GOP Leadership Stalemate as Midwestern Holdouts Press for Year-Round E15 Path
House Republicans from farm states withhold support for a must-pass FY 2026 funding package, demanding a route to year-round E15 approval as leadership races the Jan. 30 shutdown deadline
House Republican leaders are facing fresh resistance from a bloc of Midwestern lawmakers as they try to advance a massive FY 2026 spending package to the floor Thursday. The sticking point: the bill lacks language authorizing year-round sales of E15 ethanol fuel, a priority for corn-belt Republicans.
The funding measure — covering Defense, Transportation-HUD, Homeland Security, and Labor-HHS — never included E15, and Senate GOP leaders remain opposed. But lawmakers from ethanol-heavy states are pressing leadership to secure an alternate pathway for approval, potentially involving the White House.
Behind closed doors. Reps. Adrian Smith (R-Neb.), Zach Nunn (R-Iowa), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa), and Michelle Fischbach (R-Minn.) met privately Wednesday with House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) and several colleagues, including Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.) and Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.), as pressure mounted on leadership.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) said discussions are ongoing, including outreach to opponents of E15 from oil-producing states. “There’s talks about trying to find a path somewhere else and having some talks with the White House as well,” Scalise said, adding that supporters “recognize, ‘Let’s talk to everybody, but let’s try to help our farmers out.’”
The impasse complicates Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-La.) floor strategy. While Republicans can move the Defense, Labor-HHS, and Transportation-HUD bills without a rule — and expect broad bipartisan support — they need a rule to package multiple measures together for Senate action ahead of the Jan. 30 shutdown deadline. That’s where leverage emerges: Fischbach sits on the House Rules Committee, which must approve the rule.
The Homeland Security spending bill presents an additional hurdle. It cannot advance under suspension because most Democrats oppose it, though up to 10 Democrats are expected to defect and vote yes. One notable “no” vote will come from Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), who argues the bill undermines FEMA and has sharply criticized DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.
For GOP leaders, the immediate challenge remains keeping their Midwestern flank in line — and finding an off-bill solution for E15 — without derailing a must-pass funding package days before a potential shutdown.
