill,” Politico reports.

Said Schumer: “This so-called SALT deal is a humiliating failure for NY House Republicans. Donald Trump came to the Capitol to intimidate them and in less than 24 hours they have all bowed to their king. Their capitulation to Trump on SALT is a slap in the face to Long Island, the Hudson Valley, and hardworking, middle-class families across New York.”

Inside Mike Johnson’s Math

May 21, 2025 at 7:40 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Republicans look like they will have three votes to spare as they set up possible final votes on their megabill — possibly more, depending on attendance,” Politico reports.

“The House currently has 220 Republicans and 212 Democrats, and Democrats are expected to universally oppose the legislation. If all members vote along party lines, Speaker Mike Johnson can afford to lose three votes.”

“But if one Democrat is absent, that margin would rise to four.”

Republican Megabill Sends Yields Soaring

May 21, 2025 at 6:15 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The U.S. debt-and-deficit situation is bad and facing real prospects of getting worse, triggering a high-profile credit rating downgrade from Moody’s and another selling stampede in stocks and bonds,” CNBC reports.

“Whether the recoil in financial markets continues is largely in the hands of policymakers who seem intent on adding to the U.S. fiscal problems in the name of stimulating growth through President Donald Trump’s ‘big, beautiful’ spending bill.”

Bloomberg: Bond market warns Trump, Congress on dangers of swelling deficit.

Mike Johnson Plans Vote Within Next 24 Hours

May 21, 2025 at 5:58 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Speaker Mike Johnson returned from a meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House this afternoon saying he plans to move ahead with a floor vote on House Republicans’ reconciliation package tonight or Thursday morning,” Punchbowl News reports.

“This is the biggest vote so far of the 119th Congress – and Trump’s second term – with enormous stakes for GOP control of the House.”

After Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) passed away, Johnson will likely need 217 votes to pass this bill, assuming full attendance. He could lose only three GOP votes.

Israel Preparing to Quickly Strike Iran

May 21, 2025 at 5:55 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Israel is making preparations to swiftly strike Iran’s nuclear facilities if negotiations between the U.S. and Iran collapse,” Axios reports.

“The Israeli intelligence community has shifted just in the past few days from believing a nuclear deal was close to thinking talks could soon break down.”

Trump Asks Supreme Court to Keep DOGE Records Secret

May 21, 2025 at 5:33 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“The Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to block an effort to open the inner workings of the secretive DOGE cost-cutting effort to public scrutiny,” Politico reports.

Trump Tanks E.U. Business Travel to U.S.

May 21, 2025 at 5:31 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“Business travel bookings from Europe to the United States crashed by more than a quarter in April compared to the same month in 2024, a sign of the widening collapse of positive views of America under Donald Trump,” Politico reports.

Judge Berates Prosecutors Over Arrest of Mayor

May 21, 2025 at 5:21 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“A magistrate judge upbraided federal prosecutors Wednesday as he granted their request to dismiss trespassing charges against Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, calling the government’s abrupt about-face ‘a worrisome misstep’ in a case that has stoked a political firestorm,” the Washington Post reports.

Said U.S. Magistrate Judge Andre Espinosa: “An arrest of a public figure is not a preliminary investigative tool. It is a severe action. It should only be undertaken after a thorough, dispassionate investigation of credible evidence.”

Mike Johnson Loses Another Vote

May 21, 2025 at 5:12 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

Rep. John Rose (R-TN) “is poised to join conservative hard-liners in opposing the current draft of the Republican megabill now moving through the House,” Politico reports.

“Rose, who is planning to publicly announce his opposition, has not been especially vocal inside the GOP conference in objecting to particular provisions of the legislation. He is not in the House Freedom Caucus, nor has he previously raised concerns about Medicaid cuts or other controversial portions of the bill.”

House Republicans to Probe Use of Autopens

May 21, 2025 at 5:10 pm EDT By Taegan Goddard Leave a Comment

“As House Republicans prepare to investigate former President Joe Biden’s health and mental fitness while in office, they are increasingly zeroing in on his use of a so-called autopen to sign certain pieces of legislation and executive orders.,” NBC News reports.

“Autopens have been used in the White House to generate signatures for decades, with Barack Obama being the first president to use it to sign legislation. But congressional Republicans — who are largely taking their cues from President Donald Trump — see the use of autopens as a key line of attack as they reopen a probe into Biden’s mental acuity and his ability to do his job as president.”

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About Political Wire

goddard-bw-snapshotTaegan Goddard is the founder of Political Wire, one of the earliest and most influential political web sites. He also runs Political Job Hunt, Electoral Vote Map and the Political Dictionary.

Goddard spent more than a decade as managing director and chief operating officer of a prominent investment firm in New York City. Previously, he was a policy adviser to a U.S. Senator and Governor.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country.

Goddard earned degrees from Vassar College and Harvard University. He lives in New York with his wife and three sons.

Goddard is the owner of Goddard Media LLC.

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