THE TOP
Happy Thursday morning.
New … The Conference announcement: We’ll be sitting down at The Conference with White House Director of Legislative Affairs James Braid and James Blair, the White House deputy chief of staff for legislative, political and public affairs.
Braid and Blair are at the center of passing President Donald Trump’s legislative agenda. We’ll get a download from them on what to expect on Capitol Hill and in Washington during the coming weeks and months.
Braid and Blair will join a best-in-class list of D.C. power players including Speaker Mike Johnson, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and many more.
The Conference is an invite-only event on March 11 in D.C.
Now let’s talk about House Democrats. Consider the position that House Democrats find themselves in right now.
The House will vote today on a GOP resolution to censure Rep. Al Green (D-Texas).
During the biggest night of the Washington calendar, in which tens of millions of people tuned into the Capitol, the 77-year-old Green was ejected from the House chamber after he waved his cane, screamed at Trump and refused to relent when Speaker Mike Johnson asked.
The House Democratic leadership had asked rank-and-file members to sit somberly during Trump’s address to Congress. Instead, in addition to Green’s outburst, a number of Democrats booed and hissed at Trump. Scores held signs berating Trump and mega billionaire Elon Musk.
Top Democrats wanted to keep the fight with Trump and Republicans about policy. Leadership suggested that they keep the focus on Trump, the massive wave of DOGE-related layoffs, slashing Medicaid and tax cuts for the rich.
Yet this week will end with the Green censure vote and a burst of internal Democratic Caucus infighting over how best to counter Trump, who they all loathe but can’t seem to beat (at least not right now).
Multiple House Democrats complained to us that their leadership isn’t providing sufficient guidance on key issues. This situation reared its head on Tuesday, when moderate Democrats were surprised – and dismayed – at the tone and scale of their colleagues’ protests.
There’s a furious energy coming from the base demanding action and leverage that Democrats don’t really have. But when Democrats do try to show they’re fighting back, the party is often ridiculed for appearing “out of touch.”
Just take a look at how different the vibes are between progressives and Frontliners over what happened during Trump’s address.
“The bottom line is a lot of people are upset, and they expressed they’re being upset,” said Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.), who won back a swing Long Island district for Democrats last year:
Suozzi added: “I also thought it was inappropriate, the interruptions of the president when he was speaking… It was bad when Republicans did it to Democratic presidents too.”
Rep. Eric Sorensen (D-Ill.) put it this way: “I have to serve the Republicans, the Democrats and the independents in my district and so for me, it meant sitting there and clapping.”
Meanwhile, Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-Texas), who held up a sign that read “False” while Trump was speaking, said it isn’t enough for Democrats to stay silent and simply vote no.
“My intention was to make sure we didn’t sit there and allow him to say anything he wanted,” Escobar told us. “We’re a big tent party and we have Democrats who will vote for certain bills that I don’t agree with, but I respect where they’re coming from. I honor their perspective and I don’t look down on them.”
Some members who were upset by the lack of decorum during Trump’s speech suggested House Democratic leadership isn’t disciplining members who step out of line.
Rep. Greg Landsman (D-Ohio) expressed a desire to move on from “all of the grievance crap and the cultural war nonsense — whether it’s screaming and shouting from Republicans or paddle signs from Democrats.”
“Unfortunately, that’s going to be very difficult while he’s president,” Landsman acknowledged.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) added: “I stood for the president out of respect for the office and the American people and for the young boy fighting cancer.” Khanna said Tuesday was “not a proud moment for politics in our nation.”
“My view is we push back on Trump by going to voters in red areas, making the case for our vision, and sharing the firings of veterans and cuts in Medicaid that will impact their lives,” Khanna said.
As they angrily protest over the latest round of DOGE layoffs, Democrats are at the biggest legislative leverage point of the first half of the year – the March 14 government-funding deadline.
The big ask that Democrats have mustered is that Republicans agree to limit how Trump can spend money. Of course, Trump would never sign anything like that. We’ll see in a few days whether House Democrats vote for the funding bill anyway.
Raising the debt limit and a disaster-aid package may also emerge as key issues, even as Republicans struggle to craft a massive reconciliation package.
Yet unlike 2017, when Republicans last held the House, Senate and White House, Democrats don’t have a competitive special election to hang their hopes on, unless a very big surprise happens in Rep. Elise Stefanik’s (R-N.Y.) solid-red seat. Stefanik will resign soon to become U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
— Jake Sherman, Max Cohen, Mica Soellner and John Bresnahan
Happening in one week: Join Punchbowl News next Thursday, March 13 for a wide-ranging conversation with former astronaut and current Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), on the news of the day and the continued development of space policy. Afterward, we’ll have a fireside chat with Tory Bruno, President and CEO of the United Launch Alliance. RSVP to save your spot!
