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Presented by bp: An evening recap of the action on Capitol Hill and preview of the day ahead | | | | |  | | By Daniella Diaz | | | With assists from POLITICO’s Congress team
|  For those keeping score at home, three of the 17 Republicans backed Trump after Super Tuesday’s results. | AP | TIPPING POINT ALERT: VULNERABLE REPUBLICANS GO 10-7 FOR TRUMP It’s been a big week, from Super Tuesday to the State of the Union. So we thought we’d check in on an important group of lawmakers: the 17 House Republicans who represent districts that President Joe Biden carried in 2020. It turns out that, six weeks after we told you Trump was still short of a majority among the GOP group, 10 of the 17 are now endorsing the former president. Why some are still quiet: In a way, given Nikki Haley’s exit from the primary after Trump’s dominant Super Tuesday performance, it’s surprising that more of the 17 aren’t getting behind the now-presumptive nominee. But Republicans are fighting hard to keep their House majority in November – and the incumbents who represent districts Biden carried in 2020 are courting Democratic attacks by aligning with the polarizing former president. “Donald Trump said it best himself: ‘They always bend the knee,’” Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesperson Viet Shelton said in response to a majority of the 17 Biden-district Republicans falling in line. For those keeping score at home, three of the 17 Republicans backed Trump after Super Tuesday’s results. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.) posted on X about Trump: “I will be supporting him for president, so the American people know their voices were heard and get the relief they deserve from Joe Biden’s failures.” Shortly after, Jen Kiggans (R-Va.) said on X: “I’m supporting President Trump because it is now time to unify as a party, turn our attention to defeating Joe Biden and strengthen our majority in the House.” And Rep. Juan Ciscomani, who’s running a tough race in Arizona, waited until Thursday to say on X: “The voters have spoken overwhelmingly, and it’s time to unite together and win back the White House in November. That’s why Donald Trump has my endorsement for President of the United States.” They joined the ranks of the others whose districts Biden won in 2020 and are now behind Trump: Reps. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.), John Duarte (R-Calif.), Brandon Williams (R-N.Y.), Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) and Anthony D’Esposito (R-N.Y.). How we count the pro-Trump: Our count of Trump endorsers among the 17 includes Reps. Marc Molinaro (R-N.Y.) and Mike Garcia (R-Calif.), who have already said they’d support the Republican nominee. The seven who haven’t endorsed: Reps. David Schweikert (R-Ariz.), Young Kim (R-Calif.), Michelle Steel (R-Calif.), Tom Kean Jr. (R-N.J.), Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) and David Valadao (R-Calif.). One of them isn’t endorsing Trump anytime soon. Faith Mabry, Valadao’s spokesperson, said in a statement: “Rep. Valadao is focused on his own competitive race and is not getting involved in the presidential.” When asked about a majority of the 17 Biden-district GOP incumbents endorsing Trump, National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Jack Pandol parried with a reminder of the sitting president’s low recent approval ratings. “Every swing district Democrat has strapped the Joe Biden anvil around their ankles and thrown it overboard,” Pandol said. “If Democrats want to play the comparison game between the last four years and the four years before that, we would love to have that conversation.” — Daniella Diaz
| | | | A message from bp: Across the US, bp supports more than 275,000 jobs to keep our energy flowing. Like building grid-scale solar in Ohio and producing gas with fewer operational emissions in Texas. See how else bp is investing in America. | | | GOOD EVENING! Welcome to Inside Congress, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Friday, March 8, where we are so excited it’s the weekend. MUCH ADO ABOUT HATS One Democrat who has her own distinctive hat collection had some strong words about Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's (R-Ga.) decision to wear a Make America Great Again hat during the State of the Union last night. "Marjorie Taylor Greene did not obey the rules of the House…I’ve obeyed them since I arrived. I thought it was wrong. And the hat that she wore was really a political hat. And that itself is against the rules of the House," said Rep. Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.), who takes her own hats off on the House floor in accordance with the chamber's rules. Greene had said the Sergeant at Arms had asked her to leave the speech if she didn't take her hat off, which she refused to do. — Nicholas Wu SENATE GOP STARTS NAMING THEIR PRICE Senate Republicans are preparing to begin a new era of conference leadership. And they have some ideas of how they want their incoming leaders to commit to running things. What’s on the table:
- Multiple Republicans expressed interest in changing up committee assignments — or making them more “decentralized,” as Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) put it. Currently, panel slots are doled out unilaterally by leadership.
- Some were particularly interested in floor management. Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) said he wants to see new leaders commit “to restoring a calendar that reflects a lot of floor time for important stuff, mainly appropriations.”
- Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) said he wants new leadership to ensure the Senate is more “efficient,” with more timely votes.
- Improving the amendment process was also on quite a few minds. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), a potential leadership candidate, argued for a more “robust” amendment process: “If I can't get the votes it’s fine. But if I don't get the opportunity to present my views, I mean, that's leadership’s fault.”
- Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) wants an explicit commitment from leadership to not “fill the tree.” In layman’s terms, he wants leadership to not fill up amendment slots in a way that prevents rank-and-file senators from getting their own amendments through.
Conservatives also seem particularly interested in a proposal by Cornyn to impose term limits for GOP leaders. Both the Senate Republican whip and Senate Republican Conference chair are subject to six-year term limits. The leader, however, can get reelected indefinitely according to the current rules.
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) told POLITICO that “everybody else is term limited” so “it doesn't make any sense to have the leader not.” Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) said “two terms is enough — maybe we'll do three — but I'm for putting a limit on it.” Others weren’t as bought in. Cramer, for instance, said he’s “not much for term limits, period, of any type, because that restricts our options.” The question remains whether conservative senators control enough votes to successfully push leadership candidates to make them assurances. Recall that former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, given the GOP’s small House majority this Congress, had to make his own promises to the right flank in order to earn the votes he needed on the floor. Which reminds us: Some of these Senate conservative ideas are reminiscent of what House conservatives pushed McCarthy for. And we all know how that worked out. — Ursula Perano
| | | | GROWING IN THE GOLDEN STATE: POLITICO California is growing, reinforcing our role as the indispensable insider source for reporting on politics, policy and power. From the corridors of power in Sacramento and Los Angeles to the players and innovation hubs in Silicon Valley, we're your go-to for navigating the political landscape across the state. Exclusive scoops, essential daily newsletters, unmatched policy reporting and insights — POLITICO California is your key to unlocking Golden State politics. LEARN MORE. | | | | | PICTURE-PERFECT PATRICK? If Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) gets a portrait in the Capitol, you'd better believe he’ll be in a bow tie. McHenry’s friends in Congress won’t stop ribbing their retiring colleague about whether he deserves a portrait in the Speaker’s Lobby – where previous holders of the gavel are memorialized on canvas – after his reluctant stint as acting speaker in October. As most of our readers will recall, McHenry stepped in to lead as the conference was in meltdown mode trying to replace ousted Speaker Kevin McCarthy. “There've been a lot of jokes about” a portrait, McHenry told us this week. He is confident he is eligible for a portrait for his time as Financial Services Committee chair, but he’s less sure about his not-so-enjoyable time helming the House during a leadership crisis. It was an unprecedented move to install a temporary speaker after the removal of another, so there isn’t exactly a guidebook for the speaker pro tempore’s perks. Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.), one of McHenry’s closest friends on Capitol Hill, says the decision for a portrait is already made. “We decided he should get one that is about 8 1/2 by 11,” Graves quipped. “Which would actually be from the proportional perspective – significantly bigger than other speakers.” McHenry himself has been making jokes about a tiny likeness since last year, when he joked that McCarthy’s official portrait should include a miniature picture of him within it. The topic is fodder for plenty of humor, but it’s also serious business. Congress stopped using federal dollars for lawmaker portraits a decade ago, meaning that members have to fundraise for their own art. Asked how colleagues planned to raise money for McHenry’s potential portrait, Graves recounted the question to McHenry incredulously before replying: “Are you kidding me? It's gonna be on a laser printer, 8 1/2 by 11.” Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-Okla.), who serves on the House Administration Committee, said she texted McHenry that “I will get you a portrait.” But she also joked it might be the AI rendering of McHenry that went viral during his brief time with the gavel. Reality check: Jane L. Campbell, president and CEO of the U.S. Capitol Historical Society – which “proudly manages the Congressional Portrait Program” – says McHenry won’t get a speaker’s portrait. “Patrick McHenry is not eligible for a House portrait as former acting Speaker Pro Tempore,” Campbell said in a statement. “We are unaware of formal discussions regarding a portrait for Congressman McHenry.” Speakers’ portraits aren’t guaranteed a spot in the lobby, where members and the press often meet for interviews. Disgraced former Speaker Dennis Hastert’s portrait, for example, was removed after his criminal conviction, as were those of former Confederates who held the post before the Civil War ended. — Katherine Tully-McManus
| | | | YOUR GUIDE TO EMPIRE STATE POLITICS: From the newsroom that doesn’t sleep, POLITICO's New York Playbook is the ultimate guide for power players navigating the intricate landscape of Empire State politics. Stay ahead of the curve with the latest and most important stories from Albany, New York City and around the state, with in-depth, original reporting to stay ahead of policy trends and political developments. Subscribe now to keep up with the daily hustle and bustle of NY politics. | | | | | CORRECTION: Thursday’s newsletter misreported how Reps. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) and David Trone (D-Md.) voted on the Laken Riley Act.
| | The vibes are bad in the Senate today. This is … not a great tweet, Jared Moskowitz. He owned up to it, but it was on International Women’s Day.
| | | | A message from bp:   | | | QUICK LINKS A Washington Bulwark Against Putin Is Being Rocked by Internal Strife. Is It Simple Dysfunction — or Something Worse?, from Michael Schaffer The Mystery Social Media Account Schooling Congress on How to Do Its Job, from Gabe Fleisher MONDAY IN CONGRESS The House and Senate are in session. MONDAY AROUND THE HILL Crickets.
| | | | A message from bp: bp added more than $70 billion to the US economy in 2022 by keeping oil and gas flowing and developing more lower carbon energy. It’s and, not or. See what doing both means for energy nationwide. | | | | | THURSDAY’S ANSWER: Andrew Stahovec correctly answered that William Henry Harrison and James Garfield both died before they had a chance to provide the State of the Union. TODAY’S QUESTION: Which former president held a job as a lifeguard at a local river in his youth? The first person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Inside Congress. Send your answers to insidecongress@politico.com. GET INSIDE CONGRESS emailed to your phone each evening. Follow Daniella on X at @DaniellaMicaela. | | | | Follow us | | | | |  |
