Congress

Republican leaders laid the groundwork for a final dash to pass partisan legislative priorities before August recess. But if this week was any indication, it won’t be an easy run. First, Washington was struck by the sudden death of Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., on July 11. Moving quickly, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster chose Graham’s […]

Lawmakers expect to vote next week on a proposal to curb stock-trading by members of Congress, an effort months in the making that many Republicans are hoping to point to as they return home to their districts in August.  Democrats are lining up in opposition as they try to shore up their own campaign talking […]

The House Wednesday shot down an amendment to a State Department spending bill that would have blocked billions in U.S. military aid to Israel, but a substantial number of Democrats voted to cut off Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war machine. The chamber defeated Kentucky Republican Rep. Thomas Massie’s amendment, 104-314, which would have stripped […]

Congress let a key spy power lapse over a month ago. In the few legislative days left ahead of August recess, lawmakers don’t appear to be in any rush to change that. Discussions in the House have stalled as they wait for the Senate to move — even though Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., once warned […]

The House on Wednesday passed the fiscal 2027 State Department spending bill shortly after rejecting an amendment that reignited Democratic fissures over Israel. In a mostly party-line 217-209 vote, the House passed the $47.3 billion National Security-State appropriations bill. That vote came on the heels of a vote earlier in the afternoon against an amendment […]

Some Senate Republicans and Democrats actually agree on one thing: It could take years for another lawmaker to become as big of a voice in any president’s ear on foreign policy as Lindsey Graham was in Donald Trump’s. In fact, as Trump on Wednesday delivered his first major national security remarks since his informal adviser’s […]

House Republicans unveiled a fiscal 2027 budget resolution Wednesday that would lay the groundwork for a reconciliation package of up to $95 billion, mostly to finance the Iran war. The resolution text would instruct four House committees to draft legislation by Sept. 11 designed to provide up to $73 billion in defense funding, along with […]

As Jay Clayton took his seat before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday, the scene was starkly different from 28 days ago. Back in June, just hours before Clayton’s confirmation hearing for director of national intelligence was about to start, President Donald Trump abruptly ordered his nominee not to appear. This time around, Clayton was […]

Speaker Mike Johnson narrowly freed the floor from another standstill Tuesday — but it’s not clear how long the good feeling will last. The House adopted a rule for floor debate in a 215-211 vote after GOP leaders won over key holdouts by promising a markup of border security legislation before the August recess and […]

Justices Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett pitched increased security funding for the Supreme Court next year at a pair of rare congressional hearings for sitting justices Tuesday that covered issues ranging from emergency cases to judicial ethics. Kagan and Barrett focused most of their testimony on increased security concerns at the court amid rising […]