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House Republicans were blindsided. Most said they had no warning that such a sweeping privilege had been slipped into the bill at the eleventh hour. The move forced Speaker Mike Johnson to pull lawmakers back to Washington during what was intended to be a lengthy break. His frustration was unmistakable.
“We had no idea that was dropped in at the last minute, and I did not appreciate that, nor did most of the House members,” Johnson told reporters.
The backlash intensified online. Rep. John Rose lit up X after a Newsmax appearance, blasting the Senate for what he saw as an outrageous cash grab carried out behind closed doors.
“@SpeakerJohnson has every right to be angry so am I, and so are taxpayers in Tennessee and across America,” he wrote. “Republican Senators secretly tucked in a clause to hand THEMSELVES up to $500,000 of your money for being targeted by Biden’s DOJ without telling us. Half a million for them, but NOTHING for the thousands of J6ers.”
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna also did not hold back. She called the arrangement “shady” and a “fubar,” accusing Senate Republicans of pushing a self serving scheme while ordinary citizens face the full weight of the Justice Department.
“These senators slipped in a provision to reopen the government that guarantees them $500k if DOJ settles their Arctic Frost lawsuit,” she wrote. “And we’re supposed to be okay with that? What about J6? This is outrageous. Really disappointed to see some of the names on this list. You can’t self deal like this especially not by weaponizing a government shutdown. Absolutely ridiculous, @LeaderJohnThune.”
Florida Rep. Greg Steube took an even harder line. He rejected the spending package outright and told reporters he would not support anything that gives senators special protections denied to others. He predicted that the Senate would fight any attempt from the House to strike or amend the provision.
Even with tensions high and frustration boiling over, House Republicans ultimately advanced the bill in order to avert yet another government crisis. The package keeps several agencies funded, including Veterans Affairs and Agriculture, through January. Democrats attempted to extend expiring ACA subsidies but failed to get it included, though Senate leaders indicated they will revisit the issue.
While the spending bill dominated headlines, another revelation was quietly emerging. Reports indicate that surveillance connected to Jan. 6 investigations went far beyond the Senate. Investigators under Jack Smith reportedly obtained the phone records of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy and former Rep. Louie Gohmert. That discovery only heightened concerns within the GOP that the Biden administration’s Justice Department engaged in selective and politically motivated monitoring.
The entire episode underscores widening cracks inside the Republican Party. House members argue that senators have now carved out a legal safety net for themselves while leaving their colleagues and many Americans without comparable protection. It has raised new doubts about transparency in the legislative process and stoked anger over what critics call a politically weaponized justice system.
With the dispute now public and emotions running high, the fight over the “Arctic Frost” carve out is likely far from over. For now, Republicans in the House find themselves not only fighting Democrats but also battling their own party’s Senate leadership for accountability and fairness at a moment when trust in Washington is already stretched to the breaking point.
