House Budget Vote Today, Leader Jeffries on MSNBC, Let's Keep Making Calls People!

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Morning all. Big day in DC today. Speaker Johnson intends to bring up the Trump-House GOP budget framework for a vote. The one that will 1) dramatically cut health care for 72m Americans 2) cuts taxes for the wealthy and corporations 3) explode the deficit. While #1 and #2 have gotten the most attention #3 - a huge increase in the deficit - matters for it makes them liars about wanting to “save money” through whatever the fuck Musk is doing right now. Republicans are planning on dramatically increasing the deficit and debt, not cut it.

As of this morning Mike Johnson doesn’t have the votes to pass this first step in the House budget process. Here’s the latest from Politico, Big beautiful budget on life support:

Mike Johnson has about 12 hours to get his conference behind his plan for enacting the president’s sweeping agenda. It’s not looking good.

The speaker insists he’s not changing the budget resolution, which would set parameters for a sweeping bill to address border security, energy and tax policy. If House Democrats are at full attendance, just two GOP “no” votes would sink the resolution.

He and other GOP leaders held meetings late into the night Monday to try to flip holdouts, who fall into two camps with diametrically opposed demands: centrists who don’t want significant reductions to Medicaid and other safety-net programs, and conservatives who want steeper spending cuts.

There was some progress from those meetings. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, previously undecided, said she was leaning yes after she left Johnson’s office. But a handful of other centrists, including Reps. Tony Gonzales and Juan Ciscomani, remain undecided.

Many of them met Monday night with Energy and Commerce Chair Brett Guthrie, as Republican leaders are scrambling to find cuts to other programs to soften the blow to Medicaid, according to three people granted anonymity to speak frankly. The existing budget framework would have Guthrie’s committee cut $880 billion from initiatives under the panel’s purview — with Medicaid poised to feature prominently on the chopping block.

“I don't know how you do it without cutting Medicaid seriously,” Rep. Jeff Van Drew said. “And so that's my concern, and that's why, at this point, I'm a lean no.”

But some conservatives might be a problem, too. Reps. Tim Burchett and Victoria Spartz say they are currently opposed, though they still plan to talk with GOP leadership prior to the vote. Rep. Thomas Massie has told fellow Republicans he’s a no. Rep. Andy Ogles and other hard-liners are still furious there aren't deeper spending cuts in the plans and are threatening to tank the resolution on the floor Tuesday night. And still others are signaling they want answers about a government funding deal before they vote to adopt a budget resolution.

Johnson likely hoped he would get some backup from Trump in the leadup to the big vote, but that hasn’t materialized yet. Van Drew said he spoke to Trump and that they’re “aligned” on not wanting to cut people’s health care, but the New Jersey Republican said Trump didn’t ask him to support the budget resolution. And Elon Musk wrote “that sounds bad” in response to a Massie X post that said the budget plan would add to the deficit.

Johnson said Monday night that he still planned to hold the vote today, adding: “I think we’re on track.”

Last night Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries spoke to Rachel Maddow about the vote today and the uprising we are starting to see across the country. It is well worth your time:

We need to keep making calls today people. It really matters. There can be no question that our work, and the work of many others, has encouraged the growing grassroots response to Trump’s ongoing attack on the America of the Four Freedoms. Call today to let your Democratic Reps know you not only expect them to vote against the resolution but to publicly fight against using all means available to them as leaders of The Opposition. For those of you in Republican districts, your calls are even more important today, particularly in those 17 vulnerable House seats we’ve been targeting. Cracks are appearing in Trump’s Congressional support. There is clear concern now, being voiced daily, by Republicans now about Trump’s Medicare-cutting budget framework; his selling out to Putin; Musk’s unconstitutional and dangerous attack on our government, its workers and the American people. Trump and Musk keep losing in court. Our side is beginning to find it’s mojo. As I wrote to the other day Trump had a bad week last week. Let’s make this one another bad one for the Great Betrayer, Donald The Weak, Putin’s Errand Boy.

For remember little cracks can become big cracks. Little wins can become big ones. Having this budget vote today fail would be an important win - let’s keep working it people!

A fun German video making the rounds (no translation needed):

Notes On The Path Forward, Building An Effective and Ferocious Opposition - See my new essays (here, here) on this process of building the opposition and our critical role in leading the way; watch my new video that goes into greater detail, reminding us that

We are Americans. Fighting for freedom and democracy is what we do. Who we are.

Learn why I think it’s time for Congressional Dems to “let Facts be submitted to a candid world;” read my post that pulls together all my big recommendations for the pro-democracy family; and watch my recent interviews with Rep. Eric Swalwell and journalist Leon Krauze for in-depth discussions on how we must fight harder, smarter and get much much louder now!

OK, Let’s Get To Work!!!! - Here are my current working recommendations for calls/contacts this week. Four today, and thanks to all of you who are busting your ass right now:

• Keep calling to stop Musk’s crime spree and assault on the US government. Encourage your Senators and Reps to let Facts be be submitted to a candid world and criminal referrals filed for him and his malicious posse to DOJ/FBI; insist Senators and Reps file amicus briefs in the court cases regarding the usurpation of their Constitutional authorities or file suits of their own; encourage them to hold a daily morning press conference to more aggressively challenge Musk’s ransacking of the USG that is making America less prosperous, less healthy, less safe and far less respected in the world.

• For those of you who live in AZ, CA, CO, IA, MI, NE, NJ, NY, PA, VA, WI please start talking to your local orgs - state and local Democratic parties, grassroots groups, traditional Dem allies - about mounting a campaign targeting the most vulnerable 17 Republican House Members to urge them to vote against the emerging - and disastrous - House budget plan. We launched this new effort last Monday, and while we should be urging all our Senators and Reps to vote against these emerging plans, those of you can work these 17 House Rs have a special role to play in the coming battle over the budget. As we saw on Thursday House Rs are wavering on this terrible House budget bill and their polling is telling them to vote it down. Need to keep working!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

• Keep calling Attorneys General in the states. Ask them to protect you and your data, tax returns and privacy, and to keep federally mandated monies flowing to your states and communities. For those in the 19 states that brought the successful Treasury suit thank them and encourage them to keep going. I still believe these 19 states should make criminal referrals of Musk/his posse to DOJ/FBI and raise the stakes.

• Let your electeds know you are outraged by traitorous Trump’s selling out of Zelenskyy, abandonment of Europe and embrace of Putin; and that we cannot accept this level of appeasement of someone who is a clear enemy of America and the West, and certainly not an ally. Demand that Trump not let his Saudi meeting w/Putin become our Munich; demand that he not become our Neville Chamberlain.

Paid subscribers should self-report their actions today in our daily chat. So inspired by how hard so many of you are working. I want to make a special plea to all Hopium readers in states with Republican Senators - please make your calls, every day. Even 50 to 100 people calling every day in every red state can make a difference. We have hundreds of Hopium subscribers in every state in the country and it’s critical that we all do our part now.

A note - while physical protests and rallies are a vital part of how we build our new opposition movement, make sure you only attend or promote events by organizations you know and trust. Please do not support any action - boycott, protest, rally, etc - unless you know and trust the organizers. Given the import of our work now I don’t think it wise or advisable to lend our support to newly formed, opaque organizations without a proven track record of working with Democratic groups and leaders.

For those wanting to do more traditional political/campaign work we have three Hopium-backed efforts we're rallying behind right now:

Help Susan Crawford and Ben Wikler in Wisconsin - As a way of honoring our good friend Ben Wikler and supporting this critical April Supreme Court race in Wisconsin, I’m asking our community to donate to the Wisconsin Democratic Party today. The money raised here will make sure Ben has the resources he needs to keep his team in place so they can support this critical statewide race. I know many of you are already deeply involved here - thank you all.

Watch our new discussion with Susan and Ben and thanks to a huge surge of support in recent days we have already raised $87,000, blowing past our $50,000 goal. We are now upping this to a stretch goal of $100,000 by March 31st. Amazing work everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Help Get Ken Martin Off To A Strong Start - In this time of extraordinary challenge we need a strong DNC. Two weeks ago we set a goal of raising $100,000 by March 31st for our new Chair. Incredibly, over 1,000 of you have donated over $89,000 so far. Watch my interview with Ken about what he wants to do with the DNC, and chip in whatever you can to help Ken and the new exciting team at the DNC get off to a strong start. We now have a new stretch goal of $150,000 by March 31st after our very strong start for this effort (note that we did have some money clawed back due to an error in the amount someone gave!)

Help Abigail Spanberger Win Virginia - Virginia will be one of the big battlegrounds of the November, 2025 elections and we have a great candidate for Governor, Abigail Spanberger. Watch my interview with Abigail, donate, volunteer, and learn more here. Given how many federal employees live in Virginia, this race is also now on the front lines of the Trump/Musk assault on the federal government. We’ve raised more than $48,000 so far towards our March 31st goal of $100,000 - thank you all. Let’s keep working it for Abigail!

Get Anderson Clayton And The NC Dems Off To A Great Start - Yesterday webegan a campaign to raise $50,000 for Anderson Clayton and the NC Dems. These funds will help the NC Dems get off to a great start in 2025 and help cover the costs of their fight to prevent the Republicans from stealing a Supreme Court seat. We’ve raised $4,600 so far - thank you all!

More Things To Do - Dive into my recent interviews with folks who are making a difference. Check out our upcoming events. Register for my March 5th event with Heather Cox Richardson!

Keep working hard all. Proud to be in this fight with all of you - Simon