House GOP Deadlocks Sending Lawmakers Home Early

WASHINGTON (AP) — As the nation celebrates its 250th birthday this weekend, the legislative branch has momentarily called it quits. House leadership abruptly canceled votes Tuesday and sent lawmakers home early. Speaker Mike Johnson’s majority was once again ground to a standstill by rebellious Republicans refusing their own party’s agenda. In this case, it’s a standoff blocking the annual defense bill. Renegade Republicans are pushing to include President Donald Trump’s own priority, the SAVE America Act, a strict voter ID bill. Last week, the Senate similarly shuttered after Trump’s demands. The emptying Capitol provides another snapshot of the imbalance of power in Washington as a headstrong executive confronts a weakened Congress.