Friday began with House conservatives holding a press conference to trash the $1.2 trillion spending bill their leaders negotiated with Democrats, sparking some fears about its prospects.
It squeaked through — requiring 67% of the House, it ended up winning 68% — but a majority of Republicans voted against it.
It was just the first headache of the day for House Republicans as they adjourned for a two-week recess, offering a distillation of the infighting and disenchantment that continues to plague the party 15 months into its narrow majority. Things were about to get worse.
Moments later, far-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., shocked her colleagues by filing a motion to overthrow Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., blasting his stewardship of the chamber and threatening renewed turmoil at the helm of her party.
Congress is a little bit of sitting and voting, and a lot of background hustle. If you think about it, it takes an hour or two to vote on a bill, maybe a day to debate it in the floor. The rest of the time is writing bills (or having them written), explaining to people why they should vote for them, making deals to secure votes, or hustling for power. When people say it’s a lot like high school, it is.