Republican lawmakers 'unraveling' as Mike Johnson faces 'absolutely brutal week': report

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) was confronted with a “multifront picture of chaos” Tuesday after House Republicans failed to advance a key priority during what Punchbowl News has described as an “absolutely brutal week.”

“This week is already unraveling for House Republicans. And it’s only Tuesday,” the outlet wrote Tuesday in its morning newsletter.

House Republicans are facing a confluence of challenges this week. A law that permits national intelligence agencies to surveil Americans in some instances is set to expire on Thursday, one that President Donald Trump has urged Congress to extend. House Republicans recessed a crucial committee Monday night “without a path forward” on extending that law.

Johnson is also working to get ahead of another deadline that lands on Thursday: funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which Congress has left unfunded for 73 days, but has been partially funded through April 30 with executive orders. The Senate passed a bill to fund DHS while excluding two federal immigration enforcement agencies, but Johnson “wants to change” the bill to lump them back in, a challenging prospect given the GOP’s slim House majority.

“All together, this paints a multifront picture of chaos for Johnson and other top House Republicans,” Punchbowl News’ report reads. “It puts new pressure on the Senate. And time is running short before next week’s recess.”

The repeated attempts by House Republican leadership to advance their agenda have frustrated some of its members.

“They keep coming back with the same stuff,” said Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN), Punchbowl News reported.

“Still no warrants, still no [Central Bank Digital Currency], still no penalties to amount to anything. We’re kind of back to square one,” said Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC).