Michael Bennet seemed destined for a lifetime appointment to the Senate. He was tapped for a vacancy in 2009, the same moment Colorado was turning perpetually blue. The Democratic son of the former staff director of the Senate Budget Committee and grandson of another political hand, Bennet brought lineage, his own impressive resume and, most […]
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Senate Democrats to force vote next week on Trump’s fentanyl tariffs on Canada
The Senate is expected to vote Tuesday on a Democratic resolution aimed at blocking President Donald Trump from using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose a 25 percent tariff on Canada, Sens. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) said Friday. “Fortunately, the National Emergencies Act of 1976 included a provision allowing any […]
Musk butts up against Wisconsin state law with (now deleted) $1 million check giveaway
Elon Musk will visit Wisconsin on Sunday ahead of the state’s high-profile Supreme Court election. Musk initially announced the plan in a post shortly after midnight on Friday, promising a $1 million giveaway to two attendees who had voted. That post was deleted after legal experts raised concerns it would violate state law. Musk clarified […]
‘It’s just dumb’: Hillary Clinton slams Trump administration on Signalgate
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has an assessment of her one-time presidential rival’s administration’s handling of sensitive information: “It’s just dumb.” Clinton — who faced off against President Donald Trump for the presidency in 2016 — lambasted the Signal group chat that revealed plans for the recent strike in Yemen as dangerous and “dumb.” […]
GOP leaders scramble to squelch vote on parental proxy voting
House GOP leaders are racing to head off a vote being pushed by one of their own members on a measure that would allow lawmakers who are new parents to vote by proxy. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) has already gathered enough member signatures on a discharge petition to force a vote. But Speaker Mike […]
GOP senators expect White House to send spending cuts — eventually
A group of Senate Republicans left a meeting with top White House officials Thursday saying they are increasingly confident that President Donald Trump will send a package of spending cuts to Capitol Hill for lawmakers’ approval. The senators, however, said they did not yet have a timeline for when the Trump administration might request what […]
McConnell slams Trump administration’s peace talks with Russia
Sen. Mitch McConnell warned Thursday that advisers to President Donald Trump are pursuing an “illusory peace” with Russia that “shreds America’s credibility, leaves Ukraine under threat, weakens our alliances and emboldens our enemies.” They are among the most pointed words from any elected Republican since Trump ordered U.S. officials to begin direct talks with Russian […]
Stefanik’s withdrawal suggests Republicans are sweating their thin margins
President Donald Trump’s decision to keep Rep. Elise Stefanik in Congress is the clearest sign yet that the political environment has become so challenging for Republicans that they don’t want to risk a special election even in safe, red seats. A pair of April elections in deep-red swaths of Florida next week was supposed to […]
Capitol agenda: Stefanik’s return reveals GOP fears
President Donald Trump’s unexpected decision to withdraw Rep. Elise Stefanik’s U.N. nomination and keep her in the House is exposing fresh electoral fears for the GOP — and creating some chaos on Capitol Hill. Trump’s not alone in believing that the New York special election to replace Stefanik could have been a real challenge, even […]
The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics
Every week political cartoonists throughout the country and across the political spectrum apply their ink-stained skills to capture the foibles, memes, hypocrisies and other head-slapping events in the world of politics. The fruits of these labors are hundreds of cartoons that entertain and enrage readers of all political stripes. Here’s an offering of the best […]
‘Painful period’: RFK Jr. lays off 10,000 HHS employees
‘Painful period’: RFK Jr. lays off 10,000 HHS employees lead image
Schumer keeps his job as Democrats wonder if he’s on borrowed time
Chuck Schumer is bruised but not beaten — at least not yet. Two weeks after the Senate minority leader joined with Republicans to prevent a government shutdown, Democrats are still fuming over how he handled the standoff. But many in the party are conceding that they’re stuck with him for the time being. With no […]
Capitol agenda: One major agreement on Trump’s agenda
Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune indicated there was at least one point of agreement from their White House meeting Tuesday: Adding a debt ceiling hike to their party-line tax, border and energy bill. That’s a gamble some Senate Republicans fear could sink the whole package. And while President Donald Trump told […]
Thune endorses Cornyn ahead of what could be a thorny primary
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) is gearing up for perhaps the most difficult election battle of his long career, securing an early endorsement from Senate Majority Leader John Thune on Wednesday, his one-time opponent in the fight for the chamber’s top job. “I’ve been honored to work alongside @JohnCornyn—one of the most effective and respected conservative […]
‘The White House is in denial’: A Republican rejects the latest group-chat deflections
A Republican lawmaker is rejecting White House efforts to downplay the inadvertent sharing of military attack plans with a journalist on an unclassified group chat. “The White House is in denial that this was not classified or sensitive data,” said Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), a former Air Force brigadier general and member of the House […]
Signalgate has made its way into Democratic fundraising emails
Top Democrats are seizing on Signalgate in campaign fundraising appeals — highlighting how the party hopes the fallout of the national security issue can resonate beyond Washington. The news that top Trump administration officials discussed a planned attack on Houthi rebels in a Signal chat that accidentally included an Atlantic journalist has rocked national security […]
Public media CEOs defend their coverage — and fight for funding
The GOP’s crusade against public media entered new territory Wednesday, as leaders of NPR and PBS testified before House Republicans keen on defunding their organizations. In a hearing before the House Oversight Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency, Katherine Maher and Paula Kerger — the CEOs of NPR and PBS, respectively — defended their federal […]
DOGE efforts should be counted alongside megabill’s cost-cutting, Thune says
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he plans to use the cuts undertaken by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency initiative as he tries to get Republican fiscal hawks on board with a budget blueprint paving the way for a massive party-line tax, border and energy bill. The strategy, confirmed in a brief interview Tuesday, […]
House GOP will hear from Wall Street deficit hawk as lawmakers struggle over tax cut costs
Ray Dalio, a billionaire investor who repeatedly has warned about America’s unsustainable debt trajectory, will brief House Republicans on Tuesday morning, at the invitation of Budget Chair Jodey Arrington (R-Texas). His appearance comes as Republicans struggle with how to account for the cost of their tax cut plans, with some pushing for an accounting strategy […]
Schumer should ‘of course’ remain as top Senate Democrat, Pelosi says
Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters Tuesday Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer should “of course” remain in his leadership amid a backlash in the party to the New Yorker’s handling of a recent government funding vote. It’s a notable vote of confidence in Schumer from his longtime legislative partner. Pelosi had previously criticized Schumer’s handling […]