Rep. Earl Blumenauer became the ninth House Democrat to call for President Joe Biden to drop his bid for reelection. “While this is a decision for the president and the first lady, I hope they will come to the conclusion that I and others have: President Biden should not be the Democratic presidential nominee," he said in a statement. The veteran Oregon lawmaker is retiring from Congress this year. Rep. Bob Good says he informed his House Freedom Caucus members that he will step aside as the group’s chair if the Virginia conservative ultimately does not emerge victorious in the state recount for his GOP primary race. Good briefed the entire MAGA-aligned group of his plans in a closed-door meeting earlier this week, though he said the leadership board of the Freedom Caucus was aware beforehand. His remarks come as Good moves forward with requesting an official recount this week after the Commonwealth certified that his challenger John McGuire led him by more than 300 votes. And while he hopes to make up the deficit of votes and emerge victorious, Good is nonetheless signaling that he is working with the group to make contingency plans. “I told the membership that if I didn't do well in my recount that I would step down as chair,” Good confirmed for the first time publicly in an interview with POLITICO on Wednesday. “I think that would probably be in the best interest of the organization. … Just so that's not the story all the time.” His remarks come after Punchbowl News first reported his privately shared plans Wednesday morning. Good also dismissed recent media reports that he lacks the proper funds to move forward with a recount while acknowledging he told supporters his campaign is predicting a price tag ranging from $75,000 to $100,000. But that, he says, all depends on how much the state ultimately charges him to process more than 60,000 ballots in addition to legal costs. “I believe that I filed today. We contemplated waiting right up to the deadline. … You had to file it by Friday, 10 days after certification. We couldn't file it until it was certified,” Good said. As for his potential successor, he declined to name names but noted that he is “confident” that the Freedom Caucus board has “very strong, capable individuals” who can rise to the occasion. “They don’t need me as chair, they just need a good board chair,” he said, no pun intended. Good also argued that despite attacks from his critics, the changes he’s made under his leadership were already set in motion by his predecessors — a ball he kept rolling and one he predicts will continue rolling in the same direction, no matter who is leading the group. “I would challenge anyone to substantiate any claims that I have taken HFC in a direction that's different than Perry or Biggs,” he said, pointing to former HFC Chairs Scott Perry (R-Pa.) and Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.). “These high-profile conflicts and fights we have predated me.” “The board is pretty united and the majority of HFC is united,” Good added. Still, one fight does center around Good. Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) was ejected from the Freedom Caucus over his decision to back Good’s opponent, as first reported by POLITICO. The effort was led by one of his allies and proved to further anger those who were close to Davidson, including Freedom Caucus co-founder Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). Davidson was kicked out after being found as a member not in good standing, which lowered the threshold to needing only a simple majority to remove him. But if it does ultimately come down to a new chair search, Good is still deciding whether he will privately make his preference known. “Probably, but I don’t know,” he said, noting that they respect each other’s opinions but do not control one another. Some names cropping up include Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), Andy Harris (R-Md.), Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), as well as Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.). Four Republicans voted — unsuccessfully — to try to pigeonhole Rep. Anna Paulina Luna’s resolution holding Attorney General Merrick Garland in “inherent contempt.” Four Republicans joined with Democrats, but it wasn’t enough to table the resolution or send it to committee — the two steps Democrats tried Wednesday. The House still needs to vote on whether or not to pass the resolution itself, which could happen as soon as Thursday. The four Republicans who tried to squash Luna’s resolution: Reps. John Duarte (Calif.), Dave Joyce (Ohio), Tom McClintock (Calif.) and Mike Turner (Ohio). House lawmakers on Wednesday passed legislation requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote on a nearly party-line 221-198 tally, despite the fact it's already illegal for non-citizens to vote in federal elections. "This will be one of the most important votes that members of this chamber will ever take in their entire careers," Speaker Mike Johnson said on the floor before the vote. The Biden White House said in a statement of administration policy that it "strongly opposes" the legislation, though the Senate almost certainly won't take it up. Former President Donald Trump urged Republicans to pass the measure "or go home and cry yourself to sleep" in a post on social media site Truth Social. House Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) is expanding his new investigation into President Joe Biden’s mental acuity. Comer, on Wednesday, issued subpoenas for transcribed interviews with three White House staffers who Republicans want to speak with behind closed doors later this month. The subpoenas come after Comer requested that Kevin O’Connor, the White House physician, appear for a transcribed interview with committee counsel. The three staffers Comer subpoenaed on Wednesday: Ashley Williams, special assistant to the president and deputy director of oval office operations Anthony Bernal, assistant to the president and senior adviser to the first lady Annie Tomasini, deputy chief of staff Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy invited Speaker Mike Johnson to visit his country amid its ongoing battle with Russia, but the speaker indicated he would likely not be able to do so before the November elections. Speaking at a meeting on Capitol Hill, Johnson said "We'd sure like to [visit]. The schedule is pretty tight through the election for us. So, it's difficult to find a time to go but I would certainly like to." House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has told lawmakers in private meetings that he'll relay concerns regarding the president's electability to Joe Biden, according to two people familiar with the situation, as more Democrats call for him to step aside. Jeffries has convened listening sessions in recent days with rattled members of the caucus, including a Wednesday meeting with members of the centrist New Democrat Coalition to discuss how having Biden at the top of the ticket could impact incumbents in battleground districts. Meanwhile, Speaker emerita Nancy Pelosi, whom rank-and-file Democrats have sought out for advice, has been having her own private conversations with Democrats to listen to their concerns, according to two people familiar with those discussions. It's still not clear when Jeffries will speak with the president. Asked Wednesday about his plans to talk with Biden, Jeffries sidestepped and said the “comprehensive conversations with the House Democratic Caucus” will be “the focus of our activity today, tomorrow and we'll see where we go from there.” CNN first reported Jeffries' conversations. Some key Democrats who have won tough races have started to urge Biden to get out of the race. Rep. Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.), who represents a purple district, became the eighth House Democrat to publicly call for Biden to step aside on Wednesday, writing in an op-ed: “for the good of our country, for the future of our kids and grandkids, I am asking Joe Biden to step aside in the upcoming election and deliver on his promise to be a 'bridge' to a new generation of leaders.” Pelosi earlier Wednesday had raised eyebrows in the caucus by saying on Morning Joe that Biden ultimately had to make the decision on whether he would continue his reelection bid, despite the president repeatedly saying he would stay in the race. Many in the caucus have looked to direction from her, Jeffries and other leaders on how to proceed as lawmakers panic over Biden’s electoral prospects. The news of Jeffries’ outreach comes after Biden’s high-profile interview last Friday with ABC, where he declined to answer a hypothetical about staying in the race if top Democrats told him they’re concerned about losing the House and the Senate with him at the top of the ticket. “I'm not gonna answer that question. It's not gonna happen,” Biden responded at the time. Mia McCarthy contributed to this report. Former President Donald Trump threw his support behind an effort to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in “inherent contempt,” which could come to the floor as soon as Wednesday. “I AGREE with Anna Paulina Luna and the many House Members who think Merrick Garland should be held in INHERENT CONTEMPT for refusing to release the Biden Tapes even though they were subpoenaed!” Trump wrote on Truth Social. Luna (R-Fla.) is expected to call up her resolution, which would fine Garland $10,000 a day until he hands over audio of President Joe Biden’s interview with former special counsel Robert Hur. Leadership could schedule the vote this week, but with the House leaving town Thursday, it could also slide until after the upcoming recess. Trump also backed another Luna push — that the House should subpoena special counsel Jack Smith. Sen. Sherrod Brown attempted to ease some down-ballot anxiety amid concerns over President Joe Biden's electability in a private call with hundreds of Democratic donors Tuesday night — saying battleground Senate candidates and incumbents are running ahead of the top of the ticket. “I know that there’s some nervousness now, but I look at all of these candidates running ahead of the national ticket. As all the five targeted incumbents are,” Brown said at a virtual fundraiser for five non-incumbent Senate candidates on Tuesday night, according to audio obtained by POLITICO. The Democratic fundraiser was promoting Rep. Ruben Gallego of Arizona, County Executive Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland, Rep. Colin Allred of Texas, former Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell of Florida and Rep. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, all of whom are non-incumbents running for Senate this year in tough races. Brown himself is one the most at-risk Senate Democratic incumbents this cycle, as both he and Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) attempt to win reelection in solidly red states. Polling has indicated that many Democratic Senate candidates in battleground states are polling ahead of the president, as Brown noted. But the remarks behind closed doors are further than Brown has been willing to go in comments to reporters, and reflect the delicate message that Democrats have to sell to keep donors on board. At the fundraiser, Brown also broadly highlighted Senate Democrats' recent accomplishments, according to the audio, and his hopes of retaining a Senate majority next year. Brown was brief in the Capitol hallways Wednesday when POLITICO asked if he’s confident that Senate candidates can outrun the president’s polling numbers. He said that his "job is to listen to people's concerns about the president, and I will continue to work for my state." Brown has said voters have “legitimate concerns” about the president's standing atop the ticket. Additionally, the Ohio Democrat reportedly spoke up at a closed-door caucus lunch on Tuesday to say he had doubts about Biden’s chance of winning against former President Donald Trump in November. Publicly, he’s declined to expand on his own personal concerns over the president’s performance in last month’s debate. Still, a number of his fellow Senate Democrats have expressed direct concern over the president’s viability as the party’s nominee — and Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) on Tuesday night told CNN he worries that Biden’s poor performance could tank Democrats’ prospects of retaining the Senate and winning back the House as well. While no Democratic senators have directly called on Biden to step aside, eight of their House counterparts have done so. Ally Mutnick contributed to this report. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez filed separate articles of impeachment Wednesday against Supreme Court justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito. The articles cite the failure by both justices to disclose gifts from individuals with business before the court and their refusal to recuse themselves from cases that they or their family members have close ties to. “These failures alone would amount to a deep transgression worthy of standard removal in any lower court, and would disqualify any nominee to the highest court from confirmation in the first place,” Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said in a statement. The move has slim chances of success in the GOP-controlled House, but is an escalation of Democrats’ efforts to probe what they view as ethical misconduct in the nation’s highest court. Senior Biden advisers Mike Donilon and Steve Ricchetti, and Biden campaign Chair Jen O'Malley Dillon, will attend a special caucus lunch with Senate Democrats on Thursday at Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee headquarters, according to a Senate Democratic leadership source. The visit comes as many Senate Democrats have been anxious to see or hear more from the White House about their plans to solidify President Joe Biden's reelection campaign. While eight House Democrats have called on Biden to step aside as the party nominee, no Senate Democrats have done so. But patience is wearing thin — as evidenced by multiple Senate Democrats expressing concerns about the president's ability to win in November at a party lunch Tuesday. Rep. Pat Ryan on Wednesday became the eighth House Democrat to call for President Joe Biden to step aside. “Joe Biden is a patriot but is no longer the best candidate to defeat Trump. For the good of our country, I am asking Joe Biden to step aside — to deliver on his promise to be a bridge to a new generation of leaders,” he wrote in a post on X. Ryan represents a purple district in the Hudson Valley of New York and he has bucked leadership on occasion. Asked about Ryan’s comments, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries declined to comment. A bipartisan group of senators unveiled legislation Wednesday that they said would bar members of Congress and other elected officials from trading stocks while in office. Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), chair of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said his panel would take the “historic step” of considering the measure at a July 24 markup. “Americans deserve to have confidence that their federal elected officials are making decisions that are in the best interest of the American public and not in the interest of any personal finances,” Peters said at a press conference Wednesday. Under the legislation, members would be “immediately” banned from trading stocks if the bill is signed by the president, while spouses and children of elected officials would be barred beginning in March 2027, according to Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.). Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said Peters worked hard to create legislation “that will be tough, that will close the loopholes, that will close the avenues of avoidance, that will impose real penalties.” The Missouri Republican said he was unsure at this point whether enough members would support the measure on the floor to ensure its passage. They were joined in unveiling the measure by Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.). House Democrats are launching a new bid to force a vote on legislation banning so-called bump stocks, which allow semiautomatic rifles to be fired like fully automatic machine guns, according to an aide familiar with the plans. The caucus’ gun violence prevention task force led by Reps. Mike Thompson (Calif.), Dina Titus (Nev.) and Dan Kildee (Mich.) is set to announce a new discharge petition to force a floor vote on legislation banning the devices, which had been previously banned by a Trump-era rule implemented in the aftermath of the 2017 Las Vegas shooting before being overturned by the Supreme Court earlier this year. Discharge petitions are a rarely successful procedural move that require a majority of House members to sign on, meaning some Republicans would be forced to buck leadership. Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi was non-committal Wednesday morning when asked if she supported President Joe Biden continuing his reelection bid — something the incumbent has repeatedly told Hill Democrats he would do. "It's up to the president to decide if he is going to run," Pelosi said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” "We're all encouraging him to make that decision, because time is running short." When pressed on her answer, as Biden has told Hill Democrats, donors and voters that he plans to stay in the race, Pelosi still demurred: “I want him to do whatever he decides to do.” The morning appearance highlights the simmering Capitol Hill concerns about Biden’s viability against former President Donald Trump. Later in the day, a spokesperson for Pelosi's office, in a statement, said, “Speaker Pelosi fully supports whatever President Biden decides to do. We must turn our attention to why this race is so important: Donald Trump would be a disaster for our country and our democracy.” Pelosi, for her part, urged a hold on such discussions until after the president finishes hosting the NATO summit this week. Biden will have a press conference on Thursday. Pelosi is one of the most visible and respected senior figures in the party — and her words carry great weight among rank-and-file members. She previously expressed “full confidence” in Biden and spoke glowingly of his record in office on Wednesday morning. Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.), who’d previously privately voiced concerns about Biden’s candidacy, said in a brief interview he hadn’t seen Pelosi’s comments but said, after hearing a description of them, “I associate myself with Speaker Pelosi’s remarks.” “I don't want to litigate any more of this in public. It’s the president's prerogative right now,” he said. Asked about speaker emerita’s comments, Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) reiterated that Biden was the nominee, praised his record, and added: “This decision is up to the president.” Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), the head of the Senate Democratic campaign arm, took a page from Pelosi’s playbook when asked if he personally thought Biden should remain atop the Democratic ticket. “I believe that it's his decision to make and he has to make a decision. Only he can make a decision,” Peters told reporters. He predicted his home state of Michigan would “revert to the mean” of a close battleground race, but expressed confidence incumbent senators would be able to perform strongly in red tinged states like Montana and Ohio, where Sens. Jon Tester and Sherrod Brown are seeking reelection. “They win because they represent their state in an extraordinary way and have proven that over the years — and are going to win again,” Peters said. “That's why you're seeing our candidates perform very well versus their Republican opponents in all of our battleground states. And I would expect that that will continue.”