Hello readers and welcome back to On Politics. Zach Schermele here, USA TODAY's congressional reporter. It's Tuesday, and Congress is on a week-long Memorial Day recess. Republicans will be biting their nails tonight. More about that below.
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It's a big day in the Lone Star State, where perhaps the most talked-about GOP primary runoff is taking place tonight.
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John Cornyn, a fixture of the United States Senate, is up against Ken Paxton, Texas' attorney general. After months of hemming and hawing about his much-coveted endorsement, President Trump recently anointed Paxton, scandals and all. I was in the Capitol when it happened, and the frustration on Senate Republicans' faces was clear as the crushing political blow landed on their longtime colleague. (Cornyn was elected to the hallowed chamber the same year Kelly Clarkson won "American Idol," in the days when MP3 players were rising in popularity.)
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Frustration has become a familiar emotion among Senate Republicans lately. The Cornyn snub, the DOJ "anti-weaponization" fund, the $1 billion White House ballroom security upgrade – all have become political sore spots. If Cornyn loses, he will become yet another free agent in their conference, joining the ranks of Sens. Bill Cassidy, Thom Tillis, Rand Paul (debatably) and the mostly independent Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski.
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Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, at the Texas Tech University groundbreaking ceremony of its Critical Infrastructure Security Site at the Reese National Security Complex on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, in Lubbock, Texas.
Mateo Rosiles, El Paso Times, USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images
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At stake amid the shifting allegiances is Trump's legislative agenda during what could be his last chance to get anything done in Congress in his second term.
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Get a deeper dive into the stakes of tonight's race here, from my colleague Phillip Bailey.
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Lawmakers are gone from Washington for a week, but they have a growing list of items that GOP leaders in both chambers want accomplished before the fall elections. Among them:
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a roughly $70 billion immigration enforcement funding bill; |
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adding potential guardrails to what critics have called Trump's DOJ "slush fund"; |
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a largely bipartisan housing reform bill; |
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a farm bill that faces an uphill climb in the Senate, and |
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a big highway infrastructure bill. |
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That's a lot to get done with just about a dozen voting weeks left before the midterms.
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Where in the world is this Republican congressman?
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For most Americans, skipping work for almost three months with little explanation would be a one-way ticket to unemployment.
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But for members of Congress, the rules don't always apply.
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Rep. Thomas Kean Jr., a 57-year-old Republican who represents much of northwestern New Jersey, hasn't been seen on Capitol Hill since early March, when he last cast a vote in the House of Representatives. Since then, no one seems to fully know what happened, where he's been or why he left (apart from vague statements about him suffering from a medical condition).
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Speaker Mike Johnson recently said Kean, who is running for a third term, would be back in the next few weeks – but he was light on details. My colleague Jennifer Borresen and I delved into the story here.
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Zachary Schermele is a congressional reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach him by email at zschermele@usatoday.com. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social.
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Looking for a clear, monthly roadmap to the 2026 midterms? Our new election guide Reddit thread tracks key primaries plus all the resources you may need as a voter (registration, deadlines, ID rules, absentee, mail voting and more). Catch the May update with local USA TODAY Network reporting and bookmark the guide for future editions.
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💬We also want to hear from you! What questions do you have for our team as we get closer to November? Is there a race you’re watching closely? Let us know by jumping in the comments on Reddit or responding to this newsletter.
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The mystery of a New Jersey congressman's absence has consumed Washington for weeks.
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President Donald Trump abandoning Sen. John Cornyn destabilizes the White House's already-rocky relationship with Senate Republicans.
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Climbing cancer rates, renewed water quality concerns and an ascendant MAHA movement have collided on the gubernatorial campaign trail in Iowa.
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