Republicans returned to Washington on Monday night in an increasingly dour mood about the state of their party: Growing fears of a November wipeout. A Middle East war with no end in sight. A feeling of loss after the sudden death of their longtime colleague Lindsey Graham.
Now, with President Donald Trump’s attention focused on Capitol Hill for what could be the party’s final legislative sprint before the midterms, a restless House Speaker Mike Johnson is racing to reverse Republicans’ political fortunes.
Johnson is privately pushing a major legislative push centered on Pentagon funding, cutting government fraud and a new grant program to promote elections overhaul, according to multiple people briefed on his plans. Details are scarce, but the bill — dubbed Trump’s agenda 3.0 — is an eleventh-hour attempt to unite the party’s warring factions after months of chaos. If he succeeds, it could rescue a flailing Hill GOP and offer lawmakers a fresh political win ahead of their August recess campaigning.
“This really is the last opportunity,” said Rep. August Pfluger of Texas, who has spent months pushing for a third Trump agenda bill. “I think the Republican voters that gave a mandate to President Trump want to see us continue to work to our very last breath of this session.”
