Greene readies Tlaib censure resolution round two amid outcry over genocide comments

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) will move to force a vote on a resolution censuring Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) this week, teeing up a second attempt to penalize the Michigan Democrat for her criticisms of Israel following Hamas’s deadly attack on the U.S. ally.

The second go at censuring Tlaib — the only Palestinian-American member of Congress — comes amid increased criticism of the Democratic lawmaker, who posted a video on X over the weekend that said President Biden “supported the genocide of the Palestinian people” because of his administration’s support of Israel amid its war against Hamas. The video, which also includes the phrase “from the river to the sea,” has sparked an outcry from both sides of the aisle.

The House declined to censure Tlaib last week, with some lawmakers taking issue with the language in Greene’s resolution. But over the weekend, the Georgia Republican said she was revising the language and would reintroduce the legislation, setting the scene for another vote on punishing the congresswoman.

Also this week, the House will continue the appropriations process while eying a stopgap measure as the Nov. 17 funding deadline inches closer.

“On the Senate side, Republicans will consider what to do about Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s (R-Ala.) months-long hold on military promotions, which is sparking intense frustrations within the GOP conference. The upper chamber will also have to consider a path forward on Israel aid after the House approved a stand-alone funding measure for Tel Aviv that does not include support for Ukraine — a key omission that is sparking opposition from members in both parties.”

Greene to reintroduce Tlaib resolution

Greene over the weekend said she will reintroduce her resolution to censure Tlaib this week, after a group of 23 Republicans sided with Democrats in voting to table the original disciplinary measure last week.

The initial resolution accused Tlaib of “antisemitic activity, sympathizing with terrorist organizations, and leading an insurrection at the United States Capitol Complex,” with a focus on past criticisms of Israel and her participation in an anti-war protest at the Capitol last month.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, however, took issue with Greene’s use of the word “insurrection,” which led to a successful effort to table the measure.

On Saturday, Greene said she was removing the word “insurrection” from the resolution, replacing it with “illegal occupation,” and would then reintroduce the legislation. Greene will call the resolution to the floor as a privileged resolution this week, a source familiar confirmed to The Hill, setting the stage for another vote on penalizing Tlaib.

Once Greene calls the resolution to the floor as a privileged resolution, leadership has two legislative days to act. Greene called on the 23 Republicans who voted to table the resolution last week to join her in penalizing Tlaib this week.

“Hopefully the 23 Republicans who voted no to censure Pro-terrorists Pro-Hamas Anti-Israel anti-Semitic Rashida Tlaib will use their freedom of speech in congress to censure (condemn) Terrorist Tlaib’s speech, lies, and actions that incited an illegal occupation on Oct 18th,” she wrote on X.

This week’s attempt to censure Tlaib comes amid increased scrutiny on the Michigan Democrat. Over the weekend, Tlaib posted a video on X that claimed Biden “supported the genocide of the Palestinian people” through his administration’s backing of Israel against Hamas.

“We will remember in 2024,” Tlaib says at the end of the video, which then features another message in writing: “Joe Biden supported the genocide of the Palestinian people… the American people won’t forget… Biden, support a ceasefire now…. Or don’t count on us in 2024.”

The video also includes the phrase “from the river to the sea,” which the Anti-Defamation League cites as antisemitic. The group says the phrase “is fundamentally a call for a Palestinian state extending from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, territory that includes the State of Israel, which would mean the dismantling of the Jewish state.”

The video has sparked bipartisan criticism.

House continues appropriations process; eyes stopgap

The House this week will continue to work through the annual appropriations process — with an eye towards a stopgap bill as the Nov. 17 funding deadline inches closer.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told “Fox News Sunday” that lawmakers were working on a stopgap bill over the weekend as it becomes increasingly clear that Congress will be unable to pass all 12 appropriations bills ahead of the looming deadline. 

“The reason I look a little haggard this morning, Shannon, is because I was up late last night. We worked through the weekend. On a stopgap measure, we recognize that we may not get all the appropriations bills done by this deadline of Nov. 17. But we’re going to continue in good faith,” Johnson said.

It remains an open question what the parameters of a stopgap bill, under Johnson’s Speakership, would look like. Johnson has floated passing a short-term spending bill through Jan. 15, which would buy Congress more time to make their way through all 12 appropriations bills.

Shortly after the Louisiana Republican clinched the gavel, hard-line conservatives signaled that they could give him some breathing room on fiscal issues — a number of them recognized that a stopgap measure would be needed, despite being opposed to continuing resolutions in the past.

How the newly minted Speaker handles the upcoming funding deadline will be significant: former Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) decision to put a “clean” stopgap bill on the floor in September contributed to his ultimate ouster.

As lawmakers work toward a stopgap bill behind the scenes, the House this week is scheduled to continue consideration of an appropriations bill funding the departments of Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and related agencies. The chamber was slated to weigh in on the bill last week, but leadership punted the final vote amid concerns from members regarding spending cuts and funding for Amtrak.

The House has passed seven appropriations bills thus far, and the Senate has approved three.

Senate grapples with defiant Tuberville

The Senate this week will continue to wrestle with how to break through Tuberville’s hold on military promotions, after frustrations with the Alabama Republican’s blockade boiled over in the GOP conference.

Republican senators with military backgrounds launched a public effort to overcome the hold last week, attempting to move forward on 61 military promotions. Tuberville, however, blocked them all, as he remains committed to his protest against a Pentagon policy that covers travel expenses for military personnel who travel for abortion care.

More than 370 promotions have been held up by Tuberville’s blockade.

Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), who led last week’s public offensive on the floor, has vowed to go back to the chamber to try to advance nominees. At the same time, some senators have left the door open to a standing order resolution authored by Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), the chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) that would allow lawmakers to move most military nominees in a bloc through the end of the year.

Senate Republicans will likely meet as a conference to discuss a path forward on the blockade this week, a Senate GOP aide told The Hill.

Israel aid up in the air

Aid to Israel will be a focus on Capitol Hill this week as the House and Senate remain at odds over how to send assistance to the U.S.’s closest ally in the Middle East.

The House approved a $14.3 billion Israel aid package last week that included an equal amount in cuts to IRS funding approved under Democrats’ Inflation Reduction Act last year, a provision that drove strong opposition from Democrats. The legislation also omitted funding for Ukraine, which further sparked Democratic opposition and put the chamber in disagreement with the Senate.

Lawmakers in the upper chamber — including the two party leaders — have emphasized the importance of moving Israel aid with Ukraine aid, a prospect that was not accepted among House Republicans. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has called for the chamber to approve the White House’s roughly $100 billion supplemental request.

The Senate this week will have to discuss what comes next after the House approved its Israel-only bill, and as pressure mounts on Congress to send aid to Israel as it remains embroiled in a war with Hamas.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Sunday that even though the House approved its stand-alone Israel bill, the Senate could still pass legislation that includes funding for both Tel Aviv and Kyiv.

“We can’t pull the plug on Ukraine, let Putin get away with this. There goes Taiwan if you do that. I’m definitely for Israel. So I think you will see a package of border security, funding for Ukraine, funding for Israel coming out of the Senate probably as one package. I would support that,” he told CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Al Weaver contributed.

Updated at 6:52 a.m. ET