DRAMA -- “House conservatives almost topple tax vote,” by Bernie Becker, Sarah Ferris, and Colin Wilhelm: “House conservatives threatened to derail a key tax vote on Monday in an attempt to win more influence over the GOP’s spending strategy, just four days before the deadline to fund the government. In a dramatic political stunt, more than a dozen members of the House Freedom Caucus withheld their support for a crucial procedural vote on the GOP’s tax bill, threatening an embarrassing blow to GOP leadership.

“The conservatives eventually relented, approving what had been thought to be a formality — a motion to appoint negotiators to hammer out a final tax bill with the Senate. But the frenzy on the House floor underscored the divisions within the GOP over a spending strategy this month, and that the Republicans’ march toward overhauling the tax code — which has proceeded with relatively little drama so far — could get caught up in the process.

“Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), the Freedom Caucus chairman, said after Monday’s vote that he ‘felt very good’ about his conversation on the floor with Speaker Paul Ryan, who personally involved himself in the arm-twisting of conservatives. Meadows had earlier stepped outside the House chamber to take a phone call from President Donald Trump, but declined to give any details on the president’s message.” http://politi.co/2iQOQ4a

-- IF YOU’RE A BETTING MAN OR WOMAN, this isn’t over. The Freedom Caucus wants to change the date of the government funding expiration. Right now, funding is set to expire Dec. 22, at which time Congress will punt the deadline again into 2018 to cobble together a large, yearlong spending bill. Meadows and the Freedom Caucus want a Dec. 30 or Dec. 31 expiration, because they think it gives them leverage. This does not seem likely to happen.

-- THIS IS A GOOD REMINDER: The Freedom Caucus, when it’s unified, can control the outcome on the House floor.

TO REVIEW -- The government shuts down on Friday. Meadows -- the leader of a bloc of more than 30 conservatives -- says he does not like the GOP leadership plan. Democrats have no intent to help Republican leaders pass a stop gap measure. And the first serious talks between principals -- Democratic and Republican leaders and President Donald Trump -- is Thursday, the day before the funding deadline.