Capitol agenda: Brutal day ahead for Mike Johnson

Turns out President Donald Trump didn’t have the magic touch House Republicans were expecting. Another day of crypto drama has now put the House in a severe time crunch, setting members up for a mammoth day of voting Thursday. To recap: Speaker Mike Johnson headed into Wednesday confident that Trump had struck a deal with […]

House advances crypto, defense spending bills following standoff

The House late Wednesday advanced a trio of cryptocurrency bills and a 2026 Defense spending measure after a group of GOP hard-liners dropped their opposition to the effort following a chaotic day of turnabouts and negotiations with Republican leaders. The House voted 217-212 to advance the bills following a closed-door standoff between House conservatives and […]

White House has private discussions about Collins backup in Maine

White House officials have discussed potential candidates who could replace Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) if she elects not to run again in 2026, according to a person familiar with the conversation granted anonymity to speak about political strategy. Though there is no discussion of pushing a primary on the 72-year old, President Donald Trump would […]

Sen. Tina Smith hospitalized after feeling ill

Sen. Tina Smith has been admitted to the hospital after becoming ill Wednesday and won’t be available to help Democrats during crucial votes on the rescission package. Smith will stay overnight for observation, her office said. “While at work at the Capitol today, Sen. Smith started to not feel well. She went to the Capitol […]

Senate rejects Democrats’ initial attempts to trim Trump’s cutbacks

Senate Republicans batted down Democratic attempts on Wednesday to shrink the $9 billion package of funding clawbacks the chamber is expected to pass after a “vote-a-rama” amendment spree. Democrats are seeking to knock out pieces of President Donald Trump’s request to cancel $8.3 billion in foreign aid, along with $1.1 billion from public broadcasting. But […]

Super PAC backing Bill Cassidy to reveal $2.5M haul

Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, facing a MAGA revolt over his vote in President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial, is about to get a boost from a super PAC committed to the Republican’s reelection. Louisiana Freedom Fund is set to announce that it has $2.5 million in cash on hand to support Cassidy, according to a person […]

Crypto bills stall again on House floor

More cryptocurrency drama is unfolding on the House floor Wednesday, a day after conservative hard-liners foiled GOP leaders’ plans to advance a trio of regulatory bills. The hard-liners climbed back aboard following a Tuesday night meeting with President Donald Trump and a last-minute negotiation Wednesday with House leaders that allowed the chamber to take an […]

Oz to huddle with House tax writers

Democrats and Republicans on the House Ways and Means Committee are set to have a bipartisan meeting next Wednesday with Mehmet Oz, President Donald Trump’s administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, as congressional tax writers eye year-end health care legislation following their work in helping craft the “big, beautiful bill.” According to […]

Zohran Mamdani briefs House Democrats on lessons from his campaign

Zohran Mamdani, the polarizing Democratic nominee for New York City mayor, huddled privately Wednesday with Democratic lawmakers at a Washington restaurant. The conversation, attendees said, focused on campaign strategy and lessons learned from his surprise win. Those included “the effective communications strategy that they employed, very dynamic and natural,” said Rep. Chuy Garcia (D-Ill.). “And […]