Frustration is mounting in the House Democratic caucus with the Resistance, as lawmakers are getting pounded by voters demanding immediate and often-impossible results.

Why it matters: The challenge for Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is to convince voters he has the power to stop President Trump when, in reality, he can only protest against him.

• "You are literally calling the wrong people," one House Dem told us, referring to the flood of incoming voter calls.
• "I can't recall ever receiving this many calls. People disgusted with what's going on, and they want us to fight back," Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) told us. He's served in Congress since 1997.

Between the lines: Progressive groups say members should expect to keep getting an earful.

• "[T]his won't be the last any office hears from everyday Americans who want us to fight harder to push back against what Trump, Musk and Republicans are doing," MoveOn spokesperson Britt Jacovich told us.
• "I think people are scared and are looking for leadership from Democrats on how to fight back," Indivisible spokesperson Mary Small told us.

Zoom in: Jeffries has vowed to use a March 14 federal funding deadline as leverage to protect key programs. But Trump and Musk are moving at a lightning pace.

• A pair of House Dems — Gwen Moore of Wisconsin and Judy Chu of California — showed up uninvited today to House Speaker Mike Johnson's office to elbow into his meeting with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
• Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) said today he already plans to introduce articles of impeachment against Trump. It won't go anywhere.
• Democratic committee leaders have also sent Trump and his administration a flurry of letters demanding information on DOGE's tactics.

The bottom line: Democrats' letters are little more than paper if Trump chooses to ignore them — only the majority has the power to issue subpoenas.

• "I think there is this sense that we have legislative power, and we don't," said the House Democrat who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
• "We are in the minority, and that makes it difficult for us to respond," former House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) told us.

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— Andrew Solender

Two deadlines are threatening to scuttle Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-La.) precious plan for one, big budget bill.

Why it matters: Trump's Friday night dinner with senators at Mar-a-Lago is the soft deadline. Sen. Lindsey Graham's (R-S.C.) plan to move his own bill next week is the hard one.

• Miss the first deadline, House Republicans fear, and the Senate will exploit their quality time with Trump to convince him of their two-bill approach.
• Blow past the second one, and the Senate will be firmly in control of the process.
• There's a real risk that "we're going to get jammed by the Senate," Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) told us today at an Axios News Shapers event.

Between the lines: "I'm going to talk to Lindsey. He's a good friend. And he has to understand the reality of the House," Johnson told reporters today.

• Bessent paid his first official visit to Johnson this afternoon, huddling with Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith (R-Mo.) on the best way to turn the president's campaign promises into reality.
• Republicans later went to the White House to applaud Trump for signing an executive order to ban transgender girls and women from female sports.
• Some members were hopeful that Trump might be able to use a pull-aside meeting to help grease a deal, but they returned to the Capitol empty-handed.

The intrigue: Graham didn't provide a specific day for his budget committee markup next week. That gives Johnson and Co. a little more flexibility.

• Some Republicans are privately discussing the prospect of voting against the Senate budget resolution if they send one over before the House reaches a compromise.
• That would add another dimension of dysfunction and call into question Congress' ability to pass any of Trump's agenda with both chambers' thin margins.

The bottom line: The House Budget Committee remains at an impasse with Chair Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) unable to pass a resolution out of his panel.

• "I don't believe we're going to take the vote on the budget resolution this week," McClain predicted.

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— Hans Nichols and Erin Doherty

Some Senate Democrats are backing away from their offers to work with Republicans on a bipartisan border package.

• Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) told us today that Trump has made it "really unlikely" for a bipartisan deal to happen. A month ago, Coons signed a letter with 11 other Democrats telling GOP leaders they wanted to partner on a border bill.
• "How good are deals if we can't trust that the president is going to abide by them?" Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) told us.
• Retiring Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), also on the letter, said Republicans have rejected a bipartisan solution.

The bottom line: The GOP plans to take its biggest border swings in the reconciliation package. But it'll need at least seven Senate Democrats to get other packages over the line.

— Stephen Neukam