“Garbage men get used to the smell of bad garbage.
— Speaker John Boehner, in an interview with Politico, on the endless hours he spends fundraising.
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Why John Boehner Could Be Ousted as Speaker
First Read says “you have the making for a perfect storm — a conservative electorate angry that President Obama is poised for another win, despite Republicans controlling both chambers of Congress; a 2016 race where the incentive is for the candidates to move to the right; and the Age of Trump where his central argument is: ‘Why is everyone so weak?’ If you add those things up and throw in a fight over Planned Parenthood and abortion, then you get trouble. Big trouble.”
“Here is the irony about Boehner’s predicament: He’s with GOP conservatives on the ideology. He’s against Planned Parenthood. He’s against the Iran deal. He criticizes Obama at every opportunity (see his comments yesterday on the Syrian migrants). But Boehner’s problem isn’t ideology; it’s tactics. House conservatives view Obama as someone who’s willing to do whatever it takes to win — executive action, Dem Senate eliminating the filibuster for executive appointments — and they don’t know why their leaders aren’t doing everything they can do to beat him. And now you have the situation where House GOP leaders can no longer blame Harry Reid and Senate Democrats for their inability to stop Obama since Republicans have the majority in that chamber.”
Boehner’s Future as Speaker in Doubt
Politico: “Something has changed for John Boehner. Figures in his close-knit circle of allies are starting to privately wonder whether he can survive an all-but-certain floor vote this fall to remain speaker of the House. And, for the first time, many top aides and lawmakers in the House do not believe he will run for another term as House leader in 2017. The Boehner era might be coming to an end, they say.”
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“I’m confident as we get into this fall, we’re gonna have pretty smooth sailing.”
— Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), quoted by The Hill, on the packed schedule facing lawmakers when they return from August recess.
Boehner Annoyed with Challenge to His Leadership
Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) “brushed off a challenge to his leadership from Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC), but not without showing some irritation,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Said Boehner: “We’ve got a member here, a member there, who are off the reservation. No big deal.”
“But Mr. Boehner displayed flashes of annoyance when asked if the House should vote on the Meadows resolution. The provision must go through the House Rules Committee, where the members are chosen by Mr. Boehner and aren’t obligated to advance it.”
GOP Lawmaker Seeks to Oust Boehner as Speaker
NBC News: “A House Republican often at odds with John Boehner launched a bid Tuesday to kick the speaker of the house out of his job — an almost unheard-of rebellion but one that has been simmering for months. Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) filed a motion to ‘vacate the chair’ — a parliamentary maneuver that could be used to depose Boehner. The motion accuses Boehner of having ‘endeavored to consolidate power and centralize decision-making, bypassing the majority of the 435 Members of Congress and the people they represent,’ and of using ‘the power of the office to punish Members who vote according to their conscience instead of the will of the Speaker.'”
Punished GOP Lawmaker Stirs Talk of Rebellion
“A band of House conservatives is discussing whether to retaliate against GOP leaders for punishing rank-and-file lawmakers who voted against a procedural vote on trade earlier this month,” The Hill reports.
“Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC), one of several conservatives targeted by leadership, said members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus will discuss whether to block legislation or try once again to oust Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) from power.”
House Nears ‘Doc Fix’ Breakthrough
“The House is inching closer to a major deal on Medicare payments that could help cement a legacy for Speaker John Boehner,” The Hill reports.
“Boehner has spent two months quietly working with Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to finally solve a Medicare payment problem that has eluded congressional leaders for more than 20 years. ”
Democrats Want to Empower Boehner
“House Democrats fighting for leverage in the GOP Congress are hoping they can empower an unlikely ally: Speaker John Boehner (R-OH),” The Hill reports.
“Democrats are outnumbered by more than 50 members – and have almost no power to bring bills to the floor. But they see Boehner as a willing compromiser on must-pass legislation like funding the government and raising the debt ceiling – once the Speaker can convince his troops that the partisan route endorsed by his conservative wing has been denied.”
“By banding together in veto-sustaining majorities against conservative proposals demanded by Boehner’s right flank, Democrats hope to both sink those GOP measures and grease the skids for more moderate compromises.”
Conservatives Angry After Boehner Allies Attack
“Conservatives are seething after an outside group aligned with Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) spent hundreds of thousands of dollars targeting a trio of Republican lawmakers over threats to shut down the Department of Homeland Security,” The Hill reports.
“Tea Party Rep. Steve King (R-IA) equated the attack ads to GOP ‘cannibalism,’ while his conservative colleague Rep. Matt Salmon (R-AZ) called them a ‘stupid’ tactic that would backfire.”
Boehner Will Launch Broad Probe of Clinton Emails
House Speaker John Boehner “is expected to announce this week a new investigation into Hillary Clinton’s email practices as Secretary of State, including her admission that more than 31,000 emails were destroyed because she determined them to be personal,” ABC News reports.
Clinton said “she deleted all of the personal emails because she felt she ‘had no reason to save them.’ The revelation has only raised more questions among Clinton’s detractors about what was in those emails and why she used the private account in the first place.”
David Remnick: “Why do I suddenly feel twenty years younger yet thoroughly exhausted?”
King Says He Faced Retribution from Boehner
Rep. Steve King (R-IA), a leading conservative opponent of President Obama’s executive action on immigration, said Speaker John Boehner’s office canceled funding at the last-minute for what he called “a very important diplomatic mission,” CNN reports.
“That came after King and a group of about 50 Republicans opposed Boehner’s eleventh-hour attempt to fund the Department of Homeland Security without rolling back the executive order.”
Said King: “He’s currently throwing tantrums. This is retribution on the highest scale.”
A New Conservative Caucus
“A familiar problem for House Speaker John Boehner has a new name: the House Freedom Caucus,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
“Little more than a month ago, nine House Republicans formed the latest group dedicated to pulling policy to the right. One funding fight with GOP leaders later, the Freedom Caucus is expanding, according to lawmakers.”
“As the group has grown, so, too, has frustration among fellow Republicans that the conservative faction’s strategy is undercutting GOP efforts to demonstrate it can govern competently, now that the party controls both chambers of Congress.”
Democrats Vow to Protect Boehner from Coup
“Tea Party Republicans contemplating a bid to oust Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) shouldn’t count on Democrats to help them unseat the Speaker. And without their support, there is no chance to topple Boehner in this Congress,” The Hill reports.
“Democrats from across an ideological spectrum say they’d rather see Boehner remain atop the House than replace him with a more conservative Speaker who would almost certainly be less willing to reach across the aisle in search of compromise. Replacing him with a Tea Party Speaker, they say, would only bring the legislative process — already limping along — to a screeching halt.”
Boehner Caves on Homeland Security Funding
Speaker John Boehner “told his restive flock Tuesday that he will allow a vote on a clean Homeland Security spending bill later today, citing concerns about terrorism and pinning blame on the Senate for failing to pass limits on President Obama’s immigration actions,” Roll Call reports.
“The Ohio Republican told his members the Senate’s DHS bill would be brought up for a vote after it arrives back in the House later today, according to a source in the room. That effectively leaves it up to the courts to rein in Obama — or not.”
Said Boehner: “Unfortunately, the fight was never won in the other chamber. Democrats stayed united and blocked our bill, and our Republican colleagues in the Senate never found a way to win this fight.”
GOP Leaders, Conservatives Plot Next Moves
“House Republican leaders don’t expect to have a plan to fund the Department of Homeland Security until mid-week, potentially setting up another frantic shutdown fight later this week,” Politico reports.
“With a Friday deadline looming, Republican leaders are set to meet Monday afternoon to begin to plot their way out of what’s become one of the worst jams of John Boehner’s (R-Ohio) speakership.”
“Just hours after the leadership meeting, another emerging power center — the House Freedom Caucus, led by Ohio GOP Rep. Jim Jordan — will gather Monday night to plan their next moves. Sources in the newly formed group say its members aren’t moving to oust Boehner, but some conservatives would support removing the speaker if it came up.”
Will John Boehner Be Ousted as Speaker?
Speaker John Boehner’s allies “are concerned after Friday’s setback that his critics inside the Republican Conference may try to oust him as speaker if — as expected — he puts a long-term DHS funding bill on the House floor next week. While Boehner shrugs off such speculation, close friends believe such a move is a real possibility,” Politico reports.
Said one GOP lawmaker close to Boehner: “There is a lot of speculation about this. People are watching for this very, very closely.”
Quote of the Day
“John Boehner’s view of security is the security of his gavel and tonight it’s less secure.”
— Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY), quoted by Politico, suggesting last night humiliating defeat for Speaker John Boehner “could dislodge the GOP leadership team.”
