Axios Hill Leaders
February 12, 2025
1 big thing: 🤬 Scoop ... Dems "pissed" at liberal groups
A closed-door meeting for House Democrats yesterday included a gripe-fest directed at liberal grassroots organizations, sources tell us.
Why it matters: Members of the Steering and Policy Committee — with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in the room — complained activist groups like MoveOn and Indivisible have facilitated thousands of calls to members' offices.
- "People are pissed," a senior House Democrat who was at the meeting said of lawmakers' reaction to the calls.
- The Democrat said Jeffries himself is "very frustrated" at the groups, who are trying to stir up a more confrontational opposition to Trump.
- Jeffries' office did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Zoom in: "There were a lot of people who were like, 'We've got to stop the groups from doing this.' ... People are concerned that they're saying we're not doing enough, but we're not in the majority," said one member.
- Some Democrats see the callers as barking up the wrong tree given their limited power as the minority party in Congress: "It's been a constant theme of us saying, 'Please call the Republicans,'" said Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.).
- "I reject and resent the implication that congressional Democrats are simply standing by passively," said Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.).
The other side: "People are angry, scared, and they want to see more from their lawmakers right now than floor speeches about Elon Musk," Indivisible co-founder Leah Greenberg told us.
- "Indivisible is urging people who are scared to call their member of Congress, whether they have a Democrat or Republican, and make specific procedural asks," Greenberg said.
- "Our supporters are asking Democrats to demand specific red lines are met before they offer their vote to House Republicans on the budget, when Republicans inevitably fail to pass a bill on their own."
- MoveOn officials declined to comment.
— Justin Green and Andrew Solender
2. ⚔️ Musk's double-edged sword
Elon Musk's slash-and-burn approach is giving the White House genuine street cred with House conservatives. But it might not be enough to compensate for the outrage he's provoked among House Democrats.
Why it matters: If Democrats hold the line — and withhold their votes to fund the government — it will be exceedingly difficult for House Speaker Mike Johnson to avoid a government shutdown.
- Musk is flipping the traditional equation, in which Democrats vote to fund the government and Republicans feel compelled to do so under duress.
- While not all Democrats are on board with holding the government hostage to their anti-DOGE demands, many are clearly contemplating it.
Zoom in: For all the outraged Democrats that Johnson might lose because of Musk, he'll be on the hunt for Republican votes to replace them.
- "It helps," said Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.). "However, the baseline needs to be intact at $2 trillion," he added, referring to how much spending he wants to cut in the (separate) reconciliation bill.
- "That's just additional," said Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.). "We appreciate it, but that's not enough."
- "We're excited to see it," said Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio). However, "you're looking at two different things. What DOGE is working on is mostly stuff that we have to deal with by March 14."
By the numbers: In the last few government funding votes, more Democrats than Republicans have voted to prevent a shutdown.
- In December, Johnson lost 34 House conservatives on funding the government. In September, the number was even higher: 82 House Republicans voted against it.
- In both cases, every House Democrat supported it.
— Hans Nichols and Andrew Solender
3. ⚡️ Thune's green light
4. 🎯 Schumer and Thune's 2026 targets
Axios Hill Leaders
