House Republicans are channeling Edward Hopper this week, trying to hand over President Trump's “beautiful bill.”
Hopper is known for his “Nighthawks,” one of the most iconic paintings in American history. The 1942 painting depicts four people at the diner in the middle of the night. The abandoned cityscape commands the foreground. Two men decorated with Fedoras – sitting separately at the counter and coffee. One of the men is shoving a cigarette between his indicator and his middle finger. He is located next to a woman in scar-colored hair and red dress. She appears to have a bite of a donut or sandwich, studying it as if it were an unusual artifact. It appears she is debating whether or not to eat it. A young counterman dressed in white in a crisp envelope hat leaning downwards in search of glassware and dishes hidden beneath.
It's death at night. Everyone is far away and separated. Even couples should not look at each other, even if they sit side by side.
Nighthawks, 1942, Canvas on Canvas, 84.1 x 152.4 cm (33 1/8 x 60 inches), Chicago Museum of Art. (VCG Wilson/Corbis via Getty Images)
In Nighthawks, it appears that everyone is trying to make it from the night to the dawn.
This is kind of what Republicans are experiencing this week.
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The House Budget Committee was convened at 10:26pm on Sunday night (Sunday night) to advance tax cuts and spending reduction packages after measures were hampered on Friday afternoon. At 10:39pm ET, the committee approved Bill 17-16. Four House Republicans voted “now.”
Joe Day Allrington, a Republican from Texas and chairman of the House Budget Committee, will speak at the House Budget Committee meeting held at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, on Sunday, May 18, 2025. (Alex Wroblewski/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The next destination is the House Rules Committee, the final legislative method before the legislation is deposited on the floor.
At 12:31am on Monday, the Rules Committee announced that it would hold a meeting at 1am on Wednesday to prepare bills for the floor. That session could last all day on Wednesday. literally. The Energy and Commerce panel was held for 26 consecutive hours last week, preparing a section on budget adjustment measures. The Methods and Means Committee was huddled together all night.
A group of House Republicans pushing to state and local taxes in high-tax states (known as salt) was scheduled for a meeting with house speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) at 9pm Monday. And there's a full possibility that the home will discuss or vote on the measure late Thursday, Friday morning, or even Friday night.
This is how Capitol Hill rolls when there is a big law on a watch. The time is late. The meeting is long. Lawmakers will convene various sessions whenever necessary. It's just for measuring beyond the finish line.
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The only difference between the current Congressional Hall and the “Nighthawks” is that coffee fueled the painting figures until dawn. It was 1942, but this was 2025. Edward Hopper probably knew nothing about Celsius or Red Bull.
There are actual council reasons as to why the Budget Committee met late Sunday night after stumbling on Friday afternoon. And then there's the way to get the 1am crazy on the Rules Committee on Wednesday.
Let's rewind.
The Budget Committee attempted to fuse various provisions from almost 12 House committees into one unified legislative product at noon Friday. That effort has been shortened. A total of five Budget Committee Republicans voted for Nay. They got tired of spending cuts, green energy tax credits, and time frames for Medicaid people.
Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) will listen during a markup meeting with the House Budget Committee on Capitol Hill on May 16, 2025 in Washington, DC. Budget Committee members met to consider the House Republican settlement bill. The bill faced bipartisan opposition, with five Republican members of the House Budget Committee voted against it, supporting the allegation that the committee would take a break over the weekend. (Anna Money Maker/Getty Images)
Four of the five GOP NOEs were really against it. Rep. Lloyd Smucker, R-Penn. voted for Nay so that he could order a re-vote. The rules allow members of the winning side of the question (in this case Nay) to ask for another vote later. Smucker supported the plan. However, he later switched his vote to Nay and was on the winning side. It increased the chances of a re-voting.
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“To call out votes takes the process forward. I think it's a catalyst,” R-Tex said after the vote failed on Friday.
The Budget Committee then announced it would be held on Sunday at 10pm.
This is where things get interesting:
The key here was that the Budget Committee would finish work by midnight on Friday. When rotated, the process only consumes 15 or 20 minutes. The Budget Committee voted “now” to approve Plan 17-16.
“We're excited about what we did,” said MP RC Ralph Norman, one of the Gopers who voted for Nay on Friday.
Rep. Ralph Norman (Rs.C.) will arrive at a House Republican meeting at the Capitol Visitors Center on the Budget Settlement Bill on Thursday, May 15, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc, Getty Images)
But Norman wasn't yet excited enough to vote for Yes on Sunday night. He voted for the present.
“There's a lot we need to do to curb government and keep costs and deficits down,” Fox Business' Norman said Monday.
But anyway, the measure had been removed from the Budget Committee before Witch Time on Sunday. And then, just after midnight on Monday, the Rules Committee's announcement came to prepare a “big, beautiful bill” for the home floor for the 1am session on Wednesday.
Republicans on the House Rules Committee decided to flock to the flock at 1am Wednesday for several reasons. Let's start with the council's.
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The Budget Committee concluded just before midnight on Sunday. The rules allow Democrats to submit documents and perspectives after the meeting for two days. So they ended the whole day on Monday and Tuesday. The Rules Committee needs “time” to announce a formal meeting. Therefore, the “official” announcement of the Wednesday Rules Committee meeting will be out right after the 12:01am ET on Wednesday. It will trigger a 1am meeting on Wednesday.
Other, more practical reasons are:
Republicans always need them that they can get. There's talk of trying to vote for the floor a day later on Wednesday. I'll see about that. But the initial Rules Committee meeting times make that possible.
Second, there is a possibility that the Rules Committee meeting can consume the entire calendar day on Wednesday. The levy of lawmakers from both sides will submit to the Rules Committee to propose various amendments. This is a prolonged process.
On Sunday, May 18th, 2025, the US Capitol in Washington, DC. (Alex Wroblewski/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
But likewise, meeting at a 1am meeting could reduce attendance. After all, who would like to show up at 1am for the meeting and discuss your revision at 6:30am? You get an idea.
And expect a late-night meeting when Republicans try to close the deal once the bill breaks out of the Rules Committee. The home could vote almost any time Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday to pass the bill. It may be late in the evening. Or even overnight. They vote when the bill is ready, regardless of the time of the clock.
This is much drawn by House Republicans this week for a “big, beautiful bill.” Maybe they'll vote. Maybe they won't. Maybe they'll pass on more spending cuts. Maybe there will be a salt deal for state and local taxes. Probably not. The vote will probably come at 3pm. But perhaps until late at night.
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Just like the Nighthawks, everyone on Capitol Hill is trying to make it until the night or dawn.
