USA TODAY is reporting that House Speaker Mike Johnson is facing significant legislative challenges, with action on the House floor effectively frozen and only eight planned working days remaining before the August recess. The outlet said the upcoming focus will be on government funding, followed by the midterms.
Johnson's relationship with President Donald J Trump appears strong, contrasting with Senate Majority Leader John Thune's recent public disagreements with the White House. Johnson advised Thune to spend more time with Trump, according to an interview with USA TODAY's Francesca Chambers. The outlet noted that despite the apparent rift, Trump has praised Thune, and a Thune aide confirmed frequent communication between them. Thune also is not experiencing a floor-paralyzing revolt from his own members, unlike Johnson.
Separately, USA TODAY reported on a significant week for the Education Department, as major changes to federal financial aid policy from Trump's "Big, Beautiful Bill Act" took effect. A federal judge last week temporarily paused regulations that would reclassify certain degree programs and lower borrowing caps. Graduate nursing degrees appear unaffected for now, while theology degrees are subject to new limits. Nicholas Kent, the agency's top higher education official, stated the department would comply with the order but disagreed with the court's analysis regarding professional degree program definitions.
USA TODAY's Supreme Court correspondent, Maureen Groppe, analyzed the high court's recently concluded business, describing it as the "Trump term." She wrote that over nine months of decisions, the 6-3 conservative court largely expanded presidential authority.