Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is facing bipartisan calls to resign after he appeared in a recent batch of files linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) accused Lutnick in a statement Monday of having “lied” about the extent of his connection to Epstein. Lutnick has sought to downplay their relationship, saying […]
Category: Politics
With fewer than five days to go before a DHS shutdown, Senate Democrats have put bill text for a full-year funding compromise on the table. But another punt is probably still the best-case scenario, and it’s by no means guaranteed. — What Democrats are pitching: The draft legislation Democrats sent Republicans on Sunday would codify […]
The crucial votes to fund the government last week were brokered in Speaker Mike Johnson‘s ceremonial office just off the House floor. But the groundwork to get the $1.6 trillion spending package through the chamber was laid in a literal smoke-filled room just steps away. That would be the domain of Rep. Tom Cole, the […]
Rep. Mark Amodei (R-Nev.), the top Republican on the DHS appropriations subcommittee, will not seek reelection to the House this year, he announced Friday. The eight-term lawmaker is just the latest high-profile Republican to announce plans to retire from Congress in an increasingly murky midterm environment for the GOP. “I came to Congress to solve […]
The House is set to vote next week on a once-obscure elections bill that has now become a household name among hard-right activists and a major rallying point for an otherwise divided GOP. The SAVE America Act, aimed at tightening voter registration standards, has a difficult path to enactment despite a no-holds-barred pressure campaign from […]
The Department of Homeland Security’s independent watchdog disclosed numerous investigations into the department on Thursday as the White House faces heightened scrutiny over its nationwide immigration crackdown. The probes, some of which have previously been disclosed, span ICE’s hiring surge, expedited removal of individuals, use of force and compliance with detention standards. An additional review […]
The leaders of two Republican-led committees are quietly locked in a behind-the-scenes turf battle. Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), who helms the Senate Banking Committee, sent a letter this week to Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the chair and ranking member of the Senate Judiciary panel, saying he was “surprised” to learn that […]
Senate Republicans are weighing whether to bow out of a major international gathering next week as GOP leaders press them to stay in Washington and hammer out a Homeland Security Department funding deal. This year’s Munich Security Conference — a marquee transatlantic gathering that begins Feb. 13 — has taken on new urgency in the […]
South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham is pitching fellow Republicans on expanding who can sue over the now-defunct Jack Smith investigation — and Graham claims he has a key supporter in Speaker Mike Johnson. Graham said in a statement to POLITICO that he had spoken with Johnson about his push to allow lawsuits from people he […]
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Thursday left open the possibility the administration could sue President Donald Trump’s pick for Federal Reserve chair, Kevin Warsh, if he doesn’t deliver on the president’s desired interest rate cuts. Trump said Saturday he would consider suing Warsh if he did not cut interest rates. The Fed is an independent […]