It could be a very cloudy month in the Hart atrium
Sen. Chris Murphy never thought he’d see the day when Alexander Calder’s “Mountains and Clouds” sculpture in the atrium of the Hart Senate Office Building would be complete. But when the Senate returns from August recess, he said Calder’s “clouds” will be there to greet him. “I felt like I was going to retire from […]
Trump defends ‘weaponization’ fund amid Blanche confirmation drama
As his nominee for attorney general hangs in the balance, President Donald Trump dug in on Friday, defending a controversial settlement that has angered some Republicans in the Senate. It further upended Todd Blanche’s bid to permanently lead the Justice Department, as senators look for a path forward after canceling a planned Judiciary Committee markup […]
Senate Democrats continue staff diversity survey, despite Trump’s anti-DEI trend
Staff working for Senate Democrats are significantly more diverse than a decade ago, according to the results of their annual survey. Forty-three percent of Senate Democratic staff now identify as nonwhite, up from about a third in 2017, when the survey first began. The report comes as President Donald Trump continues to lash out against […]
Cornyn won’t ‘cave’ on Blanche, he says
The odds of the Senate confirming Todd Blanche to head the Justice Department before its summer break appear to be dwindling, as the Trump administration struggles to appease GOP holdouts. And if senators can’t get him through, President Donald Trump threatened to merely wait out the objectors, leaving Blanche in the post as acting attorney […]
CDC, public health preparedness nominees advance in Senate
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on Thursday approved President Donald Trump’s nominees to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and to serve as a key assistant secretary, two leadership roles that the administration has struggled to fill. The committee voted 12-11 along party lines to advance Sean Kaufman to serve […]
IRS modernization bill approved by Senate panel
The Senate Finance Committee advanced a bipartisan tax administration package Thursday aimed at modernizing the IRS, improving customer service and strengthening taxpayer rights. The committee voted, 26-1, to approve the sprawling tax modernization bill, which encompasses a laundry list of tax provisions including some proposals that have already gotten backing from either House tax writers […]
Iran war powers resolution blocked in Senate as conflict heats up
The Senate again rejected advancing a measure to direct President Donald Trump to end the war in Iran, a vote that comes as a brief respite in fighting appears to be over. The Senate voted 49-50 on Thursday against discharging from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee a war powers resolution offered by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, […]
At the Races: Republicans on the ropes
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 A handful of House Democrats and two House Republicans have lost their bids for renomination this year, and […]
Proposals to lower health costs get broad support in battlegrounds
Voters in battleground states and congressional districts tend to voice support for proposals in Congress that would expand access to health care or lower drug costs — often irrespective of their party affiliation — according to new polling from the University of Maryland. The poll, first shared with CQ Roll Call, surveyed people in 11 competitive states like Pennsylvania, Georgia […]
Lawmakers want better data on AI’s workforce impacts
A bipartisan pair of senators is pushing for more and better data to understand the impact of artificial intelligence on the workforce. That data could help back up what experts told a Senate subcommittee on Wednesday — that the biggest AI-fueled change may be different tasks at work rather than mass unemployment. Sens. Jim Banks, […]