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‘Hell Week’ in Washington: A look at House Republicans’ current bind, and how we got here
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There’s no such thing as hazing in Congress.
You won’t find «fraternity row,» with each house festooned with a trifecta of deltas, gammas and epsilons.
No drinking games here.
At least not officially.
WHCD SHOOTING SHOWS DEMS ARE ‘PLAYING’ WITH AMERICANS’ SAFETY BY WITHHOLDING DHS FUNDING, GOP LAWMAKER SAYS
Capitol Hill and Greek pledges share one common denominator at the moment: the impending doom of a forthcoming «hell week.» (Aaron Schwartz/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
But get ready for something on Capitol Hill with which many Greek pledges are all too familiar:
«I’m going to say next week is hell week,» warned Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, last Thursday. «Next week is going to be hell week.’
And this was all before the harrowing episode Saturday night at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington.
HOUSE GOP PUSHES BACK ON SENATE’S ‘SKINNY’ PLAN TO END RECORD-BREAKING DHS SHUTDOWN
To wit about the week facing Capitol Hill:
House Republicans face a devil of a week. They must get on the same page as the Senate to pass a budget framework – to prospectively fund ICE and the Border Patrol. FISA, the nation’s controversial spy program expires early Friday morning. That’s to say nothing of trying to pass the farm bill.
If they don’t get all of this done, «Dean Wormer» (of Animal House fame) might just place House Republicans on «double secret probation» before the week is through.
So let’s examine what got House Republicans in this bind.
Let’s start at 3:36 a.m. last Thursday.
We begin there, because in the past several weeks, the most important moments in Congress have unfolded at 2:12 on a Friday morning, 2:16 on a Friday morning and now 3:36 on a Thursday morning.
3:36 a.m. is when the Senate approved a budget framework to possibly fund ICE and CBP. Republicans are running a special legislative gambit called «reconciliation» to bypass a filibuster. That’s because Democrats won’t help. They’ve never secured the reforms they need to support ICE. So Republicans are going it alone.
«We’re trying to use the reconciliation process to get money to secure the border,» said Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.
Democrats have been cold on ICE funding ever since the wintertime killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. (Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Democrats have balked about funding ICE since the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis over the winter.
«They want to give $140 billion for ICE and Border Patrol without any reforms,» said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. «(They’re) adding $140 billion to an agency that nobody – well, two groups, Border Patrol and ICE – that nobody respects in this country.»
That prompted an explosive response from Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin during an appearance on Fox.
«It makes my ears red. It takes a lot to get me upset. But Chuck Schumer, no one respects you. The definition of a lying scumbag politician. That is you,» said Mullin of his former Senate colleague.
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Perhaps this why the white-hot rhetoric on both sides may have contributed to the mayhem of Saturday night.
Mullin says emergency DHS money is about to expire. So pressure is intensifying on the House to align with the Senate with no changes to the outline adopted by the Senate.
«It has to be clean, because it’s got to be quick,» said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. «The last paychecks go out at the end of this month.»
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., says the Senate funding package contains «problematic language.» (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
But remember, this is just the House lining up with the Senate on a blueprint to address the funding lapse at ICE and CBP. The assassination attempt at the White House dinner only amplified the need to fund DHS. And fast. However, Johnson refused to pick up a bill to fund everything else at DHS which the Senate passed twice. Then Johnson agreed to pass the bill after dissing it. But the House has never synced up.
Johnson says the Senate funding package – not the reconciliation framework – «has some problematic language» because it was «haphazardly drafted.»
And now Johnson is suggesting there may be yet another DHS funding bill in the works.
That may be inevitable, considering the chaos of the weekend.
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Budget reconciliation takes a while.
«Reconciliation is still a little ways off,» said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D. «They’re running out of runway to fund a lot of those agencies.»
But here’s the other problem with reconciliation: Many conservatives insist on add-ons.
«We should be taking a broader approach to reconciliation,» said Rep. Chip Roy R-Texas.
Here’s what they’re mulling: Maybe money to cover the cost of the war in Iran. Perhaps a suspension of the federal gasoline tax. Additional tax cuts. You name it.
Many on the right demand the inclusion of the SAVE America Act. The bill requires proof of citizenship in order to vote.
«I think you’d see a lot more folks on our side jump on board with it if they had that,» said Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., about the SAVE America Act.
Many on the right demand the inclusion of the SAVE America Act in a reconciliation bill. Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., argued, «you’d see a lot more folks on our side jump on board with it if they had that.» (Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
However, even advocates of the SAVE America Act doubt the GOP can stuff that into a Senate bill which must be fiscal in nature. Many demand an additional, expansive reconciliation bill which is not limited to DHS.
«This is probably the only reconciliation we’re going to have before the break. That’s a poor excuse for the work we’re doing up here,» complained Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C. «One bill with that limited amount.»
«People probably intend to do a third reconciliation bill. But you’re not looking at Bambi’s baby brother here,» said Sen. John Kennedy, R-La. «This is the last train leaving the station.»
All aboard?
SENATE TAKES FIRST STEP TO FUND ICE, BORDER PATROL IN BID TO CUT DEMS OUT OF THE FUNDING PROCESS
For the moment, President Trump is still focused on the reconciliation outline.
«We need all Republicans to join together and support this Budget Blueprint, which will allow us to bypass Democrat obstruction in the Senate, and fund Immigration Enforcement with only Republican Votes. The Senate passed this Blueprint last week on Thursday morning, and now, House Republicans must UNIFY, and pass the same Blueprint to get the Bill done,» wrote the President on Truth Social.
The President added that he wants a «FAST and FOCUSED» bill by June 1.
That’s nearly five weeks from now.
Hence the challenge of the week.
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«This is so difficult. Up here, we can’t agree with much,» fumed Nehls.
But here’s a little secret. Every week on Capitol Hill in recent memory has morphed into a political inferno. A failed exercise to fund the government which lingered since last summer. Fights over the Epstein files. Resignations amid dark political scandals. Efforts to expel other lawmakers. You name it.
«If you’re going through hell, keep going,» said Winston Churchill.
Which is maybe why Congress goes through the same hellish, legislative landscape nearly every week.
congress, house of representatives politics, republicans
INTERNACIONAL
Máxima tensión en Medio Oriente: Israel denunció que Irán lanzó un ataque con misiles contra su territorio
El Ejército de Israel informó que su territorio fue blanco de misiles iraníes este domingo, por primera vez desde el cese el fuego del 8 de abril.
“Hace poco, el Ejército identificó misiles lanzados desde Irán hacia el territorio de Israel” señaló un comunicado militar.
El Ejército israelí aseguró haber interceptado todos los misiles lanzados por Irán, un total de 11, según informaron fuentes militares, en el que supone el primer ataque de Teherán contra el Estado hebreo desde el alto el fuego de abril.
Las alarmas antiaéreas sonaron en cuatro ocasiones en diferentes zonas del norte de Israel durante media hora desde las 22.00 hora local, tras lo que el Ejército dio por concluido a las 22.47 el “incidente” y permitió a los ciudadanos salir de los refugios. Las clases del lunes fueron suspendidas.
La ofensiva iraní se produjo después de ataques israelíes contra los suburbios del sur de Beirut, bastión del movimiento libanés proiraní Hezbolláh.
Poco después, el Ejército iraní advirtió a Israel de que si responde a los ataques o vuelve a bombardear el Líbano se “enfrentará a una respuesta devastadora”.
“Si (Israel) amplía sus ataques a esa zona (en Líbano) o responde a la acción de Irán con ataques más devastadores y punitivos, se enfrentará a una respuesta devastadora contra el régimen y sus partidarios”, dijo el jefe del Comando Unificado de Operaciones Khatam al-Anbiya, el general de división Ali Abdolahi, en un comunicado citado por medios iraníes.
Cómo fueron los ataques iraníes contra Israel
Irán lanzó este domingo varias oleadas de misiles contra Israel como represalia por los ataques del Estado judío contra el Líbano, informó la televisión estatal iraní.
“Irán ha lanzado misiles contra Israel”, informó IRIB (siglas en inglés de la televisión estatal).
El medio oficial mostró imágenes de misiles sobrevolando el cielo en la occidental provincia iraní de Kermanshah y de personas celebrando la nueva ofensiva en las calles. Mojtaba Jamenei. (Foto: EFE)
Mientras se producía el ataque el ministro iraní de Exteriores, Abás Araqchí, publicó en su cuenta de X una imagen de la bandera iraní y del Líbano.
La ofensiva militar se produce después de que Irán advirtiese que, si se seguían produciendo los ataques de Israel contra el Líbano, la República Islámica tomaría represalias al considerar que el alto el fuego que alcanzó con Estados Unidos el 8 de abril incluye a la nación árabe.
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El presidente del Parlamento y negociador jefe iraní, Mohamad Baqer Qalibaf, afirmó que los ataques de Israel contra el Líbano convierten a las bases de ambos países en objetivos legítimos.
“El bloqueo naval contra la nación iraní y la luz verde que hoy ha dado Estados Unidos al régimen sionista convierten a las bases y los activos estadounidenses y del régimen en la región en objetivos legítimos”, dijo en X el político y ex general de la Guardia Revolucionaria.
Poco antes el portavoz de la Comisión de Seguridad Nacional del Parlamento iraní, Ebrahim Rezaei, advirtió que Irán responderá “con firmeza y dureza” al ataque de Israel contra el barrio de Dahye de la capital del Líbano.
“Responderemos con firmeza y dureza al ataque del régimen sionista contra Dahye”, dijo en X el influyente político conservador.
Este bombardeo contra el Dahye es el primero desde que el Líbano e Israel acordaran el miércoles un alto el fuego condicionado al cese de los ataques y sin presencia de Hizbollah, aliado iraní que rechazó la propuesta y volvió a llamar a las autoridades locales a abandonar las negociaciones.
Los ataques coinciden con la llegada a Teherán del ministro del Interior de Pakistán, Mohsin Naqvi, para entregar un “mensaje especial” para el líder supremo iraní, Mojtaba Jameneí, relativo a las estancadas negociaciones de paz entre Irán y Estados Unidos.
Teherán exige que acaben los ataques contra el Líbano como parte del proceso de negociaciones para alcanzar un acuerdo que ponga fin a la guerra iniciada en febrero y permita la reapertura del estrecho de Ormuz, una vía clave para el comercio mundial de petróleo y gas.
(Con información de EFE y AFP)
Israel, Irán
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EN VIVO: La advertencia del ministro de Seguridad de Israel tras el ataque de Irán: “Teherán deberá arder esta noche”
La guerra en Medio Oriente volvió a escalar este domingo después de que Irán lanzara proyectiles contra el norte de Israel, en lo que las autoridades israelíes describieron como una respuesta a los bombardeos efectuados horas antes contra objetivos vinculados a Hezbollah en el sur de Beirut.
Las Fuerzas de Defensa de Israel informaron que sus sistemas antiaéreos fueron activados para interceptar la amenaza y ordenaron a la población de las zonas afectadas refugiarse ante el riesgo de nuevos ataques.
Según medios iraníes, al menos cuatro proyectiles fueron disparados hacia territorio israelí. El ataque se produjo después de que Israel bombardeara el suburbio de Dahiye, un bastión de Hezbollah en la capital libanesa, tras denunciar agresiones previas contra su territorio atribuidas al grupo terrorista respaldado por Teherán. Las autoridades libanesas informaron que los bombardeos dejaron al menos dos muertos y una veintena de heridos.
La nueva escalada amenaza con complicar aún más los esfuerzos diplomáticos para alcanzar una tregua más amplia en la región. Irán ha reiterado que cualquier acuerdo con Estados Unidos depende del fin de las hostilidades en el Líbano, mientras Israel mantiene sus operaciones contra Hezbollah y busca impedir nuevos ataques contra su territorio.
A continuación el minuto a minuto de la guerra en Medio Oriente:
El régimen de Irán dijo que Israel “cruzó todas las líneas rojas” tras el ataque en Beirut
Israel suspendió las clases en todo el país tras los ataques con misiles lanzados desde Irán
Las autoridades israelíes ordenaron el cierre de escuelas y centros educativos en todo el país para este lunes, en el marco de las medidas de seguridad adoptadas tras los lanzamientos de misiles desde Irán.
La decisión fue anunciada por el Mando del Frente Interior del Ejército israelí después de una evaluación de la situación. Además de la suspensión de las actividades educativas, se establecieron restricciones adicionales para la población ante el riesgo de nuevos ataques.
Según el organismo militar, todo el territorio israelí quedará bajo un régimen de actividad restringida.
“Tras una evaluación de la situación, el Mando del Frente Interior ha decidido modificar las instrucciones y colocar a todo el país bajo un nivel de actividad restringida”, indicó en un comunicado.
La autoridad añadió que “no podrán realizarse actividades educativas”, una medida que afecta a escuelas, jardines de infantes, universidades y otros centros de enseñanza.
Israel detectó una segunda oleada de misiles lanzados desde Irán hacia el norte del país
Las Fuerzas de Defensa de Israel informaron que detectaron una nueva oleada de misiles disparados desde Irán contra el norte del país, pocas horas después del primer ataque reportado durante la jornada.
El Ejército indicó que sus sistemas de defensa continuaban operando para interceptar las amenazas y pidió a la población mantenerse atenta a las instrucciones de seguridad.
Desde Teherán, medios estatales iraníes también informaron sobre un segundo lanzamiento de misiles, aunque no ofrecieron detalles sobre la cantidad de proyectiles ni sobre los objetivos alcanzados.
La advertencia del ministro de Seguridad de Israel tras el ataque de Irán: “Teherán deberá arder esta noche”
El ministro de Seguridad Nacional de Israel, Itamar Ben Gvir, pidió una respuesta contundente contra Irán tras el lanzamiento de misiles hacia el norte del país.
En un mensaje publicado en redes sociales poco después de activarse las alertas antiaéreas, el dirigente ultraderechista escribió: “Teherán debe arder esta noche”.
La declaración se produjo en medio de una nueva escalada entre ambos países, luego de que las Fuerzas de Defensa de Israel informaran que proyectiles disparados desde Irán fueron detectados y que los sistemas de defensa aérea entraron en funcionamiento para interceptarlos.
Ben Gvir ya había cuestionado en los últimos días los intentos de alto el fuego con el Líbano y se ha mostrado partidario de endurecer la respuesta militar israelí frente a las amenazas respaldadas por Teherán.
Middle East,Top Pictures
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Americans travel to Pakistan to free Christians trapped in modern-day slavery: ‘God’s hand was in it’
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Idaho resident Aaron Hutchings arrived at a Pakistani brick factory in January. The devout Christian told Fox News Digital that he was shocked to see children turning bricks under the hot sun to work off the debts that their families had incurred, sometimes over the course of generations.
Within hours of his arrival, Hutchings paid off the debts for two enslaved Christian families and escorted them to freedom, breaking the «curse that they’ve had for hundreds of years.»
There are up to one million Christians working in slave and bonded labor in Pakistan, according to Emma Hall, a persecution researcher working with charity Open Doors U.K. and Ireland, told Fox News Digital. This could comprise as much as 30% of Pakistani Christians, counted at 3.3 million in the 2023 census and accounting for 1.37 percent of the population.
WATCHDOG HIGHLIGHTS NATIONS WHERE CHRISTIANS FACE PERSECUTION AROUND THE GLOBE
After paying the debts of a family of Pakistani Christians, Aaron Hutchings embraces newly-freed brick laborers. (Courtesy: Aaron Hutchings)
Hall noted that «extreme poverty drives desperate families to accept advance loans (peshgri) for emergency and basic needs, trapping them in cycles of debt bondage where repayment systems are structured in ways that make exit extremely difficult.»
Emmanuel Hernandez said he was shocked when he first heard that Christians in Pakistan were living in debt-based enslavement in Pakistan’s brick-making industry. After traveling to Pakistan to meet the woman who would later become his wife, Hernandez witnessed bonded laborers at a brick factory for the first time.
«Never in my life have I seen such hopelessness,» he told Fox News Digital. «At that moment, I committed myself to rescuing one family a year for the rest of my life.»
In January 2025, Hernandez started the nonprofit Project Jubilee. He says that it is «by the grace of God» that people have already donated enough through the nonprofit to save 300 Pakistanis from slavery.
GRAHAM FAMILY RESPONDS TO GLOBAL CRACKDOWN ON CHRISTIANS WITH $1.3M DEFENSE FUND AND URGENT CALL TO ACTION
Born into bonded labor in Pakistan, children must flip bricks in the hot sun outside of Lahore, Pakistan. (Courtesy: Aaron Hutchings. )
Though Project Jubilee will save any bonded slave, regardless of race or faith, Hernandez said that «98% of the people we rescue are Christians, and that’s because they’re second-class citizens» in their country.
The average cost to help one family is about $8,500, Hernandez said, because Project Jubilee recognizes that slaves needed more than debt relief to escape the cycle of bonded labor.
«Our goal is for them to succeed in life and make sure that they never go back,» he explained. To accomplish this, Hernandez and his team pay lawyers to take care of all applicable paperwork, and help each family with two months of rent and food. They also get families in touch with a local minister, pay for children to attend school and purchase every family a tuk tuk, a motorcycle taxi, which they can use to create income.
He said that in most cases, factory owners are grudgingly accepting of letting slaves go after their debts are paid off. But in some cases, he says owners have put a cap on the number of families Hernandez’s group can free in a month, or told them that they’re «never allowed to come back again.»
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A family of brickmakers speak with American Christian Aaron Hutchings before learning they will be freed from their debt. (Courtesy: Aaron Hutchings.)
Hutchings found Hernandez’s online profile in late 2025 and messaged him, asking to be part of his effort. Retired from the IT world, Hutchings said he is «just a normal guy who wanted to do something…to help people.»
After a short conversation over the phone, Hernandez invited Hutchings to come along to a trip to Pakistan in January. Hutchings agreed. It was during this visit that Hutchings freed two families and reported he «just got hooked.» He admits that the process is highly emotional. «It changes an entire family’s future for generations,» he explained.
Hutchings said that it is especially impactful to witness the change that freedom brings to children. «We get to ask them, ‘what do you want to be when you grow up?» Hutchings said. «They probably haven’t even really thought about that. They’re [thinking] ‘I’m going to be a brick worker for the rest of my life, just like my parents.’»
Hutchings started his own nonprofit, Intentional Faith Foundation, which he now uses to collect donations from people who want to help free more slaves.
Christians demanded justice during a protest in Islamabad condemning attacks on churches in Pakistan on August 20, 2023. Pakistan is one of the top 10 worst countries for Christian persecution, according to a new report. (Aamir Qureshi/AFP via Getty Images)
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Just months after his first journey, Hutchings returned to Pakistan in May to free an additional ten families. After video of his visit went viral, Hutchings said that his nonprofit raised enough funds to save another family from enslavement.
The practice of bonded slavery was outlawed formally in Pakistan in 1992, Hall says, but «enforcement remains weak.» Discrimination extends beyond the bonded labor environment, with the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom noting in 2025 that there were «recent and escalating attacks against religious minorities» in Pakistan, including Christians.
During his recent visit, Hutchings learned that securing housing was difficult, with many landlords refusing to rent to Christians. Eventually, a Pakistani Christian group working with families was able to find housing and jobs for parents, and located a teacher for the children who were largely illiterate.
After paying the debts of a family of Pakistani Christians, Aaron Hutchings embraces a newly-freed brick laborer. Courtesy of Aaron Hutchings. (Courtesy: Aaron Hutchings.)
In a 2023 report, Pakistan’s National Commission for Human Rights released a series of recommendations for diminishing the pain that bonded labor brings to approximately three million Pakistanis. In her introduction, the group’s chairperson stated, «It is deeply appalling that in the 21st century, slavery persists in the form of bonded labor.»
Among its recommendations are forbidding children from laboring in brick kilns, helping laborers access justice and creating unions for collective representation. They suggest registering all brick kilns, increasing the use of automated machinery, and encouraging brick purchasers to buy bricks from kilns «that provide a safe and decent working environment.»
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Representatives of the Pakistani government did not respond to Fox News Digital’s questions about the enforcement of laws against bonded labor, or about the treatment of Pakistani Christians. Neither Hutchings nor Hernandez reported having complications with the Pakistani government when working to free brick kiln laborers.
For Hutchings, the work has been transformative. «Looking back, it is hard to see any of it as random. I believe God’s hand was in it from the beginning, and even though we were doing all of this to show Jesus’ love towards these people, we ended up receiving more than we gave.»
pakistan, christianity religion, persecutions, human rights
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