Inside Congress Newsletter

Four days remain until House lawmakers are scheduled to leave for summer recess, but GOP leaders are in the opposite of vacation mode.

This week's packed floor schedule includes: the annual defense policy package; a bill to fund the government beyond the midterms; a budget resolution to unlock the reconciliation process; and a GOP-led stock trading ban measure.

All that could change, of course, if Speaker Mike Johnson can't tamp down multiple flare-ups of frustration in his ranks.

BUDGET RESOLUTION: Leaders are putting a $95 billion fiscal blueprint on the floor that includes a watered-down version of the elections bill as well as Iran war and farm aid funds.

Rep. Thomas Massie told us last week he's "probably a no" on the resolution, and Rep. Warren Davidson hinted he and others could tank the effort — though Davidson cautioned there's still "a lot of time" to make a deal.

Deficit hawks are irked the bill wouldn't be entirely paid for, though, and ultraconservatives don't love that the SAVE America Act isn't included in full.

NDAA: House Rules meets at 2 p.m. on the must-pass annual defense policy bill. Johnson will allow a series of socially conservative floor amendments to win over hard-liner votes as Democrats signal more opposition to the usually bipartisan bill.

Should it pass, though, the defense bill will be merged with the SAVE America Act, although the Senate is likely to sweep away those provisions along with many of the hard-liner amendments.

Ron Johnson faces a rocky budget reality. Sen. Ron Johnson is jumping directly into a legislative train wreck. The Wisconsin senator cut his teeth as a fiscal hawk willing to irritate his own party in pursuit of his deficit-shrinking dreams. Now Johnson is assuming an out-sized role in advancing the latest GOP reconciliation bill following former Budget Chair Lindsey Graham's unexpected death.

"It's not going to be easy. My initial effort is going to be, try and get everybody on the same page," Johnson said in an interview.

One major complaint already circulating from some of Johnson's colleagues: that House Republicans will effectively dump a rushed-budget plan in the Senate's lap this week then leave for recess expecting their colleagues to adopt it — with little input.

A host of Senate Republicans and leadership sources have told us the House' plan is "half-baked," "not a serious attempt" and ultimately "not viable." It doesn't include the White House's full ask for a supplemental funding package nor Trump's demand for another $350 billion in defense funding.

"A big part of the lack of coordination going on here is because they know it's not possible to do this in a serious, law making way," one of those Republicans, granted anonymity to speak candidly, told Meredith.

But pressure from Trump and the White House is going to quickly turn to Senate Republicans if House lawmakers can advance the budget framework this week.