Republicans inch closer to formally locking up House majority

There are more than a dozen House contests — and a Senate race — still uncalled by the Associated Press, but Republicans are inching ever closer to officially retaining the House majority, as western states continue to slowly tally up their ballots. Arizona Senate: Several days of strong vote counting numbers have put Rep. Ruben […]

Jockeying begins for Stefanik’s open House GOP leadership position

Several lawmakers are launching bids for the No. 4 position in House GOP leadership — seemingly the only wide open race after Donald Trump tapped Rep. Elise Stefanik for UN ambassador. Reps. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) and Kat Cammack (R-Fla.) are officially running for conference chair, according to McClain and a person with direct knowledge of […]

Trump presses next GOP Senate leader to allow ‘recess appointments’

President-elect Donald Trump on Sunday said Senate Republicans’ next leader must embrace so-called “recess appointments,” temporary appointments when the chamber is out of session that occur without the chamber’s formal seal of approval. “Any Republican Senator seeking the coveted LEADERSHIP position in the United States Senate must agree to Recess Appointments (in the Senate!), without […]

Schumer withholds Senate orientation invite from McCormick

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer will not allow Sen.-elect Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) to participate in Senate orientation this week because he doesn’t consider the race to be resolved yet. Though the Associated Press projected Thursday that McCormick defeated Democrat incumbent Bob Casey in Pennsylvania’s Senate race, Casey has yet to concede, claiming that there are […]

Trump rejects Pompeo, Haley for cabinet

President-elect Donald Trump announced Saturday he will not ask his former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley to join his cabinet, icing out two former cabinet members whose loyalties to him wavered. In a Truth Social post Saturday, the former president wrote that he would not be inviting Haley or Pompeo […]

Conservatives weigh potential show of opposition against Johnson

Even as Republicans are increasingly optimistic that they’ll keep control of the House, some conservatives remain wary of Mike Johnson — and they’re discussing how to telegraph their concerns in next week’s secret leadership ballot. With nearly two dozen races still outstanding, Johnson seems close to a major victory: Holding the tiny GOP majority, after […]

House Armed Services chair in the mix for Trump’s Pentagon chief

House Armed Services Chair Mike Rogers is under consideration to be President-elect Donald Trump’s Defense secretary, according to three people familiar with the deliberations. Rogers, a conservative Alabama Republican and among the most strident of defense hawks in the House, would be a dark horse in a field of potential Trump Pentagon picks. Rogers is […]