WASHINGTON — The story is so familiar that it has now become a Capitol Hill cliché. Members of Congress from different political parties gathered in a gym and, amidst the clanging of iron weights, realized they had much in common.
But the latest version has a geopolitical twist. The senators and congressmen who built a rapport in the House gym secretly collaborated on ways to make it harder for Russia to swallow Ukraine.
Congressman Josh Gottheimer is a New Jersey Democrat and Harvard Law graduate who once wrote a speech for Bill Clinton.
Sen. Markwayne Mullin is an Oklahoma Republican who excelled in the mixed martial arts ring and criticized Donald Trump. “The strongest president of my lifetime”
There is nothing to suggest they will talk in the face of systematic pressure to drive members apart. But after years of sweating out burpees, they started talking. Now they tease each other and email back and forth about politics and policy. they became friends.
They’re not the first to see partisan doubts disappear on the bench press. Nor do Americans necessarily care whether two members of Congress are on good terms. Barring some minor coincidences, a straight line can be drawn between the parliamentary gym and Ukraine’s strength on the battlefield.
Congress struggled for months to pass a massive foreign aid package that would give Ukraine the billions of dollars it needed to defeat Russian forces. The breakthrough came in April when House Speaker Mike Johnson defied far-right members of the Republican caucus to pass the bill.
Much has been said about Johnson’s ploy. What is less well known is that Mr. Gottheimer and Mr. Marin played a discreet role in moving this transaction forward.
Back in February, Gottheimer was driving with her 12-year-old son to go snow tubing in New Jersey when her cell phone rang. Mullin and South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham were on the phone. He pulled up to Dunkin Donuts, gave his son a hot chocolate and answered the phone.
At that point, U.S. aid to the Ukraine war effort appeared to be over. President Trump maintained strong control over Republicans in Congress, and the opposition had just weakened a policy linking aid to Ukraine to border security.
Lawmakers worried that trying to reinstate the policy would force President Trump to rejoin negotiations.
“When you see this, you act quickly. One tweet can derail everything,” Gottheimer said. “My biggest concern was that the former president wouldn’t derail this plan.”
However, Marin found a breakthrough. The former president suggested in a Feb. 10 Truth Social post that he might accept the deal if it was structured as a loan rather than an outright gift.
“We think we can get a deal here,” Gottheimer recalled the two senators telling him on the phone.
So a new round of intensive negotiations began, with Mr. Marin and Mr. Gottheimer working together and playing a clear role in pushing the measures forward.
Mr. Gottheimer had no relationship with Mr. Trump, but Mr. Marin did. Mr. Mullin had no ties to the White House, but Mr. Gottheimer did.
“Unfortunately, I’ve had zero conversations with the White House,” Marin said in an interview. “They never reached out. I don’t know who the White House contact is.”
Marin flew to Mar-a-Lago to speak with Trump and remained in touch, making sure the former president was not unhappy with the package. Mr. Gottheimer spoke frequently with senior White House aides and House Democratic leadership.
All the while, Mr. Gottheimer and Mr. Mullin spoke frequently, exchanging information about what they were hearing and the status of negotiations, all with the aim of keeping the deal from falling apart.
“Josh and I talked almost every day, even on Sundays when I didn’t want to talk to him,” Mullin said.
“he [Mullin] I was talking to former presidents and getting feedback, and I was having conversations with the White House and the American people. [Democratic] Our leader, Hakeem Jeffries, and the people on our side,” Gottheimer said.
The White House shares concerns that Trump could overturn the agreement at any time, making Marin’s role as Trump’s whisperer even more important, the people said.
In the end, the final package included language that appeased President Trump. The $10 billion in aid to Ukraine is considered a loan, but the president is free to forgive it starting in 2026.
Therefore, Mr. Trump never opposed this agreement, the Republican caucus agreed, and Mr. Biden signed the bill into law. Soon weapons began to flow into Ukraine.
“We brought this to President Trump, and he was completely supportive,” Mullin said. “And that was the key. It was allowed. [House Speaker Mike] Johnson will cover. ”
Neither Mr. Gottheimer nor Mr. Marin are well-known figures in American politics. Many voters may have seen Mullin for the first time in November. Mullin took on Teamsters President Sean O’Brien in a tense hearing.
they never fought. They went to dinner instead. The two met for two hours with their aides at an Italian restaurant in Washington. “President Trump asked me to sit down and talk,” Marin said. The former president “called me and said, ‘I think you two would be a good fit.'”
“It was never personal,” Mullin added. “I’ll get over that quickly. The last time I fought, I was paid to fight, so I wasn’t going to fight for free anyway.”
It will not be easy to replicate the Marin-Gottheimer model of legislation in an election year or until the partisan fever in Washington subsides.
The fact that it happened is like a fluke. Marin and Gottheimer got to know each other because they both loved working out at the house gym.
“He’s crazy about me,” Marin joked. “I had to let him down gently on that one. I told him I’m not interested in short men.”
And because they became friends, they developed a degree of trust that was critical to reaching the Ukraine aid deal that both sides wanted.
“When you spend an hour and a half with someone every day, you become friends. This bull—” Gottheimer said.
“I like this guy,” he said of Marin. “He’s a piece of work. His ideological views are the exact opposite of mine in so many ways. But he’s a straight shooter, so he can deal with an honest person.”
Their cooperation is a sign of bipartisanship, and while it has barely blossomed in Washington, it has not completely withered.
Johnson retained his job last week after Democrats, impressed by his willingness to negotiate, intervened to break pressure from far-right lawmaker Marjorie Taylor Greene to oust him.
With a 217-213 majority in the House of Commons, Prime Minister Johnson has little choice. He cannot ignore the other side if he wants to avoid complete paralysis of Congress.
“The supply of talent willing to do it. [work in bipartisan fashion] has decreased, but demand has increased significantly,” Gottheimer said.
