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Speaker Mike Johnson told Republican holdouts on the party’s crucial budget plan in a private meeting Wednesday night that they could oust him from the speakership if he doesn’t follow through with his fiscal promises, according to three people with direct knowledge of the matter who were granted anonymity to discuss it. Johnson pledged to […]

House Oversight Chair James Comer wants Democratic Govs. JB Pritzker of Illinois, Tim Walz of Minnesota and Kathy Hochul of New York to testify before his committee about their states’ immigration policies. The Kentucky Republican invited the three governors to appear at a May 15 hearing on so-called sanctuary states, which limit law enforcement cooperation […]

Two Texas House Republicans have endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s 2026 Senate bid — breaking with longtime GOP Sen. John Cornyn for what’s anticipated to be a heated primary contest. Rep. Lance Gooden (R-Texas), a staunch ally of President Donald Trump, announced his backing of Paxton in a statement first shared to Fox News […]

President Donald Trump praised Gretchen Whitmer in a White House meeting on Wednesday, echoing a bipartisan message the Michigan governor delivered during an earlier speech in Washington, D.C. The meeting was Whitmer’s second sit-down with the president since he took office. She raised the ongoing ice storm in northern Michigan, investments in the Selfridge Air […]

Vice President JD Vance castigated Sen. Mitch McConnell on Tuesday over the former GOP leader’s opposition to a key Pentagon nominee — an unusual swipe at a prominent member of Vance’s own party and his former colleague. Vance lashed out shortly after McConnell cast the only Republican vote against President Donald Trump’s pick of Elbridge […]

Democrats moved Tuesday to force a House vote on President Donald Trump’s sweeping global tariffs — putting Speaker Mike Johnson in a tough spot as the economic ramifications of the move continue to mount. “Republicans can’t keep ducking the vote on these taxes,” said Democratic Reps. Gregory Meeks of New York, Richard Neal of Massachusetts […]

The Senate on Tuesday confirmed Elbridge Colby, President Donald Trump’s controversial pick for Pentagon policy chief, a win for the increasingly vocal wing of the GOP that wants the U.S. to focus on China rather than Europe and the Middle East. Colby’s contentious nomination highlighted a foreign policy rift inside the Republican party. The hard-nosed […]

House Speaker Mike Johnson said fluoride levels in water deserve “real evaluation” on Tuesday, a day after HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he would direct the CDC to stop recommending fluoridating drinking water. “I think it deserves, from what I’ve read and from what I understand, it deserves real evaluation,” he said during […]

Former New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu said he will not run for U.S. Senate, despite scoring President Donald Trump’s endorsement. Sununu — who served four terms as the state’s governor before declining to seek a fifth — made the announcement Monday on The Pulse of NH’s “Good Morning NH” radio show. Sununu had been viewed […]

Senate Republicans urged President Donald Trump’s trade chief to negotiate deals with world leaders in a hearing on Capitol Hill Tuesday morning, signaling, albeit gently, that they are eager for an end game in the president’s market-roiling trade war. Senate Finance Chair Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) opened the hearing by pressing U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer […]

For months, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear warned that the Trump administration’s imposition of tariffs stands to harm his state’s economy, including its bourbon, auto and aerospace industries. Now that Trump is ratcheting them up, the Democratic governor said the impacts will be “devastating” not just for the Bluegrass state, but for the entire country. In […]

President Donald Trump’s tariff “strategy is already bearing fruit,” U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer plans to tell Congress on Tuesday, pointing specifically to three countries that he said have offered trade concessions after being threatened with higher U.S. duties. “Nearly 50 countries have approached me to discuss the president’s new policy and explore how to […]

A majority of people who voted for Donald Trump oppose potential moves from congressional Republicans to cut Medicaid funding, according to new polling from the firm of Tony Fabrizio, the president’s 2024 campaign pollster. Two-thirds of swing voters also said they disapproved of slashing the safety-net health program as part of the GOP’s larger effort […]

Democrat Christina Hines kicked off a bid for Congress, landing Democrats a competitive recruit in a purple district in the Detroit suburbs. “We need people in Washington that we can trust, and I spent my whole life trying to fight for others and to fight for my community, and I’m hoping that I can be […]

Facing a tough reelection in battleground Georgia, Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff raised $11 million in the first quarter of 2025, according to his campaign, which shared the totals first with POLITICO. Ossoff’s campaign said the haul is the most ever raised by an incumbent in the first quarter of an off-year. POLITICO was unable to […]

Democrats are making Elon Musk their top political target in Virginia, hammering the tech billionaire in a new campaign blitz in the systems’ off year elections. The message channels the anti-Musk playbook Democrats used successfully in Wisconsin last week, where the Democratic-aligned candidate defeated Musk’s choice for the state Supreme course by a nearly 10 […]

Nebraska Rep. Don Bacon said he plans to introduce a companion bill to the bipartisan Senate legislation aimed at reclaiming Congress’ authority over tariffs, becoming the first House Republican to openly challenge the powers President Donald Trump is using to launch a massive global trade war. Bacon confirmed his plans to POLITICO on Friday as […]

House Democrats have submitted the names of their appointees to serve on the board of a key congressional ethics office, according to a person granted anonymity to share the development. It’s an important step in the process of getting the Office of Congressional Conduct, formerly known as the Office of Congressional Ethics, up and running. […]

Democrats are getting ready to push deeper into Republican-held turf next November. Emboldened by the special elections last Tuesday, the GOP’s adversaries are sensing opportunity. Three buzzy Senate candidates announced bids this week — the same week that Democratic turnout powered them to a decisive win in the swing state of Wisconsin and two long-shot […]