House lawmakers passed a bill that would allow year-round sales of increased ethanol-blend fuel after years of debate on the issue sparked partisan fights and divided Republicans.

Wednesday’s 218-203 vote represents a victory for a bipartisan group of Midwestern lawmakers who have aggressively lobbied House leaders to bring the E15 measure to the floor, and can now use the vote to marshal voters ahead of November’s midterm elections.

Agriculture groups have spent years pushing Congress to approve year round sales of E15 blend fuel. President Donald Trump urged lawmakers earlier this year to negotiate an E15 agreement that would help farmers and refiners. Midwestern Republicans have tried to attach the legislation to other vehicles in recent years, but it has repeatedly been stripped out amid outcry from fellow House Republicans.

The proposal faces an uphill battle in the Senate due to entrenched opposition from oil-state lawmakers.

“God only knows” what will happen to the E15 bill in the Senate, said one agriculture lobbyist who was granted anonymity to discuss the negotiations. A Republican Senate staffer who was granted anonymity to discuss the legislation’s political dynamics called the House proposal a “nonstarter.”

“It won’t pass in the Senate. I feel very confident about that,” said the staffer, who works for a lawmaker who opposes the plan.

The legislation also faces significant opposition from a wide array of interest groups.

Oil-refining companies say the bill doesn’t do enough to cut potential compliance costs. Environmental organizations warned that boosting ethanol demand would disrupt U.S. crop allocations while harming the climate and consumers. A Congressional Budget Office analysis determined the bill would add billions of dollars to the federal deficit over a 10-year period.

House leaders agreed to remove the E15 plan from the farm bill last month at the last minute as part of a deal between Speaker Mike Johnson and oil-state lawmakers.

Biofuels advocates pitched their colleagues on voting for the measure this week amid high gas prices spiked by the war in Iran and as a boon for corn farmers facing an economic crisis.

“We need a new domestic market opportunity for our corn,” Rep. Brad Finstad (R-Minn.) said on the floor Wednesday. “E15 delivers on that.”

Rep. Mike Lawler on Wednesday said he was accosted by the son of Sen. Rand Paul on Tuesday night with a 10-minute “reprehensible” antisemitic rant.

The New York Republican told reporters the interaction occurred when he was on his way to a restaurant with at least one journalist. He said William Paul approached him and shouted at him and said he would blame “your people” if Rep. Thomas Massie loses his reelection bid.

“My people?” Lawler asked.

“Yeah, you Jews,” Paul replied.

Lawler said he told Paul that he isn’t Jewish and the senator’s son apologized before launched into an antisemitic diatribe.

“At one point, he said that he hates Jews and hates gays and doesn’t care if they die. And I think that’s fucking disgusting,” Lawler said.

The conversation, he said, ended soon thereafter, with Paul flipping him off and tripping on his way out the door.

In a post to X late Wednesday afternoon, Paul said he “had too much to drink and said some things that don’t represent who I really am.”

“I’m sorry and today I am seeking help for my drinking problem,” he added. A spokesperson for Sen. Rand Paul did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“I think it speaks to a larger issue, obviously, in society and what we’re seeing among young people and what we see online, and this is the level of hatred and vitriol, frankly, that some of my Jewish colleagues experience, that many of my constituents experience,” said Lawler.

Lawler represents New York’s 17th Congressional District, which is home to about 90,000 Jews, or about 12 percent of the district’s population.

“I’m not going to stop standing up for my constituents. I’m not going to stop standing up for the Judeo-Christian values that are at the core of our nation, our Constitution, our rule of law,” he said.

House Republican leadership is pressing ahead to alter the Senate’s version of a stalled housing bill, and is currently planning to put an amended version of the bill on the floor for a vote next week before lawmakers leave for Memorial Day recess, according to four people with direct knowledge of the matter.

The move means the bill, a priority of the White House, would have to go back to the Senate. It comes after POLITICO reported that White House officials want House Republicans to pass the Senate’s housing bill as is, and stop trying to amend it. President Donald Trump on Monday additionally called for the House to pass the Senate’s 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act as is.

But House GOP leaders have warned the bill won’t pass the chamber without bipartisan alterations, including some that Financial Services Chair French Hill (R-Ark.) and ranking member Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) have been working on for several weeks.

Hill said in an interview Wednesday that he expects Waters to fully sign off on an amended housing package before the bill is placed for a floor vote, which has “been the whole plan from the very beginning.”

Waters said Hill’s comment was a “bit premature.”

“Everything is working well,” the California Democrat said in an interview. “We believe that we can get this bill done and we’ll get it to the floor, and Johnson is working with the Senate and can resolve whatever problems they have, and between me and Mr. Hill, we’re doing fine in resolving whatever concerns we have.”

Senior Republicans are still finalizing the language of the amended bill, but it would incorporate some of the House priorities. GOP leadership is still working with Republican hard-liners on a potential ban on the Federal Reserve issuing a digital dollar, the four people said. The temporary ban included in the Senate’s bill has drawn the ire of the House Freedom Caucus and others.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise in an interview confirmed the plan to amend the housing bill with some of Hill’s and Democrats’ bipartisan suggestions and put it on the floor next week. In the meantime, Scalise said Hill is working on Democratic and GOP votes for the amended version to pass on suspension, as key Democrats haven’t given their sign-off yet.

“Just like the first bill that came out of the House [that] had a very strong bipartisan vote — I have no doubt that this final version will as well,” Scalise said. “We’re working to get them a really strong housing bill to the President’s desk as quickly as possible, and that’s what [the White House] want[s] too.”

The Senate’s housing package, which aims to boost housing supply and homeownership similarly to the House’s bill, contains a provision that would restrict large institutional investors’ ownership of single-family homes. House Republicans are wary of specific language that would require single-family homes built as long-term rentals to be sold to individual homeowners after seven years.

A previous version of amended draft text circulated by House Republicans would significantly reel in efforts by the Senate to limit the role of Wall Street in housing and strip the controversial Senate provision requiring the seven-year divestiture for single-family homes that are built to rent, which POLITICO reported Saturday.

The draft text also contained changes to a provision aimed at limiting the ability of large institutional investors to purchase housing by narrowing the definition of “single-family home,” which could make it possible for private equity firms and other large companies to purchase more homes than the previous version allowed.

House GOP leaders are currently planning to put the amended housing bill up for a fast-track vote via suspension next Wednesday, which requires a two-thirds majority, according to the people.

Hill has said there are legal concerns with the language and that the provision could restrict capital in the housing industry.

Senate Commerce Committee Chair Ted Cruz wants to advance a package in the next month that would impose new online protections for children, he told reporters Wednesday.

The new proposed timeline comes after the Texas Republican said at a Capitol Hill rally for online safety Tuesday that a bill providing greater oversight for how children interact with AI chatbots would be part of this package.

Cruz told reporters in mid-March that he wanted to put legislation forward by roughly the end of April that includes the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0) and Kids Off Social Media Act (KOSMA). Now, the CHATBOT Act, which Cruz introduced with Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) in late April, will be part of such a package.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told Republican lawmakers Wednesday that Congress needs to fund security aspects of President Donald Trump’s White House ballroom project because the Secret Service is prohibited from using private funds for that purpose, according to four people who heard the remarks.

Mullin’s comments to a meeting of the Republican Governance Group came as the Trump administration is pressing GOP lawmakers to approve $1 billion in new Secret Service funding, as much as $220 million of which could fund parts of the controversial ballroom project.

His claim of a legal prohibition on private funding for security upgrades represents a new argument put forth by the administration. Trump has repeatedly insisted that the $400 million ballroom project will be financed by private donors.

Asked about the argument as he left the meeting Wednesday, Mullin declined to answer and replied, “I gotta go.” A DHS spokesperson declined to comment on the legal foundations for the claim.

Mullin’s visit to the group of centrist Republicans was aimed to quell GOP concerns about the $1 billion security request, which has threatened to derail a larger package of funding for immigration enforcement agencies. White House legislative affairs director James Braid also attended the meeting.

Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-Pa.) and other Republicans holding at-risk seats pressed Mullin for a breakdown of the $220 million that will be focused on White House security, including for the new ballroom, according to the four people in the room who were granted anonymity to describe the private meeting.

Mullin said he did not have a more finely grained breakdown but that lawmakers would get one soon, the people present said.

Senate Republicans aren’t sold on their House counterparts’ dreams of passing yet another party-line bill this summer.

GOP senators are still trying to push through a narrowly targeted immigration enforcement bill — their second attempt at using the budget reconciliation process this Congress following last summer’s tax-cuts-focused megabill.

With that legislation still in flux, they aren’t showing much enthusiasm for the House GOP’s goal of passing a third reconciliation bill by late July — and several aren’t convinced a third bill happens at all.

“I wouldn’t bet my house on it, and if it were your house I were betting on, I’d say, ‘Maybe,’” said Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.). “I hope that they’re right.”

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), asked if the Senate was on the same timeline or if he was sure a third bill would happen, said, “No.”

The skepticism from some Republicans comes as key House Republicans, including Speaker Mike Johnson, told POLITICO this week they want to draw up another bill before the long August recess.

House Republicans are still discussing what could go in the bill, which could be a final catch-all before the midterms allowing them to potentially address affordability issues, alleged fraud in social service programs and Iran war funding, among other things.

But Senate Republican leaders aren’t buying yet, especially as the White House struggles to squash GOP skepticism over funding in the immigration enforcement bill related to President Donald Trump’s ballroom project.

“We’re still working on reconciliation 2.0,” Majority Leader John Thune said Wednesday when asked if the Senate was also working on a pre-recess timeline for a third bill.

Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso added that “what we’re wanting to do right now is get this second one done.”

Sen. John Kennedy said Wednesday that he plans to vote for landmark cryptocurrency legislation in the Senate Banking Committee this week, clearing the way for the bill to advance whether it wins bipartisan backing or not.

“This is not a perfect bill,” the Louisiana Republican told reporters Wednesday. “But it’s a good bill, and it’s a good start.”

Kennedy has been a major question mark for months on the crypto bill, as he has raised concerns about both the substance and the process surrounding the legislation. But he said Wednesday that he secured several changes to the new text — including the inclusion of language “creating fiduciary responsibility for participants in the crypto industry” and an unrelated housing bill he co-leads called the Build Now Act.

“It’s time to urinate or get off the pot,” Kennedy said.

Kennedy will still be a key figure to watch at the markup: He said Wednesday he plans to “consider all the amendments” that are brought up, leaving the door open to supporting what could be controversial changes to the legislation.

A bill that would deliver new aid to Ukraine and sanction Russia is set to get a House vote in the coming weeks after a bipartisan group of lawmakers completed a discharge petition forcing it to the floor.

Rep. Kevin Kiley (I-Calif.) delivered the decisive 218th signature Wednesday on the effort to push the Ukraine Support Act through the House over the objections of Republican leaders.

Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, the top Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Committee, launched the discharge effort almost a year ago. Now Democrats are planning to force the vote the first week of June, according to three people granted anonymity to describe private plans.

It’s the latest headache for Speaker Mike Johnson, who has already seen a staggering number of discharge petitions succeed this Congress and is now seeking to unify his conference around a party-line immigration enforcement bill.

A pair of centrist House Republicans, Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Don Bacon of Nebraska, had already signed the Ukraine petition and had been lobbying GOP colleagues for months to join them.

“A message to our Ukrainian friends: Help is on the way,” Fitzpatrick said Wednesday.

The bill, introduced by Meeks, would provide $1.3 billion in aid to Ukraine and implement new sanctions on Russia amid the four-year war between the two countries. The bill also reaffirms U.S. support for Ukraine and the importance of NATO.

House GOP leaders will be divided on a vote Wednesday for a bill allowing year-round sales of an ethanol-heavy fuel blend for the first time.

House Republican Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota will vote for the E15 sales bill, according to a statement shared exclusively with POLITICO.

“I’ve always supported year-round E15 and I’m proud to vote YES on the House floor later today to support Minnesota’s farmers and producers,” Emmer said in the statement.

House Republican Conference Chair Lisa McClain of Michigan meanwhile told POLITICO she’d vote yes, adding she is “pro-E15.”

“I have a huge farming district,” she said.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana said he plans to vote against the bill. Speaker Mike Johnson has not said how he will vote.

The E15 sales bill is backed by farm state Republicans, but many gas and oil state GOP members oppose the measure.

Republican divisions over the Iran war deepened on Wednesday as three GOP senators voted with Democrats to curtail the conflict, signaling greater headwinds for President Donald Trump as he seeks to stem economic impacts that have damaged the party’s political standing.

While the Democratic-led measure failed, it was the closest a war powers vote came to advancing in the Senate in the seven attempts since the war began as GOP concerns slowly grow over the path forward.

The 49-50 vote was also the first since the Trump administration blew past a legal deadline to wind down the war effort, which several Republicans have signaled would be a turning point for their support. It comes as the war grows increasingly unpopular with the American public and as gas prices skyrocket.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) joined Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) in supporting the resolution. Paul has supported all seven attempts to rein in Trump, while Collins broke ranks for the first time last month, just ahead of the 60-day benchmark. Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania again broke with his party to oppose the measure.

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), ahead of the vote, acknowledged Republican opposition to the war has developed “much more slowly than I wish.” But he and the resolution’s sponsor, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), predicted economic pressure would eventually sway enough GOP senators.

“We know what our colleagues are hearing. We know what they’re hearing from their constituents, and we’re starting to hear doubt creep into their words,” Kaine said. “There will be a day — and it might be soon, I believe — where the Senate will say to the president, ‘stop this war.’”

The 1973 War Powers Resolution requires military operations to wind down after 60 days, unless Congress authorizes continued action.

The administration has argued the deadline doesn’t apply because of a ceasefire with Iran that Trump has extended indefinitely. But while the bombing has paused, the U.S. Navy is still blockading Iranian ports to try and force Tehran to relinquish its closure of the critical Strait of Hormuz. Trump on Monday described the ceasefire as on “life support.”

Most Republicans — despite the economic fallout and legal deadline — still opted not to cross Trump, a sign of his continued sway over the bulk of the party.

Trump’s trip to China may also have impacted the vote, with some Republicans unwilling to rebuke the commander in chief while he is overseas. Trump landed in Beijing Wednesday and will meet with Chinese premier Xi Jinping, a high stakes summit that was delayed due to the Iran war.

“The president made it very clear: clear that the major fighting has halted, clear that the American ceasefire has held for more than a month, and our naval blockade is working,” said Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, the no. 2 Senate Republican. “This week, President Trump is meeting with China overseas. Democrats right here in the Senate want to pull the rug out from under him.”

The estimated costs of the war have also grown, despite the extended ceasefire. Pentagon officials told lawmakers in budget hearings Tuesday that the campaign has cost $29 billion so far — up from a previous estimate of $25 billion the administration provided Congress in April.

The $4 billion increase, acting Pentagon Comptroller Jules Hurst told House and Senate appropriators, is driven by the cost of repairing and replacing equipment. But the latest appraisal still doesn’t include the need for repairs to U.S. facilities in the region damaged in the fighting.

Critics argue the latest numbers underestimate the war’s true cost. The White House still hasn’t submitted a formal request for additional war funding, though reports suggest the administration has weighed packages exceeding $200 billion.

Some Republicans are pushing for lawmakers to authorize continued operations as a way to enforce guardrails and give lawmakers a say in the path forward. Murkowski, who previously resisted efforts to cut off military operations as too rash, has been working to draft an Iran authorization. But Majority Leader John Thune and other top Republicans have downplayed the political support for doing so.

The Trump administration also insists it doesn’t need Congress to grant it additional authority to resume strikes against Iran if the ceasefire collapses.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, pressed by Murkowski during a Senate hearing Tuesday about whether the administration has considered seeking authorization from Congress, dismissed the concept. If Trump made the decision to restart combat operations, Hegseth said, “we would have all the authorities necessary to do so.”

House Republicans are aiming to finish before August another party-line bill that they hope will persuade voters to keep them in power in midterm elections.

House GOP leaders and a group of GOP members in closed-door meetings Tuesday discussed passing a third reconciliation bill by the end of July, five people with direct knowledge of the conversations told POLITICO. The third party-line bill would be in addition to the current immigration enforcement spending bill moving through the Senate.

Speaker Mike Johnson told POLITICO as he left the House floor Tuesday “I do” think Republicans can meet that timeline. Rep. August Pfluger, who has pushed for the additional party-line bill as chair of the Republican Study Committee, said he was optimistic it could be done.

“We have achieved every objective and goal that we set out to do,” he told POLITICO. “And we will achieve this one as well.”

Plenty of obstacles stand in the path to their plan. One senior Republican noted there are just over 30 legislative days that the House is in session before summer recess, which begins July 23.

Both chambers would also have to approve an identical budget resolution, meaning the fractious House and Senate would have to agree on broad outlines for the bill — a process that took months during last year’s drafting of the GOP’s megabill.

The party also has yet to finalize its second reconciliation bill focused on immigration enforcement. The legislation has become mired in debate over a provision that could allow up to $1 billion in spending for the Secret Service and security for President Donald Trump’s ballroom project, which polls show is deeply unpopular with voters.

That ballroom spending debate has only added to calls from members saying the party needs to do more to address cost-of-living matters before voters go to the polls in the fall.

Some members argue Republicans have struggled to sell to the public the “big, beautiful bill” they passed last year. And more recently, House and Senate Republicans are facing divisions over a gas-tax holiday being demanded by Trump, not to mention housing and energy permitting bills that have stalled for months.

That set of overlapping internal battles — and rising inflation numbers — are underscoring the party’s political peril. Another reconciliation bill, which Republicans can pass without Democratic support, is seen as crucial to efforts to show voters they can deliver affordability solutions.

“Well, do we pass it? Or do we try?” Sen. Rick Scott said. “I know we’re going to try.”

What else we’re watching:

— GOP LEADERS LUKEWARM ON GAS TAX HOLIDAY: Trump’s plan to suspend the federal gasoline tax is getting a reality check from GOP leaders wary of taking a political gamble with relatively little payoff for Americans at the pump. A day after Trump’s call to action and more than two months into a Middle East war that has caused fuel prices to surge, congressional leaders were not throwing any weight behind legislative proposals, preferring instead to wait and see whether Trump will make a more direct appeal to Congress.

— WARSH POISED FOR RECORD LOW BIPARTISAN SUPPORT: The Senate’s vote Wednesday on Kevin Warsh’s nomination to lead the Federal Reserve is poised to be the most partisan of any Fed chair ever. While some Democrats say they were impressed with Warsh in their private meetings, few are expected to back him, largely because they think he’s doing Trump’s bidding.

Meredith Lee Hill, Kelsey Brugger, Jordain Carney, Andres Picon, Pavan Acharya, Amelia Davidson, Jasper Goodman and Sam Sutton contributed to this report.