Congress

Sen. Darline Graham took the oath of office Tuesday to fill the vacancy left by the unexpected death of her older brother, four-term Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham. The late Graham died Saturday night at age of 71 of an aortic dissection, according to preliminary findings by the D.C. medical examiner.  South Carolina Republican Gov. Henry […]

Standing on the stage of a local high school in his reliably red Nebraska congressional district last week, Republican Rep. Mike Flood replied to a constituent who asked about disability benefits. “Well, under the one big beautiful bill —” he began on the livestream, then paused. The crowd had erupted into boos at the mention […]

Independence Day recess ended Sunday with two explosive developments within the Senate GOP: the death of Budget Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who died Saturday night, and a much-awaited health update from former Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. The latter issued a statement Sunday evening confirming that, contrary to rumors online, he was very much […]

Former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Sunday ended weeks of speculation about his health with a statement saying he’s on the mend. The Kentucky Republican, who was hospitalized June 14, issued a letter to fellow Kentuckians telling them he has been recovering from a fall, followed by what he termed “a mild case of […]

Senate Budget Committee chair Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a long-standing foreign policy hawk who became a close ally of President Donald Trump during his final years, has died at 71 “from a brief and sudden illness,” according to his office.   Graham, who was first elected to represent South Carolina in the Senate in 2002 and has […]

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 […]

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 […]

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’ […]

The Marine Corps is facing “significant” challenges keeping some of its most important weapons in working order, because Marines too often must rely on contractors for equipment upkeep, the service’s second-ranking general recently wrote to a Senate panel. Gen. Bradford Gering, the Marine Corps assistant commandant, described for the Armed Services Committee cases involving several […]

The sweltering Fourth of July weekend is over, but for both parties in House and Senate leadership, the heat is still cranked up. Both chambers are likely to return next Monday to the same sweat-inducing tangle of legislative problems that left them stumped as they headed out of town at the end of June. Speaker […]