GOP Digest — July 24, 2026 | House GOP Pressures Thune on $95B Reconciliation as Michigan Democrats Fracture

Washington's Republican agenda fight and a Democratic civil war in Michigan headline today's digest. House GOP leaders are publicly pressuring the Senate to move on reconciliation, while the Democrats' socialist wing collides with the party's establishment in one of the cycle's most important Senate primaries.

Today's Digest

• [CONGRESS] — House GOP Demands Thune Move the $95 Billion Reconciliation Package: NRCC Chair Richard Hudson told Axios on Thursday that "the pressure from the American people is going to be unbearable if they refuse to act," as House leaders press Senate Republicans to move quickly on the House's $95 billion reconciliation package — which would fund the Iran war and farm assistance and includes components of the SAVE America Act. Thune has said he plans to wait until government funding is resolved before taking up the budget resolution, and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise told Axios he expects the White House to ramp up pressure on the Senate after Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that Trump's "patience is running out" with Thune.
• [DEM WATCH] — Black Democrats Resist the Socialist Push in Michigan: A Detroit News-Glengariff poll released this month shows Rep. Haley Stevens leading Sanders-wing progressive Abdul El-Sayed by 46 points among Black voters — 67% to 21% — in Michigan's Democratic Senate primary, even as El-Sayed leads overall in other, mostly Democratic polls. Rep. James Clyburn, a Stevens supporter, panned an El-Sayed rally in Detroit that drew a mostly white crowd: "I didn't see a single person that looks like me," adding, "That tells me all I need to know." The Congressional Black Caucus PAC has thrown its support behind Stevens.
• [PRIMARIES] — AOC Doubles Down on El-Sayed as Michigan Primary Nears: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez pledged that Democrats will back whoever wins Michigan's Aug. 4 Senate primary — "Whoever wins this primary, we are forcefully supporting, no matter what" — while continuing her staunch support for El-Sayed, who received an endorsement Thursday from Sen. Tina Smith, joining Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Chris Van Hollen. The primary winner faces former Rep. Mike Rogers, the presumptive Republican nominee, in a race that could decide the Senate majority.

On the Record

"Well, maybe she or somebody else ought to get on the phone and get the votes." — Senate Majority Leader John Thune, responding to White House pressure over the SAVE America Act, via Axios