The House passed bipartisan legislation by a 221-196 vote Thursday aimed at overhauling federal permitting reviews in a bid to accelerate the construction of new energy and infrastructure projects amid surging power demand and rising electricity prices. By approving the SPEED Act, which overhauls the National Environmental Policy Act, House Republicans were able to put […]
Category: Politics
House Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith is swatting down some of his colleagues’ hopes for a party-line policy bill next year, even as Speaker Mike Johnson publicly tries to keep the idea alive. “I don’t see a path of a second reconciliation ever passing,” Smith (R-Mo.) said in an interview as he left the […]
Speaker Mike Johnson and House Administration Chair Bryan Steil (R-Wis.) briefed a group of GOP members Thursday about their new plan to address insider trading among lawmakers — indicating they could draft a new piece of legislation that would get a floor vote as soon as January, according to two people with direct knowledge granted […]
Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee released 70 additional photos Thursday obtained from the estate of Jeffrey Epstein, part of their last-ditch pressure campaign to force the Justice Department to comply with a Friday deadline to release a massive trove of files related to the late convicted sex offender. The photos are […]
Congress is about to leave town for the holidays — and put off their health care troubles until January. The House and Senate will take their last votes of the year Thursday, officially allowing Affordable Care Act subsidies to expire Dec. 31. The House passed its GOP-led health care package Wednesday night, though the Senate […]
Brian Fitzpatrick, the five-term House Republican and perennial campaign target for Democrats, has long been viewed by GOP leaders as a team player. Until now. On Wednesday, his 52nd birthday, the congenial Pennsylvanian led a GOP mutiny against Speaker Mike Johnson over his handling of expiring Obamacare subsidies used by more than 20 million Americans. […]
The Senate on Wednesday approved Jared Isaacman for the top job at NASA — an unprecedented comeback after President Donald Trump yanked his nomination this spring. Senators confirmed the billionaire private astronaut in a 67-30 vote. Trump renominated Isaacman for NASA administrator in November, after pulling his original nomination in May. He cited Isaacman’s relationship […]
Senate Commerce Chair Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is hoping to quickly pass a bill Wednesday dealing with military helicopter safety. According to a person familiar with the negotiations who was granted anonymity to speak candidly, Cruz plans to bring his bipartisan ROTOR Act legislation to the floor via unanimous consent, a fast-track procedure. The bill would […]
A bipartisan group of moderate lawmakers privately strategized Wednesday about how to pass an extension of expiring Obamacare subsidies early next year — possibly by using a newly discharged House bill as a vehicle for a Senate-backed bipartisan compromise. The closed-door discussion among House and Senate members about amending the discharged measure was described by […]
Former special counsel Jack Smith, who led the federal criminal cases against President Donald Trump during the Biden administration, has kicked off what is expected to be an hourslong closed-door deposition with members of the House Judiciary Committee. In his opening statement to lawmakers, portions of which were obtained by POLITICO, Smith defended his findings […]