After Thursday night firings, election commission has no members
President Donald Trump on Thursday night removed the remaining members of a federal commission intended to assist with federal elections, amid his broader effort to control voting procedures and election administration. Trump fired Chair Thomas Hicks and Benjamin Hovland from the Election Assistance Commission, while Republican commissioner Christy McCormick resigned. A White House official confirmed […]
Government-seeded accounts could test Trump’s ‘communists’ claim
President Donald Trump’s recent attacks on democratic socialists who have won Democratic Party primaries could clash with his idea of creating investment accounts for American adults. The administration this week already formally launched its Trump Accounts initiative for children, which includes a one-time government contribution of $1,000 for each eligible child. The president, during a […]
CBO: House highway bill would widen trust fund deficit
The House version of this year’s mega surface transportation reauthorization bill could increase the deficit anticipated in the Highway Trust Fund over the next five years despite the inclusion of new fees on electric vehicles and hybrids, according to the Congressional Budget Office The CBO analysis, released Thursday, found that cumulative shortfalls expected by the […]
Platner, accused of sexual assault, suspends Senate campaign
Maine Democrat Graham Platner suspended his campaign for Senate on Wednesday night, a move that allows the state party to select an alternate candidate to face Republican Sen. Susan Collins in a marquee matchup this fall. Platner’s announcement that he would drop out of the race comes two days after he denied a Politico report […]
As Trump threatens the Smithsonian, Congress is on the sidelines
As the White House accuses the Smithsonian Institution of “ideological capture,” it’s put members of Congress in a tough spot as they weigh what, if anything, they can do. A 162-page White House report released last weekend singled out the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, saying it “no longer treats the American story as […]
At the Races: As Maine goes …
Welcome to At the Races! Each week we bring you news and analysis from the CQ Roll Call campaign team. Know someone who’d like to get this newsletter? They can subscribe here. By Mary Ellen McIntire and Daniela Altimari Maine Democrats have less than three weeks to find a challenger to Sen. Susan Collins after Graham Platner […]
Jockeying to replace Platner on Maine ballot has already begun
A pseudo Senate primary has formed in Maine as Democrats wait on Graham Platner to potentially end his campaign in the face of an allegation of sexual assault. Platner, the Democratic nominee to challenge Republican Sen. Susan Collins this fall, has denied the accusation but said Monday that he was reassessing the future of his […]
GOP leaders tried to quell McConnell health questions. It’s not working
As online speculation swirls over Sen. Mitch McConnell’s hospitalization and scant public updates from his staff, the Kentucky Republican’s top allies spoke up this week, insisting he remains alert. But those assurances have done little to quash demands for proof of life, including from the state’s governor. The episode has reignited a debate over lawmakers’ […]
Justices to face Congress after contentious court rulings
Supreme Court justices are scheduled to appear before both Senate and House appropriators next week, marking the first time since 2019 that justices will face lawmakers. Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Elena Kagan are slated to testify before the Senate and House Financial Services Appropriations subcommittees on July 14 to discuss the high court’s fiscal […]
Little clarity on Iran from Trump, but new help ahead for Ukraine
Lawmakers and European officials hoping to get clarity on the U.S.-Iran conflict from President Donald Trump at a NATO summit likely left disappointed. During a Wednesday evening press conference in Ankara, Turkey, the first reporter to question him characterized the Iran standoff as a “strategic dead end for you” and asked why Trump has been […]