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(WASHINGTON) — The House has embarked on a 12-day winter recess, joining the Senate’s two-week recess and leaving a long list of critical unfinished business on Capitol Hill.

Navigating a three-vote majority, Speaker Mike Johnson rejected pressure to consider the Senate’s bipartisan $95 billion national security supplemental. That move leaves not only aid for Ukraine dangling on a branch, but also funding for Israel and Taiwan — not to mention emergency legislation to address the migrant crisis at the southern border.

As these challenges only grow, Johnson says he is turning his attention to the looming government funding deadlines. And rightfully so: when the House returns to session on Feb. 28, they’ll have just three legislative days to pass legislation to avert a partial government shutdown. A secondary government funding deadline strikes a week later on March 8 — potentially shutting down the rest of the government.

Johnson has repeatedly depended on Democrats to help keep the government open, passing short-term funding bills under suspension of the rules — requiring a two-thirds majority for passage. While the two-thirds majority is a higher threshold for passage, Johnson is able to overcome hurdles placed by members of his own majority and allow Democrats to freely help him keep the federal government open.

Those stop-gap measures — the last signed into law on Jan. 19 — were supposed to buy lawmakers additional lifelines to pass the rest of their appropriations bills. But Republicans have failed to demonstrate any substantial progress on that front since the last short-term funding bill kicked the can down the road. While lawmakers wrestle over the FY2024 funding gap from March to Sept. 30, soon the appropriations committee will begin work on FY2025 — further complicating the fight over government spending.

Cognizant that legislation did not yet have enough votes to pass, Johnson also yanked a FISA bill from the floor earlier this week — the second instance where he’s withdrawn consideration of FISA legislation in order to go back to the drawing board.

During the legislative break, the House will still focus its attention on the impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden and conduct a closed-door interview with James Biden, the brother of the president on Feb. 21. A week later, on Feb. 28, they’ll conduct a private deposition of Hunter Biden, the president’s son.

Also, Biden special counsel Robert Hur is scheduled to testify in a public hearing before the House Judiciary Committee on March 12, according to sources familiar with the matter.

After hiding his cancer diagnosis, prostate surgery and subsequent hospitalization from not only the public but also Biden, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is also scheduled to testify at the House Armed Services Committee on Feb. 29.

This Congress remains one of the least productive sessions in U.S. history, sending just 39 bills for the president’s signature.

With divided power on Capitol Hill, legislation typically passes one chamber, but dies in the other.

The House overwhelmingly passed the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act, which temporarily expands the child tax credit while renewing some corporate tax cuts. But the Senate has not yet considered it yet and it’s unclear if it enjoys the same level of bipartisan support in the upper chamber.

Lately, the big-ticket votes in the House have either failed (Israel suspension vote), taken two attempts (impeachment of Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas) or will take a third attempt (FISA reauthorization).

That’s not to overlook the impasse between the House and Senate over border security, Ukraine and Israel. While House Republicans passed H.R. 2, Secure the Border Act of 2023, they also passed Israel aid months ago, but tied it to IRS cuts. After the speaker eventually dropped the cuts from the bill, the president issued a veto threat and Democrats helped defeat an attempt to pass the stand-alone Israel aid.

The Senate meanwhile sent the House a massive $95 billion aid package to address Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. It passed the upper chamber this month with strong bipartisan support — nearly half of the Republican conference backed it — but that support does not appear to be enough to sway Johnson, whose conference has largely soured on Ukraine in recent months.

The Senate has refused to put the GOP’s border bill up for a vote, attempting to tie the funding to Ukraine and Israel before that proposal collapsed.

Those stalemates — which enjoy broad bipartisan support and could potentially pass if brought up for a vote — may be intended to protect vulnerable incumbents from casting tough votes in an election year – but with inaction, the crises only grow as does the dysfunction on Capitol Hill.

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(WASHINGTON) — The State Department has received multiple warnings from its posts in the Middle East during recent weeks about the lasting impact from U.S. messaging on the conflict in Gaza, triggering a meeting in Washington with intelligence agencies to evaluate the fallout, according to internal communications reviewed by ABC News and officials familiar with the matter.

One cable from the American mission in Morocco said that former collaborators in the country asserted that the U.S. had become “toxic” because the administration’s support for Israel after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack had been widely perceived as a “blank check for the Israeli response.”

“Criticism of the U.S. position has proven unshakeable despite significant adjustments to U.S. messaging to highlight the need to protect civilian lives,” the document, labeled sensitive but unclassified, continues.

The message also noted that Moroccan mass media has rarely covered U.S. initiatives to help Palestinians “including the movement of aid into Gaza or diplomatic pressure for Israel to avoid civilian casualties,” and that the mission’s social media accounts have been continuously flooded with “waves of unfollows or negative and abusive comments.”

Diplomats at other posts in the Middle East have voiced similar concerns, according to an official, who said posts in Muslim-majority countries in other areas of the world, such as Indonesia, have also voiced misgivings.

An enduring hit to U.S. popularity in the Middle East could have extensive implications for American diplomacy, including efforts to build a coalition of countries to help rebuild Gaza after the fighting subsides and encouraging the normalization of ties with Israel.

Additionally, the surge of anti-American sentiment could have negative impacts for U.S. businesses operating in the region and potentially inspire extremism, experts say.

But an official told ABC News that the White House and the intelligence community remains unconvinced that the response will persist, even as some State Department officials say it may take a generation to rebuild U.S. standing in some countries.

The department has also had to cancel multiple outreach events and in at least one instance, an honoree refused to accept an award from the administration due to the response to the conflict in Gaza, they added.

The White House has quietly ramped up efforts to address the domestic backlash to the war in Gaza during recent weeks, attempting to mend ties with Muslim and Arab American voters that could determine whether President Joe Biden wins a second term in office.

The White House deployed senior aides to Dearborn, Michigan, last week to meet with prominent members of the community last week, including Samantha Power, administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, and John Finer, a deputy national security adviser.

Sources familiar with the engagements said the officials struck an apologetic tone, but that many local leaders still expressed anger towards Biden’s handling of the conflict.

On the international stage, the administration has slowly softened its vocal and unequivocal for Israel’s campaign as it has pressed on, frequently emphasizing the suffering of Palestinian civilians in Gaza caught in the crossfire.

“The past four months, as the war has raged, the Palestinian people have also suffered unimaginable pain and loss,” Biden said during remarks at the White House with Jordan’s King Abdullah on Monday.

“Too many of the over 27,000 Palestinians killed in this conflict have been innocent civilians and children, including thousands of children,” he added.

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(EAST PALESTINE, Ohio) — President Joe Biden is visiting East Palestine, Ohio, on Friday to mark one year since a train derailment spilled hazardous materials and toxins into the environment that forced many residents out of their homes.

Biden was briefed by officials and gave remarks on the need to hold Norfolk Southern, the railroad operating the freight train, accountable for the Feb. 3, 2023, spill.

“While there are acts of God, this was an act of greed that was 100% preventable,” Biden said. “Let me say it again: an act of greed that was 100% preventable.”

Biden praised the town for its “herculean efforts” in the wake of the tragedy and pledged to continue to support residents.

“I want them to understand that we’re not going home, no matter what, until this job is done and it’s not done yet,” he said. “There’s a lot more to do. The vast majority’s been done but we’re going to stay until the very end until every need is met.”

Biden faced intense scrutiny for not going to the Ohio-Pennsylvania border town in the immediate aftermath of the derailment. Upon his arrival in East Palestine, Biden was met with some signs that read, “Go home, sleepy Joe” and others requesting he “declare the emergency,” according to reporters traveling with the president.

Former President Donald Trump toured the area just weeks after the incident. He was flanked by East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway and local first responders as he distributed water and supplies.

Trump had already announced he was running for the White House again and throughout the trip sought to paint Biden as ineffective in responding to the crisis.

“Unfortunately, as you know, your goodness and perseverance were met with indifference and betrayal in some cases,” Trump told residents.

Trump earlier this week again took aim at Biden, writing on his conservative social media platform: “Biden should have gone there a long time ago — for him to go now is an insult to those who live and work in East Palestine.”

Conaway, who has endorsed Trump in the 2024 race, invited President Biden to East Palestine this month. Conaway told the Associated Press he did so, despite political differences, for the benefit of the community.

“This is a trip that he has been wanting to make but wanted to make sure that it was the right time to do,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Thursday.

President Biden and the White House said after the spill he would visit East Palestine at some point but nothing was scheduled in 2023. Conaway heavily criticized Biden for visiting Ukraine last winter instead of East Palestine, calling it a “slap in the face.”

Biden on Friday emphasized that federal responders were on the ground within hours of the toxic spill, and many of them remain there today. He also called on Congress to enact reform to bipartisan rail safety legislation.

There were no injuries reported from the derailment but 11 of the cars were transporting hazardous materials, including vinyl chloride, ethyl acrylate and isobutylene, some of which are considered to be toxic and possibly carcinogenic.

The EPA has maintained confidence that residents of are not at risk from impacted surface water, soil or air from the derailment.

But many families left out of fear for their health. Ashley McCollum told ABC News that she would rather be homeless than return to East Palestine, saying her family has experienced health issues like ear pain, hair loss, rashes and more since the derailment.

Norfolk Southern says it has invested more than $100 million into East Palestine’s recovery, including millions in direct payments to individuals impacted and town projects.

But EPA Administrator Michael Regan told ABC News earlier this month that the company still “must clean up their mess.”

“Let me be clear — Norfolk Southern is not cleaning up this mess and doing it following their own guidelines,” Regan said. “We have layers and layers of protection to ensure that they’re cleaning it up to the standards that we request.”

Biden echoed that sentiment during his visit, telling residents what Norfolk Southern can’t make whole the government will.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re Democrat or Republican or independent, what matters is we’re all Americans, everyone, everyone,” Biden said. “We look out for one another. We leave no one behind and we come back stronger than before. That’s what you’re doing here.”

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(WASHINGTON) — Former President Donald Trump has privately expressed support for a 16-week abortion ban in conversations with allies and advisors, two sources told ABC News Friday.

Those sources indicated the former president supports exceptions for rape, incest and to save the life of the mother.

The New York Times was first to report the news. Sources caution that this is just one idea Trump has floated and point out the former president frequently changes his mind.

Trump has gone through great lengths to avoid publicly stating his position on this issue since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. He has repeatedly declined to say whether he would support a federal ban, but has signaled he believes from a legal standpoint “it’s probably better” to be handled at the state level.

Trump has also stated the six-week abortion law that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law was too harsh.

“I think what he did is a terrible thing and a terrible mistake,” Trump said on NBC’s “Meet the Press” in September 2023.

But of course, Trump also appointed three Supreme Court justices who cleared the path for Roe v. Wade to be overruled — a decision widely celebrated by the Republican Party.

The Trump campaign, which did not deny the reporting, issued a statement that said Trump would work to find middle ground on abortion.

“As President Trump has stated, he would sit down with both sides and negotiate a deal that everyone will be happy with,” said Karoline Leavitt, the national press secretary for the Trump campaign. “President Trump appointed strong Constitutionalist federal judges and Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe v. Wade and sent the decision back to the states, which others have tried to do for over 50 years.”

President Joe Biden said in a statement Friday via his reelection campaign that he is the only thing standing in the way of a national abortion ban.

“Donald Trump is running to rip away your rights. Kamala and I are running to protect them,” the statement said.

ABC News’ Soorin Kim, Lalee Ibssa, Libby Cathey, Gabriella Abdul-Hakim and Fritz Farrow contributed to this report.

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(WASHINGTON) — After former Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi won the special election in New York’s 3rd Congressional District this week by campaigning on more border security, other Democrats are saying the takeaway message is that their party needs to go “on the offense” on immigration.

The issue was a flashpoint of the special election, especially as migrant encounters at the U.S.-Mexico border reached a record high of 302,000 in December and apprehensions hit a historic peak of 2.2 million in fiscal year 2022. Over 100,000 migrants have been transported to Democrat-led cities like Washington, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York.

Some point to other factors that helped Suozzi — such as his name recognition in the district — but say his win still might offer a playbook for the path forward for Democrats on an issue the party has struggled with.

Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y., appearing on a press briefing Wednesday with Democratic strategists, called Suozzi’s victory “a sign that the best defense is a strong offense … speaking right in front of it directly through the center and talking about not just border security, but opening up pathways to legal migration … is an argument that the American people will embrace,” Espaillat said.

Facing attacks from his opponent Mazi Pilip over what she called Democrats’ failed border policies, Suozzi stressed during his campaign that he supported both tightening immigration laws and finding a bipartisan compromise, including supporting a failed deal recently announced in the Senate.

“With immigration, with me, it’s about pushing for a bipartisan compromise that’ll will actually address the problem we face of closing the border, trying to stem the tide of what’s happening, and [to] treat people like human beings,” Suozzi said at a news conference two days before the election.

“Ducking the issue is a mistake. Suozzi hit it head on,” said veteran New York Democratic strategist Hank Sheinkopf.

Mo Kanter, senior director of policy and research for nonprofit research and advocacy group American Immigration Council pointed to Suozzi’s win as proof that “immigration doesn’t have to be a wedge issue; one can stand for an orderly, efficient process at the border that is also fair and humane.”

Kanter also added that the topic of immigration goes beyond just border issues, saying that “Every state in the country is impacted by immigration,” he said.

And Democrats in Washington are taking a similar tone.

The Democratic National Committee, in a memo released after the election, pointed to the results as showing that Democrats “are winning on the issues that matter to voters,” including the border, pointing to Donald Trump’s criticism of the border deal that helped sink its support in Congress.

“From rooting for the economy to crash to tanking the border deal, Trump keeps showing the American people that his only real priority is helping himself — and voters will hold him accountable come November, just like Trump himself admitted they should,” DNC National Press Secretary Sarafina Chitika wrote in a statement to ABC News.

The House Majority PAC said in a memo released Wednesday about the special election results, was more explicit about how Democrats should campaign about immigration.

The group said that its internal research showed that Democrats did better “when they went on offense” to speak about the economy during the 2022 midterm elections. “Democrats must do the same on immigration,” the group wrote, adding that Democrats should “hammer” Congressional Republicans over the failure of the border security bill.

The House Majority PAC spent around $7 million to support Suozzi’s bid, according to an analysis of Federal Elections Commission records by OpenSecrets.

Sen. Chris Murphy D-Conn., in a memo to Democratic colleagues on Wednesday obtained by ABC News, said that Suozzi’s win “can serve as a roadmap for Democrats. Suozzi messaged aggressively on the issue … and [he] turned what could have been a devastating political liability into an advantage.”

“Quite simply, we risk losing the 2024 election if we do not seize this opportunity to go on offense on the issue of the border and turn the tables on Republicans on a key fall voting issue.”

Suozzi’s success may be tied in part to local factors that would not be the case nationally, both in terms of and separate from immigration issues.

“It’s the political equivalent of what the weathermen call a wintry mix,” Lawrence Levy, executive dean of Hofstra’s National Center for Suburban Studies, told ABC News.

Suozzi may have succeeded thanks to many local factors, Levy said, including his longtime record of being a moderate on many issues, his name recognition – having served in the seat before and in local office – and that he managed to bring together a variety of different groups within the Democratic voting bloc to support him.

Sheinkopf, too, warns about the White House and its orbit mining too much meaning from Suozzi’s win.

“Democrats shouldn’t generalize from this outcome. Suozzi had 100 percent name recognition. He won handily. It was about him, not about issues. Advice to Democrats: every district race will be different. Trends matter less than candidates and their individual relationships with the communities they serve or hope to serve,” said Sheinkopf.

That’s a sentiment acknowledged by some Democrats as well, even when they discuss immigration’s role in the race.

“Tom Suozzi worked on immigration issues with me when he was a county executive … he knows this issue and he knows his district better than anybody else. And so whatever political decisions he made, I’m sure took into consideration the realities of his district,” Espaillat said on the press call.

Levy also highlighted that those realities in the district include how there is a “gap between perception and reality” regarding the reality of migrants in New York’s 3rd Congressional district, which has not seen an influx of migrants – but people have seen news stories on New York City media market television or have seen migrants when they commute into the city.

“The Republicans had been pretty adept…at widening that gap between perception and reality, and exploiting it by tying immigration to an issue that had worked very well for them the last few election cycles, which is crime,” Levy said, until Suozzi started “punching back.”

But regardless of what’s happening on the ground in the district, Levy said that in districts similar politically to the relatively suburban one that Suozzi won, being on the offensive as he was on border issues could “play well.”

“But in addition to a message, you need a mouthpiece,” Levy said. “Somebody who is able to sell it; who has the credibility with the voters, someone who they know. someone who they respect; even if they disagree.”

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(WASHINGTON) — The House Ethics Committee has issued a subpoena for the testimony of a former girlfriend of Rep. Matt Gaetz as part of the panel’s ongoing investigation into the Florida Republican.

The committee is demanding Gaetz’s ex-girlfriend appear before the committee over a Zoom call on Feb. 29, according to a letter sent to the woman’s lawyer.

The woman, who ABC News is not identifying, had previously been contacted by the committee about voluntarily sitting for an interview and had informed the committee that she had planned to “plead the fifth” on any questions related to the former congressman, a source familiar told ABC News.

“Of course we will comply with the subpoena and we will appear before the committee,” the woman’s lawyer, Tim Jansen, told ABC News.

“I can confirm I received a subpoena on behalf of my client. We will certainly appear before the committee as required. However, we have informed the Staff that my client will be invoking her Fifth Amendment right before the Committee,”

The House committee has not responded to a request for comment on the matter.

Sources familiar with the committee’s work tell ABC News that House investigators are interested in speaking with the ex-girlfriend about allegations that Gaetz paid for sex, and about allegations of drug use, and potential lobbying violations.

Gaetz’s ex-girlfriend, who previously worked on Capitol Hill, allegedly has knowledge not only regarding the congressman but also the one-time minor at the center of the sex trafficking investigation eventually closed by the Department of Justice without charging Gaetz. The ex was also one of the women who was allegedly on a 2018 trip to the Bahamas with Gaetz and others, including the minor, which the House ethics committee is also investigating, sources said.

ABC News previously reported that since the start of the year, the committee investigating Gaetz had also reached out to numerous other witnesses, including the woman who allegedly had sex with the congressman when she was a minor, and Joel Greenberg, the one-time close friend of Gaetz who was sentenced to 11-years in prison after pleading guilty to federal charges, sources told ABC News.

Gaetz has blasted the Ethic Committee for “trying to weaponize their process.”

“The Ethics Committee is engaging in payback against me for ousting the person who singularly appointed every Republican – Kevin McCarthy,” Gaetz said in a statement to ABC News Thursday night when asked about the latest development.

“I see through this sham and the American people will too,” Gaetz added. “Exposing witch hunts is kind of my thing around here.”

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(NEW YORK) — President Joe Biden is heading to East Palestine, Ohio, on Friday to mark one year since a train derailment spilled hazardous materials and toxins into the environment that forced many residents out of their homes.

Biden will be briefed by officials and give remarks on holding Norfolk Southern, the railroad operating the freight train, accountable for the Feb. 3, 2023, spill.

Biden faced intense scrutiny for not visiting the Ohio-Pennsylvania border town in the immediate aftermath of the derailment.

Former President Donald Trump toured the area just weeks after the incident. He was flanked by East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway and local first responders as he distributed water and supplies.

Trump had already announced he was running for the White House again and throughout the trip sought to paint Biden as ineffective in responding to the crisis.

“Unfortunately, as you know, your goodness and perseverance were met with indifference and betrayal in some cases,” Trump told residents.

Trump earlier this week again took aim at Biden, writing on his conservative social media platform: “Biden should have gone there a long time ago — for him to go now is an insult to those who live and work in East Palestine.”

Conaway, who has endorsed Trump in the 2024 race, invited President Biden to East Palestine this month. Conaway told the Associated Press he did so, despite political differences, for the benefit of the community.

“This is a trip that he has been wanting to make but wanted to make sure that it was the right time to do,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Thursday.

President Biden and the White House said after the spill he would visit East Palestine at some point but nothing was scheduled in 2023. Conaway heavily criticized Biden for visiting Ukraine last winter instead of East Palestine, calling it a “slap in the face.”

Jean-Pierre emphasized that the Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Emergency Management Agency and other federal responders were on the ground within hours of the toxic spill, and many of them remain there today.

“You will see a president … that goes out there — whether it’s a red state, blue state, urban America, rural America — to hear and make sure that he is a president for all, especially when they’re dealing with this awful, awful event that happened specifically in this community,” she said as she previewed Friday’s visit.

There were no injuries reported from the derailment but 11 of the cars were transporting hazardous materials, including vinyl chloride, ethyl acrylate and isobutylene, some of which are considered to be toxic and possibly carcinogenic.

The EPA has maintained confidence that residents of are not at risk from impacted surface water, soil or air from the derailment.

But many families left out of fear for their health. Ashley McCollum told ABC News that she would rather be homeless than return to East Palestine, saying her family has experienced health issues like ear pain, hair loss, rashes and more since the derailment.

Norfolk Southern says it has invested more than $100 million into East Palestine’s recovery, including millions in direct payments to individuals impacted and town projects.

But EPA Administrator Michael Regan told ABC News earlier this month that the company still “must clean up their mess.”

“Let me be clear — Norfolk Southern is not cleaning up this mess and doing it following their own guidelines,” Regan said. “We have layers and layers of protection to ensure that they’re cleaning it up to the standards that we request.”

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(NEW YORK) — Sen. Joe Manchin, the Democrat from West Virginia, announced Friday he will not launch a 2024 bid for the White House as an independent — removing what would have been a major challenge for President Joe Biden’s campaign.

“I will not be seeking a third-party run. I will not be involved in a presidential,” Manchin said at an event at West Virginia University.

Manchin told the crowd that he will focus on putting his efforts behind his daughter’s Super PAC “Americans Together.”

“I will be involved in making sure that we secure a president that has the knowledge and has the passion and has the ability to bring this country together. And right now, we’re challenged and we’ve got to see if we can move people in that direction.”

Manchin announced last year that he would not seek reelection for his Senate seat, fueling speculation over whether he planned to mount a third-party White House bid.

Had Manchin run for president as a third-party candidate, it would have likely pulled marginal support from Biden and subtly shift the election toward former President DonaldTrump, according to analysis from 538.

And Manchin hasn’t been shy of flirting with a third-party run. Over the past year, Manchin’s rhetoric has hinted at it as he has publicized that he would crisscross the country to hear from the “politically homeless” and would work to “fight to unite the middle.”

With assistance from “Americans Together,” Manchin embarked on a listening tour traveling to New Hampshire and South Carolina claiming he wasn’t campaigning rather “concerned” for the country. Throughout that journey to 10 states, Manchin said he learned that his role was not viable in the 2024 election; however, he said he believes his voice is still needed for the “sensible and reasonable” moving forward.

On Friday, Manchin said the system isn’t set up for a third-party candidate.

“The system right now is not set up for [it]. The long game, maybe we can make a third party viable where it has a process and opportunity. Right now, it’s very challenging,” he said. “And I’m not going to be a deal breaker, if you will, spoiler, whatever you want to call it. I just don’t think it’s the right time.”

Manchin kept to his promise by making a decision on his political future ahead of the largest day in the presidential primary, Super Tuesday.

An independent run is considered an expensive and challenging legal battle. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. launched an independent run in October and to date, he’s only on the ballot in one state. Highlighting how the system is broken, Manchin mentioned Kennedy’s difficulties running as a third-party candidate.

As a former co-chair of No Labels, Manchin was once considered an option for their “Unity Ticket.’ Manchin’s announcement was not associated with the bipartisan third-party group who is still weighing their options.

Manchin did not declare that he’s leaving the Democratic Party, although offered a fair share of criticism during his speech.

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