WASHINGTON, D.C. — House Speaker Mike Johnson is working to ease divisions within the Republican conference and advance legislative priorities before the fall elections. President Donald Trump provided social media support to Speaker Johnson during this period.

Johnson adjourned the House early the previous week after internal conference issues prevented votes on two spending bills and a veterans' benefits measure. He later visited the White House after the abbreviated workweek concluded. Trump posted a message on social media instructing Republicans to stop voting against procedural rules that allow for final votes on legislative priorities, stating, "No more grandstanding, please!"

The House passed bipartisan legislation aimed at lowering housing costs during the previous week. Johnson stated he would send the housing bill to Trump on Monday. However, Trump canceled the signing ceremony for the housing bill, indicating he would not act until Congress passed legislation requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration.

More than two dozen House Republicans signed a letter pledging to vote against Senate bills unless elections legislation is attached. Representative Anna Paulina Luna led efforts that prompted Johnson to adjourn the House early. The House has previously passed a version of the measure known as the SAVE America Act, which has stalled in the Senate.

House leadership expects to schedule a vote on an annual defense policy bill. Luna proposed attaching elections legislation to the defense bill. She stated, "If they want my vote, they should entertain it, debate it, and if they block it, then we'll see. But that's how you get my vote."

Republicans intend to pass an increased defense spending bill on a party-line basis, partially funded by cuts to other programs. Johnson met with members of the House Budget Committee last week. Representative David Valadao stated he does not see a path forward for the proposed spending bill, while Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington stated that members are close to a framework for the spending bill.

The House is scheduled to be in session for approximately 28 days before the midterm elections, with lawmakers scheduled to be out for virtually all of August and October. Congress must pass bills to keep the government running beyond September 30, the end of the budget year.