Chuck Schumer ended the last shutdown standoff as a villain to Democrats outraged at his decision to surrender to Republicans. This time, the Senate minority leader has heeded the party base, sparking a showdown that has kept government agencies closed for eight days and counting. So far, his former critics are impressed. But that doesn’t […]
Senate Democrats are warming up to an upstart oyster farmer in the crucial Maine Senate race. Now they’ll have to decide if they are willing to snub their party’s dream recruit to support him. So far, Graham Platner only has one public endorsement from a sitting senator, Vermont independent Bernie Sanders. But more than a […]
President Donald Trump’s administration is considering options to pay members of the military if the government shutdown drags on, according to two White House officials granted anonymity to discuss private deliberations. Those options include Trump shifting available funds or pressing Republican leaders on Capitol Hill to put a standalone troop pay bill on the floor, […]
The IRS said it was furloughing nearly half of its workforce and shuttering most operations Wednesday, but will continue work to implement President Donald Trump’s signature tax cuts. Work on preparing for next year’s tax-filing season will also continue, but numerous operations will be halted, including taxpayer services like call site operations. The agency will […]
Longtime Washington congressional Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton raised just $3,200 for her reelection campaign last quarter, according to a campaign finance report filed Wednesday, as she faces serious primary challengers and questions about her ability to serve in Congress. Norton, 88, has repeatedly said she will seek reelection next year. But the capital city’s delegate […]
Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday had a heated, face-to-face exchange with two Democratic senators over the government shutdown and the swearing-in of Arizona’s Democratic Rep-elect Adelita Grijalva, who will be the 218th signature on an effort to end-run Johnson and force a vote on releasing Jeffrey Epstein-related documents. Arizona Sens. Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly […]
The Senate rejected dueling government funding bills for the sixth time Wednesday amid growing frustration over the shutdown stalemate. The back-to-back votes come as there’s no sign of a quick offramp, with congressional leaders only becoming further entrenched the longer the funding lapse drags on. Pouring new fuel into the standoff — and catching top […]
Speaker Mike Johnson continued to hit Senate Democrats on Wednesday for blocking a government funding stopgap — this time by highlighting the shutdown fallout in their states. During a press conference Wednesday, Johnson showcased a series of headlines from across the country. “Remember Georgia’s two Democrat senators, [Raphael] Warnock and [Jon] Ossoff, have now voted […]
Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed called a fundraising email that went out on the anniversary of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel a mistake in a statement provided first to POLITICO. “That email mistakenly went out yesterday. Abdul has been clear and consistent: he holds equally valuable the lives of all innocent people and […]
One week into the shutdown, Republicans are trying to stay on message — but President Donald Trump is making that difficult. Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune want to show Democrats there’s no daylight inside the GOP: Republicans will negotiate a deal to extend expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies only once the […]