David Cameron, foreign secretary of the United Kingdom, followed a visit with Donald Trump by hitting Capitol Hill on Tuesday — though he did not see Speaker Mike Johnson in person.

Cameron was spotted meeting on Tuesday with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a strong supporter of new U.S. aid to Ukraine, after breaking bread Monday night with the aid-skeptical former president at Mar-a-Lago. The top British diplomat had been in contact with Johnson’s office about an in-person meeting, according to a British government source, though one did not ultimately pan out due to schedule conflicts.

As he left McConnell’s office, Cameron declined to confirm that Johnson was not on his list of lawmaker meetings as he makes the case for Ukraine aid and other transatlantic priorities.

“I’ve got a whole lot of meetings,” he said, “and I’m not quite sure who I am and who I’m not seeing.”

Before he arrived on the Hill, Cameron met with Trump in Florida. According to a Trump campaign summary of the conversation, they discussed “the upcoming US and UK elections, policy matters specific to Brexit, the need for NATO countries to meet their defense spending requirements, and ending the killing in Ukraine.”

The meeting at Mar-a-Lago also included the British ambassador to the U.S., Karen Pierce, and the three “also discussed their mutual admiration for the late Queen Elizabeth II,” according to the Trump campaign.

Natalie Allison and Anthony Adragna contributed to this report.

The House won’t send impeachment articles against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to the Senate until Monday, giving the GOP more time to game out a strategy.

House Republicans had initially planned to present the articles on Wednesday, likely culminating in a Thursday dismissal of the trial. But GOP senators want to avoid any absences on their side, tightening Democrats’ margin for error in the 51-49 chamber. That could mean every Democratic senator would have to vote to table or dismiss if the party wants to avoid a lengthy impeachment trial.

“To ensure the Senate has adequate time to perform its constitutional duty, the House will transmit the articles of impeachment to the Senate next week,” said Taylor Haulsee, a spokesperson for Speaker Mike Johnson.

Senate Democrats had planned to shut down the trial quickly, which would require a majority vote in the chamber. But a number of moderate Democrats up for reelection this year haven’t committed to voting for a motion to dismiss. And Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.) said Tuesday that he “would doubt” any GOP senators vote with Democrats to abandon a trial.

“You’ve always got to maybe worry about that a little bit,” he added. “It’s a numbers game.”

Senate conservatives are adamant they want a full trial — though that seems particularly unlikely. Democrats have made it clear they want to end the trial as quickly as possible. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer still projected confidence to that end Tuesday afternoon.

“We’re ready to go whenever they are. We’re sticking with our plan. We’re going to move this as expeditiously as possible,” he told reporters.

Olivia Beavers contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump’s announcement that abortion should be left to the states sent many in the congressional GOP scrambling. But three senators in particular could feel the squeeze in the coming months.

Some lawmakers are trying a new strategy. Take Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), whose wife just argued an abortion case before the Supreme Court. He aligned with Trump and said Republicans should “make the case anew” to voters to ban abortion at the state level — though that argument hasn’t seemed to work much so far.

“It’s not going to pass,” Hawley said about a push from Republicans in Congress to codify a nationwide ban. “It’s not going to get 60 [votes]. So let’s be realistic. I mean, that’s not going to happen.”

But many Republicans aren’t willing to cede ground on a federal abortion ban, insisting that the party can’t just allow blue states to continue the practice. Count Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) in that bucket; he previously introduced a bill to ban abortion after 15 weeks and became a target of Trump’s wrath on Monday.

He’s the most obvious, given that social media blowup, but he’s not alone. Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) has also critiqued Trump’s abortion position, supported a 15-week federal ban and he’s on the list to potentially join Trump’s ticket as vice president.

Then there’s Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who’s also a contender for Trump’s VP but seen as a less likely pick. He signed on as a co-sponsor of Graham’s 15-week-ban bill last term, and now he’s running for reelection in a state where abortion is also on the ballot.

Here’s more on the three Republican senators to watch:
Graham
He “respectfully disagreed” with Trump on Monday, saying he still felt a nationwide 15-week abortion ban was appropriate. Trump quickly panned that take as a stance that could lose Republicans elections in the fall.

The split is particularly notable given the two’s former status as close allies. Now, Trump is directly contradicting Graham on both abortion and strengthening U.S. national security, two of the South Carolina senator’s biggest priorities. Trump and Graham have been at odds over how to handle an emboldened and aggressive Russia on the world stage.

Graham wouldn’t say Monday whether he’ll re-introduce legislation to ban abortions federally. That could set up an ugly, intra-party clash if Trump wins in November. And Graham, for his part, doesn’t feel Hawley’s optimism about taking the fight to limit abortion to the states.

“For the pro-life movement it’s about the child, not geography,” Graham said. “So if you’re turning the pro-life movement into a geographical movement, I think you’re stuck.”

Scott
Trump’s abortion stance could complicate his veepstakes. Scott also backed a 15-week national ban and used that as a major differentiator in his campaign against Trump for the GOP nomination. And he lobbed strong criticism at Trump for his disinterest in a federal abortion ban.

Scott’s office didn’t respond to our request for comment Tuesday, and he doesn’t usually respond in hallway interviews.

His position could make Scott’s potential selection as VP a bit awkward, given the daylight between their positions. But alternatively, maybe it helps Scott if Trump’s campaign thinks he would help them with anti-abortion groups.

Rubio
The Florida Republican is already taking political hits for co-sponsoring Graham’s bill to ban abortions nationwide after 15 weeks of pregnancy.

Democrats clearly want to tie him to anti-abortion rhetoric, especially with the right to the procedure on his state’s ballot in November. Floridians will get to vote on a state constitutional amendment that could enshrine abortion protections in the state constitution, and an abortion ban after six weeks of pregnancy is currently slated to take effect in the state.

Given those dynamics, Trump’s position might be helpful to give Rubio some distance. He praised the former president’s announcement to us on Tuesday: “What he said yesterday was the truth: that our most realistic chance of limiting the damage that abortion does is at the state level. That’s just a fact.”

Burgess Everett and Ursula Perano contributed.

Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D) reached out to Donald Trump after the former president said Monday that he would not support a national abortion ban — to “applaud him.”

Trump’s position frustrated anti-abortion activists who had hoped he would endorse federal restrictions, and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said he “respectfully” disagreed with the stance. But Cramer said Trump had staked out a position that’s in a “safe zone politically” for their party, which has been dogged by perennial questions about its abortion stance since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. 

“[I] applaud him for finally saying that, you know, succinctly and putting to rest any notion that he is supporting some sort of a federal ban at any level, because … he referenced an openness a while back,” Cramer told reporters on Tuesday.

“I texted [Trump] right away,” Cramer added. “I said, ‘really well done.’”

Trump’s position is likely to hold major sway over congressional Republicans as they weigh any future decisions to legislate on abortion, should they emerge from this fall’s elections holding the majority in either chamber.

Graham reiterated his own support for a national abortion ban at 15 weeks of pregnancy during remarks to reporters on Monday after he took issue with Trump’s stance.

Cramer, on Tuesday, said that he had told Graham he “watched the whole four minutes [of Trump’s video] smiling, thinking, ‘this is pretty much this is where I’ve always believed he was.’” But he also did not see Trump’s statement as a pledge to automatically reject any bill that would ban abortion at the national level if he wins back the White House.

Trump was “clearly … advising against us legislation like that” but didn’t issue a conclusive no, Cramer said.

The North Dakotan added that he expected Graham to reintroduce his 15-week ban legislation — though the South Carolina Republican didn’t commit to that when talking with reporters on Monday.

“We’ll see whether he does it, and if he does do it, how many people jump on board,” Cramer said.

Maryland lawmakers vowed a bipartisan push toward federal rebuilding funds for Baltimore’s collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge, with Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) planning to introduce legislation “very soon” enshrining that promise from President Joe Biden into law.

Cardin — flanked by Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D), Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and the state’s congressional delegation — said the total cost of rebuilding the bridge remained unclear but that the delegation would remain united in pursuing needed funds.

“Tragedy knows no partisanship,” Rep. Andy Harris, the lone GOP member of the state’s delegation, said. “I’m committed to working — because we know that there will be legislation necessary in order to deal with this. … I’m committed to make sure that we navigate this through a bipartisan process through both houses.”

“Maryland should not have to bear a part of the cost,” the Maryland Republican added when asked about resistance from the House Freedom Caucus to funding the rebuilding process.

Cardin, who’s retiring after this Congress, said he’s had positive conversations with Republicans and predicted “traditional, bipartisan” support for relief following a disaster of this scope.

Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) noted the state has four members on the powerful House Appropriations Committee and predicted they would flex their collective muscle to get the funding delivered.

“We will be working tirelessly until we get the sums that are necessary to deal with this,” the former senior House Democratic leader said.

Activist groups are using a typical advocacy tool — voicemails to members of Congress — with a new, uncomfortable twist: They’re from the deceased victims of gun violence, generated by artificial intelligence.

TheShotline.org, a gun reform campaign by March for Our Lives and Change the REF, is asking constituents nationwide to send representatives in their zip code the AI-generated phone calls.

The voice memos feature six victims of gun violence, including those killed in mass shootings, suicide, and people like 15-year-old Ethan Song, whose accidental death was the result of an unsecured gun in 2018 in Connecticut. The digital rendition of Ethan’s voice briefly explains his passion for helping animals and people and the inability to continue to “help anyone in need anymore.” It quickly segues into a plea to lawmakers to “finally do something to protect kids from guns” and a warning to members of Congress that if gun reform bills aren’t passed, they face the risk of being voted out.

The advocacy organizations hope the chilling recordings will lead to the passage of federal gun reform, specifically an assault weapons ban.

“I want these politicians to sit there and listen,” said Brett Cross, a father of one of the victims featured on Shotline.org, “I want them to imagine that that’s their children’s voices, because they didn’t do anything to prevent countless children being slaughtered.”

Florida Democratic Congressman Maxwell Frost, called the AI-generated audio “heartbreaking” and “uncomfortable.” He added, “That’s the point of it. The point is to feel uncomfortable.”

Of course, most Democrats have been highly supportive of increased firearm regulation for decades. Republicans, however, remain largely unconvinced. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) who has also received messages from the hotline, said his GOP colleagues are “the primary obstacle” when it comes to passing strong gun safety laws.

Republican Congressman Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), who has consistently echoed concerns for potential over-regulation of artificial intelligence, criticized TheShotline.org for being “fraudulent” and said the calls were an ineffective approach for systemic change.

“My office has received these types of calls,” Burchett said in a statement to POLITICO. “If people want to make their voices heard, they should contact their elected representatives and express their concerns directly.”

Blumenthal reflected on one TheShotline.org message from 15-year-old Ethan Song saying, “His voice was so really moving. I hope that it will shake up some of my colleagues and that we can move forward. These [gun reform proposals] are supported by 90 percent of the American people, and Ethan is speaking for them.”

Watch the video to hear what Blumenthal, Chair of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law, has to say about the use of AI in this way.

Senate Democrats plan to “dispose” of the House’s impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas as quickly as they can on Thursday, a member of Democratic leadership said in an interview.

Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow, the No. 3 Democrat, deadpanned on Tuesday that the Senate majority is “going to treat it with the seriousness it deserves.”

“It’s completely political. It’s not serious. We will do what we have to do and we’ll work with Republicans to dispose of it, as quickly and appropriately as we can,” Stabenow said. “We’ll see how it goes. But we will do what is necessary and legal and appropriate. And dispose of it as soon as possible.”

Democrats are planning for the full proceedings, including speeches and votes on procedural matters, to last a few hours on Thursday — depending on how many votes Republicans force, according to two people familiar with the issue. Party leaders would then move to end the trial, likely by a motion to table it.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer still has not publicly commented on how he plans to short-circuit the trial, and Democrats have several procedural options, including tabling the trial or dismissing it.

Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) said Republicans will “largely” be united on a vote on whether to advance the trial, which Democrats need just a simple majority to derail. But Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) said he will at some point “express” his position that the impeachment does not meet the bars for high crimes and misdemeanors.

“Ultimately that’s where I think it ends up. I think it makes more sense to have some sort of summary conclusion,” Romney said. “What Republicans are hoping to do, myself included, is underscore how bad the mess is at the border and point out the president’s responsibility for that. I think Mayorkas is the wrong target.”

The House Foreign Affairs Committee’s top Democrat is holding fire on the Biden administration’s planned sale of F-15 fighter jets and munitions until he receives “assurances” about how the weapons would be used.

Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) told CNN on Tuesday that he is returning to Washington to receive a classified briefing on the weapons package, which the administration has asked top lawmakers to approve.

Meeks, due to his perch on the weapons-approving committee, is one of four lawmakers who hold an effective veto over foreign military sales. Administrations typically seek informal approval from the top two leaders of the House Foreign Affairs and Senate Foreign Relations committees before formally notifying Congress of potential sales.

The proposed sale comes amid increasing pressure on the Biden administration to leverage arms deals in order to prod Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu into allowing more humanitarian aid into Gaza. That pressure intensified after an Israeli strike killed seven aid workers with the World Central Kitchen on April 1.

President Joe Biden in February asked the four lawmakers to approve a package that includes 50 new F-15 fighter jets valued at $18 million, 30 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles and a number of Joint Direct Attack Munition kits, which turn dumb bombs into precision-guided weapons, POLITICO first reported.

“I want to know what types of weapons and what the weapons would be utilized for,” Meeks said.

Meeks, on CNN, sought to balance support for the return of hostages taken by Hamas in its Oct. 7 assault on civilians in Israel and criticism for Israel’s “indiscriminate bombing”

“I take things very seriously and that’s why I’ve got to go into the SCIF” — a secure facility for classified briefings — “to see for myself what those assurances are,” he said.

Asked whether Meeks would support potential action to block the sale, he did not answer directly.

“I don’t want the kinds of weapons that Israel has to be utilized to have more deaths,” he said. “I want to make sure that humanitarian aid gets in. I don’t want people starving to death, and I want Hamas to release the hostages. And I want a two-state solution.”

A Meeks spokesperson declined to comment on who would brief the top lawmaker and when.

Of the four committee leaders who can hold up sales, both Republicans have said yes: House Foreign Affairs Chair Michael McCaul (R-Texas) and Senate Foreign Relations ranking member Jim Risch (R-Idaho).

Senate Foreign Relations Chair Ben Cardin (D-Md.) wasn’t asked directly on CNN last week whether he signed off, but he indicated his support in his comments. His office, when asked if he supports the sale, referred to his CNN interview.

Meeks has been a long-time Israel supporter, yet his Queens district is predominantly Black, a group that’s more likely to sympathize with Palestinians and question U.S. support for Israel, according to recent polling.

“He’s in a vise,” New York-based Democratic strategist Hank Sheinkopf said. “He’s got to play a game, and the game is I want to help Israel. The question is how I don’t get caught in the blowback from my own constituencies.”

Aiding Israel could add fuel to existing challenges from the left to his position atop the Democratic Party in Queens — but his seat and House Foreign Affairs role are safe.

“There’s no way he’s going to lose that district. If he has any exposure at all, it’s as the county political boss. Not that he’d lose that, but people could challenge candidates he supports, and that could be very expensive.”

Former Democratic Rep. Mondaire Jones raised a whopping $1.75 million in the first three months of 2024 for his New York House comeback bid against GOP Rep. Mike Lawler.

He ended March with more than $3 million in the bank, according to campaign fundraising totals provided first to POLITICO. Lawler’s lower Hudson Valley district is a top target for House Democrats in their drive to reclaim the majority.

“While Mike Lawler was getting caught defunding law enforcement and blocking a bipartisan border security bill, our grassroots campaign has raised nearly $4 million thus far this cycle because of the incredible support from everyday people across the Lower Hudson Valley,” Jones said in a statement. “And unlike my oil and gas lobbyist opponent, I don’t take corporate PAC money.”

Lawler was outraised by Jones during the third and fourth quarter of 2023. He has not released his total for the first quarter of 2024. This is Jones’ highest fundraising quarter of this cycle.

Jones represented much of the current area of the 17th District last Congress but ran for a different seat after court-mandated redistricting scrambled New York’s congressional map. Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-N.Y.) ran for reelection there and lost to Lawler in 2022.

Democrats avoided a bitter primary in the district this cycle when Elizabeth Whitmer Gereghty ended her primary bid last year and backed Jones.

New York will be the epicenter of the fight for the House majority. Several Republicans in districts Joe Biden carried in 2020 will face tough reelection battles, including Lawler.

House lawmakers are back in Washington from their two-week Easter break. Atop the agenda: the fight over reauthorization of a controversial surveillance tool, known as Section 702 of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

Our colleague Jordain Carney has an excellent look at the state of play. The House Rules Committee meets at 4 p.m. to tee up debate on the legislation for later this week.

Couple more House things to watch: The House Republican Steering Committee is due to meet Tuesday evening and expected to tap Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) to succeed Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas) as chair of the Appropriations Committee.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) continues to agitate on a motion to vacate Speaker Mike Johnson. And ICYMI: Katherine Tully-McManus had a great rundown of the lawmakers who will decide the speaker’s future.

Look for Republicans sitting in seats Joe Biden carried in 2020 to get asked about former President Donald Trump’s statement on abortion — that the matter would be left to states to set limits on — to see if they agree with Trump or Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who continues to call for a nationwide minimum limit of 15 weeks on the procedure.

About the Senate: Lawmakers are scheduled to take two votes on judicial nominations late in the morning. Other votes are expected but not yet locked in place.

Both parties break for their weekly conference luncheons. Expect Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to get asked about abortion during his weekly press conference amid the Trump v. Graham dust up.