House GOP channels ‘Nighthawks’ as they try to pass Trump's ‘big, beautiful bill’

House Republicans are channeling Edward Hopper this week as they try to pass President Trump s big beautiful bill Hopper is known for Nighthawks one of the most of iconic paintings in American history The painting depicts four people in a diner in the middle of the night A deserted streetscape commands the foreground Two men heads festooned with fedoras sit separately at the counter nursing coffee One of the men has a cigarette tucked between his index and middle fingers He s positioned next to a woman with scarlet hair and a red dress She appears to holding a bite of a doughnut or sandwich studying it as though it were a rare artifact She seems to debate whether she should eat it A young counterman attired in white with a crisp envelope hat leans downward in search of glassware or dishes hidden underneath It's the dead of night Everyone is distant and detached Even the couple even though they sit side-by-side don t look at each other In Nighthawks everyone appears as though they re just trying to make it through the night to dawn It s kind of what House Republicans are going through this week 'DEAD OF NIGHT' DEMS ACCUSE GOP OF COWARDICE OVER LATE-NIGHT VOTES ON TRUMP'S 'BIG BEAUTIFUL' BUDGET BILLThe House Budget Committee convened at p m ET Sunday night to advance the tax cut and spending reduction package after a hiccup stalled the measure Friday afternoon At p m ET the committee approved the bill - with four House Republicans voting present The next stop is the House Rules Committee the final parliamentary way station before depositing a piece of bill on the floor At a m ET Monday the Rules Committee publicized it would prep the bill for the floor with a meeting at a m Wednesday morning That session could last all day Wednesday Literally The Power and Commerce panel met for consecutive hours last week to prepare its section of the budget reconciliation measure The Methods and Means Committee huddled all night long The group of House Republicans pushing to state and local tax for high-tax states known as SALT scheduled a meeting with House Speaker Mike Johnson R-La for p m ET Monday And it s entirely feasible that the House could be debating or even voting on the measure late Thursday the wee hours of Friday morning or even Friday night This is how Capitol Hill rolls when there s a big piece of decree on the clock The hours are late The meetings are long Lawmakers convene different sessions whenever they need to just to get the measure across the finish line HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO WHERE THE 'BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL' STANDS AND WHAT HAPPENS SUNDAY IN THE BUDGET COMMITTEEThe only difference between the halls of Congress now and Nighthawks is that the coffee fueled the figures in the painting until dawn It was But this is Edward Hopper would know nothing of Celsius or Red Bull There s an actual parliamentary reason as to why the Budget Committee met so late on Sunday night after its stumble on Friday afternoon And there s a method to the Rules Committee s a m madness on Wednesday Let s rewind The Budget Committee tried to blend the various provisions from nearly a dozen House committees into one unified legislative product midday Friday That effort came up short A total of five Budget Committee Republicans voted nay They groused about spending cuts green vitality tax credits and the timeframe of work requirements for those on Medicaid Four of the five GOP noes were truly opposed Rep Lloyd Smucker R-Penn voted nay so he could order a re-vote Rules allow a member on the winning side of an issue in this episode the nays to ask for another vote later Smucker supported the plan But he then switched his vote to nay to be on the winning side That teed up a manageable re-vote REPUBLICANS READY LATE-NIGHT SESSION ON TRUMP'S 'BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL' AFTER GOP MUTINY Calling a vote moves the process forward I think it's a catalyst revealed Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington R-Tex after the failed vote Friday The Budget Committee then communicated it would convene at p m ET Sunday This is where things get compelling The key here was for the Budget Committee to finish its work before midnight Friday Once it got rolling the process would only consume or minutes The Budget Committee approved the plan - with four Republicans voting present We're excited about what we did revealed Rep Ralph Norman R-S C who was one of the GOPers who voted nay Friday But Norman still wasn t excited enough to vote yes on Sunday night He voted present There's so much more that we have to do to rein in ruling body and rein in the costs and the deficits disclosed Norman on FOX Business Monday But regardless the measure was out of the Budget Committee before the witching hour on Sunday And then came the Rules Committee announcement just after midnight on Monday about a session at a m Wednesday to ready the big beautiful bill for the House floor There are several reasons House Rules Committee Republicans decided to huddle at a m et Wednesday Let s begin with the parliamentary one HOUSE REPUBLICANS FACE DOWN DEM ATTACKS PROTESTS TO PULL ALL-NIGHTER ON TRUMP'S 'BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL'The Budget Committee wrapped up just before midnight Sunday The rules allow Democrats two full days to file their paperwork and viewpoints after that meeting So they had all day Monday and all day Tuesday The Rules Committee demands an hour to announce its formally meeting So the official announcement of the Rules Committee meeting on Wednesday will go out just after a m ET Wednesday That triggers a a m ET meeting on Wednesday Here are the other more practical reasons Republicans need all the time they can get There is talk of trying to vote on the floor late in the day on Wednesday We ll see about that But the early Rules Committee meeting time makes that a possibility Second of all it s attainable the Rules Committee meeting could consume the entire calendar day of Wednesday Streams of lawmakers from both sides will file into the Rules Committee to propose various amendments This is a protracted process But by the same token meeting at a m ET could diminish attendance After all who wants to show up at a m ET for a meeting and maybe discuss your amendment at a m ET You get the idea And once the bill gets out of the Rules Committee expect late night meetings among Republicans as they try to close the deal It s realizable the House could vote at virtually any time of day Wednesday Thursday or Friday to pass the bill That could be late in the evening Or even overnight They will vote when the bill is ready regardless of the time on the clock Such is the lot drawn this week by House Republicans for the big beautiful bill Maybe they ll have the votes Maybe they won t Maybe they ll pass more spending cuts Maybe there ll be a deal on SALT for state and local taxes Maybe not Maybe the vote comes at in the afternoon But more likely sometime late at night Just like in Nighthawks everyone on Capitol Hill is just trying to make it through the night and to the dawn