Speaker Mike Johnson was at his wit’s end.
For months, he had been dealing with one rebellion after another, and now members were about to tank a bipartisan veterans bill. The House was scheduled to quickly approve the bill that Thursday morning and head out for the weekend.
Trying to salvage another priority for his party, Johnson brought a handful of members, including those threatening to block the bill, into his “ceremonial room” across from the House chamber. Reps. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Florida), who opposed the bill, and Zach Nunn (R-Iowa), who supported it, started yelling at each other.