Appropriators approve Legislative Branch spending bill with GAO cuts
The House Appropriations Committee advanced a draft fiscal 2027 Legislative Branch spending bill on Wednesday that would slash the budget for the Government Accountability Office by nearly one-quarter and give a boost to Capitol Police. The party-line vote of 34-28 came after a contentious markup stretching late into the evening, as Democrats argued the GAO […]
Judge weighs in on lawmaker cost-of-living case
A federal judge ruled Wednesday that a group of current and former congressional lawmakers are not barred from recovering damages in a case over whether members of Congress are owed back pay for years of suppressed cost-of-living increases. The lawmakers’ legal team has argued that Congress and the president have violated the 27th Amendment with […]
Trump could face foreign policy squeeze in Senate after primary ruckus
New questions have emerged about whether President Donald Trump has lost sway with some Republican senators as they mull action related to a number of thorny foreign policy matters after they have clashed with Trump over the Iran war, the White House ballroom and his targeting of respected incumbents. Trump’s Senate headwinds could show up […]
Reconciliation bill punted until after Memorial Day recess
Congressional leaders are closing up shop for the week without voting on their long-sought immigration budget bill, as Senate Republicans struggled to agree on legislative text amid an 11th-hour fight over a new Justice Department “anti-weaponization” fund. While Republican leaders had hoped to push the bill through both chambers on strictly party-line votes before leaving Friday […]
At the Races: Full disclosure, Jersey edition
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 Daniela Altimari, Mary Ellen McIntire and Niels Lesniewski New Jersey Rep. Thomas H. Kean Jr. hasn’t been seen in Washington since he cast his […]
Women’s museum bill defeated in House
A once-bipartisan effort broke down Thursday as the House rejected a bill to pave the way for construction of a Smithsonian museum honoring women. Previously championed by both sides of the aisle, the legislation saw last-minute changes at a House Administration Committee markup in March that led Democrats to withdraw their backing. The new version […]
Surface transportation bill approved by House committee
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee advanced its sweeping five-year transportation reauthorization bill early Friday morning after adding on a White House-backed rail safety provision — a twist that could complicate the bill’s support on the floor. The vote to approve the measure was 62-2, overwhelmingly giving panel Chairman Sam Graves, R-Mo., and ranking member […]
Democrats renew effort to prevent US military action against Cuba
A trio of Senate Democrats is trying again to rein in President Donald Trump’s ability to order military action against Cuba. Sens. Tim Kaine, D-Va., Adam B. Schiff, D-Calif., and Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., have introduced a war powers resolution that would direct Trump to “remove the United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against […]
Dems see ‘missed opportunity’ in Trump resisting Xi’s Hormuz help
Some congressional Democrats say Donald Trump fumbled a chance to convince Chinese President Xi Jinping to intervene in the president’s costly standoff with Iran over the Strait of Hormuz. Foreign policy experts have fingered Beijing as one of the global capitals still allied with Iran, meaning the powerful Xi might have been helpful in convincing […]
Ad in Texas GOP Runoff Attacks Cornyn on Immigration, Islam
By Saranac Hale Spencer ANALYSIS — A TV ad attacking incumbent Texas Sen. John Cornyn for supporting “Muslim mass immigration” misleadingly cites a 2021 quote from Cornyn about certain Afghan refugees and claims that “Cornyn has a special place in his heart for radical Islam.” The ad, which started airing on May 12 according to data from AdImpact, […]