House panel advances three major bills after marathon hearing, but fate on floor uncertain

Republican leaders snapped the House out of a state of limbo caused by GOP infighting as the House Rules Committee advanced an ambitious slate of high-profile, must-pass bills on Tuesday evening — tacking on two major sweeteners to appease corn-state Republicans and hardline conservatives.

The panel, after a marathon hearing that stretched over two days and saw Democrats offer amendment after amendment, advanced a procedural rule to tee up consideration on three major bills: one reauthorizing foreign spy powers in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which are set to expire after Thursday; the sprawling Farm Bill; and the Senate-passed budget reconciliation blueprint setting up a GOP-only path to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol, as part of a two-step way to end the record-long Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown.

The rule encompassing all three bills must still pass the full House before lawmakers vote on each measure individually — and that could prove to be a heavy lift.

Speaker Mike Johnston (R-La.) can only afford to lose two GOP votes and a number of Republicans have expressed deep reservations.

Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) wrote on X Tuesday evening that she is a “NO on the Rule.”

“I filed multiple non controversial amendments to the Farm Bill to help rural Coloradans. @RepJoeNeguse asked the Rules Committee to consider them on the House floor. The Republicans on the committee unanimously voted against them and they will not even be considered for a floor vote. Farmers and ranchers in my district are counting on me to be their voice in DC and our “leadership” is not letting me do my job,” she said.

The bill new renew the nation’s spy powers and the budget resolution have drawn similar consternation.

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