The US Congress
The US Congress
Embedded Files
Next Meeting: 01/12/26, 7 PM, Ozark-Dale Library
Focus on US Congress:
House passes defense bill, forcing Pentagon's hand on boat strike videos
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/10/house-passes-ndaa-boat-strike-videos-00685641
Comment: "The House passed an annual defense policy bill on Wednesday that takes surprising aim at the Pentagon’s boat strike campaign in Latin America and the Trump administration’s dismissal of longstanding U.S. military commitments."
"The National Defense Authorization Act heads to the Senate, which will likely send the measure to President Donald Trump, who supports the bill.
"The agreement would withhold a quarter of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s travel budget until the Pentagon provides Congress with unedited videos of airstrikes against alleged drug smuggling boats. It also goes after Trump’s push away from European allies and demands a rationale when the Defense Department fires officials."
"Lawmakers’ $901 billion compromise bill is the result of months of negotiations between House and Senate leaders. A total of 115 Democrats joined 197 Republicans on the 312-112 vote, a remarkable shift from a House draft loaded with hard-right social provisions that passed in September along largely partisan lines."
"Even with the blowout vote, lawmakers expressed bipartisan angst over the final bill. Many Republican holdouts wanted major cryptocurrency legislation attached. Conservatives had sought more provisions taking on diversity and LGBTQ policies. Some Democrats had pushed for stricter oversight of the Trump administration, along with expanded coverage for in-vitro fertilization and protections for Pentagon employees who join unions."
CNN: Battleground Republicans clash with hard-liners over Obamacare subsidies as party talks health care strategy
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/10/politics/gop-health-care-plan-congress
House GOP erupts over health care as leaders hunt for a plan
https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/12/10/congress/no-house-gop-health-plan-00684401
Comment: "House Republican leaders presented no firm plan Tuesday for advancing health care legislation as anxiety rises in the GOP ranks over the impending expiration of key Obamacare subsidies at the end of the year."
"Instead, Speaker Mike Johnson presented attendees of a closed-door conference meeting with list of 10 possible policies that could get votes in the coming weeks or months, according to five Republicans in the room."
"Some were more specific, such as an expansion of health savings accounts and an overhaul of pharmaceutical benefit manager oversight. Others were vague, including one bullet point that simply said, 'Innovation.' The list did not include an extension of the expiring tax credits."
Republicans unveil health care plan to counter Democratic effort to extend ACA subsidies
Comment: "Both plans will likely fail in the Senate later this week."
GOP plan leaves ACA subsidies behind
https://www.axios.com/2025/12/09/rival-gop-health-plans-gridlock-aca-subsidies
Comment: "The outlines of a Senate Republican health care plan are coming into focus, and it wouldn't extend enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies — increasing the likelihood that the assistance will expire in less than a month."
Comment: "But Republicans remain divided on this and other alternatives to a straight extension of the ACA tax credits that Democrats are insisting on. It's unclear whether the plan will even get a vote this week."
Comment: "The plan from Senate Finance Chair Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and his health committee counterpart Bill Cassidy (R-La.), first reported by Axios, proposes giving certain ACA enrollees $1,000 to $1,500 in a health savings account to help with medical costs, instead of the ACA subsidies."
Comment: "Many in the GOP are convinced the subsidies are wasteful spending, and that money should go directly to patients instead through HSAs."
"But in a year dominated by talk of affordability, Democrats think they have the upper hand — and contend that simply putting $1,000 or so into an HSA won't help lower- or middle-class people with the massive costs in a health crisis."
GOP moves to let Obamacare subsidies expire as Trump promises ‘money to the people’
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/09/gop-obamacare-subsidies-expire-00684115
Comment: "Republican leaders on Capitol Hill are moving decisively away from extending key Obamacare tax credits that help more than 20 million Americans pay for health insurance — following direct cues from President Donald Trump while also stoking ire among many in the GOP who fear severe political repercussions."
"In a Monday interview with POLITICO, Trump refused to endorse a continuation of the expiring subsidies, even as his administration faces mounting pressure to address rising costs for Americans. He instead laid out his own vision for health care: 'I want to give the money to the people, not to the insurance companies.' "
"Senate Republicans now plan to offer a proposal for a vote Thursday that would let the subsidies expire and instead encourage the use of health savings accounts. That abrupt shift in strategy is in turn putting new pressure on House GOP leaders to come up with their own health plan, according to four people who attended a closed-door meeting with Speaker Mike Johnson and senior Republicans Tuesday afternoon."
"Yet after months of pressure from competing factions, lawmakers inside the meeting didn’t reach a conclusion and Johnson is still trying to figure out what that plan should be. House GOP staff Tuesday were prepping a health care framework to give Republicans something to vote on next week before they leave Washington for the holidays — one that, for now, does not include an extension of the enhanced Obamacare subsidies."
"For many Republicans facing tough reelection races and even some in deep-red areas with a high reliance on the tax credits, following Trump’s one-sentence policy prescription would harm Americans and make for political disaster as the Dec. 31 expiration of the tax credits looms."
Vulnerable Republicans sweat amid GOP divisions on health care
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5639556-swing-state-republican-senators-health-insurance/
Comment: "Swing-state Republican senators who are up for reelection are scrambling for political cover as the Senate prepares to vote on a Democratic bill to extend health insurance tax credits, even as the GOP struggles to coalesce behind a plan."
"Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) told reporters Monday that Republicans won’t necessarily put up a GOP health care alternative for a vote Thursday, when Senate Democrats are due to get a vote on a three-year extension of the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) tax credits."
‘Dishonors the decades-long bipartisan commitment’: Democrats slam Trump for his European takedown
Comment: "President Donald Trump’s comments expressing skepticism about the leadership of Ukraine and its European allies aren’t sitting well with top Democrats, who on Tuesday ripped the president for his handling of Russia’s war against Kyiv."
"In an exclusive White House sitdown with POLITICO's Dasha Burns on Monday for a special episode of 'The Conversation,' Trump admonished European coutries as 'weak' and 'decaying,' endorsed new elections in Ukraine and teased that the transatlantic NATO alliance 'calls me Daddy'."
"Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and key ally to former President Joe Biden, labeled Trump’s conduct in the region 'unpredictable, chaotic and destabilizing'."
" 'This latest statement from President Trump dishonors the decades-long bipartisan commitment in the United States and here in Congress to stand up for democracy and human rights and to stand shoulder to shoulder with our NATO allies,' Coons said on CNN on Tuesday morning. 'As the president just referenced, they’ve stepped forward.' "
Comment: "Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), the ranking member on the House Armed Services Committee, told CNN that Trump’s comments conveyed a fundamental misunderstanding that 'Putin is driving this war.' "
" 'Ukraine is holding strong at the moment, despite what Russia is doing,' Smith said. 'But the biggest impediment for the last, gosh, almost year now has been President Trump consistently undermining Zelenskyy, whereby our European partners have made it clear, ‘we’re not going to abandon Ukraine.' "
‘It’s done’ — House Armed Services chair sees no need to further probe boat strike
Comment: "The Republican chair of the House Armed Services Committee said he doesn’t see the need to further investigate a controversial military strike that killed survivors of an attack on an alleged drug running vessel in September."
Comment: Alabama Republican Mike Rogers seems anxious to adopt the mantra of "See no evil; Hear no evil; Speak no evil" and to sweep this questionable military action under the rug.
The GOP has allowed Trump to expand his authority. Here's where they're pushing back
https://www.npr.org/2025/12/09/g-s1-101183/gop-authority-trump-pushback
Comment: "The Republican-controlled House and Senate have not done much to stand in the way of President Trump — even when his actions have encroached on terrain the Constitution reserved for them."
"But there are signs that some Republican lawmakers are trying to reassert their independence."
"When news broke last week that the Pentagon carried out a second strike on two individuals on a largely-destroyed alleged drug boat in the Caribbean Sea, even some Republicans expressed alarm."
Comment: "The strikes are not the only actions that have spurred a handful of Republicans to stake out a bit of daylight with the Trump administration. Some have criticized Trump's tariffs, like Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine."
Comment: "Ahead of the upcoming espiration date for enhanced health care subsidies, which Trump has signaled indifference to renewing, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., warned last month of a 'massive crisis unless Congress acts'."
"Nebraska Congressman Don Bacon has been one of the most consistent critics of Trump's approach to Russian President Vladimir Putin's incursion into Ukraine. Bacon consistently calls it a soft touch, particularly in contrast to Trump's approach to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky."
Comment: "And Trump's reluctance to release the investigative files into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein spurred a break between the president and one of his closest allies, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga."
Comment: "But this is not the first time observers have declared a new era, only for Trump to firm up his grip on congressional Republicans, including the aftermath of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol."
Comment: "Most of the Republicans vocalizing their disagreements are retiring, represent competitive districts or are perennial centrists. And some of the splits with Trump have not been over traditional Republican values, but urging him to follow through on the populist platform he ran on."
"Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski said Congress has made some recent attempts to push back on the White House, like resolutions rebuking the tariffs and boat strikes, but they have not been very successful or sufficient."
" 'I'd like to see more, and I believe that if we don't stand up for our powers under the Constitution, nobody else will,' Murkowski told NPR in an interview."
Comment: Do you believe this isolated pushback from some Republicans is 'too little, too late?' Do you believe it is time for Democrats to take control of the U.S. House and Senate and restore constitutional checks and balances on the Trump administration (executive branch of government)?
Why Senate Republicans aren't uniting behind a health care plan
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/08/senate-republicans-obamacare-health-00682318
Comment: "Voting on any alternative to Democrats' Obamacare extension is likely to highlight the divisions in the GOP."
Senate Judiciary plans hearings around Jack Smith probe
Comment: "The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold hearings in early 2026 surrounding former special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into President Donald Trump — culminating in a hearing later in the year where Smith will testify in person before the panel."
Comment: "The announcement follows news that Smith requested Republican lawmakers’ phone records as part of his probe into Trump’s efforts to subvert the results of the 2020 election. The revelations enraged GOP senators, who argued Smith’s investigation amounted to a weaponization of the Justice Department and have been clamoring for hearings."
Comment: The Senate Republicans are joining their Republican colleagues in the House screaming outrage that Jack Smith subpoenaed phone records from certain GOP lawmakers as part of his investigation into the January 6th attempt to overturn the 2000 election. The timeframe of some of Trump's calls that day (to law makers like Tommy Tuberville) were important to the investigation.
Comment: Phone records of American citizens are commonly subpoenaed as part of a potential criminal investigation. However, Republican lawmakers think they are special and are not subject to investigative tools employed in other investigations. The content of the calls were not provided to Jack Smith, only the record of the calls.
Comment: The difference between the House and Senate hearings is that Republican Jim Jordon demanded that the House hearings be held behind closed doors, which Jack Smith has resisted. Smith wanted to speak publicly so that the American people could hear his explanation. Apparently, the Senate hearings will be public, based on the following comments from Smith's lawyer:
Comment: " 'Jack remains ready and willing to discuss his work as Special Counsel, and we’re happy the American people will have the opportunity to hear directly from him about his investigation into President Trump’s alleged retention of classified documents and efforts to overturn the 2020 election,' Peter Koski, an attorney for Smith, said in a statement Monday."
Video: Top Dems on Capitol Hill push for bipartisan extension of ACA subsidies as pessimism grows - December 08, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAScuxpjBeU
Scoop: Senate GOP chairs circulate health plan as clock ticks on ACA subsidies
https://www.axios.com/2025/12/08/senate-republicans-aca-subsidies-tax-credits-plan-proposal
Comment: "The plan from Finance Committee chair Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and health committee chair Bill Cassidy (R-La.) does not extend the tax credits past their expiration at year's end, instead providing funds to enrollees in health savings accounts, according to a summary obtained by Axios."
"It's not the only GOP plan that's been floated in recent days as Republicans struggle to unite around health care policies."
Republicans have an affordability problem. They can’t agree on how to fix it.
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/08/republicans-affordability-congress-00679545
Comment: "Republicans want to put the economy at the center of their midterm message as they seek to protect their majorities in Congress. But as cost-of-living concerns mount across the political spectrum, the GOP is struggling to act decisively to address them."
"Already top Republicans acknowledge they haven’t done enough to sell the 'one big, beautiful bill,' the party-line centerpiece of their economic agenda they enacted over the summer. Now internal divisions and the need for bipartisan support in the Senate are threatening any attempt to follow up on it."
"The GOP is struggling to coalesce behind a health care plan that would prevent Obamacare premium hikes set to kick in next month and efforts to rein in President Donald Trump’s tariffs have run aground in the House. Meanwhile, the administration’s proposal to distribute $2,000 rebate checks has gotten a lukewarm response on Capitol Hill and the fate of other smaller bills to address things like housing prices and student debt have sparked intraparty sparring."
" 'The cost of living is a legitimate issue — I think it was one of the main reasons President Trump was elected. I think it’s still an issue,' Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) said in an interview, urging Republicans to pursue another party-line bill before the midterms in response."
"While many in the GOP — including Trump — continue to lay blame for their economic problems with former President Joe Biden, there are clear warning signs for Republicans. Forty-six percent of respondents in a recent POLITICO Poll said the cost of living is the worst they can remember it being."
Comment: Do think poor public opinion of the "one big, beautiful bill" is just a messaging issue, or it is due to the resulting wealth transfer from the poor to the very rich?
Comment: Do you think another Republican "party-line bill before the midterms," will solve the affordability crisis? Very doubtful.
Capitol agenda: GOP struggles on affordability message
Video: Colin Allred ends Senate campaign to run for Congress | FULL - December 08, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpSIJwWOahQ
Congress to withhold Pentagon travel funds until it sees boat strike videos
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/08/ndaa-boat-strikes-congress-hegseth-without-funds-00680679
Comment: "Congress is using its marquee defense bill to force the Pentagon into turning over videos of strikes against suspected drug-smuggling boats off the coast of Latin America."
"Lawmakers plan to withhold a quarter of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s travel budget until the Pentagon provides them with the videos. The demand, quietly tucked into the final draft of the annual defense policy bill, calls for 'unedited video of strikes conducted against designated terrorist organizations in the area of responsibility of the United States Southern Command' to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees."
Congress will vote on limiting Hegseth's travel budget unless he releases unedited video of boat strikes
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/08/politics/hegseth-travel-budget-strikes-video-congress
Democrats, advocates slam Johnson after IVF expansion stripped from defense policy bill
https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5638859-congress-drops-ivf-provision/
Comment: "Congress’s annual defense policy bill does not include a provision expanding coverage of assisted reproductive technology for military members, including in vitro fertilization, sparking the ire of lawmakers and advocates."
"Currently, service members’ Tricare insurance only covers fertility services for military members whose infertility was caused by a serious or severe illness or injury while on active duty."
"Earlier Senate and House versions of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) included a provision that would have expanded the coverage to all active-duty members, regardless of the reason for infertility."
"But the provision, backed by Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.) and others, was dropped from the compromise bill that was released late Sunday."
Congress moves to block Pentagon from cutting US troops in Europe and South Korea
Comment: "Congress is moving to limit the Pentagon's ability to pull forces out of Europe and South Korea, easing concerns among allied governments."
Compromise defense bill stymies Trump on Europe troop withdrawals
Comment: "Sprawling defense legislation set for a vote as soon as this week would place new restrictions on reducing troop levels in Europe, a bipartisan rebuke of Trump administration moves that lawmakers fear would limit U.S. commitments on the continent."
"A just-released compromise version of the National Defense Authorization Act — which puts Congress’ stamp on Pentagon programs and policy each year — has been in the works for months. The measure stands in stark contrast to President Donald Trump’s new national security strategy, which sharply criticizes European allies and suggests the continent is in cultural decline."
"Lawmakers also endorsed a slight increase in the Pentagon budget with a price tag that is $8 billion more than Trump requested. And it would repeal decades-old Middle East war powers, a small win for lawmakers who’ve been fighting to reclaim a sliver of Congress’ war-declaring prerogatives."
CNN: Swing-district Republican sounds alarm over GOP’s affordability agenda: ‘Doing nothing is not an option’
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/07/politics/brian-fitzpatrick-republicans-affordability-2026
Comment: "Swing-district" Republicans may want to address affordability, but those in predominantly Republican districts only want to pledge allegiance to Trump, for fear of provoking a MAGA primary opponent. In other words, these Republicans are willing to ignore the economic needs of their constituents in an attempt to save their jobs.
CNN: Why Indiana GOP voters want their senators to defy Trump’s threats
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/07/politics/indiana-redistricting-republican-voters
Comment: Republicans in Indiana want their state Senators to defy Trump and resist the redrawing of Indiana's U.S. congressional districts.
Top Armed Services Dem says Sept. 2 strike video would show Republicans’ description ‘completely false’
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/top-armed-services-dem-sept-2-strike-video/story?id=128185897
Comment: "The top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee said Sunday that surveillance video of U.S. military strikes targeting an alleged drug trafficking vessel in the Caribbean Sea on Sept. 2 would contradict how Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and other Republicans have described it."
" 'When they [the survivors] were finally taken out, they weren’t trying to flip the boat over. The boat was clearly incapacitated. A tiny portion of it remained, capsized, the bow of the boat. They had no communications device. Certainly, they were unarmed,' Rep. Adam Smith, one of the Democratic lawmakers who saw the video, said. 'Any claim that the drugs had somehow survived that attack is hard, hard to really square with what we saw.' "
"Smith called the video 'deeply disturbing' and said 'it did not appear that these two survivors were in any position to continue the fight.' "
Scoop: Democrats call Trump's bluff on releasing boat strike video
https://www.axios.com/2025/12/06/trump-hegseth-venezuelan-drug-boat-video-democrat
Comment: "Democrats on the House Armed Services Committee are pressing Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to release video of U.S. military strikes on an alleged Venezuelan drug boat that have inflamed tensions on Capitol Hill."
Comment: "The lawmakers are seizing on to President Trump's own comments this week that he would have 'no problem' releasing the footage to the public."
Don Bacon doubles down on Hegseth criticism: ‘I think I’ve seen enough’
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5636737-don-bacon-pete-hegseth-criticism/
Comment: "Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) took his criticism of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth a step further Friday, claiming the Pentagon chief’s recent decisions have 'ruined his credibility'."
" 'I’ve been on the record already,' he told Politico's Dasha Burns, who also hosts 'Ceasefire' on C-SPAN. 'After ‘Signalgate,’ I think I’ve seen enough. What I really wanted to see was someone take responsibility — own [up] to a mistake.' "
" 'And then when he blamed the media or the, you know, the journalist for the story, it just — it ruined his credibility,' he added."
"The Nebraska Republican noted that Hegseth 'had some issues' going into his confirmation hearings, after President Trump tapped him to lead the Pentagon. But, once he was confirmed, Bacon continued, he wanted to give the former Fox News host 'a fair chance'."
" 'But I — what I’ve seen is what I call just poor decision making,' the lawmaker, who will retire at the end of the term, told Burns."
"His remarks come after a watchdog report released earlier this week found that Hegseth endangered troops and violated department policy by using his personal cellphone to send classified information about a pending strike on Houthi targets in Yemen through the Signal app."
"Bacon on Thursday said the Trump administration’s claim that the report exonerated Hegseth was 'total baloney' and criticized the Defense leader for not being willing to admit he made a mistake."
Video: Democrats will force a vote on bill to extend expiring Affordable Care Act tax credits - December 05, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3eq19gkUBA
Indiana House passes new Republican-drawn congressional map
Comment: "The map now moves to the state Senate, where it's unclear whether there is enough GOP support for it to pass, despite pressure from Trump."
Comment: At what point will state legislators value fairness to their citizen constituents more than their political party's desire to control the U.S. House of Representatives? Perhaps, the vote in the GOP controlled Indiana state senate will restore some dignity to the election process there, and stop this blatant Trump inspired gerrymandering. But don't hold your breadth,
Video: Republican Sen Thom Tillis: 'I've got a real problem' with Secretary Hegseth's Pentagon leadership - December 04, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_6TGMFfAl8
Bacon calls ‘total baloney’ on idea report exonerates Hegseth
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5633843-bacon-disputes-hegseth-exoneration/
Comment: "Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) said Thursday a Department of Defense (DOD) watchdog report did not exonerate Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth from using an encrypted messaging app to share details about a pending strike on Houthis in Yemen."
" 'No, that is total baloney,” Bacon said during a CNN interview. 'I have better words for it, but you can’t say it on TV. I read the report and what I saw what had happened was wrong, but the report makes clear that the secretary put sensitive information that would ordinarily be classified.' " "The Office of Inspector General’s report found Hegseth jeopardized troop safety and violated department policy by using Signal. Bacon said Hegseth’s 'unclassified phone is a top target.' "
" 'And if this information got to Yemen, it would have compromised the mission, and we could have put our pilots at risk,' he continued. 'And so the report was very clear on this, and what troubles me, instead of taking responsibilities, [saying] ‘It was my fault,’ I learned from it,’ they used phrases like, ‘We’re totally exonerated.' ' "
" 'That’s not what a leader does,' Bacon continued. 'A leader stands up, says, ‘I screwed up. I take responsibility. I learned my lesson. I won’t do it again.’ This troubles me more the response and the actual misdeed, because it really undercuts his credibility as a leader.' "
"The report stated that Hegseth 'sent nonpublic DoD information identifying the quantity and strike times of manned U.S. aircraft over hostile territory over an unapproved, unsecure network approximately 2 to 4 hours before the execution of those strikes.' "
Millions of Republicans on Obamacare want enhanced subsidies extended. Most Hill Republicans don’t | CNN Politics
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/04/politics/obamacare-trump-subsidies-poll
Mike Johnson races to finalize elusive GOP health care plan
Comment: "Speaker Mike Johnson is racing to finalize a Republican health care plan in time to present it to his conference at their weekly meeting Tuesday, but his team still needs to decide on major contours of the plan, according to three people granted anonymity to describe internal conversations."
"GOP leaders are meeting Thursday to nail down what will go in the package, according to the three people. One major decision still to be made is whether to offer multiple individual bills for floor consideration or to assemble them into one piece of legislation. But top Republicans want to have a GOP alternative to vote on as Democrats hammer them over expiring Obamacare subsidies that will spike premiums for millions of Americans in the new year."
Comment: Do you think any GOP health care plan, thrown together at the last minute and cobbled together to satisfy the GOP's various political factions, will solve the problem of quality healthcare affordability for Americans?
Speaker Johnson pleads with Republicans to keep concerns private after tumultuous week
Mike Johnson faces widespread Republican revolt
https://www.axios.com/2025/12/04/mike-johnson-stefanik-mace-internal-revolt
Comment: "House Speaker Mike Johnson is staring down an internal revolt, with anger spilling out from conservative hardliners, to regular members and senior GOP leaders alike."
Comment: "A series of recent decisions — like keeping the House out for almost two months and failing to move widely-supported bills— have triggered unusually loud pushback from Johnson's own members."
"Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), a member of Johnson's own leadership team, publicly attacked him this week, telling The Wall Street Journal that Johnson is 'a political novice' and predicting that 'the majority of Republicans would vote for new leadership.' "
Comment: "Johnson isn't currently facing a motion to vacate, but the escalating public criticism is a troubling sign for the two-term speaker."
Video: Tennessee special election signals trouble for Republican party - December 03, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/ms_RYBIwgRA
Comment: "CNN's David Chalian breaks down how Republicans' narrow victory in a deep-red Tennessee congressional special election highlights growing concerns for the GOP and as party leaders look ahead to the 2026 midterms."
Rep. Gottheimer: If an Intel Committee member did what Hegseth did in Signal-gate, they ‘could be prosecuted’
Video: Republicans and Democrats remain concerned about Sept. 2 boat strikes as Hegseth changes story - December 03, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQj0T2v8rfI
Hopes fade in Congress for a health care deal before premiums soar in January
Comment: "Congress has less than a month before health insurance premiums are set to spike for millions of Americans. And hopes of a deal to mitigate the pain are fizzling among lawmakers in both parties."
" 'I’m not hopeful that that’s going to happen,' Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., said. 'We’ll keep trying to work at it, but I’m not feeling good about it right now. ... Things are not coming together like I would’ve hoped that they would.' "
"Peters was among a group of senators seeking a health care deal when eight Democrats voted with Republicans to reopen the government last month, ending the record-long shutdown that Democrats had forced to try to extend Affordable Care Act money."
"The group of eight agreed to end the shutdown after Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., promised Democrats a vote on a health care bill of their choosing next week, a promise he reiterated Tuesday. But that would require 60 votes, and as Republicans struggle to coalesce around a proposal of their own, Thune said the two sides still aren’t close to an agreement."
" 'I haven’t seen yet what the Dems are proposing. I don’t think we’re close to a 60-vote threshold yet,' Thune told NBC News on Tuesday."
Top Democrat, a former JAG, says killing shipwrecked survivors ‘is a war crime’
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5630106-ted-lieu-hegseth-drug-boat-strikes-war-crime/
Video: 'Profiles In Lack Of Courage': Warner Mocks Hegseth For 'Scampering For Cover' Over Boat Strikes - December 02, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JjXNWtI9-A
CNN: Trump and Hegseth insist they didn’t know of follow-up strike that killed survivors on suspected drug boat
https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/02/politics/second-strike-drug-boat-trump-hegseth
Video: Suzanne Bonamici Blasts 'Illegal And Unconstitutional Dismantling Of The Department Of Education' - December 02, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MDXENIyaDo
Comment: "Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) tore into the Trump Administration's effort to dismantle the Department of Education during House floor remarks on Tuesday."
Democrats investigate Patel’s use of FBI jet for ‘date night’ travel, other excursions
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/democrats-investigate-patel-fbi-jet-162752630.html
Comment: "House Judiciary Democrats have launched a probe into FBI Director Kash Patel’s use of the bureau’s jet, accusing him of having 'commandeered U.S. government aircraft for personal joyrides'."
"Patel’s travels have sparked scrutiny as he’s been seen jetting to meet with his girlfriend, attend sporting events and go on excursions."
" 'You used a $60 million government jet for an overnight date with your girlfriend, a Scottish golfing excursion with your buddies, and a trip to a luxury hunting retreat called ‘Boondoggle Ranch,’ ' Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the top Democrat on the panel, wrote to Patel."
" 'Why should American taxpayers be footing the bill for private jets every time you decide to hang out with your golf buddies, see your girlfriend, or go to your ‘boondoggle’ escape?' "
Democrats begin congressional probe of Kash Patel's use of FBI Gulfstream jet
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/democrats-probe-fbi-director-kash-patel-fbi-gulfstream-jet/
Comment: "FBI Director Kash Patel's travel to watch his girlfriend sing at a Pennsylvania sporting event is now being investigated by the top Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee."
"Citing a series of recent media reports, the committee Democrats allege Patel has used the FBI's Gulfstream passenger jet for a series of recent flights for a 'date night' in Tennessee and an outing with friends in Texas."
"The panel's Democrats have asked Patel to respond with travel records, passenger information and any communication with passengers about the recent flights."
Comment: Please remember that these flights involve YOUR tax dollars.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren: Education Secretary Linda McMahon should resign
Comment: Opinion piece written by Sen. Warren.
Video: Jeffries: Republicans "have done nothing...but stumble, fumble and bumble" on Health Care - December 01, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25zR0195laA
Jeffries says Johnson ‘tanked’ Trump’s health care proposal
Comment: "House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is accusing Speaker Mike Johnson of undermining a White House proposal to extend expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies for two years as Congress stares down a fast-approaching deadline to avoid massive premium hikes."
" 'It even appears that the Trump administration was ready to put forth a plan that would at least have been worthy of consideration, and that Mike Johnson tanked it,' Jeffries said at a press conference Monday."
"The New York Democrat was referring to a framework for extending the enhanced ACA tax credits that the White House was planning to release last week before the details were leaked and conservatives revolted, postponing rollout plans indefinitely."
"Many Congressional Democrats were cool to the blueprint, which would have paired an extension with other health policy changes sought by Republicans. But other Democrats called it a promising sign that President Donald Trump was finally getting ready to engage in ongoing negotiations over the future of the tax credits, which are due to sunset Dec. 31 without congressional action and around which Republicans are deeply divided."
" 'Obviously, Mike Johnson has zero interest in protecting the health care of the American people,' said Jeffries, adding that while Republicans 'consistently said' they would discuss an extension of the subsidies after the end of the shutdown, 'now we get nothing but crickets.' "
Jeffries seeks to raise pressure on GOP centrists over expiring health care subsidies
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5628255-obamacare-tax-credits-extension/
Video: Sen. Angus King on sprint to address expiring Obamacare subsidies - December 01, 2025
‘Time is not our friend’: Health care scramble begins amid mixed signals from Trump
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/12/01/trump-health-care-subsidies-congress-00671172?cid=apn
Comment: "Congress returns to session Monday and kicks off a December sprint to address expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies and prevent health insurance premium hikes for millions of Americans."
"Members of both parties acknowledge success hangs on one question: Will President Donald Trump ever figure out what he wants?"
"Since lawmakers left town 10 days ago, the picture has only grown foggier. Early in their holiday break, Trump appeared to be on the precipice of announcing a framework to temporarily extend the Obamacare subsidies with new eligibility restrictions, only to pull back after a mountain of internal GOP criticism."
"In his only comments on the matter, Trump injected more uncertainty last week, saying he doesn’t want to extend the subsidies but understands it might be necessary."
"The mixed signals have left the various factions on Capitol Hill trying to figure out where Trump will ultimately come down — and how to entice the president to back their side in a thorny policy fight that could have major political consequences in next year’s midterm elections."
" 'The president has got to sign whatever we do, otherwise it’s a legislative exercise,' said Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), who is drafting what he describes as a bipartisan proposal that would largely align with the leaked White House framework."
"But Fitzpatrick and other lawmakers are quickly running out of time to pin Trump down. The Senate will vote next week, as soon as Dec. 9, on a health care proposal. It’s unclear what will be in the bill, but it’s the fulfillment of a promise Majority Leader John Thune made to Democrats as part of a deal to end the 43-day government shutdown."
" 'The question is, how quickly can something come together?' Thune said before leaving Washington for Thanksgiving."
"Or as Fitzpatrick put it: 'Time is not our friend.' "
"Fitzpatrick and other centrists are looking to build bipartisan support for an extension of the subsidies, a priority for Democrats, with new income restrictions and other safeguards, which are a priority for Republicans. Their efforts have loose backing from the Republican Main Street Caucus, whose chair, Rep. Mike Flood of Nebraska, quickly endorsed the contours of the leaked White House framework last week."
"But others in the GOP want to pursue a more radical overhaul of Obamacare, with Sens. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Rick Scott of Florida pitching the president on plans centered around individual spending accounts. Scott even termed his vision as 'Trump Health Freedom Accounts.' "
"Trump has kept Congress in limbo as lawmakers try to figure out what he will support. Republicans spent much of November thinking the president was turning away from extending the tax credits, only to be blindsided by news that the White House framework would do just that."
Trump's push for new House districts prompts gerrymandering battle | AP News
Comment: "A push to reshape congressional voting districts, instigated by President Donald Trump, is sweeping across states as political parties vie for an edge in next year’s elections."
"Trump is hoping to buck historical trends of the president’s party losing seats in midterm elections. Republican state officials have responded to his call by redrawing House districts to give the GOP a better chance of winning more seats. Democrats have countered with their own gerrymandering efforts."
Comment: Linked article includes a map showing which states have already redrawn their districts, and which states are currently considering it.
Republican dissenters spark discharge petition clash with Johnson
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5624268-republican-discharge-petitions-johnson/
Comment: "Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is staring down a potential political firestorm in the coming weeks as a few Republican dissenters aim to use a rare procedural mechanism to force legislation on a stock trading ban and Russian sanctions onto the House floor."
"His colleagues’ attempts to sidestep him on these issues puts Johnson in a bind, as he seeks to unify a divided and disgruntled caucus ahead of critical votes on a national defense policy bill, government funding measures and other key items tied to President Trump’s agenda."
"Republicans have doubled on the use of discharge petitions, which require the support of 218 lawmakers, after four Republicans joined Democrats in forcing a vote on a bill demanding the Justice Department release files tied to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in November."
"Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) has said she will introduce a discharge petition to force a vote on a bipartisan bill that would ban lawmakers, their spouses, dependent children and trustees from owning, buying or selling individual stocks."
"The fight over stock trading has long gripped Capitol Hill, with lawmakers repeatedly pushing bans that rarely advance. But any attempt by Johnson to block a discharge petition on the latest effort could trigger significant backlash."
"The bill, introduced by Reps. Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Seth Magaziner (D-R.I.), has 101 co-sponsors as of late November, including 21 Republicans. Some of the most hard-line conservatives in the House, including Reps. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) and Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), have backed it.
Comment: "Discharge petitions — usually difficult to pull off — have seen more success under Johnson’s leadership, since only a few members of his conference are needed to challenge him due to the razor-thin GOP majority. The tool has also empowered rank-and-file members who have grown frustrated with certain legislative roadblocks, such as committees holding up bills and opposition from leadership."
"Foreign policy is another issue facing Johnson. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) said in late November that he would file a discharge petition to force a vote on bipartisan legislation imposing punishing sanctions on countries enabling Russia’s war against Ukraine."
Comment: "Johnson isn’t just facing pushback from Republicans, though. He’s also contending with pressure from Democrats."
"Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) secured 218 signatures on a discharge petition that would force a vote on legislation to restore union rights for hundreds of thousands of federal workers. Reps. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), Rob Bresnahan (R-Pa.), Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.) and Fitzpatrick all signed the petition. Golden said House rules will allow him to call the bill for a vote as early as Dec. 2. "
"Johnson is also facing other sticky situations in the coming weeks, particularly on health care."
Comment: Are traditional Republicans deserting MAGA and joining Democrats for saner legislative action?
Video: Roger Wicker: 'We’re Going To Conduct Oversight' And Review Video Of Venezuelan Boat Strike - December 01, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9DlpDVRspA
Comment: "Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) says there will be review of the Venezuelan boat strike."
Video: Sen. Kelly: Pete Hegseth "needs to answer questions in public and under oath" - December 01, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3NeremqnRw
Sen. Mark Kelly says Trump, Hegseth are 'not serious people'
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/30/mark-kelly-trump-hegseth-serious-people-00670939
Comment: "Sen. Mark Kelly on Sunday appeared unconcerned by threats from President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, dismissing both as unserious people."
"In an interview with NBC’s 'Meet the Press' on Sunday, Kelly said the reaction to a video he and other veterans serving in Congress made is 'ridiculous'."
" 'I said something very simple and noncontroversial, and Donald Trump said I should be hanged, executed, prosecuted. Pete Hegseth that I should be court-martialed,' the Arizona Democrat told host Kristen Welker. 'How ridiculous is this? We say follow the law and this is their response. These are not serious people.' "
Comment: Given the unreasonable statements and threats from the Trump administration, one could characterize Senator Kelly's response as diplomatically understated.
Van Hollen: 'Very possible there was a war crime committed' in Venezuela boat strike
Comment: "Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., said Sunday he believes 'it's very possible there was a war crime committed' in the administration's first strike against an alleged drug trafficking boat in the Caribbean Sea in September."
" 'I think it's very possible there was a war crime committed. Of course, for it to be a war crime, you have to accept the Trump administration's whole construct here ... which is we're in armed conflict, at war with this particular -- with the drug gangs. Of course, they've never presented the public with the information they've got here,' Van Hollen said on ABC News' 'This Week.' 'If that theory is wrong, then it's plain murder.' "
"Van Hollen, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was responding to a story from The Washington Post that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had reportedly given a spoken order ahead of that Sept. 2 operation for the military to kill everybody aboard the suspected drug boat. After an initial strike left two survivors, the commander leading the operation reportedly complied with Hegseth's alleged directive by ordering a second strike, according to the report."
Democrat says he'll reintroduce war powers resolutions after report of attack on drug boat survivors
Comment: "Sen. Tim Kaine says he plans to refile his resolution demanding there be no war against Venezuela without congressional approval and expressed confidence it could pass given recent developments in the Trump administration's escalating campaign against the South American country."
" 'It failed, but that was before all of these assets have amassed around Venezuela, and before President Trump said that the airspace needs to be closed,' Kaine said Sunday on CBS' 'Face the Nation'."
"Kaine also said he plans to reintroduce the war powers resolution that he and Democratic colleague Adam Schiff introduced in October that block the use of U.S. military force in the Caribbean Sea without an Authorization of Military Force by Congress."
" 'The circumstances have changed in the months since we had that vote. In each of these instances, we were able to get two Republicans to vote together with Democrats,' Kaine said. 'We think the escalating pace and some of the recent revelations, so, for example, the recent revelation about the 'kill everyone' order apparently dictated by Secretary Hegseth. We do believe that we will get more support for these motions when they are refiled.' "
"Kaine was referencing a Washington Post report that Hegseth allegedly gave an order ahead of a Sept. 2 operation in the Caribbean Sea for the military to kill everyone aboard a suspected drug boat. After an initial strike left two survivors, the commander leading the operation reportedly complied with Hegseth's alleged directive by ordering a second strike, according to the Post report."
Klobuchar says Senate ACA vote ‘will happen’ before New Year
https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5627171-klobuchar-predicts-aca-senate-vote/
Comment: "Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) predicted Sunday that the Senate will hold a vote on extending subsidies offered under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) this year."
" 'That vote will happen. And whether it will pass is in the hands of Donald Trump and the Republicans,' Klobuchar told host Dana Bash on CNN’s “State of the Union.' "
"The subsidies, set to expire at the end of the year, were a flash point during the 43-day government shutdown, which ended earlier this month. Senate Majority John Thune (R-S.D.) offered eight Democratic caucus members a vote on the premiums by mid-December in exchange for their support of a measure to end the funding lapse."
"House Speaker Mike Johnson R-La.), however, has expressed little interest in holding a vote in the lower chamber on the subsidies. Earlier this month, a group of 58 House Democrats sent a letter to Johnson asking him to do so."
Comment: "Klobuchar said Sunday that Democrats will force a vote and get enough Republicans to back an extension before the premiums expire. If not, the Minnesota Democrat said she believes the GOP will pay the price in the midterms."
House and Senate committees launch inquiries into second strike on alleged drug boat
Comment: Who ordered the second strike? Were the second strike orders, and the subsequent actions illegal? If illegal, would the orders and subsequent actions be considered "war crimes?" The Congress wants to investigate to establish the truth, and to insure accountability.
House Republican Troy Nehls won't seek re-election in 2026
Comment: "Nehls’ announcement adds to uncertainty for House Republicans. Their majority — 219 to 213 — will shrink after Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., resigns effective early January. A number of other Republicans — and Democrats — have said they will retire or seek other office next year."
"Shortly after Nehls’ announcement Saturday, his twin brother, Trever Nehls, announced he would seek his brother’s open seat."
Comment: Trying to keep the congressional seat in the family?
US regulators ‘taking seriously’ allegations of bankers’ support for Epstein
Comment: "In correspondence seen by the Guardian, bosses from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) said they had reviewed a letter from the Democratic senator Elizabeth Warren, which raised concerns over bankers’ alleged support for the convicted child sex offender Epstein."
"That includes Staley, who Warren said had allegedly protected Epstein’s access to the banking system while working at JP Morgan in the early 2000s. Staley has already been banned from te UK banking sector for playing down his relationship with Epstein."
Comment: "Warren’s original letter raised questions over JP Morgan’s wider banking relationship with the sex offender, noting that Epstein was one of the bank’s most profitable clients before being dropped in 2013, five years after he was jailed for soliciting prostitution from a minor. The well-connected financier died in prison in July 2019, while awaiting trial over child sex trafficking charges."
"The FDIC’s acting chair, Travis Hill, said the regulator took 'unlawful activity involving the banking sector, including possible insider involvement in illicit activity, very seriously'."
Comment: "Warren said in a statement: 'Regulators need to investigate and hold accountable Epstein’s enablers – and I’ll believe they’re taking action when I see it. Americans deserve to know that their banking system isn’t facilitating the disturbing crimes of the rich and powerful.' "
"A spokesperson for JP Morgan did not directly comment on Warren’s correspondence with regulators but in relation to Epstein said: 'We regret any association we had with the man, but did not help him commit his heinous acts. We ended our relationship with him six years before his arrest on sex trafficking charges. The federal government had damning information about his crimes that they failed to share with us or other banks.' "
"Last week Warren used an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to urge the JP Morgan chief executive, Jamie Dimon, to testify in front of the US Senate banking committee."
" 'They opened about 134 different accounts for Jeffrey Epstein over these years. They did more than a billion dollars in transactions for Jeffrey Epstein … He literally could walk into the bank and get $50m from JP Morgan Chase."
" 'So, what I’d like to do, over on the banking committee, is I’d like to have Mr Dimon and some of those other bankers come in and, under oath, testify about exactly what the financial trail is that kept Jeffrey Epstein afloat for so long.' "
"JP Morgan said in a statement: 'Jamie never met with Epstein, spoke with him, emailed with him, and was not involved in any decisions about his account, to which he testified under oath. There are over a million pages of emails and other documents produced in this case, and not one comes even close to suggesting otherwise.' "
"The bank’s spokesperson added: 'We will follow the law, including responding to a subpoena. Our involvement with Epstein is largely a matter of public record, with millions of pages of discovery from litigation already publicly available.' "
"The correspondence between Warren and US financial regulators comes days after Donald Trump was pressed into signing a bill that will lead to the US justice department releasing all of its unclassified records, documents, and communications related to Epstein and the co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell."
National Guard shooting in D.C. draws condemnation from Trump, lawmakers
https://www.axios.com/2025/11/27/national-guard-shooting-dc-trump-lawmakers-react
Comment: "President Trump, other political leaders and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle swiftly condemned the shooting in D.C. that critically injured two West Virginia National Guard members on Wednesday."
Comment: "Many leading Republicans and Democrats joined Trump in paying tribute to the service members, offering prayers and condemning violence."
Sen. Kelly says Pete Hegseth 'totally unqualified' after being bashed over display of medals
https://abcnews.go.com/US/sen-kelly-pete-hegseth-totally-unqualified-after-bashed/story?id=127894384
Comment: "Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., blasted Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in an appearance on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' Tuesday, calling him unqualified and saying he just wants to please President Donald Trump."
Comment: Kelly just stating the obvious?
CNN: Tennessee special election puts Democratic momentum in 2025 races to the test
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/26/politics/tennessee-special-election-democrats-momentum
Comment: While a Democratic Party win in this heavily Republican district would be great, even a close race there would still indicate momentum going into 2026.
Democrat, Republican neck and neck in Tennessee special election: Poll
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5623140-behn-van-epps-neck-neck/
Comment: "The district stretches between the state’s north border with Kentucky and its southern border with Alabama and includes portions of north and west Nashville."
"Though the district is seen as a red stronghold, Democrats have been pouring money into the race and sending several high-profile surrogates there in hopes of an impressive overperformance following a string of resounding victories elsewhere."
Comment: A Democratic win in this district would be a major upset, and would likely give hope to 2026 Democratic candidates in the South.
North Carolina can use GOP-drawn congressional map designed to add another Republican House seat, court rules
Democrats who told troops to disobey illegal orders push back on alleged FBI probe
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cze832dr2n0o.amp
Democrats plan a new investment in winning rural voters, who've fled the party
https://www.npr.org/2025/11/25/nx-s1-5615326/rural-voters-congress-health-care-voting-invest
Comment: "Democrats are announcing a new investment to win over voters in rural areas — where the party has suffered deep losses in recent elections — in their effort to win a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives next year."
"This is the first time, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee says, that it's had a program specifically dedicated to engaging rural voters."
Johnson told White House that GOP isn't interested in extending ACA subsidies
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/johnson-told-white-house-gop-153839413.html
Comment: "Speaker Mike Johnson has told the White House that most House Republicans have little interest in extending the Affordable Care Act's enhanced subsidies, sources familiar with the conversation told CBS News."
"Johnson delivered the message in a phone call with senior administration officials as President Trump's advisers were drafting a plan to continue the subsidies for an additional two years. That plan that was initially expected to emerge this week."
"The Wall Street Journal first reported Johnson's warning to the White House regarding the lack of GOP House support for the plan. Any White House health care plan would require overwhelming Republican support in the House to be enacted."
Comment: We've heard what House Republican's don't want to do, but we haven't heard what they do want to do to address the health care affordability crisis. It sounds like they want to do nothing, which is their usual mode of operation.
Once Foes of Obamacare, Some Republicans Push to Protect It
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/25/us/politics/republicans-trump-obamacare-subsidies.html
Comment: "A small cadre of politically vulnerable Republicans in Congress is breaking with the party to push for the extension of health care tax credits for a program the G.O.P. reviles."
Comment: Obamacare doesn't look so bad, when your Republican party doesn't have a viable alternative to address a health care affordability crisis.
Greene: House Republicans ‘totally sidelined by Johnson under full obedience’ of White House
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/greene-house-republicans-totally-sidelined-152820603.html
Comment: "Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said Monday that House Republicans have been sidelined by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), accusing the Republican leader of only obeying the Trump administration."
Trump seizes control of Republicans' 2026 election strategy with his presidency on the line
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trump-seizes-control-republicans-2026-110149733.htm
Comment: "President Donald Trump isn't on the ballot in next November's midterm elections, but he’s plunging into them with his own presidency at stake. He's calling candidates, making early endorsements, shaping strategy and pushing economic messaging to try to keep Congress in Republican hands, according to nine Republicans involved in election strategy."
GOP Sen. Jim Justice agrees to pay $5 million in back taxes after DOJ lawsuit
Comment: "Sen. Jim Justice, R-W.Va., agreed Monday to pay more than $5 million in back taxes after the Justice Department sued him over unpaid funds from more than 15 years ago."
"The suit, filed Monday in the Southern District of West Virginia, said Justice and his wife had been contacted by the Treasury Department and were given notice of their 2009 debt but 'have neglected or refused to make full payment of those assessments to the United States.' "
"The suit asked that the former billionaire and his wife pay the amount owed and any relief the court 'deems just and proper'"
"A filing later Monday said the Justice Department and the Justices had settled, with the couple agreeing to pay the full amount owed. A judge still needs to sign off on the agreement."
Comment: GOP Senator failed to pay $5M in taxes for more than 15 years?
Video: I've overcome challenges a lot tougher than Donald Trump or Pete Hegseth - November 24, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nw0GXiB9wbI
Comment: Comments from Sen. Mark Kelly in response to Pentagon investigation.
Video: Pentagon launches investigation into Sen. Mark Kelly after video to military troops - November 24, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4weVpLbQO_I
Comment: Sen. Mark Kelly committed no crime. Any FBI agent involved in any investigation of Kelly, based on his statements, is violating FBI policy and should be punished and reprimanded, and that includes Kash Patel if he officially ordered the investigation based on instructions from Hegseth or Trump. As for Trump, this constitutes an abuse of power, an impeachable offense.
Pentagon says it’s investigating Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly after video urging troops to defy ‘illegal orders’
Comment: "The Pentagon announced Monday it is investigating Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona over possible breaches of military law after the former Navy pilot joined a handful of other lawmakers in a video that called for troops to defy 'illegal orders'."
"The Pentagon’s statement, posted on social media, cited a federal law that allows retired service members to be recalled to active duty on orders of the defense secretary for possible court martial or other measures."
"It is extraordinary for the Pentagon, which until President Donald Trump’s second term had usually gone out of its way to act and appear apolitical, to directly threaten a sitting member of Congress with investigation. It comes after Trump ramped up the rhetoric by accusing the lawmakers of sedition 'punishable by DEATH' in a social media post days after the video was released last week."
"In its statement Monday, the Pentagon suggested that Kelly’s statements in the video interfered with the 'loyalty, morale, or good order and discipline of the armed forces' by citing the federal law that prohibits such actions."
Comment: "Kelly said he upheld his oath to the Constitution and dismissed the Pentagon investigation as the work of 'bullies'."
" 'If this is meant to intimidate me and other members of Congress from doing our jobs and holding this administration accountable, it won’t work,' Kelly said in a statement."
Comment: "Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Kelly was facing investigation because he is the only one of the lawmakers who formally retired from the military and is still under the Pentagon’s jurisdiction."
Comment: "Other Senate Democrats came to Kelly’s defense, with Democratic leader Chuck Schumer accusing Trump of using the Pentagon 'as his personal attack dog' and saying 'this is what dictators do.' "
"His fellow Democratic Arizona senator, Ruben Gallego, said 'Mark told the truth — in America, we swear an oath to the Constitution, not wannabe kings.' "
Experts Say Democratic Video Not ‘Seditious,’ as Trump Claims
https://www.factcheck.org/2025/11/experts-say-democratic-video-not-seditious-as-trump-claims/
Samuel Alito’s Order on Texas Election Map Challenged at Supreme Court
https://www.newsweek.com/samuel-alito-texas-election-map-supreme-court-challenge-11100706
Comment: "Voting-rights groups on Monday filed a new challenge to Justice Samuel Alito’s order allowing Texas to use its newly drawn congressional map, telling the U.S. Supreme Court the state’s plan is an 'extraordinary' case of racial gerrymandering that cannot be shielded by the Purcell principle."
"The complaint, submitted days after Alito temporarily reinstated the Republican-favored map, argues the lower court was correct in finding that Black and Hispanic voters were likely to prevail on claims that the 2026 district lines dilute minority voting power."
Comment: "If the lower court ruling ultimately prevails, Texas could be forced to revert to the 2021 map drawn by the GOP-controlled Legislature using 2020 census data. The Supreme Court’s decision in the coming days will determine whether the 2026 map remains intact while litigation continues."
Video: Cracks in MAGA? Dam won't break 'until right after the midterms': Kasich - November 24, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQ3cCcoTnfM
Republican lawmakers grow alarmed over signs of 2026 election wipeout
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5618168-republican-midterm-election-concerns/
Comment: "GOP lawmakers are growing increasingly concerned over signs the 2026 midterm elections could be a wipeout for Republicans that could cost them control of the House and shave down their Senate majority by two or three seats."
Video: Survivors, American public await release of full Epstein case files - November 24, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIO_pF0d1u4
The Independent: Trump abruptly pulled plan to announce Obamacare extension after ‘significant congressional backlash’: report
CNN: Republicans balk at Trump’s health care proposal before it’s even released
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/24/politics/gop-pushback-trump-health-care-proposal
Politico: White House to pitch a Trump Obamacare extension with limits
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/23/white-house-to-propose-new-health-care-framework-00666701
Obamacare premiums are skyrocketing. Republicans can’t figure out what to do.
Comment: "GOP lawmakers knew subsidies were expiring and premiums would spike, but no clear, conservative alternative emerged."
These Democrats helped flip the House in Trump’s first term. They’re coming back to try to do it again | CNN Politics
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/23/politics/house-democrats-comebacks-midterms
Trump’s accusations of treason draw bipartisan rebuke
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trumps-accusations-treason-draw-bipartisan-rebuke/story?id=127797846
Comment: "President Donald Trump's comments accusing Democratic lawmakers of 'seditious behavior' following a video encouraging members of the military to refuse 'illegal orders' have drawn criticism across party lines."
Comment: " 'He's trying to get us to shut up because he doesn't want to be talking about this,' Slotkin said. 'In fact, I would argue that one of the things that he's been doing by repeating it and talking about it is trying to distract us from the big stories of last week, which were the [Jeffrey] Epstein files and then the economy.' "
"Republican Rep. Michael McCaul also sought to distance himself from the comments, telling Raddatz, 'I don't speak for the president in terms of hanging members of Congress.' "
" 'I would tone down the rhetoric and tone down the theme here,' McCaul added."
Video: Sen. Rand Paul says he has been given "zero, not one briefing" about Venezuelan actions - November 23, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMmRd3hyAiI
Sen. Mark Warner calls 28-point plan for Russia-Ukraine truce 'a historically bad deal'
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/23/mark-warner-neville-calls-russia-ukraine-truce-00666433
Comment: "Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) said Sunday morning that the Trump administration’s 28-point plan for peace between Russia and Ukraine 'would go down, frankly, as a historically bad deal, rivaling Neville Chamberlain giving in to Hitler before World War II.' "
"Warner, the highest-ranking Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, told 'Fox News Sunday' host Shannon Bream that he fears the plan could embolden Chinese leader Xi Jinping to pursue an invasion of Taiwan if accepted, blasting the proposal as 'a total capitulation by Ukraine'."
" 'Clearly this plan was at least initially laid out as simply Russian input and no Ukrainian input,' Warner said. 'Now they’re saying there has been Ukrainian input. Now the president is changing his mind again about whether this is a final offer or not. At the end of the day, we all want to see peace, but we don’t want to see a peace that rewards Vladimir Putin.' "
U.S. senators say Marco Rubio told them Trump's Ukraine peace plan is Russia's 'wish list'
Comment: "Lawmakers critical of President Donald Trump's approach to ending the Russia-Ukraine war said Saturday they spoke with Secretary of State Marco Rubio who told them that the peace plan Trump is pushing Kyiv to accept is a 'wish list' of the Russians and not the actual proposal offering Washington’s positions."
"A State Department spokesperson denied their account, calling it 'blatantly false'."
"Rubio himself then took the extraordinary step of suggesting online that the senators were mistaken, even though they said he was their source for the information. The secretary of state doubled down on the assertion that Washington was responsible for a proposal that had surprised many from the beginning for being so favorable to Moscow."
"It all added up to a confusing — and potentially embarrassing — turn of events for a Trump administration-blessed peace plan that already faced a potentially rocky future."
"The widely leaked 28-point U.S.-backed peace plan was, according to the White House, the result of a month of work between Rubio and Trump envoy Steve Witkoff along with input from what it said was both Ukrainians and Russians. The plan acquiesces to many Russian demands that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has categorically rejected on dozens of occasions, including giving up large pieces of territory. Trump says he wants Ukraine to accept the plan by late next week."
" 'This administration was not responsible for this release in its current form,' said Republican Mike Rounds from South Dakota, speaking at a security conference in Canada. 'They want to utilize it as a starting point.' "
"Rounds said 'it looked more like it was written in Russian to begin with. ' "
"The senators said they spoke to Rubio after he reached out to some of them while on his way to Geneva for talks on the plan. Independent Maine Sen. Angus King said Rubio told them the plan 'was not the administration’s plan' but a 'wish list of the Russians'."
"The bipartisan group of senators, who are veteran legislators and among those most focused on foreign relations, stood together at the press conference as they relayed Rubio’s message on the call."
US senators slam Trump’s Russia-Ukraine peace plan as rewarding aggression
Comment: "U.S. senators critical of President Donald Trump's approach to ending the Russia-Ukraine war said Saturday that the peace plan he is pushing Kyiv to accept would only reward Moscow for its aggression and send a message to other leaders who have threatened their neighbors."
"The 28-point peace plan was crafted by the Trump administration and the Kremlin without Ukraine’s involvement. It acquiesces to many Russian demands that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has categorically rejected on dozens of occasions, including giving up large pieces of territory. Trump says he wants Ukraine to accept the plan by late next week."
"The senators' opposition to the plan follows criticism from other U.S. lawmakers, including some Republicans, none of whom have the power to block it. The senators, who spoke at an international security conference in Canada, included a Democrat, an Independent and a Republican who does not plan to seek reelection next year."
" 'It rewards aggression. This is pure and simple. There’s no ethical, legal, moral, political justification for Russia claiming eastern Ukraine,' Independent Maine Sen. Angus King said during a panel discussion at the Halifax International Security Forum in Canada."
"King, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, compared the proposal to British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain’s Munich Pact with Adolf Hitler in 1938, a historic failed act of appeasement."
"Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina said Sen. Mitch McConnell, a former Republican Senate party leader, didn’t go far enough in his criticism of it. McConnell said in a statement Friday that 'if Administration officials are more concerned with appeasing Putin than securing real peace, then the President ought to find new advisers.' "
" 'We should not do anything that makes (Putin) feel like he has a win here. Honestly, I think what Mitch said was short of what should be said,' said Tillis. Tillis announced earlier this year that he would not seek reelection shortly after he clashed with the Trump administration over its tax and spending package."
"Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called it an 'outrage'."
"Putin welcomed the proposal late Friday, saying it 'could form the basis of a final peace settlement' if the U.S. can get Ukraine and its European allies to agree."
How Marjorie Taylor Greene went from a top Trump ally to choosing to resign
https://www.npr.org/2025/11/22/g-s1-98793/marjorie-taylor-greene-resignation
Trump ally Marjorie Taylor Greene to quit Congress after Epstein files feud
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj4qx1lenvjo
Bipartisan House members float two-year Obamacare subsidy extension
Comment: "It remains unclear if the legislation will be enough to bridge a growing divide over how to handle the expiring subsidies."
Bipartisan House lawmakers float two-year ACA subsidy extension
https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5617598-bipartisan-bill-would-extend-obamacare-subsidies/
Video: ‘This is a Putin plan for Ukraine': Sen. Shaheen slams U.S. negotiated proposal to end Russia’s war - November 21, 2025
Video: Rep. Vindman alleges Trump admin. retribution campaign against him - November 21, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ep-_WtYqx8
Comment: Video also addresses other issues.
Video: ‘He Saved MBS’s A**’: Khashoggi’s Widow and Rep. Demand Trump Release Call With Saudi Crown Prince -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hojkSr36oys
Comment: "A former U.S. official has revealed explosive new details about a controversial phone call between President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), sparking renewed concerns over political favors, transparency, and potential constitutional implications."
"U.S. Representative Eugene Vindman and Hanan Elatr Khashoggi — the widow of slain journalist Jamal Khashoggi — are publicly demanding that the Trump administration release the full transcript of the call. They argue that the American public deserves accountability regarding Trump’s alleged efforts to shield MBS from consequences following Khashoggi’s murder."
"The revelations have intensified debate in Congress, raising questions about presidential conduct, U.S.–Saudi relations, and whether political interference played a role in protecting the Saudi crown prince."
Khashoggi’s widow and Democrats demand release of call transcript with Trump and Saudi crown prince
https://apnews.com/article/saudi-arabia-jamal-kashoggi-widow-6d1a2a99c0bb6ef17f1b5419a8c83632
Comment: A video is included with the article.
Trump, MBS had "shocking" phone call after Khashoggi murder, Vindman warns
https://www.axios.com/2025/11/21/trump-saudi-arabia-vindman-murder-khashoggi
Comment: "Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-Va.) urged President Trump to release the 'shocking' transcript of a 2019 phone call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) following the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi."
Comment: "Vindman's request comes just days after Trump hosted MBS in the Oval Office and said ' a lot of people didn't like' Khashoggi, when asked about the murder. U.S. intelligence previously concluded that MBS ordered Khashoggi's killing."
"Vindman and 37 other lawmakers sent a letter to Trump Thursday calling for the transcript's release."
"The document remains classified, preventing Vindman from disclosing its contents, though he suggested Trump reaped benefits from MBS."
Comment: "Vindman described the call as one of the most 'concerning' he reviewed during Trump's first term as a member of the National Security Council."
"During a Friday press conference, Vindman likened it to the president's 2019 call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, which led to Trump's first impeachment."
" 'When the president sidelines his own intelligence community to shield a foreign leader, America's credibility is at stake,' Vindman said."
Alito lets Texas reinstate gerrymandered House map that could give GOP 5 more seats
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/21/texas-supreme-court-map-case-00665951
Comment: "Alito’s move allowing Texas officials to continue to prepare for primary elections under the new map came just after the state asked the Supreme Court for an urgent ruling."
Swalwell swipes at Trump as he joins crowded California governor's race
https://www.axios.com/2025/11/21/swalwell-california-governor-race-trump-jimmy-kimmel
'I'm not going to be intimidated': Rep. Crow responds to Trump's sedition threat
https://www.npr.org/2025/11/21/nx-s1-5615204/trump-sedition-death-threat
‘Not the kind of country that we should be living in': Rep. Goodlander responds to Trump’s suggested call for her execution
Sen. Mark Kelly: ‘I never thought I’d see a President call for my execution’
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5616884-kelly-angers-trumps-execution-call/
Comment: "Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) expressed surprise and anger Thursday at President Trump’s suggestion that he and six Democrats with military or national security backgrounds be put to 'death' for 'seditious behavior'."
Comment: " 'Trump doesn’t understand the Constitution, and we’re all less safe for it,' Kelly added in his post."
Democrats defend message to troops as Trump, officials suggest they be punished
Comment: "Several Democrats accused by President Donald Trump of 'seditious behavior' defended their message to military members that they can refuse illegal order. The president and administration officials suggested the action could be punishable by law."
"The video featuring six Democrats who served in the military or in the intelligence community set off more than a dozen social media posts by Trump, who called them 'traitors' and said their action could be 'punishable by death'."
" 'I think it's important to say that there is nothing more American than standing up for the Constitution, that's what we were doing. President didn't like it, so now he calls for us to be hanged,' Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly said on CNN's 'The Source with Kaitlan Collins' on Thursday night."
"Sen. Elissa Slotkin, on MS NOW, said the message to military members was 'chapter and verse' from the Uniform Code of Military Justice."
" 'I think his reaction is just characteristic of a political system that no one is proud of right now,' she said."
Scoop: Mike Johnson wants changes after being outflanked on Epstein files
https://www.axios.com/2025/11/21/mike-johnson-house-discharge-petitions-epstein
Comment: "Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) is weighing a crackdown on House discharge petitions, just days after one forced President Trump's hand on the Epstein files."
"The recent surge of successful discharge petitions could lead to their undoing, House Republicans told Axios."
"After a months-long push for 218 signatures on their discharge petition, Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) saw their Epstein Files Transparency Act pass 427-1 on Tuesday."
"A discharge petition forces a bill onto the floor if it has support from a majority of members. It's long been considered a Hail Mary."
"But Johnson told Axios on Wednesday night that discharge petitions have become 'too common' and said he would consider changing House rules to make them harder to obtain."
"House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) told Axios on Thursday: 'I'd like to see a higher threshold for a lot of these motions. You know, privileged motions, discharge petitions.' "
"Another discharge petition just hit the 218-signature threshold this week, with a vote expected after lawmakers return from Thanksgiving recess."
"The bill, led by Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine), would restore union rights for thousands of federal workers."
"Only seven discharge petitions have been successfully signed into law since 1935, but three came in just the last two years."
Comment: Perhaps the problem is not the discharge position, but, instead, it is the unchecked power of the Speaker (Mike Johnson) to keep legislation that most members want to debate and pass from ever hitting the House floor. Republican Thomas Massie seems to agree:
Comment: "Massie told Axios he's worried the tool may not survive its newfound popularity. He called it a 'last vestige of democracy'."
" 'The Speaker, because he's not giving an outlet for legislative pursuits, the things we got elected to do, he's probably going to see more of these discharge petitions,' Massie told Axios."
"Massie said he's 'brainstorming' ideas for more discharge petitions with his Democratic colleagues."
Video: Donald Trump, Marjorie Taylor Greene feud tied to Epstein files reaction from MAGA supporters in GA - November 20, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5I84NX6_8C8
‘Golden crime scene’: Elizabeth Warren calls for inquiry into Trump’s ballroom funding
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/20/elizabeth-warren-trump-ballroom
Comment: "Top Democrat on Senate banking committee says private funding for Trump’s ballroom poses serious corruption concerns."
Video: Dem lawmaker & veteran calls out White House denial of Trump’s ‘punishable by death’ remark: ‘His intent is clear’ - November 20, 2025
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/20/politics/video/ebof-rep-chrissy-houlahan-trump-threat
Mike Johnson defends Trump’s ‘sedition’ attacks on Democrats
https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/11/20/congress/mike-johnson-trump-sedition-00662754
Trump calls for Democratic lawmakers to face trial for ‘seditious behavior’
Comment: "President Donald Trump on Thursday called for six Democratic lawmakers to face arrest and trial after they made a video encouraging U.S. service members and members of the intelligence community to refrain from following orders if they broke the law."
" 'It’s called SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL,' Trump charged in a post on Truth Social. 'Each one of these traitors to our Country should be ARRESTED AND PUT ON TRIAL. Their words cannot be allowed to stand - We won’t have a Country anymore!!! An example MUST BE SET.' "
"The president then reposted 16 Truth Social posts, including one that advocated for hanging the Democrats, like 'GEORGE WASHINGTON WOULD.' "
" 'This is really bad, and Dangerous to our Country,' he wrote later."
" 'SEDITIOUS BEHAVIOR, punishable by DEATH!' he said in a separate post."
"Sens. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) and Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), as well as Reps. Jason Crow (D-Colo.), Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.), Maggie Goodlander (D-N.H.) and Chris Deluzio (D-Pa.) were featured in the Tuesday video. They are all either military veterans or worked in national security-focused roles before taking office."
" 'We know you are under enormous stress and pressure right now,' they said. 'Americans trust their military. But that trust is at risk. This administration is pitting our uniformed military and intelligence community professionals against American citizens. Like us, you all swore an oath to protect and defend this Constitution. Right now, the threats to our constitution aren’t just coming from abroad, but from right here at home. Our laws are clear, you can refuse illegal orders.' "
Comment: The reminder from the 6 Democratic lawmakers is totally consistent with instructions to our troops given in basic training (enlisted) or ROTC or cadets (officers). In fact, the language is actually subdued. Military personnel are prohibited from carrying out an illegal order, or from issuing an illegal order.
Comment: With regard to Trump's response, does the phrase "stark raving mad" come to mind?
Republicans warn Bondi not to bury Epstein files after law’s passage
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/20/epstein-files-republicans-warn-bondi
Comment: "Within hours of Donald Trump signing the Epstein Files Transparency Act into law, Republican senators were on the ground to issue a pointed message to the US attorney general, Pam Bondi: don’t bury these documents."
"The bill’s passage marked a rare moment of bipartisan support in an otherwise ideologically fractured Congress as it now sets a 30-day deadline for the release of Department of Justice files related to the actions of the convicted sex offender of minors and financier Jeffrey Epstein, dubbed by a judge 'the most infamous pedophile in American history'."
Comment: " 'People who feel very strongly about this will feel like they’ve been duped' if the justice department claims '“we can’t release anything because of an active investigation,' said the Republican senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. 'I don’t think that that will help calm the suspicions many have harbored for a long while on this.' "
"The anxiety stems from the Trump administration’s earlier resistance to transparency, which included months of dismissing public demands – and even insults for those calling for release – before reversing course this week when its passage became inevitable."
"Now, with Bondi opening investigations into exclusively Democrats mentioned in Epstein’s correspondence, Republicans are watching closely for signs the department might use those inquiries as a reason to redact or withhold materials as they are now part of an ongoing investigation."
Comment: "The legislation mandates release of unclassified materials within 30 days in a searchable format. Yet it contains exemptions for information that could jeopardize active investigations and for material depicting minors – potential escape hatches the justice department could exploit."
"The bill requires disclosure of materials related not only to Epstein but also to his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, a British socialite who was convicted in 2021 and sentenced to 20 years in prison for recruiting and grooming underage girls for Epstein to abuse."
"Bondi acknowledged the congressional mandate on Wednesday, saying the department would 'follow the law' while 'protecting victims but also providing maximum transparency'."
"Still, her carefully measured words offered little comfort to some skeptics on Capitol Hill. Tillis pressed for clarity on any redactions. 'I think they would do well to figure how to release as much as possible and then have a very well-articulated reason for that which they can’t,' he said."
What the military oath of enlistment says about legal and illegal orders
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/military-oath-enlistment-legal-illegal-orders/story?id=127725085
Comment: "Military members can be prosecuted for following orders that are unlawful."
6 Democratic lawmakers release video telling military: ‘You must refuse illegal orders’
Comment: "Six Democratic members of Congress released a video on Tuesday targeted to members of the military and intelligence communities, advising them to defy any orders they are given that are illegal."
"The lawmakers ― two U.S. Senators and four members of the House of Representatives ― stress that 'no one has to carry out orders that violate the law or our Constitution.'"
"The 90-second video was posted to the social media accounts of Sen. Elissa Slotkin from Michigan, a former C.I.A. analyst who served multiple tours in Iraq, the New York Times reported. Slotkin is joined in the video by Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona and Reps. Chrissy Houlahan and Chris Deluzio of Pennsylvania, Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire and Jason Crow of Colorado."
Comment: "All six tout their military or intelligence experience in the video."
Comment: The link also contains the video from the 6 lawmakers.
The Hill: GOP senators worry Trump’s $2K tariff rebates will add too much to debt
Trump's $2,000 tariff checks shunned by Senate Republicans
https://www.axios.com/2025/11/19/senate-republicans-trump-tariff-rebate-checks
Poll: Democrats have biggest advantage for control of Congress in 8 years
https://www.npr.org/2025/11/19/nx-s1-5611088/poll-democrats-republicans-trump-approval-inflation
Cassidy pushes his Obamacare plan. Democrats aren’t biting.
Comment: "Senators appeared stuck in a health policy doom loop Wednesday, rehashing talking points over the looming expiration of Obamacare subsidies that led to the country’s longest government shutdown."
"At a Finance Committee hearing, there was little sign of interest in a bipartisan deal to address skyrocketing health insurance premiums stemming in part from the expiration of the subsidies on Dec. 31."
House Dems demand Johnson hold ACA vote
https://thehill.com/newsletters/health-care/5614029-house-democrats-johnson-aca-vote/
Comment: "With the government reopened and the end of ObamaCare open enrollment fast approaching, House Democrats are calling on House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to hold a vote on extending the law’s enhanced premium tax credits."
"In a letter shared first with The Hill, Rep. Sharice Davids (D-Kan.) led a group of 58 Democrats asking Johnson to quickly a hold a vote on ACA tax credits, one of the key conditions that moderate Senate Democrats made in agreeing with Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to reopen the government."
"Thune promised a vote in the second week of December but did not make any guarantees about it passing."
"Johnson did not make any such promise and has given no indication he is willing to follow Thune."
House Republicans race the Senate for a plan to lower health care costs
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/18/aca-obamacare-subsidies-extension-00655842
Comment: "Republicans in the House are just starting to have serious discussions about how to address skyrocketing health insurance premiums. They’ll have to move fast to catch up with their Senate counterparts, who are weeks ahead of them in complex and politically contentious deliberations."
"After a lengthy recess, House Republicans are together again in person and coming to the drawing board on the policy issue that prolonged the longest government shutdown in history: the enhanced tax credits for Affordable Care Act insurance premiums that are due to expire at the end of the year without congressional action."
"They’ll have their first conference-wide conversation Tuesday morning about whether they’ll seek to negotiate an extension with Democrats or forge ahead on a separate conservative health care agenda."
Comment: "But by their own admission, House Republicans are only in the very nascent stages of negotiations, while Senate Republicans are already outlining detailed proposals to align with President Donald Trump’s vision for lowering the cost of health care by sending health funds 'directly to the people'."
"It’s causing anxiety in the House GOP ranks among members who don’t want to be forced to swallow whatever plan the Senate comes up with to extend the premium tax credits or some other alternative proposal. The chairs of the critical House committees have plans to hold listening sessions soon to hear members out on their wide-ranging views on health policy. But it’s promising to be a long, deliberative process — and the clock is ticking."
Comment: One reason the House is behind the Senate on this issue is because Mike Johnson kept the House from convening for over a month. But, more importantly, Republicans in both the House and Senate ignored the high cost of healthcare for the last decade and a half, since Obamacare was passed. Republicans want to kill Obamacare, but they have done nothing to come up with a replacement, or to fix it. Now, at the last minute, after Democrats have helped bring the issue of the expiring ACA credits to the forefront, Republicans are scrambling to come up with a solution, probably just a band-aid solution to address a political problem rather than to address the real health care cost issue. One may not like the Democratic party supported ACA tax credits, but until there is a better long term solution, they should be extended.
Democratic proposed bill would put new restrictions on donations to Trump's ballroom
Comment: "In response to ongoing concerns about the funding for the construction of a massive, multi-million dollar presidential ballroom at the White House, some Democratic lawmakers are set to introduce the first piece of legislation aimed at regulating the project."
"The new bill, set to be introduced Tuesday by Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren and House Oversight Committee Ranking Member Robert Garcia, would impose new limits on who can make donations to projects at the White House and would put new restrictions on donors and their funds after a donation is made."
" 'Billionaires and giant corporations with business in front of this administration are lining up to dump millions into Trump’s new ballroom — and Trump is showing them where to sign on the dotted line. Americans shouldn’t have to wonder whether President Trump is building a ballroom to facilitate a pay-to-play scheme for political favors. My new bill will put an end to what looks like bribery in plain sight,' Warren said in a statement to ABC News."
Senate unanimously agrees to approve Epstein files bill
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/thune-senate-move-epstein-files-bill-today/story?id=127645638
Trump pulls the rug on Mike Johnson over the "Epstein files"
https://www.axios.com/2025/11/18/trump-epstein-files-mike-johnson-vote
Comment: "President Trump's stunning reversal on the 'Epstein files' discharge petition has undercut months of work by Speaker Mike Johnson."
Comment: "The Epstein issue has plagued the House since the summer. Now the speaker is about to suffer a clear defeat over Reps. Thomas Massie's (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna's (D-Calif.) discharge petition."
"Johnson cut the week short before the August recess after Democrats forced multiple votes on releasing the files. He then kept the House out of session for nearly two months — a move that, intentionally or not, delayed the discharge petition from reaching the floor."
House majority forces vote on bill to restore collective bargaining for most federal employees
Bipartisan House Coalition Hits 218 Signatures to Force Vote Protecting Federal Workers’ Union Rights
Whistleblower accuses Ed Martin of ‘concealing and destroying’ records related to DOJ’s weaponization group
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/whistleblower-accuses-ed-martin-concealing-154348625.html
‘He got tired of me winning’: How Thomas Massie outmaneuvered Trump on Epstein
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/17/thomas-massie-trump-jeffrey-epstein-00654214
Comment: "President Donald Trump’s call for House Republicans to support releasing Jeffrey Epstein-related documents was a stunning capitulation after a months-long campaign to block the vote."
"It was also a specific defeat for Trump at the hands of a despised GOP opponent: Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky."
" 'He got tired of me winning,' Massie said of Trump’s U-turn in an interview Monday morning."
Command: "The campaign to avoid the vote got remarkably ugly in the days before Trump finally conceded, with the president personally attacking Massie for recently remarrying after the sudden death in June 2024 of his wife of more than 30 years. Just hours before Trump’s reversal, one of his top political advisers called him 'garbage' in an X post."
"That adviser, Chris LaCivita, is carrying out a Trump-ordered effort to unseat Massie from the rural northern Kentucky seat he has held since 2012. Trump recently endorsed a challenger, former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein, in the GOP primary."
"Massie has not flinched from the threats. Politically, he has seen the best fundraising of his congressional career, entering October with more than $2 million in his campaign coffers. As for the personal attacks, Massie said Monday he and his wife were laughing them off."
Republicans quickly coalesce behind Epstein bill after Trump backs it
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/17/epstein-files-bill-congress-00655286
Comment: "Capitol Hill Republicans are rapidly falling in line behind a bill that would force the disclosure of Justice Department files concerning Jeffrey Epstein after President Donald Trump signaled Monday he would sign it."
Comment: "Meanwhile, Trump’s sudden support for the measure — after a monthslong campaign to kill it — has transformed its prospects in the Senate, where it was long assumed Republicans would simply bottle it up. Now a growing number of GOP senators are open to giving the bill a vote, and some are wondering whether it might simply be sent to Trump’s desk by unanimous consent."
"It’s a remarkable reversal of fortune for the effort to disgorge the 'Epstein files,' prompted by a successful bipartisan effort to circumvent Speaker Mike Johnson and force the legislation to the floor."
"Recognizing that House approval of the legislation was all but certain, Trump abandoned his efforts to derail the bill in a social media post Sunday night. Asked in the Oval Office on Monday if he would sign it, Trump said, 'Sure I would.' "
Trump does Epstein U-turn as House Republicans prepare to spurn him
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/16/jeffrey-epstein-vote-house-republicans-00652460
Comment: "President Donald Trump is suddenly reversing his monthslong campaign to bottle up a bipartisan effort to disclose federal records dealing with Jeffrey Epstein — just as scores of House Republicans prepare to defy his demands concerning the late convicted sex offender."
" 'House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files, because we have nothing to hide, and it’s time to move on from this Democrat Hoax,' he wrote Sunday night on Truth Social, adding, 'I DON’T CARE! All I do care about is that Republicans get BACK ON POINT' discussing economic issues."
"The U-turn came after months of drama inside the House GOP over a bill that would compel the Justice Department to release its entire Epstein file. An effort by Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson to prevent a floor vote on the measure imploded last week amid an intense White House push to try to keep Republicans in line. The vote is now expected Tuesday."
"At the end of last week, Johnson and senior House leaders appeared powerless to stop perhaps as many as 100 Republicans from breaking ranks and voting with Democrats to release the files. The situation worsened over the weekend, as Trump lashed out in deeply personal terms at Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), who is leading the effort to force a House vote on Epstein, and publicly spurned Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), a one-time close ally who has recently broken with Trump on Epstein and other matters."
"Even before that, some members closest to House GOP leadership were mulling whether to support Massie’s effort."
Comment: Do you think Trump's sudden reversal may have something to do with the fact that he was facing an embarrassing defeat in the U.S. House, and he wanted to make it seem that the disclosure was his idea?
Video: Trump ‘trying to protect a bunch of rich and powerful friends, billionaires’: Massie - November 16, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfD4JEON19U
Comment: Video is related to Epstein Discharge petition.
Trump's Republican Party insists there's no affordability crisis and dismisses election losses
Comment: Republicans can continually deny the obvious, but the public is starting to wake up.
Video: Tim Kaine tells House Democrats calling for Schumer’s ouster to ‘focus on their own leadership’ - November 16, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSH5U-fJ7wg
Video: Tim Kaine defends switching his 'no vote to yes' on ending the shutdown: Full interview - November 16, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Nsk4ZD83gU
Video: Sen. Jeanne Shaheen says "we need to put the shutdown behind us, end the circular firing squad" - November 16, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4fMJcwqYrM
Comment: "Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, one of the eight Senate Democrats who made a deal with Republicans to reopen the government, told 'Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan' that 'we need to put the shutdown behind us' and 'end the circular firing squad.' She has faced criticism from fellow Democrats for making a deal with Republicans."
Video: Dr. Oz says Trump has a plan for Obamacare. What is it? - November 16, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTuu8YHmiDQ
Comment: If Dr. Oz ideas for improving/replacing Obamacare are such good suggestions, why haven't Republicans woven them into a comprehensive plan for presentation to the American people? They've only had 15 years since Obamacare was passed. They always present concepts and talking points that sound good, but they are never rigorously evaluated for practicality and negative consequences.
'They could have held out': Democratic voters support party after shutdown ends
Comment: "But while voters like White, Martin and Wolfe wished Democrats had fought for longer, many said they believe that Democrats were successful in bringing national attention to the fight over health care taking place in Washington."
Comment: "The one thing many Democratic voters were in agreement on: Republicans are to blame for the shutdown. And with the 2026 midterm elections fast approaching, many speculate that the government shutdown will prove to be a stain on Republicans running for reelection."
Video: Trump drops support for Marjorie Taylor Greene amid Epstein fallout - November 15, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YS7JyeGIq_E
Marjorie Taylor Greene says she’s had ‘warnings for my safety’ after posts by Trump
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/15/marjorie-taylor-greene-safety-trump
Republicans turn on Trump’s defense policy chief
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/14/trump-elbridge-colby-congress-backlash-00650666
Comment: "Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby has succeeded in the rarest of feats: uniting a dysfunctional Washington against him."
If Democrats regain the White House, Trump's ballroom could be an early casualty
GOP senators distance themselves from provision allowing them to sue over phone record searches
Comment: "Most of the senators whose data was requested as part of the investigation that led to special counsel Jack Smith’s Jan. 6 probe have now distanced themselves from a provision included in the shutdown-ending bill, signed into law by President Donald Trump, that would let them sue the government for potentially millions of dollars for not notifying them when accessing their records."
"Trump’s Justice Department gave Senate Republicans a document naming eight GOP senators and one member of the House whose data was accessed as part of the Jan. 6 investigation. And under this new retroactive statute, which does not explicitly name Smith, the senators would be afforded a unique ability to sue the government and potentially rake in up to $500,000 for each 'instance' of data collection. (The provision only applies to senators and would not apply if a senator was the target of a criminal investigation.)"
Comment: Jack Smith's subpoenaing of the phone records is a standard investigative procedure (especially for a case involving an attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election) and was not illegal at the time Smith obtained the records. After the fact, the Senate passed a retroactive statute that made it possible for Senators (only Senators) to sue the government for up to $500,00o of your taxpayer money. How corrupt is that?
CNN: Republicans scramble for health care plan, as Democrats eye midterm battle
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/14/politics/republicans-scramble-health-care-obamacare
As health insurance bills rise, Republicans are still seeking an Obamacare alternative
Comment: "Now, the party is about to plunge back into the tricky policy debate that once cost them seats in the House."
"This time around, though, Republicans are mostly stopping short of calling for a full-scale repeal of President Barack Obama’s signature health care law, even as they slam the policy as a failure. Instead, the mantra among Republicans is 'fix Obamacare'."
"But the clock is ticking. Open enrollment for health insurance has already begun and enhanced Obamacare subsidies are to set to expire at the end of the year, more than doubling insurance premiums for millions of Americans in red and blue states alike, with some seeing increases of thousands of dollars per month."
"Republicans, under pressure from Democrats after the government shutdown revived the health care clash, have not coalesced around legislation or even an abstract idea, and are only now starting serious discussions about putting proposals together."
Comment: Republicans have had a decade and a half to come up with a plan to either fix or replace Obamacare. They have never presented a viable plan. Why should we believe they will do so now?
Video: Trump dodges Epstein question as several Republicans signal voting yes to release files - November 13, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQNs6zKFz98
Republicans promised health care negotiations after the shutdown, but Democrats are wary
With government shutdown over, focus turns to upcoming Senate fight on health care
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/government-shutdown-senate-health-care/
Video: Sen. Whitehouse Breaks Down the Shutdown Endgame Dynamics within the Senate Democratic Caucus - November 12, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wyu-WP-BsYk
Trump's shutdown win just landed Republicans with a huge political headache
Democrats want to extend Obamacare credits. Republicans have other ideas.
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/10/obamacare-aca-subsidies-extension-shutdown-00646147
Comment: "Senate Democrats are projecting optimism they’ll be able to strike a bipartisan deal to extend Obamacare subsidies in the coming weeks. But Senate Republicans have their own plans."
"Republicans appear to be quickly pivoting from the debate around Affordable Care Act tax credits to developing their own health policy agenda, with many conservatives now feeling like they have the blessing of President Donald Trump to pursue alternative solutions to spiking insurance premiums. Among the ideas they’re considering is the creation of new health savings accounts."
Comment: "The shutdown-ending deal the Senate passed Monday night lacked an extension of the Obamacare subsidies, which expire at the end of the year, and Democrats instead secured a commitment for a vote on the credits next month. Democrats who brokered that government funding compromise are insisting they’ll be able to make headway on negotiations over the tax credits and are looking to land the bipartisan health care compromise by the second week of December."
"But the fractured conversations among Republicans are promising to bog down negotiations as Obamacare beneficiaries begin to lock in their rates for the year ahead. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are starting to privately admit it’s likely too late to avert a major premium hike for millions of Americans in 2026."
" 'Obviously our folks have an interest in having some of our own ideas out there,' Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Monday when asked whether Republicans would generate a counteroffer on the subsidies or collaborate with Democrats. 'There’s some goodwill on this issue. We’ll see if something lands.' "
Comment: Republicans have been promising an Obamacare (ACA) alternative since the ACA became law in 2010. In 15 years, they have yet to come up with a viable plan. Why should one believe any new promises?
How Senate Republicans won the last vote to end the shutdown
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/10/shutdown-deal-tim-kaine-katie-britt-00646144
Comment: "Tim Kaine privately laid out weeks ago what he needed in return for his vote to end the government shutdown: a 'moratorium on mischief '.”
Comment: "That’s what the Virginia Democrat told Senate Majority Leader John Thune that any deal had to include — undoing the firings President Donald Trump and budget director Russ Vought had carried out since the start of the shutdown, as well as protections against future firings of federal workers, who make up a significant portion of Kaine’s constituency."
Comment: "About five hours later, the Senate voted to move forward with legislation ensuring any federal workers laid off during the shutdown are rehired and blocking future reductions in force, or RIFs, through at least the end of a new Jan. 30 stopgap spending bill."
"Most of the attention to the six weeks of shutdown negotiation centered on Democrats’ demands surrounding health care, particularly the extension of key expiring health insurance subsidies. But the RIF language was the final piece that helped clinch the deal, according to interviews with six people involved in the bipartisan negotiations."
"With only eight members of the Democratic caucus voting to advance the bill — the bare minimum for it to move forward — satisfying Kaine was critical to ending the conflict largely on the GOP’s terms while also giving Democrats, who have long worried about Trump taking a sledgehammer to the federal government, something to hold up as a consolation prize."
Comment: "At the same time, Shaheen, King and Hassan led the effort to privately persuade their fellow members of the Senate Democratic Caucus that the agreement was the best offer they were going to get from Republicans, who hadn’t shifted in six weeks on their refusal to negotiate over the expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies."
"In the end, that wasn’t enough to get most members of the Senate Democratic caucus — including Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who told members involved in the talks about two weeks ago he could not support the deal they were sketching out, according to a person granted anonymity to discuss details of the negotiations."
"Schumer continued privately urging them to hold out even as they moved to concede this week, the person added. But the senators had seen enough."
Video: Sen. Shaheen blames GOP on health care, addresses shutdown vote: "Live to fight another day" - November 10, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BK-AyzH4Kck
Senate Democrats who defected in shutdown vote: ‘This was the only deal’
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/10/senate-democrats-government-shutdown-vote
Axios: Jeffries is standing behind Schumer despite Democrats' shutdown fury
https://www.axios.com/2025/11/10/jeffries-schumer-democrats-shutdown-deal-angry
Comment: "House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said Monday he is standing behind his Senate counterpart, Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), despite a surge of grassroots anger towards the Senate leader."
Comment: "Even many House Democrats are raging against Schumer for not stopping a group of centrist senators from voting to advance a deal to reopen the government."
"Democratic lawmakers and liberal groups erupted in fury Sunday over the details of the deal, which includes only the promise of a December vote on expending Affordable Care Act tax credits."
Comment: "Asked at the press conference whether he believes Schumer is effective and should remain as Senate Democratic leader, Jeffries replied, 'Yes and yes.' "
"Jeffries said of the eight Democrats who voted for the deal: 'I'm not gonna explain what a handful of Senate Democrats have decided to do. That's their explanation to offer to the American people.' "
Comment: While many are disappointed that the expiring ACA subsidies were not reinstated, the anger and frustration should be directed at congressional Republicans instead. To stop the ACA (Obamacare) subsidies, Republicans were willing to fire large portions of the federal workforce and then starve their own constituents (most SNAP recipients were in Republican held states/districts). How is it possible for more reasonable Democrats to outlast such a heartless group of politicians? They don't give a d**n about the people they are supposed to represent. One can understand how eight Senate Democrats assessed the situation and decided to retreat, to look out for the immediate needs of their constituents (food & employment) and to fight another day.
Comment: Chuck Schumer was not one of the eight. One might argue that, as the Senate Minority Leader, he could have applied extraordinary pressure on the eight senators, but that may not have been successful and could have caused a greater rift in the Democratic caucus for the future.
Video: Rep. Raskin: Ghislaine Maxwell is seeking Trump commutation, calls scandal a justice "emergency” - November 10, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOwlfHFLcHo
Ghislaine Maxwell's alleged prison perks spark Raskin probe into Trump administration
Comment: "Rep. Jamie Raskin sent a sharply worded six-page letter to President Donald Trump on Sunday following new information his committee received from a whistleblower alleging that Ghislaine Maxwell is preparing a 'commutation application' for the Trump administration and receiving preferential treatment while incarcerated."
"Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, accused the Trump administration of allowing 'a corrupt misuse of law-enforcement resources' and demanded that Deputy U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche testify before the Judiciary Committee immediately to 'answer for this corrupt misuse of law enforcement resources and potential exchange of favors for false testimony exonerating you and other Epstein accomplices.' "
Comment: "Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia, the ranking member on the House Oversight Committee who has led the minority on the panel’s Epstein investigation -- released a statement on Monday calling on House Speaker Mike Johnson and Trump to 'publicly oppose a commutation or pardon by President Trump' after the Judiciary Committee Democrats released their whistleblower information."
Whistleblower Shares Evidence That Federal Prison Camp Warden is Pampering Ghislaine Maxwell, Maxwell Also Filing a “Commutation Application” With Trump Administration
Video: Senators advance tentative deal to ending shutdown - November 9, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTNSDzv4w74
Senate advances funding measure with backing of 8 Democrats, moving a step closer to ending shutdown
https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/government-shutdown-latest-senate-weekend-session/
How an Adam Schiff indictment could shake the Senate
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/09/adam-schiff-indictment-trump-doj-00643603
Comment: "President Donald Trump’s retribution campaign against his political adversaries could soon hit the Senate — and lawmakers are already bracing for impact."
"After securing the indictments of former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James, Trump has his sights set on Sen. Adam Schiff, the California Democrat who as a member of the House managed the president’s first impeachment trial."
"If Schiff ends up indicted on allegations of mortgage fraud — a charge he has vehemently denied — or for any other claim, it would mark an unprecedented escalation for Trump to target an outspoken political adversary who is also a federal elected official."
"As Schiff solicits dollars for a legal defense fund and builds an expansive political operation prepared to do damage control around any potential charges, Schiff’s Democratic colleagues in Congress are increasingly anxious about their own vulnerability. They are also frustrated with the unwillingness of Republican senators to speak out on Schiff’s behalf."
" 'I’ve spoken to a number of Republicans, and they are certainly disquieted, if not dismayed, by the increasing weaponization of the Department of Justice,' said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.). 'Because it tears down the norms and rule of law that protects them and all Americans, as well as Adam Schiff and Democrats who may be targeted by Trump.' "
"It has been just a few months since news broke that Schiff was being investigated for mortgage fraud relating to the financing of his Maryland residence — and weeks since Trump in a social media post called on Attorney General Pam Bondi to go after Schiff, Comey and James. Recent reports have suggested the case against Schiff has stalled as prosecutors are said to be struggling to find sufficient evidence to bring up charges."
" '[Trump has] been more than willing to go after his political opponents — to go after universities, to go after law firms, to go after media organizations,' Schiff said last week. 'It’s all part of the same effort to silence and intimidate critics and, I think, needs to be recognized for what it is.' "
Comment: When will the Republican cowards in the Senate speak out publicly against Trump's campaign of retribution?
House Democrats back off another red line on ending shutdown
https://www.axios.com/2025/11/07/democrats-jeffries-schumer-shutdown-aca-extension
Video: Senate Minority leader Chuck Schumer offered a deal to end the government shutdown - November 07, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8VHq_PPx2s
Deal to reopen government falters over Democrats’ distrust of Trump
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5594333-government-shutdown-deal-democrats-trump/
Comment: "Democratic support for a potential deal to reopen the government has crumbled because of deep mistrust among Senate Democrats over whether President Trump will act in good faith to extend health insurance subsidies or to stop firing federal workers."
Democrats press DHS to reinstate oversight of ICE detention centers
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5593081-democrats-dhs-oversight-ice/
Comment: "A group of Virginia Democrats from both chambers is pressing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to reinstall the federal workers who monitor the agency’s immigrant detention centers."
"The lawmakers say the employees of the Office of Detention Oversight (ODO), who have been furloughed during the weeks-long government shutdown, are critical to ensuring that detainees held by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are treated humanely. That’s especially true, they argue, because ICE law enforcement officers have continued to work over the same span, leading to a surge in detentions that’s strained the capacity of certain facilities."
Democrats urged to ‘hold the line’ in talks as shutdown stretches to 37th day
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/06/us-government-shutdown-day-37
Comment: "The longest government shutdown in history is now in its 37th day, though lawmakers, currently in talks, could be coming closer to a deal to end the standoff."
"Some Democratic legislators, though, saw Tuesday’s big electoral wins as evidence they should hold the line and extract as much as possible from Republicans, most critically extending health insurance subsidies that, without intervention, will drastically increase costs for millions of Americans."
GOP makes new funding offer, opens door to reversing mass firings
https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/11/06/congress/shutdown-offer-mass-firings-00639796
Comment: "Republicans made a new offer to Senate Democrats Thursday in hopes of cutting a deal that would end the 37-day government shutdown and advance a package of three full-year spending bills, according to four people granted anonymity to disclose the private discussions."
"The new offer arrived just ahead of a crucial closed-door lunch where Democratic senators will discuss the path forward. Republicans have also thrown a new sweetener in the mix, according to two of the people — that they are willing to discuss rehiring federal workers who have been laid off during the shutdown as part of a deal to end it."
Comment: One might argue that the new offer is not much of a concession. One might argue that many of the federal workers would have to be rehired anyway so that the government could function correctly. Russell Vought should not have laid off most of them in the first place. The firings were simply an extortion attempt to get the Democrats to capitulate early on. Even now, the Republicans are only offering to "discuss" rehiring the workers back.
Video: House Democrats seeking a formal interview with former Prince Andrew over Epstein investigation - November 6, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/kDRLPA2eVFg
Video: US Congress summon Andrew Mountbatten Windsor to explain Epstein links - November 6, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTUT94Wldzg
I was elected 6 weeks ago. Speaker Mike Johnson refuses to swear me in.
Comment: The author of this opinion piece is congresswoman elect Adelita Grijalva (D-Az)
Comment: "The voters of Arizona's 7th Congressional District – which encompasses six counties, four sovereign tribal nations and 300 miles along the U.S.-Mexico border – elected me by a margin of nearly 40 percentage points on Sept. 23. Six weeks later, I have now waited longer than any representative in recent history to be sworn in following a special election."
"Why is Speaker Johnson taking the unprecedented step of refusing to swear me in? The only notable difference between me and others elected during special elections in 2025 who were promptly sworn in is that I would be the decisive 218th signature on a discharge petition to force a vote on releasing all files related to Jeffrey Epstein, a onetime friend of President Donald Trump."
"This isn't the first time Speaker Johnson has obstructed the work of the House. Speaker Johnson previously sent the House into an early summer recess, conveniently avoiding action on releasing the Epstein files."
"Speaker Johnson, of course, denies this association. He has provided a litany of excuses that seem to change by the day, including the claim that he is following the ' Pelosi precedent' in waiting for Congress to return to regular session to swear me in. However, unlike the speaker emerita, Speaker Johnson appears to be intentionally canceling votes to prolong a manufactured 'recess' and prevent me from being sworn in."
"He conveniently made an exception for two of his Republican colleagues, who were sworn in during pro forma sessions a day after their special elections in April. Speaker Johnson also had the chance to swear me in before the government shut down, when votes were scheduled for Sept. 29 and 30, which he subsequently canceled."
"Beyond my ability to represent my constituents, this presents a much more consequential question: Can the speaker of the House unilaterally delay swearing in a duly elected member of Congress for political reasons? The answer to this question could have profound impacts moving forward, which is why Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes and I have filed suit. We believe this is an abuse of power that strikes at the foundation of our democracy – the ability to have representation in the people's House."
Senate GOP shuts down war powers resolution aimed at blocking U.S. strikes on Venezuela
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/senate-war-powers-vote-venezuela-drug-boats-military-strikes/
Comment: "Senate Republicans blocked a war powers resolution on Thursday aimed at preventing President Trump from conducting strikes against Venezuela after a bipartisan group of senators warned that a continued campaign against alleged drug smugglers in the region could escalate."
"The vote to advance the resolution failed with 49 supporting it and 51 senators opposing. Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska were the only Republicans to support it."
"The resolution, led by Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine, would direct the president 'to terminate the use of United States Armed Forces for hostilities within or against Venezuela, unless explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or specific authorization for use of military force.' The resolution had 15 cosponsors, including Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff of California and Paul."
Johnson refuses to promise House vote on extending ObamaCare subsidies
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5593211-johnson-obamacare-vote-shutdown/
Comment: "Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Thursday he would not offer Democrats a House vote on extending expiring enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies as part of a deal to end the government shutdown."
"Asked at a press conference if he could assure Democrats in the House that they would get a vote on extending the subsidies, Johnson said, 'No, because we did our job, and I’m not part of the negotiation.' "
" 'I’m not promising anybody anything. I’m going to let this process play out,' he continued."
The shutdown is dragging on. But Americans aren’t tiring of Democrats’ demands. | CNN Politics
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/06/politics/shutdown-poll-democrats-leverage
Video: Nancy Pelosi announces she won't seek re-election in 2026 - November 6, 2025
Trump faces rare Republican pushback as he presses Senate to scrap the filibuster
Thune says ending filibuster 'not happening' despite Trump's demands
Video: Trump doubles down on Republicans ending the filibuster as government shutdown makes history - November 5, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-1xjPkdmWk
Video: Democratic Senator Mark Kelly says President Trump is refusing to help end shutdown - November 5, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXFevDH3g-Q
Democrats demand meeting with Trump on shutdown — again
Democrats emboldened by election results mobilize against centrists' emerging shutdown deal
https://www.cnn.com/2025/11/05/politics/democrats-shutdown-deal-elections
Senate Dems press Trump to ‘personally provide clarification’ on nuclear tests after Wright remarks
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5591278-senators-urge-trump-against-nuclear-tests/
Comment: "Senate Democrats wrote a Wednesday letter to President Trump seeking clarification on the scope of resumed nuclear testing after Energy Secretary Chris Wright said such testing will not include nuclear explosions."
Comment: " 'The decision to resume nuclear weapons testing would be geopolitically dangerous, fiscally irresponsible, and simply unnecessary to ensure the ability of the United States to defend itself,' the senators said, citing environmental and health concerns for citizens."
"Wright on Sunday said the Trump administration is planning to test new systems with nonnuclear explosions to modernize its nuclear stockpile."
"The U.S. halted the explosive testing of nuclear arms in 1992. However, the president shared intentions to resume testing following Russia’s successful trial run of its new nuclear-capable cruise missile, known as the Burevestnik, which flew 8,700 miles."
"Trump has also accused North Korea of testing nuclear weapons. Last week, he told reporters they would 'find out very soon' whether the U.S. plans to resume underground nuclear detonation tests."
"Democratic senators said resuming nuclear testing sets a dangerous precedent and urged the president not to allow the 'pursuit of security' to 'outweigh the risk of global stability'."
Rubio, Hegseth boat strike briefing doesn’t quell Democrats’ concerns
https://thehill.com/homenews/5592319-us-military-drug-trafficking-strikes/
Comment: "The Wednesday classified briefing in the Senate was attended by the 'Gang of 12,' including Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), along with top lawmakers on Armed Services and Intelligence committees in both chambers. But it did not assuage concerns from Democrats who have been asking for additional documents and information about the strikes."
" 'What we heard isn’t enough. We need a lot more answers,' Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said after the briefing, adding that the entire Senate should receive one."
"House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) echoed his demand for more information at a press conference, but declined to elaborate when pressed on what details were left out."
Rubio, Hegseth brief lawmakers on boat strikes as frustration grows on Capitol Hill
https://www.npr.org/2025/11/05/g-s1-96661/rubio-hegseth-venezuela-congress
Hegseth and Rubio share classified details on boat strikes with congressional leaders
https://apnews.com/article/trump-boat-strikes-congress-6163b24e940dd74005fc3cb78751f92a
Key Republicans waver ahead of war powers vote
Comment: "Several Republican senators are voicing uncertainty ahead of a vote to block the Trump administration from taking military action against Venezuela, setting up a potential rebuke of the president over the scope of his war powers."
"The White House, in an apparent push to get Republicans on board, has started sharing more information with Congress about its rationale for strikes on suspected drug smugglers in the Caribbean Sea. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will brief lawmakers on Wednesday as senators weigh the bipartisan legislation."
"Four Senate Republicans said Wednesday they are still reviewing the Justice Department’s legal rationale, which Congress received last week, and two others have already voted against the military strikes. It would only take three more GOP defections to flip the outcome of the upcoming vote."
" 'I want to make sure that we do our due diligence and that we’re doing things correctly long-term,' said Sen. Mike Rounds, (R-S.D.), a member of the Intelligence and Armed Services panels, who noted the stepped-up engagement from administration officials."
"Democratic lawmakers have objected to the U.S. military strikes on vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific that have killed more than 60 people."
"Rubio’s push to shore up support on Capitol Hill — where he’ll meet with congressional leaders and national security committee heads from both parties — comes amid bipartisan frustration that the Trump administration has left Congress in the dark about its increasingly aggressive military campaign."
Politico: Trump and Republicans admonish others for their Election Night losses
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/05/republicans-blame-losses-2025-elections-00636986
Comment: Excuses and they're starting to turn on each other.
Jared Golden won't seek reelection in blow to House Democrats
https://www.axios.com/2025/11/05/jared-golden-retiring-2026-house-democrats-maine
Rep. Jared Golden, moderate Democrat from Maine, won't seek reelection in key midterm race
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jared-golden-wont-seek-reelection-maine-midterms/
Scoop: Trump readying "living hell" for GOP senators over nuking filibuster
https://www.axios.com/2025/11/04/trump-filibuster-republican-senators-shutdown
Comment: "President Trump's Truth Social demands to end the filibuster are just a hint of his coming rampage if Senate Republicans hold out against him, advisers tell Axios."
Comment: 'Most Senate Republicans have no interest in nuking the filibuster. But Trump's frustration is the first clear sign that the shutdown, which becomes a record on Wednesday, is getting to him."
" 'He will make their lives a living hell,' one Trump adviser told Axios."
" 'He will call them at three o'clock in the morning. He will blow them up in their districts. He will call them un-American. He will call them old creatures of a dying institution. Believe you me, he's going to make their lives just hell,' the source continued."
" Another adviser emphasized: 'He's really mad about this.' "
Comment: "For weeks, Trump wasn't paying close attention to the shutdown out of a belief that Democrats would eventually drop their demands."
"Now, he is starting to put Republican senators on blast for not changing the filibuster, which requires 60 votes for most legislation, arguing it gave Democrats leverage to shut down the government for a record amount of time."
Comment: Trump has been used to doing whatever he wants, because Republicans in Congress have rubberstamped his actions, whether or not Americans agreed with them, or even if he did not have authorization to take them. Democrats have had enough, and have chosen not to go along. Senate rules allow the threat of a filibuster, making 60 votes necessary to pass most legislation. Since Democratic member help is necessary to reach the 60 vote threshold, Democrats finally have some leverage to make Republicans negotiate in a bipartisan manner. Trump wants to eliminate the filibuster rule so legislation can be passed by a simple majority vote. Senate Republicans are reluctant to eliminate the filibuster because they know that, if they set that precedent, when Democrats take control of the Senate they would be able to pass legislation without ever negotiating with Republicans. In practice, the filibuster rule forces reasonable negotiation and compromise, something Trump doesn't want to be bothered with.
Comment: To get his way, Trump is using threats and intimidation against members of his own political party, in an attempt to neuter the U.S. Senate and take authorization and control from a supposedly co-equal branch of government. Democrats are fighting this attempt. Will Senate Republicans finally show some courage, refuse to surrender their institutional responsibility, and fight for their constitutional mandate and authority?
White House scrambles to limit fallout of Trump threats to withhold SNAP food aid benefits
Comment: "The White House just sent a raft of shutdown talking points to Hill Republicans, as the GOP scrambles to limit the fallout of President Donald Trump’s threats earlier Tuesday to withhold SNAP food aid benefits from low-income families unless Democrats agree to reopen the government."
"Trump’s threat shocked Republicans and came just a day after Speaker Mike Johnson specifically said Trump 'isn’t appealing the decision' from the courts that would force the administration to disburse SNAP assistance amid the shutdown."
"“We all were like ‘what the f*** [expletive deleted] is this?’” said one senior Senate GOP aide, granted anonymity to speak candidly, noting the appearance that Trump was defying a court order just hours after his own administration sent out guidance for states to receive partial SNAP food aid benefits following a court order."
Comment: Just a bit more chaos and confusion.
Pam Bondi Hit With New Demand to Hand Over Epstein Probe Files
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/pam-bondi-hit-demand-hand-181322215.html
House Democrats press DOJ for details on Epstein co-conspirators probe that was "inexplicably killed"
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jeffrey-epstein-co-conspirators-house-democrats-jamie-raskin/
Comment: "Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, is seeking documents from the Justice Department on its move earlier this year to end the investigation into alleged co-conspirators of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein."
" 'I write to demand an explanation for why DOJ has abandoned the women and girls abused by Mr. Epstein, Ms. Maxwell, and their co-conspirators, fired or cut off career prosecutors from the case, and ceased its investigation into one of the largest sex trafficking rings in history,' Raskin wrote in a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, which was first obtained by CBS News."
"The demand comes amid relentless bipartisan interest in the investigation, which has dogged the Justice Department's top officials as they've sought to put the matter to rest. Some in the Trump administration, including Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel, promised major revelations into the Epstein matter before taking office, only to indicate later that the case was closed."
Comment: "In the letter, Raskin said almost 50 survivors provided information to prosecutors and FBI agents as part of the investigation that ultimately led to the indictments of Epstein in 2019 and Ghislaine Maxwell in 2020. Raskin said the information the survivors provided was 'precise and detailed'."
" 'They described how Mr. Epstein, Ms. Maxwell, and their co-conspirators orchestrated a sophisticated and clandestine sex trafficking conspiracy that trafficked them to at least 20 men,' Raskin said. 'These survivors shared with DOJ and FBI the specific identities of many of these co-conspirators, how this operation was structured and financed, and which individuals facilitated these crimes.' "
"The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York was running an active investigation into Epstein and Maxwell's co-conspirators until January 2025, when prosecutors were directed to transfer the Epstein case files to the Justice Department's headquarters, in what Raskin said was 'a sudden and dramatic shift in the posture of the investigation.' Since then, 'the investigation into co-conspirators has inexplicably ceased,' he said, citing information provided to the Judiciary Committee by attorneys who represent Epstein survivors."
"Then in July, the Justice Department issued the findings of an internal review, which it said found no 'client list' among the evidence collected by investigators. It also 'did not uncover evidence that could predicate any investigation against uncharged third parties.' Bondi suggested during a Fox News interview in February that a 'client list' was sitting on her desk awaiting her review."
Comment: Did Trump's DOJ capture and kill the investigation that had been ongoing at the "U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York?"
Video: How the Senate filibuster works and what advocates and critics say about it - November 03, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sx024gGS4rM
House members release bipartisan ‘principles’ for extending Obamacare subsidies
Comment: "A bipartisan quartet of House lawmakers released a 'statement of principles' Monday for a potential compromise on an extension of Obamacare subsidies, which would include a two-year sunset and an income cap for eligibility."
"The compromise framework from Republican Reps. Don Bacon of Nebraska and Jeff Hurd of Colorado, and Democratic Reps. Tom Suozzi of New York and Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey, is the first public tangible offering on health care policy since the government shutdown began 33 days ago."
"Democrats are continuing to insist that any deal to end the shutdown involve an agreement around extending expanded tax credits for Affordable Care Act subsidies that are due to expire at the end of the year. But GOP leaders and President Donald Trump have refused to negotiate on health care until after the government is reopened."
"The new blueprint is a sign the partisan freeze is thawing among some factions on Capitol Hill — and that frustration over the impasse is growing. Moderate Republicans in the House are especially losing patience, eager to address the health care issue while Speaker Mike Johnson has kept the chamber out of session since September."
House Dems and GOP float compromise plan to end shutdown
https://www.axios.com/2025/11/03/shutdown-aca-tax-credits-democrats-republicans
Video: Even Greene Says GOP Has No Plan - November 03, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHo9suGzElI
Comment: Greene's comments refer to Obamacare (ACA)
Video: Hakeem Jeffries Accuses Trump Of Using Money To 'Bail Out' Argentina Rather Than Fund SNAP Benefits - November 03, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SF2EuQnwyPs
Video: Whitehouse Grills Key Social Security Nominee On Completing 'Total Review' Of Access Given To DOGE - November 02, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIrUUboJxiI
The Food Stamp Shutdown Wasn’t a Surprise. It Was the GOP’s Plan
When will SNAP EBT cards be reloaded? Delays still possible despite judges’ rulings
Comment: "Just hours before the looming deadline, two judges ruled Friday that the federal government must continue funding SNAP during the government shutdown. However, those expecting food assistance on Nov. 1 may still see delays."
Republicans battling behind scenes over funding SNAP during shutdown
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5582366-snap-benefits-lapse-senate/
Comment: "Cracks are forming in the Senate GOP conference over whether benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) should be allowed to lapse this weekend."
"Republicans have been unified throughout the shutdown in voting 13 times for a House-passed bill to reopen the government, but there are divisions on the SNAP issue, which could leave millions without crucial benefits."
"Expiration of food assistance funding is expected to impact nearly 42 million Americans across the country, including millions of people in Republican-represented states."
Republicans sour on Trump's military buildup near Venezuela
https://www.axios.com/2025/10/31/trump-venezuela-strike-gop-support
Comment: "The number of Republicans who approve of President Trump assembling the military off the coast of Venezuela fell by 10 percent over the past month, according to a new survey analysis from YouGov."
"While most Republicans still back the military show of force, the falling approval comes at a time when some Republican lawmakers have questioned Trump's claim that he has unilateral power to conduct lethal strikes on boats allegedly smuggling drugs into America."
Video: Pollsters tell Democrats they are winning shutdown debate - October 31, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UAJDF03PJ0
Fact Check: House Speaker Mike Johnson signed bill cutting $186B from SNAP in July 2025
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/fact-check-house-speaker-mike-230600705.html
Comment: "Claim: In July 2025, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson voted in favor of a bill with a projected $186 billion in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which provides federal food benefits to roughly 42 million Americans."
Comment: "Rating: True"
Comment: "In short, Johnson truly signed the budget bill after voting in favor of the legislation, as depicted in an authentic photo of Republicans giving thumbs up next to a desk where he added his signature. The Senate passed the bill July 1, followed by the House's passage July 3. Days earlier, on June 28, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office had projected the bill would lead to nearly $186 billion in cuts to SNAP over the 10-year period from 2025 to 2034."
Comment: So, Mike Johnson blames Democrats for the loss of SNAP benefits, and says he "deeply regrets" that millions will lose SNAP benefits due to the government shutdown, but he fails to mention that he and his Republican colleagues had already voted to cut $186 billion from the program (CBO projections).
Video: Jeffries holds news conference as prolonged government shutdown threatens SNAP benefits - October 30, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/live/adK45pJUws8
Video: Warner addresses Trump administration excluding Democrats from boat strikes briefing - October 30, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/live/XL5-udUTjG0
Farm-state Republicans finally reach their breaking point
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/30/farm-state-republicans-trump-tariffs-beef-00629274
Comment: "For President Donald Trump, it was a brief musing to reporters on Air Force One about his plans to import beef from Argentina. For dozens of farm-state Republicans who have held their tongues as key Trump policies battered their constituents, it was the final straw."
"GOP lawmakers in cattle-producing states unleashed a flurry of calls over the following days to the White House and the Agriculture Department. A small group of Republican senators, including retiring Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst, cornered USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins in a private meeting less than 48 hours after the Oct. 19 comment."
"This could not go on, they argued."
"So far, the burst of objections has not generated a U-turn from the administration, which is going ahead with a beef import plan that Trump officials argue will both lower steak and hamburger prices for American consumers and bolster relations with a key Trump ally, Argentinian President Javier Milei."
"But it has exposed the limits of GOP lawmakers’ tolerance for policies that have especially tested states heavy on agriculture. Some of the president’s staunchest Hill allies watched for months as Trump’s tariffs devastated farmers. More recently, they begged his deputies to reopen key farm offices during the shutdown. Then came the beef beef, with one GOP senator granted anonymity to speak candidly calling it a 'a betrayal of America First principles'."
Some Senate Republicans join Democrats to rebuke Trump's global tariffs
Comment: "The resolution is the third to repeal tariffs, this time on over 180 countries."
Comment: "The Senate on Thursday rebuked President Donald Trump's global tariffs, narrowly passing a resolution that terminates the national emergency declared by the president to impose levies on more than 180 countries."
"Four Republican senators voted with all Democrats for the measure: Co-sponsor Rand Paul of Kentucky, Susan Collins of Maine; Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska."
"The Senate earlier this week passed similar referendums targeting Trump's tariffs on Canada and Brazil, specifically."
"The measures, however, are unlikely to get taken up by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. Even if the House were to pass the resolutions, they would have to be signed by Trump, who would certainly reject it."
Comment: So in other words, these Senate resolutions have no practical impact to Trump's existing tariffs. When will the Supreme Court rule on Trump's emergency declarations used to unilaterally impose tariffs without authorization from Congress?
Senate vote on nullifying tariffs on Canada demonstrates opposition to Trump’s trade policy
https://apnews.com/article/trump-tariffs-canada-ce0b0368c366ce867412b5485af446a1
Video: Hakeem Jeffries Asked About ICE Restructuring, Potential Swap With CBP Officials - October 29, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBubMKAlnbI
As Trump watches, Georgia Republicans brace for a bruising Senate primary
Comment: Last time Georgia Republicans picked Herschel Walker to run for Senate, based on Trump's endorsement. It would be difficult to pick a worse Senate candidate than Herschel, but one never knows who Trump will pick for them this time.
CNN: Rank-and-file senators engage in ‘shadow negotiation’ in search for shutdown end
https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/29/politics/shutdown-talks-thune-democrats
Pentagon cuts troops in Eastern Europe, prompting rare pushback by GOP lawmakers
Comment: "The Pentagon’s decision to pull out as many as 800 troops deployed in Eastern Europe has prompted a rare, forceful pushback from congressional Republicans who said Wednesday the move sends the 'wrong signal' to Russia at a time the U.S. is trying to force Vladimir Putin to negotiate a ceasefire in Ukraine."
"In a joint statement, the top Republicans on the House and Senate armed services committees said they would not support changes to the military’s posture in Europe without a 'rigorous interagency process,' including coordination with Congress."
14 Republican lawmakers say Argentinian beef imports ‘undermine American cattle producers’ in new letter
Greene says Johnson refused to share health care plans on GOP conference call
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5577071-greene-johnson-health-care-plans-shutdown/
Comment: "Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) called out House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Tuesday for not providing any plans on a Republican alternative to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and tax subsidies set to expire at the end of the year."
Comment: " 'And I demanded to know from Speaker Johnson what the Republican plan for healthcare is to build the off-ramp off Obamacare and the ACA tax credits to make health insurance affordable for Americans,' she added."
" 'Johnson said he’s got ideas and pages of policy ideas and committees of jurisdiction are working on it, but he refused to give one policy proposal to our GOP conference on our own conference call,' the Georgia Republican continued. 'Apparently I have to go into a SCIF to find out the Republican healthcare plan!!!' "
Comment: Do you think maybe the reason that Johnson hasn't shown the healthcare plan is because it doesn't exist? Republicans have been touting an alternative to the ACA (Obamacare) for more than a decade, but they have never shown the alternative to anyone. Do you think they have a real plan this time, or are they just bluffing once again?
The Daily Beast: MAGA Stars Turn on Johnson in Heated Strategy Call
https://www.thedailybeast.com/maga-stars-turn-on-johnson-in-heated-strategy-call/
Comment: "Republicans butted heads on a conference call Tuesday over Johnson’s shutdown strategy."
Comment "The list of Republicans frustrated with House Speaker Mike Johnson’s strategy of ensuring congress doesn’t do anything while the government is shutdown is growing."
Fresh Republican shutdown divisions erupt in private call
https://www.axios.com/2025/10/28/mike-johnson-republicans-government-shutdown
Comment: "Republican dissent over House Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-La.) shutdown strategy spilled out on a private GOP call this afternoon, with Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) adding himself to the growing list of lawmakers questioning whether they should still be home in their districts."
Comment: "Republicans have been largely unified around their strategy of keeping the House out of season and refusing to negotiate with Democrats. But the cracks are growing."
Comment: "It's not just the members who spoke up on the call who are questioning their party's refusal to even come to the negotiating table with Democrats."
Comment: "Several Republicans stressed to Axios that while more members are expressing doubts about Johnson's approach, the skeptical view remains a relatively marginal one."
Comment: "The House is on track to work one of its lightest non-election years in decades, and has effectively removed itself from the conversation around reopening the government."
"Johnson has maintained that the House 'has done its job' already by passing a clean stopgap government funding measure, and said he'll only move to bring lawmakers back once the Senate passes the continuing resolution."
Comment: "A few members' objections likely won't prompt Johnson to change course."
Video: Graham on U.S. potentially expanding Venezuela operations, says “it’s time for Maduro to go" - October 28, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdpLr5LICg8
Trump counts on public support for drug boat strikes without congressional approval
Comment: "The White House is escalating its strikes on alleged drug boats, counting on the issue to be such a winner with American voters that the operations won’t need a congressional stamp of approval, despite howls from Democrats and at least one Republican senator."
Comment: "And last week during a roundtable on law enforcement, Trump laid down a rhetorical marker that could allow Republican lawmakers to line up behind his moves instead of supporting a vote on the use of war powers to interdict what he says are dangerous drug smugglers."
Comment: "Democrats have called for the administration to provide information on the boat strikes and suggested that Congress needs to approve them as required by the War Powers Act, which limits a president’s ability to use the armed forces abroad without approval from Congress."
Comment: "One of the few Republicans pushing back on the military operation is Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), a libertarian who often questions Trump’s war powers. Paul described the strikes in the Caribbean Sea as 'extrajudicial killings' in an appearance on Fox News Sunday."
" 'A briefing is not enough to overcome the Constitution. The Constitution says that when you go to war, Congress has to vote on it,' Paul said, adding, 'to be clear, we’ve got no information. I’ve been invited to no briefing.' "
"For the most part, Republicans on Capitol Hill have endorsed the most unusual moves Trump has made – even if critics see them as invalidating the role Congress plays in American democracy."
Comment: Just another case of Republicans in Congress shirking their responsibilities and rubberstamping anything that Trump wants to do.
Senate Republicans say they'll oppose Trump's Kuwait ambassador pick - Live Updates - POLITICO
https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/10/28/congress/another-doomed-trump-nominee-00625374
Comment: "At least three Republicans on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will oppose President Donald Trump’s pick for ambassador to Kuwait, Amer Ghalib, likely derailing his confirmation for the position."
"It would be the second time this month that a Trump nominee has been tanked by members of the president’s own party over concerns about a history of allegedly antisemitic remarks."
"Ghalib, the mayor of Hamtramck, Mich., made headlines in 2024 for endorsing Trump in his capacity as the mayor of the only U.S. city run entirely by Muslims. He was excoriated by Republicans as well as Democrats during his confirmation hearing last Thursday, where he had to answer for past comments suggesting Israel deserved to be attacked by Hamas and for allegedly complimenting members of the Muslim Brotherhood and the late dictator of Iraq, Saddam Hussein."
Comment: Trump can surely pick'em!
Senate rejects Trump tariffs on Brazil
https://www.axios.com/2025/10/28/trump-tariffs-brazil-senate-vote-republicans
5 GOP senators vote to pass resolution terminating Trump’s Brazil tariffs
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5577914-five-gop-senators-terminating-trump-brazil-tariffs/
Comment: "Five Senate Republicans voted with Democrats on Tuesday night to pass a resolution terminating President Trump’s emergency authority to impose steep tariffs on Brazil, one of the biggest exporters of coffee to the United States."
"The Senate voted 52 to 48 to pass the resolution sponsored by Sens. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) to terminate Trump’s 50 percent tariffs on Brazilian imports, such as coffee, oil and orange juice."
"Republican Sens. Mitch McConnell (Ky.), Thom Tillis (N.C.), Susan Collins (Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) voted with Paul and 47 members of the Democratic caucus to pass the resolution."
"Paul, speaking on the Senate floor, called the tariff a tax on U.S. consumers."
"The Kentucky Republican argued that the Constitution requires that 'taxes must originate in the House' of Representatives."
" 'Yet, these taxes are originating with the White House,' he said."
Video: 'Enough Is Enough': Time Kaine Demands End To Trump's National Emergency Used To Implement Tariffs - October 28, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=664FvHh5_yc
Video: 42 million Americans could lose food stamps in government shutdown - October 28, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeMpQW39H-A
Comment: Video discusses the Republican's failure to use the SNAP contingency fund.
Johnson backs Trump’s plans not to tap contingency dollars for food aid ahead of funding cliff
Comment: In the words of Marie Antoinette during the French Revolution, "Let them eat cake."
Vance to meet with Senate Republicans on Tuesday on tariffs
https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/10/27/congress/vance-senate-republicans-00624041
Comment: "Vice President JD Vance will meet with Senate Republicans during their weekly lunch Tuesday before key tariff votes this week, a person familiar with the situation and granted anonymity to share the plans told POLITICO."
"The Senate is expected to vote this week on terminating three of the national emergencies President Donald Trump declared in order to impose tariffs: one to block the 50 percent tariffs on Brazilian goods, one to block the 35 percent tariffs on Canadian goods and one to block the 10 to 50 percent tariffs Trump imposed on nearly every country in the world."
Comment: "The tariff votes mark the latest opportunity for Senate Republicans to push back against the Trump administration’s far-reaching trade policy, after months of building tension in the party over how the duties are hurting farmers and small businesses. Senate Republicans already challenged U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer during a private lunch this month, urging him to focus on securing more export markets as China has stopped its purchases of several crops."
"The most recent Senate vote on Trump’s tariffs was only narrowly defeated — and likely would have passed if it weren’t for the absences of Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.). The Senate already voted against the tariffs on Canadian goods in April. But even if the tariff votes clear the Senate, they’ll get buried in the House, where Republican leaders have worked the legislative rules to prevent a vote until March."
Comment: It sounds like a few Senate Republicans are starting to exercise their constitutional authority regarding the levying or tariffs and are pushing back against Trump's usurping of this authority by declaring bogus "national emergencies." However, it appears that the House of Representatives, under Speaker Mike Johnson, refuses to act to limit the Trump administration's tariff powers.
Republicans Are Starting To Speak Out Against Trump’s Boat Bombing Campaign
https://time.com/7328672/trump-cartel-bombing-venezuela-republicans/
Republican senator calls Trump’s military airstrikes ‘extrajudicial killings’
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/27/rand-paul-trump-military-airstrikes-venezuela
Comment: "Rand Paul’s comments come days after president claimed US lawmakers wouldn’t take issue with Venezuelan strikes"
House Republicans urge caution as HUD proceeds with homeless housing program cuts
Comment: "Congressional Republicans are pushing the Trump administration to renew grants for a program the White House has targeted for dramatic cuts that helps provide permanent housing to people experiencing homelessness, according to a draft letter obtained by POLITICO."
"The lawmakers warn that the substantive changes to the Department of Housing and Urban Development program 'should be implemented carefully to avoid destabilizing programs that serve individuals with severe disabilities related to mental illness, chronic health conditions, or substance use disorders, as well as seniors with disabilities.' "
Comment: But will the Trump administration listen?
Video: Sen. Blumenthal demands answers from White House Ballroom donors - October 27, 2025
https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/27/politics/video/src-sen-blumenthal-wh-ballroom-donors
Senators Propose Sweeping Changes to Generic Drug Oversight
https://www.propublica.org/article/lawmakers-propose-changes-drug-oversight-fda
Comment: "Lawmakers at the helm of the Senate Special Committee on Aging have proposed a sweeping series of changes that could transform the way the government safeguards the quality of essential generic drugs."
"Citing a recent ProPublica investigation, the senators said the Food and Drug Administration should alert hospitals and other group purchasers when foreign drugmakers with serious safety and quality failures are given a special pass to send their products to the United States."
"Since 2013, ProPublica found, the FDA quietly allowed more than 20 troubled overseas factories, mostly in India, to continue to send certain medications here even after those facilities were banned because of concerns about contamination and other breaches. The agency didn’t actively track whether the imported drugs were harming users and kept the practice largely hidden from the public and Congress."
D.C.-area Dems scoff at federal workers union's call to end shutdown
https://www.axios.com/2025/10/27/afge-shutdown-democrats-dc-federal-workers-union
Comment: "A call from the largest federal workers union in the country for Democrats to pass a GOP bill reopening the government on Monday was met with uncharacteristic yawns from Washington, D.C.-area Democrats."
Comment: "Such a statement from a powerful union would, in normal times, have a profound impact on Democrats. These are not normal times."
"Democrats are dug in, emboldened by rebounding support from their voters and determined to walk away from the shutdown with something to show for their intransigence."
Comment: "Democrats have also said throughout the shutdown that furloughs and RIFs aren't effective pressure points as in past shutdowns because the administration has been laying off huge swaths of the federal workforce for months."
Speaker Johnson says GOP working on Republican health care plan amid shutdown
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5574845-speaker-johnson-gop-health-care-plan-shutdown/
Comment: How many years has the GOP told this story?
Comment: "Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Monday said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) is working with the chairs of three House committees to compile a Republican health care plan as the government shutdown nears the one-month mark and Democrats demand action on expiring ObamaCare subsidies."
" 'Republicans have been working on a fix for health care, we’ve been doing this for years,' Johnson said in a press conference on Monday when asked about the coming 'health care cliff'."
Comment: Yet despite this years of work [sarcasm added] Republicans have never shared their progress with the public nor have they introduced anything in Congress for debate and negotiation!
Comment: How stupid does Mike Johnson think we are? I guess he figures that one can fool some of the people (the MAGA faithful) all of the time.
Comment: With statements like this, the GOP has lost whatever credibility they had left.
ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos: Republicans grapple with voter frustration over rising health care premiums
Comment: "Notices of rising health insurance premiums are landing in voters’ mailboxes and sending some to town halls to vent their frustration"
Largest federal workers union calls for an end to the shutdown, putting pressure on Democrats
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/afge-largest-federal-workers-union-end-shutdown-rcna239767
Legality of US military activity around Venezuela is 'questionable,' Sen. Mark Kelly says
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/questionable-kelly-us-military-activity-venezuela/story?id=126874269
Comment: "Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly said Sunday that the legality of the Trump administration sending an aircraft carrier battle group to waters around Central and South America is 'questionable'. The move comes as the U.S. military carried out its 10th strike on an alleged Venezuelan drug boat, all of them in international waters."
Comment: " 'You don't move a battlegroup all the way from where it was to the Caribbean. Unless you're planning on either to intimidate the country, which is rather intimidating, or you're going to start conducting combat operations in Venezuela. And this doesn't make the United States more safe. This makes us less safe. I mean, starting a war against Venezuela over what is a law enforcement action does not make any sense,' Kelly said."
Lindsey Graham says lawmakers to be briefed on potential Venezuela land attack
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5574094-trump-military-action-latin-america/
Comment: "Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham (R) said Sunday that President Trump told him that he plans to brief members of Congress on possible military action in Latin America, including potentially shifting attacks targeting Venezuela from the sea to land."
"Graham, speaking to Margaret Brennan on CBS News’s 'Face the Nation,' said land strikes are 'a real possibility' and that the president will brief lawmakers on the possible operations in the region when he returns from Asia later this week."
" 'There will be a congressional briefing about a potential expanding from the sea to the land. I support that idea, but I think [Trump] has all the authority he needs,' Graham added."
Comment: Unless Trump's briefing contains compelling evidence of an emergency threat and/or other important evidence justifying immediate military action, one might assume that many lawmakers will point to the U.S. Constitution and it's requirement that only Congress can declare war.
Video: Raskin: There has ‘never been a more humiliating subjection of the Speaker of the House’ - October 26, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkopapNfTjw
'King-like powers': Chris Murphy says Trump prefers the government to remain closed
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/26/murphy-kelly-democrats-shutdown-republicans-00623416
Comment: "Democrats are accusing President Donald Trump and GOP congressional leadership of refusing to negotiate as the country heads into week four of a government shutdown, with one senator saying Trump prefers the government to be closed."
"In an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper on Sunday’s 'State of the Union,' Sen. Chris Murphy said the shutdown is giving Trump and his allies the ability to decide which departments are able to work."
" 'I think one of the reasons that President Trump is refusing to negotiate is because he likes the fact that the government is closed because he thinks he can exercise king like-powers,' the Connecticut senator said."
" 'He can open up the parts of the government that he wants. He can pay the employees who are loyal to him. ... This is part of what happens in totalitarian states.' "
Comment "But in an interview with ABC’s Martha Raddatz on 'This Week,' Sen. Mark Kelly claimed Trump has spent only one hour negotiating with Democratic leadership since the shutdown began."
" 'If we could have a real negotiation about this and with the president, the president has spent one hour on this,' the Arizona senator said. 'How much time has he spent talking about his ballroom?' "
Redistricting push hits roadblocks in Indiana and Kansas as some lawmakers resist
Comment: "For most of President Donald Trump's second term, Republicans have bent to his will. But in two Midwestern states, Trump's plan to maintain control of the U.S. House in next year’s election by having Republicans redraw congressional districts has hit a roadblock."
"Despite weeks of campaigning by the White House, Republicans in Indiana and Kansas say their party doesn't have enough votes to pass new, more GOP-friendly maps. It's made the two states outliers in the rush to redistrict — places where Republican-majority legislatures are unwilling or unable to heed Trump's call and help preserve the party’s control on Capitol Hill."
Comment: Republican state legislators have to worry about their own races. Do you think they realize that many of their constituents may consider mid-census gerrymandering a form of cheating and don't want to be associated with the practice for fear that voters will react negatively?
Debt problems that dogged Sen. Jim Justice as West Virginia's governor continue to nip at his heels
https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/west-virginia-debt-problems-jim-justice-us-senate/
Charleston Gazette-Mail: Justice private jet travel ties persist amid $1.3M in new WV tax liens, auction limbo
Former billionaire turned governor turned senator tries to explain web of coal companies and net worth of ‘less than zero’
Comment: "The trail of debts — and claims made trying to collect them — that dogged Jim Justice well before he became West Virginia’s two-term Republican governor has ballooned since the former billionaire became a U.S. senator earlier this year."
Comment: "Justice, who owns dozens of businesses that include coal and agricultural operations, had a fortune estimated $1.9 billion last decade by Forbes magazine. Forbes stripped his billionaire title in 2021, when Justice’s worth had dwindled to an estimated $513 million. Earlier this year, Forbes estimated that Justice’s net worth had disintegrated to 'less than zero' due to liabilities that far exceeded assets."
"During a briefing with local media on Thursday, Justice gave a rambling defense of his companies, asserting that they 'are complicated and complex' and that his children 'are doing a magnificent job' running them. He then repeated past assertions that collection efforts against him were politically motivated, before concluding:. 'At the end of the day, I’d say just let it be and see how it all plays out.' "
"In recent weeks, the bandwagon of creditors claiming they’re owed money by Justice or his companies has gotten crowded."
"On Oct. 2, the Internal Revenue Service filed liens totaling more than $8 million against Justice and his wife, Cathy, on unpaid personal taxes that go as far back as 2009. Politico was the first to report on the liens."
"Last month, state tax officials filed $1.4 million in liens against the Justice family’s historic hotel, The Greenbrier, and the resort’s Greenbrier Sporting Club, over unpaid sales taxes."
Comment: The linked article describes other instances indicating that this GOP Senator is financially incompetent and refuses to take any financial responsibility for his debts.
Senators demand Linda McMahon ask DHS to stop immigration enforcement near schools
Comment: "The letter says that “if society can agree that alcohol, tobacco and drugs should be kept at least 1,000 feet away from our schools,” then “violent DHS tools and tactics also belong on that list.”
GOP senator denounces Trump’s pardon of crypto billionaire CZ
Comment: "Republican Sen. Thom Tillis condemned President Donald Trump’s move to pardon cryptcurrency mogul Changpeng Zhao on Thursday, saying it sends 'a bad signal'."
" 'I don’t like it,' the retiring North Carolina Republican told reporters. 'He was convicted. He’s not innocent.' ”
"His comments signal that some GOP lawmakers are uneasy with the move to pardon Zhao, who pleaded guilty in November 2023 to money laundering-related charges. Zhao, often known as CZ, founded the crypto exchange Binance, which federal prosecutors alleged became a hub for illicit finance."
"The pardon could complicate an ongoing effort on Capitol Hill to negotiate a major overhaul of crypto regulations, which requires bipartisan support. Democrats have denounced the pardon as corrupt, pointing to a $2 billion investment that an Abu Dhabi-backed fund made in Binance using a digital token issued by a crypto firm launched by Trump’s sons."
"The top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, said in a statement Thursday that 'if Congress does not stop this kind of corruption in pending market structure legislation, it owns this lawlessness.' "
Comment: "Democrats are pushing for language in the bill that would target the Trump family’s entanglements in the crypto industry, but it is likely to be a non-starter with Republicans."
Video: BREAKING: Former special counsel Jack Smith asks to testify in open hearing - October 23, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PFv2tvJ1GI
Jack Smith asks Congress and the Justice Department to allow him to testify publicly | CNN Politics
https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/23/politics/jack-smith-asks-to-testify-congress
Comment: Let the truth be told, publicly. Jack Smith has nothing to hide.
101 Republicans to defend community finance program from Trump cuts - Live Updates - POLITICO
Comment: It's a small step, but maybe congressional Republicans are starting to think for themselves and not just rubberstamp what the Trump administration demands.
Democratic senator’s anti-Trump floor speech ends after nearly 23 hours
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/22/senator-jeff-merkley-floor-speech-trump
Comment: "Jeff Merkley of Oregon gives address to make case that president is ‘violating the law’ through authoritarianism"
North Carolina lawmakers approve map adding a GOP House seat
https://apnews.com/live/donald-trump-news-updates-10-22-2025
Comment: Corrupt gerrymandering. GOP relies on cheating to try to hold on to the House.
The latest redistricting salvo: North Carolina gerrymanders out House Democrat
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/22/north-carolina-new-house-district-gop-gerrymander-00618225
Comment: "North Carolina Republicans passed a new congressional map Wednesday that will likely give the GOP one more red-leaning seat in next year’s midterms, the latest in a string of White House-backed redistricting efforts."
"The redraw creates the seventh new red-leaning seat nationwide since 2024, following similar efforts in Texas and Missouri. Other states are also facing increased pressure to redraw."
"Even before this redraw, North Carolina had one of the most GOP-friendly gerrymanders in the nation, with the current delegation split between 10 Republicans and four Democrats despite the battleground nature of statewide elections. Davis represents the only true swing district on the map."
Comment: "Still, the map will likely face legal challenges, similar to efforts in Texas and Missouri."
Top Democrat on House oversight panel demands Pam Bondi release Epstein files
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/22/pam-bondi-epstein-files-robert-garcia
Pentagon's plan to limit contact with Congress is 'not going to work,' lawmakers say
Comment: "Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas suggested the Senate may be reluctant to confirm some Pentagon nominees unless the policy is reversed."
Comment: "Senior Republican lawmakers predicted Wednesday that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's new policy restricting communication between Pentagon personnel and Congress will crash and burn."
" 'It is ill-advised, and it's not going to work,' House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole, whose panel provides funding for the Pentagon and the rest of the federal government, said in a telephone interview with NBC News."
"Cole, a Republican whose Oklahoma district includes Tinker Air Force Base and Fort Sill, said he and his staff receive important information from personnel up and down the ranks on a regular basis on a wide range of topics, including the effects of a political stalemate in Washington that has paused certain government operations."
The shutdown is proving to be ‘gang’-proof
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/22/senate-gang-shutdown-negotiations-00618086
Comment: "When Washington first woke up to a government shutdown earlier this month, there was one hope for a quick exit: A bipartisan clutch of rank-and-file senators were at least talking."
"There was reason for optimism. Past groups had evolved into 'gangs' that had figured out some of Capitol Hill’s most intractable disputes."
"But that’s not the trajectory so far. Three weeks into the shutdown, there are no signs that the conversations are anywhere close to generating a solution to what is now the second-longest shutdown in U.S. history."
"It’s a stark shift from early 2018, when a Senate gang helped negotiate a deal to end a short shutdown during President Donald Trump’s first term. They built on that with a series of bipartisan deals — including multiple coronavirus relief bills and an infrastructure agreement under Trump’s successor, Joe Biden."
"But the Senate has changed dramatically since then. Dealmaking senators such as Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.), Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) have retired, hollowing out the corps of lawmakers with any experience crossing the aisle."
"The personnel drain has been exacerbated by the sharp battle lines that have been drawn by party leaders as well as deep frustration with an administration that has taken a sledgehammer to a government funding process that once provided a basic framework for bipartisanship inside the Senate."
Capitol agenda: Ingrassia reveals the GOP’s red line
Comment: "The collapse of Paul Ingrassia’s Office of Special Counsel nomination is exposing an exasperated Senate GOP, where even the MAGA faithful can be pushed only so far by a president demanding total fealty."
"Hours after President Donald Trump hosted Senate Republicans for Rose Garden cheeseburgers to thank them for helping staff his administration, Ingrassia announced Tuesday evening he was withdrawing from his scheduled confirmation hearing Thursday because he didn’t have enough GOP votes. The White House is now planning to file paperwork to nix his nomination, according to a White House official."
"This week GOP senators took relatively provocative steps to signal their dismay with Ingrassia, after POLITICO reported on texts that showed him making racist and antisemitic remarks to fellow Republicans. It followed another POLITICO story earlier this month that reported Ingrassia, the White House liaison to DHS, had been the subject of a DHS internal investigation after a lower-ranking colleague filed, and later withdrew, a harassment complaint. (Ingrassia’s lawyer did not confirm the texts were authentic and denied wrongdoing by Ingrassia at DHS.)"
Senate Foreign Relations to pass three Russia pressure bills
https://www.axios.com/2025/10/21/senate-foreign-relations-russia-sanctions
Comment: "Three bills designed to ramp up pressure on Russia are teed up to pass the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on Wednesday, according to lawmakers and aides."
Comment: "The committee action will coincide with a last-minute visit to Washington by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, who will meet Wednesday with President Trump as well as key lawmakers."
"If passed, the bills will allow a bipartisan group of senators to build momentum for action against Moscow and send a signal that Congress remains prepared to escalate."
Comment: " 'The more we can do up here to push back on Russia, the more anxious we are to do that,' Sen. James Risch (R-Idaho), the chair of the Foreign Relations Committee, told Axios."
" 'Since the White House seems to be unwilling to act, I think it's important for Congress to take some action, and I'm very pleased that for the first time this year, we're going to have bills that will make it harder for Russia to continue to conduct this war,' Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), the committee's ranking member, told Axios."
Comment: "The committee is expected to move three pieces of bipartisan legislation.
"One would label Russia a state sponsor of terrorism over kidnapped Ukrainian children."
"Another would impose economic penalties on China for its support of Russia's war effort."
"A third bill repurposes frozen Russian assets held in the U.S. and then transfers them to Ukraine every 90 days."
Attorneys for former special counsel Jack Smith dispute 'inaccurate' claims he tapped senators' phones
Comment: "Lawyers representing Smith sent a letter to the Senate Judiciary chairman."
Comment: "Attorneys representing former special counsel Jack Smith sent a letter to Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley Tuesday seeking to correct what they call 'inaccurate' claims that Smith wiretapped or spied on Republican lawmakers as part of his investigation into President Trump's efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss."
Comment: "The record showed that during Smith's investigation, his office sought limited phone toll data from eight senators and a member of the House in the days surrounding the Jan. 6 assault on the Capitol."
"While such records would not involve the content of any phone calls or messages, multiple Republicans on the committee incorrectly claimed at the hearing the next day that Smith had 'tapped' their phones or 'spied' on them."
" 'What was going on here? Who ordered this? Who ordered the tapping of the phones of United States Senators?' Republican Sen. Josh Hawley asked Bondi during the hearing."
Comment: "Smith's attorneys, in their letter, stood firmly behind the move to seek the toll records as 'entirely proper, lawful, and consistent with established Department of Justice policy,' and further confirmed that Smith received approval to do so from career officials in the Department's Public Integrity Section."
" 'The subpoena's limited temporal range is consistent with a focused effort to confirm or refute reports by multiple news outlets that during and after the January 6 riots at the Capitol, President Trump and his surrogates attempted to call Senators to urge them to delay certification of the 2020 election results,' Breuer and Koski wrote. 'In fact, by the time Mr. Smith's team conducted the toll records analysis, it had been reported that President Trump and Rudy Giuliani tried calling Senators for such a purpose, with one Senator releasing a voicemail from Mr. Giuliani.' "
"Smith's attorneys also noted that, during Trump's first term, the Justice Department 'purportedly obtained communications records from two Democratic Members of Congress' as part of an investigation into media leaks."
"The letter also criticizes Patel for suggesting in a statement that Smith sought to cover up his office's use of the toll records, claiming he put them 'in a 'lockbox in a vault, and then put that vault in a cyber place where no one can see or search these files.' "
" 'It is not clear what cyber place in a vault in a lockbox Director Patel is describing, but Mr. Smith's use of these records is inconsistent with someone who was trying to conceal them,' the letter said."
" 'Smith's attorneys point to Smith's final report on his probe, released in January of this year, which specifically describes some of the calls made to Republican senators during the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, and contains as a footnote that refers to the use of toll records in Smith's investigation."
" 'Moreover, the precise records at issue were produced in discovery to President Trump's personal lawyers, some of whom now serve in senior positions within the Department of Justice,' Smith's attorneys added in their letter."
Comment: Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee caught in lies as they try to smear an innocent man just doing his job while investigating Donald Trump? Labeling the claims 'inaccurate' was a very charitable way of describing the claims.
Scoop: Democrats press Trump on preventing Israel from annexing West Bank
https://www.axios.com/2025/10/21/trump-gaza-peace-west-bank-annex-democrats-letter
The Hill: Vulnerable Republicans call for ACA enhanced subsidy extension
Republicans aren’t negotiating an Obamacare extension yet. But they’re getting ready.
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/21/obamacare-insurance-extension-shutdown-00616150
Hakeem Jeffries believes public pressure will help Democrats : NPR
Comment: "Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said he believes public pressure will mount on Republicans in the coming days to extend health insurance subsidies that are the heart of the shutdown fight."
"Most of the federal government remains shut down after Senate Republicans and Democrats again failed to pass a spending bill Monday that would reopen the government. Democrats, who have put forward their own spending resolution, remain steadfast that Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies used by more than 20 million people to afford monthly health premiums should be extended."
"With the credits expiring at the end of the year and ACA open enrollment beginning Nov. 1, many buying insurance through their state's marketplace are likely to see their monthly costs soar."
Joint Congressional Investigation Launched in Response to ProPublica’s Revelations on Detained Americans
GOP senator has ‘deep concerns’ over Trump plan to import Argentine beef
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5564985-deb-fischer-trump-argentina-beef-imports/
Trump-backed Gallrein officially launches bid to unseat Massie
https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/10/21/congress/massies-challenger-00616290
Comment: "Kentucky GOP Rep. Thomas Massie has officially drawn a Donald Trump-backed challenger. "
"Ed Gallrein, who preemptively earned the president's endorsement last week, launched his campaign Tuesday to oust the seven-term lawmaker Trump began targeting earlier this year over Massie’s opposition to Republicans’ megalaw."
" 'This district is Trump Country. The President doesn’t need obstacles in Congress — he needs backup,' Gallrein said in a statement. 'I’ll defeat Thomas Massie, stand shoulder to shoulder with President Trump, and deliver the America First results Kentuckians voted for.' "
"Trump hailed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL captain who ran unsuccessfully for state Senate last year, as a 'WINNER WHO WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN' in a Truth Social post last week. He also said Massie 'must be thrown out of office, ASAP.' "
Comment: When Massie beats the Trump backed Gallrein in the GOP primary, maybe the other GOP cowards in Congress will realize that Trump's extortion attempts don't carry as much weight as they feared. Maybe they'll start representing their constituents' interests rather than those of Donald Trump. We can only hope.
Comment: However, if Gallrein does somehow prevail, it will be that much easier for a Democrat to win in November and to turn that congressional district blue.
GOP leaders eye new stopgap spending measure to end shutdown
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5566100-government-shutdown-republican-plans/
Jordan calls for criminal charges against former CIA Director John Brennan
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5566410-brennan-criminal-referral-congress/
Comment: Is this part of the GOP retribution campaign, in response to Brennan's criticism of Trump?
Scoop: Angry Dems ramp up battle with Mike Johnson over Grijalva
https://www.axios.com/2025/10/21/mike-johnson-adelita-grijalva-swear-in-democrats
Arizona attorney general sues U.S. House over seating Grijalva
Arizona sues over Mike Johnson’s refusal to swear in democrats’ newest congresswoman | CNN Politics
https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/21/politics/adelita-grijalva-lawsuit-sworn-in-house
Trump pick to lead watchdog agency withdraws after offensive text messages revealed
https://www.npr.org/2025/10/21/nx-s1-5581714/paul-ingrassia-nomination-withdrawal
Comment: "President Donald Trump's pick to lead a federal watchdog agency withdrew from consideration Tuesday evening, after his offensive text messages were made public and GOP senators revolted."
Comment: "On Monday, however, Politico reported on a text chat that showed him saying the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday should be 'tossed into the seventh circle of hell.' Ingrassia also described himself in the chat as having 'a Nazi streak' at times."
Comment: " 'I will be withdrawing myself from Thursday's HSGAC hearing to lead the Office of Special Counsel because unfortunately I do not have enough Republican votes at this time,' Ingrassia posted in an online message. 'I appreciate the overwhelming support that I have received throughout the process and will continue to serve President Trump and the administration to Make America Great Again!' HSGAC is the Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs."
"Asked for comment on Ingrassia withdrawing his name from consideration, the White House said simply, 'He is no longer the nominee.' But Ingrassia's post came after Senate Majority Leader John Thune had said he hoped the White House would withdraw Ingrassia's nomination and several GOP senators said they would not support him."
Comment: "Republicans have been able to muscle through the vast majority of Trump's nominees in roll call votes despite stiff Democratic opposition. But there have been sporadic instances when Republicans have pushed back, generally behind the scenes, showing there are limits to their support."
Comment: "But Democrats weren't satisfied with Ingrassia's withdrawal, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., calling on the president to fire him from his current position as a White House liaison for the Department of Homeland Security."
Comment: This guy is still working "as a White House liaison for the Department of Homeland Security?" Is he the liaison between Stephen Miller and Kristi Noem? Maybe this guy would be perfect for dealing with those two. He would fit right in.
Thune hopes White House withdraws Ingrassia nomination
https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/10/20/congress/ingrassia-thune-republicans-00616010
Comment: "At least three other Republicans signal they will oppose Ingrassia’s confirmation."
Comment: "Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Monday he hopes the White House withdraws Paul Ingrassia’s Office of Special Counsel nomination, after POLITICO reported on texts that showed him making racist remarks to fellow Republicans."
" 'He’s not gonna pass,' the South Dakota Republican told reporters. Ingrassia is scheduled to testify on his nomination Thursday before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee."
Comment: "POLITICO reported Monday on a text chat that showed Ingrassia saying the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday should be 'tossed into the seventh circle of hell and that he has 'a Nazi streak.' A lawyer for Ingrassia did not confirm the texts were authentic and said they 'could be manipulated or are being provided with material context omitted.' ”
"Earlier this month, POLITICO separately reported that Ingrassia, the White House liaison to the Department of Homeland Security, was investigated for harassment involving a lower-ranking colleague. The colleague filed a complaint against him before retracting it. Ingrassia’s attorney denied the allegations."
Comment: What is this thing about MAGA Republicans and the Nazis? Recently, it seems to be a common theme.
Comment: At least there are a few Republicans in the Senate that will draw the line somewhere.
Video: Jeffries Accuses GOP Of Trying To 'Pick And Choose' Between Workers Eligible For Pay During Shutdown - October 20, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMg7P5Gd8TU
Reuters: US CBO says orphan drug exemption could add $6 billion to cost of Trump's 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Comment: "The U.S. Congressional Budget Office said on Monday that new exemptions to drug price negotiations for several blockbuster cancer medicines under President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act will cost the government up to $6 billion more over the next decade."
Comment: "The act — this year's budget reconciliation bill — delays or exempts drugs from the program if they have multiple rare-disease designations or gain approval for non-orphan uses. Previously, only drugs with a single rare-disease designation were excluded."
Comment: "The Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law in 2022, allowed Medicare to negotiate prices for some of the most costly drugs that the program covers for 66 million people. The CBO had estimated that the drug negotiation provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act would save $98.5 billion over its first 10 years (2022-2031)."
Comment: When exemptions were only for "a single rare-disease designation" the total cost impacts to Medicare were low, and the exemptions could be justified because they would allow drug companies to recoup the cost of their research for drugs that wouldn't be widely prescribed. However, when "blockbuster" cancer medicines that are widely prescribed are exempted, the total costs to Medicare are quite high and pharmaceutical companies can make obscene profits even after they have recouped their research costs.
Top Armed Services Democrat calls for House hearing on strikes against alleged drug boats
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5563738-smith-armed-services-boat-strikes/
Thune: Time to think about House returning to DC to vote on government funding
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5563802-thune-house-dc-government-funding-shutdown/amp/
Comment: "Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said Monday the government shutdown has dragged on for so long that it’s time to start thinking about bringing the GOP-controlled House back to Washington to pass a new stopgap funding bill."
"The House last voted Sept. 19, when it passed H.R. 5371, a 'clean' continuing resolution funding the government until Nov. 21, and sent the bill to the Senate."
Comment: "Thune acknowledged Monday the House may need to come back soon to pass a new government funding stopgap since the Nov. 21 end date of the pending continuing resolution is now a month away."
"Asked by a reporter whether it’s time 'to start thinking about the House coming back and extending' the funding period covered by the continuing resolution, Thune replied affirmatively."
Comment: Maybe when the House finally gets back to work, they can fix the existing bill, rather than just extending the funding period covered by the existing continuing resolution.
Sen. Mark Kelly says government shutdown could wrap up this week if Republicans "sit down and have a negotiation with us"
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mark-kelly-face-the-nation-government-shutdown/
Comment: Even if the Senate could somehow negotiate a settlement, Mike Johnson and the House seems a more difficult problem to address.
Video: 'He is a pedophile protector': Swalwell torches Speaker Johnson for House Epstein files vote delay - October 20, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4svi7vlY28
Speaker Johnson continues to resist swearing in Democratic Rep.-elect Grijalva
Comment: "While the question has followed the speaker throughout the shutdown, Johnson has shrugged off the delay, denying that his decision is related to Grijalva's intent to become the 218 signature on a discharge petition forcing a vote to release the Department of Justice's full Jeffrey Epstein file."
AG Mayes to file lawsuit against House Speaker Mike Johnson after failure to swear in Grijalva
Comment: "It has been several weeks since Grijalva won the election in Arizona's 7th Congressional District, but she still has not been sworn in."
"Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes confirmed on Saturday that her office will be filing a lawsuit against House Speaker Mike Johnson after his failure to swear in Congresswoman-elect Adelita Grijalva."
Comment: " 'We're not messing around,' Mayes told 12News during a news conference. 'The State of Arizona, as of today, is now officially without representation in the House of Representatives. We are one representative down, and that is unacceptable for our state, for 800,000 of our residents to not have a representative.' "
Time Magazine: Trump Administration Accused of ‘Propaganda’ for Shifting Story in Shooting of U.S. Citizen Amid ICE Protests
https://time.com/7326794/ice-protests-chicago-marimar-martinez/
Comment: "The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is facing questions from lawmakers over the shooting of a U.S. citizen by Border Patrol agents in Chicago after a criminal complaint filed against the victim differed from the agency's initial description of events."
"U.S. Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat representing Connecticut, has written to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem asking for her to correct the public record and release all bodycam footage of the incident, claiming that 'the evidence appears to contradict' the official account.
" 'As you know, when the government misrepresents or lies about events involving the safety and wellbeing of federal law enforcement, it erodes public trust, making their jobs much harder,' he said in the letter."
"Murphy accused the DHS and the Trump administration of 'omitting facts in some cases, and in other cases, they are straight up lying in order to support their narrative that these Democratic-led cities and states are war zones.' ”
“ 'This isn't information. It's propaganda,' he said in a video posted to social media."
Comment: "In his letter, Murphy calls on the DHS to investigate potential excessive use of force and to release evidence into their claim that they looked into Martinez prior to the incident."
"He also questions how conservative activist Laura Loomer seemingly received photographs of Martinez’s car, which she posted on social media and claimed that a 'DHS Source' provided her. Loomer perpetuated the now-debunked belief that Martinez drove herself to the hospital following being shot by DHS officers. Murphy calls on Noem to 'describe whether DHS is investigating the leak of alleged criminal evidence to Ms. Loomer'.”
Comment: Please read the linked article for details of Chicago shooting incident that is being referred to.
IRS files tax lien against Jim Justice
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/18/irs-files-tax-lien-against-senator-jim-justice-00614690
Comment: "The IRS recently filed notices of a federal tax lien against Republican Sen. Jim Justice of West Virginia — the latest example of ongoing financial troubles that have trailed the former governor, members of his family and their network of businesses over the years."
"One of the documents from the IRS — obtained by POLITICO — lists Justice and his wife, Cathy, as having a total balance of more than $8 million in unpaid assessments."
Comment: "But according to the IRS website, 'generally the IRS can pursue collection of a tax liability up to 10 years from the date it was assessed. A Notice of Federal Tax Lien may be filed any time within that 10-year period.' ”
"One of the assessments from the IRS is dated Nov. 25, 2015, appearing to put the agency near the end of its 10-year window for taking action."
Comment: "A reliable ally for President Donald Trump, Justice joined the Senate in January by flipping the seat previously held by retiring Sen. Joe Manchin, a long-time Democrat-turned-Independent. The tax periods listed on the latest IRS document are 2009, 2017 and 2022, the first of which was before Justice was governor and all of which were before he announced his Senate bid."
"Justice served as governor for two terms in West Virginia. During that time he faced a steady drip of news reports about the finances of his business empire and his family, which he repeatedly bristled against and repeatedly vowed that things would work out in the end."
Comment: Perhaps Senator Justice's plan for making things "work out in the end" was to wait out the 10 year window for the IRS to collect his tax liability.
Comment: Don't you just love these GOP Senators? [sarcasm added]
Trump Demands Epstein-Obsessed Foe Be Removed From Congress
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trump-demands-epstein-obsessed-nemesis-143856057.html
Comment: "Donald Trump has called on the MAGA base in Kentucky to oust GOP Representative Thomas Massie from his seat in the 2026 midterms."
"“Third Rate Congressman Thomas Massie, a Weak and Pathetic RINO from the Great Commonwealth of Kentucky, a place I love, and won big SIX TIMES, must be thrown out of office, ASAP!” the president raged on Truth Social on Friday night."
"Massie has been a near-constant thorn in the side of the MAGA administration since Trump assumed office for the second time in January. The Kentucky representative has often stood as a lone Republican voice of dissent against the party’s budget proposals, including, crucially, the president’s 'Big Beautiful Bill' act earlier in July."
"More recently, however, Massie has also emerged alongside fellow GOP Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene as vocal House critics of the MAGA administration’s handling of developments in the sex trafficking case of late disgraced financier, Jeffrey Epstein."
Comment: What is this? A GOP congressman willing to do what he thinks is the best way to represent the interest of his constituents, rather than doing Trump's bidding. Trump will have to call out the MAGA faithful and crush him. Otherwise, Trump's campaign of intimidation over the GOP will begin to fall apart.
Republican lawmakers ask for DOJ to investigate Jack Smith
https://thehill.com/homenews/5561372-marsha-blackburn-jack-smith-doj-probe/
Comment: "Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and other GOP lawmakers requested the Department of Justice (DOJ) investigate former special counsel Jack Smith on Friday."
Comment: "She sent a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi — alongside Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham (S.C.),Dan Sullivan (Alaska), Tommy Tuberville (Ala.) and Rep. Mike Kelly (Pa.) — that alleged Smith had taken “concerted steps to spy on duly elected members of Congress.”
Comment: Jack Smith was charged to investigate Donald Trump with respect to his possible role in attempting to illegally overturn the results of the 2020 Presidential election. Jack Smith obtained the toll records (call logs) of certain Senators who planned to challenge to 2020 vote results. While the logs would indicate the date and time of the calls, the content of the calls were not divulged. Most would understand that a thorough investigation would check to see who Trump was contacting in the period leading up to and during the capital riot, and whether he was taking any illegal actions to remain in power.
Comment: "Smith resigned from the DOJ in January after completing his investigations. He had signaled in a court filing last year his intent to resign after Trump won the November general election, citing internal policy preventing the prosecution of a sitting president."
"He defended the federal charges against Trump stemming from his DOJ investigations in an interview in early October, denying it had been politically motivated."
" '“The idea that politics played a role in who worked on that case, or who got chosen, is ludicrous,' he said."
"Smith expressed concern for the 'incalculable' cost of the Trump administration’s persecution of perceived political enemies."
Comment: This is just another act of retribution against a prosecutor who was just doing his job.
Shutdown tensions high after Dems block Defense spending bill
Comment: "The vote is the latest sign of deteriorating bipartisan relations on Capitol Hill as the government shutdown drags into a third week."
"The Senate voted 50-44 against proceeding to the bill after Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) objected to considering the Defense spending bill without also voting on the annual Labor, Health and Human Services appropriations bill. It needed 60 votes to advance."
" 'It’s always been unacceptable to Democrats to do the Defense bill without other bills that have so many things that are important to the American people in terms of health care, in terms of housing, in terms of safety,' Schumer told reporters before the vote."
Thune dangles Obamacare vote after shutdown ends
Comment: "The GOP leader is trying to sway Senate Democrats to reopen the government without making a guarantee whether key insurance subsidies will be extended."
Democratic senators want investigation into Noem's TSA video that blamed Democrats for the shutdown
Comment: "Democratic senators are alleging that the Department of Homeland Security potentially violated the Hatch Act by asking airports across the country to play a video featuring DHS Secretary Kristi Noem blaming Democrats for the impacts of the government shutdown."
" 'This appears to be a flagrant violation of Sec. 715, which states 'No part of any funds appropriated in this or any other act shall be used by an agency of the executive to branch… for the preparation, distribution or use of any… film presentation designed to support or defeat legislation pending before the Congress, except in presentation to the Congress itself,' ' ' Connecticut Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal wrote in the letter to DHS citing a section from the Anti-Lobbying Act."
"The Hatch Act restricts certain political activities by federal employees and by some state, Washington, D.C., and local government workers who are involved or work in federally funded programs. Penalties for violating it include removal from federal employment, suspension without pay, demotion, or blocking a party from federal jobs for up to five years, according to the Office of Special Counsel."
USA Today: SNAP benefits face 'insufficient funds' in November if shutdown continues, USDA warns
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2025/10/15/snap-benefits-government-shutdown/86708230007/
Comment: "In a letter to state agencies dated Oct. 10, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said there will not be enough funding to pay the entirety of November SNAP benefits if the shutdown continues."
" 'If the current lapse in appropriations continues, there will be insufficient funds to pay full November SNAP benefits for approximately 42 million individuals across the Nation,' reads the letter, which was signed by SNAP development director Sasha Gersten-Paal and provided to USA TODAY by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS)."
Politico: Mike Johnson and Hakeem Jeffries will debate on C-SPAN
Comment: "Speaker Mike Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries will jointly debate on C-SPAN, the network announced Wednesday."
Comment: "The debate is set to take place on the 'Ceasefire' program hosted by POLITICO White House Bureau Chief and Chief Playbook Correspondent Dasha Burns."
Comment: "The move comes as the two House leaders trade daily barbs over the government shutdown, with little direct communication between the two. It’s unclear if the debate will happen during the government shutdown; C-SPAN said the date is to be announced."
NPR: A Supreme Court ruling on voting rights could boost Republicans' redistricting efforts
https://www.npr.org/2025/10/15/nx-s1-5567801/supreme-court-louisiana-redistricting-voting-rights-act
Comment: "A major redistricting case returning to the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday could not only determine the fate of the federal Voting Rights Act, but also unlock a path for Republicans to pick up a slew of additional congressional seats."
"If the high court overturns the act's Section 2 — a provision that bans racial discrimination in voting — GOP-controlled states could redraw at least 19 more voting districts for the House of Representatives in favor of Republicans, according to a recent report by the voting rights advocacy groups Black Voters Matter Fund and Fair Fight Action."
"And depending on when the court rules in the case, known as Louisiana v. Callais, some number of the seats could be redistricted prior to next year's midterm election."
"The analysis comes as President Trump continues to lead a GOP push for new maps in Texas, Missouri, North Carolina and other states that could help Republicans preserve their slim House majority after the 2026 election."
"The GOP effort could be bolstered by a Supreme Court ruling that eliminates longstanding Section 2 protections against the dilution of the collective power of racial minority voters."
"Many of the landmark law's supporters fear such an outcome after the conservative-majority court didn't rule last term on the Louisiana case, and instead scheduled a rare second round of oral arguments, which is expected to focus on the constitutionality of Section 2's redistricting requirements."
"A ruling gutting Section 2 could have a cascading effect on congressional maps in mostly Southern states where Republicans either control both legislative chambers and the governor's office or have a veto-proof majority in the legislature — and where voting is racially polarized, with Black voters tending to vote Democratic and white voters tending to vote Republican."
"If mapmakers in those states are no longer required under Section 2 to draw districts where racial minority voters have a realistic opportunity of electing their preferred candidate, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, North Carolina and Texas could end up with fewer Democratic representatives in Congress. Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee could lose all of theirs, the report finds." [Emphasis Added]
4 GOP ideas for an Obamacare subsidies compromise
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/14/republicans-democrats-shutdown-obamacare-subsidies-00606480
Comment: Where were these ideas, during the 8+ months that the GOP controlled the House, the Senate, and the White House? The GOP knew that these ACA subsidies were going to expire, and they should have realized the consequences. They did nothing. It took Democrats to raise the issue, and use whatever limited leverage they had, to get Republicans to START considering the issue. Even now, Mike Johnson and John Thune refuse to negotiate any compromise while there is a government shutdown. Why should Democrats trust the GOP to negotiate later? Democrats have consistently offered to sit down and negotiate a solution that solves both the ACA issue and the government shutdown at the same time. Mike Johnson has sent the House home, and as of October 15th, the House of Representatives is not even in session. Does that sound like the GOP is really serious about the shutdown?
Comment: One last thing, Russell Vought and the Thump administration OMB are in the process of "clawing back" prior congressional appropriations that they don't like. How can congressional Democrats negotiate an agreement with Republicans, if Russell Vought can negate part of the agreement and later "claw back" the negotiated appropriations?
Axios: The small cracks of dissent emerging in Trump's GOP
https://www.axios.com/2025/10/14/trump-domestic-dissent-gop
Comment: The linked article provides specific examples.
AP News: Government shutdown could be the longest ever, Speaker Johnson warns
Comment: "Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson predicted Monday the federal government shutdown may become the longest in history, saying he 'won’t negotiate' with Democrats until they hit pause on their health care demands and reopen."
"Standing alone at the Capitol on the 13th day of the shutdown, the speaker said he was unaware of the details of the thousands of federal workers being fired by the Trump administration. It’s a highly unusual mass layoff widely seen as way to seize on the shutdown to reduce the scope of government of government. Vice President JD Vance has warned of 'painful' cuts ahead, even as employee unions sue."
" 'We’re barreling toward one of the longest shutdowns in American history,' Johnson of Louisiana said."
"The House is out of legislative session, with Johnson refusing to recall lawmakers back to Washington, while the Senate, closed Monday for the federal holiday, will return to work Tuesday. But senators are stuck in a cul-de-sac of failed votes as Democrats refuse to relent on their health care demands."
NOLA.com: John Bel Edwards won't run for U.S. Senate, dashing Louisiana Democrats' hopes
At campaign stop in Fort Worth, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico says he's going up against the establishment in both parties - CBS Texas
NPR: 5 things to know about the health care fight behind the shutdown
https://www.npr.org/2025/10/12/nx-s1-5570849/shutdown-aca-health-care-tax-credits
Comment: "1. The public supports the subsidies"
Comment: "2. The issue is urgent since open enrollment starts soon"
Comment: "3. Premiums are set to shoot up next year "
Comment: "4. Most enrollees live in states that Trump won"
Comment: "5. The subsidies are expensive for the government"
Comment: The linked article discusses each of these 5 topics.
How Affordable Care Act subsidies became a sticking point in the government shutdown
CNN: GOP leaders steadfast in shutdown stance despite rising pressure inside party
https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/11/politics/republicans-military-paychecks-shutdown
Video: CBS News: Mass layoffs begin as government shutdown stretches into second week - October 11, 2025
https://www.cbsnews.com/video/mass-layoffs-begin-as-government-shutdown-stretches-into-second-week/
Federal News Network: Speaker Johnson keeps House lawmakers away, canceling another week’s session as shutdown drags
Politico: Senate votes to repeal Middle East war laws
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/09/senate-repeal-middle-east-war-laws-00601398
Comment: "A bipartisan Senate coalition voted to repeal a pair of decades-old laws that green lit U.S. military action in the Middle East."
"Senators, in an voice vote, adopted an amendment from Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) to the annual National Defense Authorization Act that would scrub the old war power laws passed in the run-up to the 1991 Gulf War and the 2003 invasion of Iraq."
"The vote is a win for war powers advocates, and it moves Congress as close as it’s ever been to rescinding the laws."
"Even opponents — who see value in keep the Iraq War measure on the books — didn’t press for a roll call vote on the measure. One of those opponents, Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) told fellow senators on the floor 'I see how the wind is blowing' on the outcome of a vote."
"A similar repeal was included in the House-passed version of the defense bill. Its inclusion in the competing Senate bill makes it much more likely that a final compromise defense measure will repeal the old war authorizations, though it’s far from a guarantee."
"Advocates in both parties contend older war authorizations need to be excised to prevent abuses of presidential power — despite those wars having long concluded. Democratic lawmakers highlight President Donald Trump’s use of the Iraq War authorization in part to justify a drone strike that killed Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani in Iraq in 2020."
"Those proponents see scrubbing the two Iraq-related war laws as a down payment on a larger overhaul of presidential war powers that have expanded markedly in the post-9/11 era. That would likely include paring back the 2001 authorization for use of military force, passed after the attacks on U.S. soil, that undergird counterterrorism operations across the world. Those reforms have proved far more politically perilous."
Politico: Senate strikes deal to vote on defense bill, breaking impasse
Comment: "The Senate broke a monthlong impasse on its annual defense policy bill and secured a deal that could see the legislation pass as soon as Thursday."
"Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) locked in an agreement on the floor to vote on 17 amendments to the National Defense Authorization Act, a substantial package of less controversial changes and passage of the bill itself 'at a time to be determined' by party leaders."
"The deal salvages passage of the defense bill, a legislative effort senators in both parties were concerned might have been abandoned without a breakthrough this week. Ahead of the deal, Wicker and Majority Leader John Thune had predicted votes could come as early as Thursday if Democrats agreed."
Comment: "The roster that will receive votes includes 17 standalone amendments, plus a manager’s package of nearly 50 less controversial changes from both parties."
"The list includes several Democratic priorities, including votes on National Guard deployments and roles in assisting law enforcement. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also gets a vote on his proposal to block funding for President Donald Trump to retrofit a gifted Qatari jet for use as Air Force One. And Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) will get a vote on his proposal to repeal the 2002 Iraq War authorization."
"The agreement requires a 60-vote majority to adopt any amendments and to pass the overall bill."
Comment: "Leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services panels aim to negotiate a compromise defense bill by Thanksgiving. If a vote didn’t happen this week, many senators expected the chamber to abandon the effort and head straight to negotiations with the House, which passed its own bill in September."
“ 'If we do not bring this to the floor today, this matter will not have time for deliberation on the Senate floor,' Wicker warned on the Senate floor."
AJC.com: Massive ACA price hikes revealed as Georgia Access window shopping opens early
Comment: "Georgia shoppers can now see the price hikes they’ll pay for coverage that starts Jan. 1. The prices for ACA consumers are spiking nationwide partly because Jan. 1 is also the day 'enhanced' ACA subsidies, passed by Congress during the pandemic, are set to expire."
"One forecast previously predicted a 60-year-old couple in Fulton County making $85,000 could see their monthly premium for a silver plan increase from about $602 to $2200 without the enhanced subsidies."
"Now that prices are posted, an Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter looked at the actual Georgia Access offerings for such a couple. The 2026 silver plan premiums to choose from ranged between $2,600 and $4,800 per month. That lowest-premium silver plan offered a deductible of $10,000."
"A couple making a combined $85,000 doesn’t qualify for any federal help under original 2013 ACA subsidy rules that will be in effect if the enhanced subsidies expire."
Comment: Now do you see why Democrats are fighting so hard to see the ACA enhanced subsidies extended? A middle class couple in a state like Alabama, both working, with a combined income of $85,000 having to pay over $30,000 yearly for health insurance (with $10,000 deductible) is insane. Republicans currently control, the U.S. House, Senate, and the presidency, and they have nothing to address this problem. If the GOP doesn't want to extend the ACA subsidies, what is their alternative solution?
How congressional dysfunction paved the road to political violence
https://thehill.com/opinion/congress-blog/5545432-gingrich-congress-polarization-tactics/
Comment: Interesting opinion and perspective.
Video: ACA subsidies set to expire fueling government shutdown - October 8, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XgnLFHvVjuU
Axios: These crucial deadlines could pressure the government to reopen
https://www.axios.com/2025/10/08/government-shutdown-when-will-it-end-date-deadline
Yahoo: House Speaker Mike Johnson Calls Bad Bunny Super Bowl Slot a ‘Terrible Decision,’ Offers 82-Year-Old 1980s Country Star As Better Option
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/music/articles/house-speaker-mike-johnson-calls-144843891.html
Comment: A lot of us are out of touch when it comes to current entertainers and entertainment trends. However, most of us have sense enough to keep silent regarding topics we know nothing about. I wish Mike Johnson's ignorance was limited only to entertainment.
"The House is done": Johnson rules out stand-alone vote on paying troops during shutdown
https://www.axios.com/2025/10/08/speaker-mike-johnson-military-government-shutdown-kiggans
Axios: Scoop: Senate Republicans eye piecemeal government reopening
https://www.axios.com/2025/10/08/shutdown-senate-republicans-military-pay
Thune: Trump's threats to withhold back pay for government workers is a 'non-issue'
Comment: "Senate Majority Leader John Thune told ABC News on Wednesday that the thousands of furloughed federal workers will get back pay when the government shutdown ends."
"However, he would not say whether he has discussed this with President Donald Trump, who has threatened to deny the retroactive pay to some workers despite the federal law."
"Thune told ABC News' Linsey Davis that he believes the workers who have been affected by the shutdown will get their back pay."
" 'I believe they will, I think that's the assumption I operate under, and I think that's what the law stipulates,' Thune said."
"The Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019 mandates that federal workers be paid after federal funding is restored."
Video: CNN: Tempers flare between Democratic senators and Speaker Johnson over Grijalva’s swearing in and shutdown strategy - October 8, 2025
https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/08/politics/johnson-democrats-grijalva-shutdown-confrontation
CNN: Speaker Johnson said he’d swear in new House Democrat ‘as soon as she wants.’ Now Republicans are backtracking
https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/07/politics/johnson-adelita-grijalva-swearing-in
Comment: When she is sworn in, a petition signature by representative Adelita Grijalva would be the final signature necessary to force a House vote compelling release of the Epstein files. Many feel that is the reason that Speaker Mike Johnson is delaying swearing Grijalva in.
Congress erupts over Trump's shutdown back-pay threat
https://www.axios.com/2025/10/07/trump-backpay-shutdown-furlough-federal-congress
Comment: "Members of Congress in both parties bristled Tuesday at a White House memo arguing that federal workers who have been furloughed as part of the government shutdown are not necessarily entitled to back pay."
"The threat has had little apparent impact with its intended target — congressional Democrats — who expressed confidence that President Trump would ultimately lose any legal fight to deny shutdown pay."
" 'The law is simply not on the side of Trump's threats to withhold pay from federal employees that he somehow disfavors,' Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) told Axios in a phone interview."
Video: Speaker Johnson on Back-Pay for Furloughed Federal Workers - October 7, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuyTP8kaiz8
Comment: Just another threat and intimidation from a political party that doesn't know how to do anything else. The GOP thinks nothing of using federal workers as pawns in their high stakes game.
Comment: Mike Johnson doesn't want to negotiate, unless the Democrats have already given in to the GOP's demands. Based on past experience, Democrats know that if they give up, they will have no leverage at all in future negotiations.
Comment: With the current Trump administration's policy on rescissions, funding negotiations have questionable meaning anyway. The Trump administration will simply refuse to spend any already congressionally appropriated money, if they don't like what it has been appropriated for. This rescission practice is thought by many to be illegal.
Video: Booker to MSNBC: Bondi attacking Senators is ‘Not the way it should be done’- October 7, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOrckan0448
Video: WATCH: Sen. Durbin makes opening statement in hearing with Attorney General Pam Bondi - October 7, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOWv4nGBnR8
Video: Sen. Whitehouse and AG Pam Bondi Clash Over Alleged Money Paid To Tom Homan at Senate Hearing | N18G - October 7, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJh0rBBtsB8
Comment: Why wasn't Pam Bondi charged with Contempt of Congress? When she refused to answer questions, why wasn't the Sergeant of Arms called to have her placed into custody?
Five takeaways from Pam Bondi's tense, partisan Senate testimony - BBC News
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c75qpl70xvzo
Axios: Scoop: Mills poised to jump into Maine Senate race
https://www.axios.com/2025/10/07/maine-janet-mills-poised-senate-race-announcement
Comment: "Maine Gov. Janet Mills is preparing as soon as next week to announce her campaign for the U.S. Senate, multiple sources told Axios — potentially in the middle of a government shutdown with no end in sight."
"An announcement from Mills, a two-term popular governor, would mark another recruiting victory for Democratic leaders. But it also would set off another complicated Democratic primary pitting the party's establishment and progressive wings against each other."
Comment: Maine is an opportunity to pick up a Democratic Senate seat against current GOP Senator, Susan Collins.
Trump's off-script comments cause shutdown headaches for GOP
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/07/shutdown-republicans-disarray-00597018
Comment: "President Donald Trump, Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune are straining to project a united front against Democrats."
Comment: Is it hard to keep the lies straight?
Axios: Trump faces more shutdown blame, but Americans remain divided: poll
https://www.axios.com/2025/10/05/trump-government-shutdown-blame-poll
Comment: "More Americans disapprove of how Republicans and President Trump are handling the government shutdown than disapprove of congressional Democrats — but no one appears to be sailing smoothly in a new poll released Sunday."
"The government shutdown has prompted an avalanche of finger pointing and social media trolling. Americans appear divided on who should shoulder the blame, though several recent polls have showed more think the onus is on the GOP."
ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos: Booker says shutdown standoff is a 'tsunami of Donald Trump's creation'
Reuters: Centrist Republicans warn against Trump's partisan shutdown strategy
Top Oversight Dem calls for investigation over White House shutdown messaging - Live Updates - POLITICO
Comment: "Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, is urging acting Special Counsel Jamieson Greer to investigate the White House for its messaging on the government shutdown, which he argues is in violation of federal law."
"In a letter to Greer on Thursday, Garcia wrote that the messaging appears to contravene the Hatch Act, which bars federal employees from engaging in political activity."
Politico: Thune warns Democrats about Russ Vought : ‘We don’t control what he’s going to do’
https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/10/02/congress/john-thune-russ-vought-warning-00591596
Comment: "Senate Majority Leader John Thune isn’t endorsing the slash-and-burn campaign White House budget director Russ Vought has planned for the federal government during the pending shutdown."
Comment: " 'This is the risk of shutting down the government and handing the keys to Russ Vought,' the Senate majority leader said in an exclusive interview Wednesday in the Capitol, adding that 'there should have been an expectation' among Democrats that Vought’s Office of Management and Budget could broadly target government workers and programs in a shutdown."
"Thune spoke on the same day that several Republicans aired discomfort with Vought’s moves after the shutdown went into effect. Rep. Mike Lawler of New York spoke out against his decision to hold up major transportation projects in his state, while Reps. Blake Moore of Utah and Brian Babin of Texas spoke up on a private House GOP call with Vought raising qualms about potential mass layoffs."
"Vought’s actions also risk being a distraction for Republicans, who have sought to stick to a simple message putting the onus on Democrats to reopen the government. Pressed on whether Vought was muddying the waters, Thune said, “The only thing I would say about that is yes, and we don’t control what he’s going to do.”
Comment: Thune's position is ridiculous. The Democrats aren't responsible for the havoc Vought plans. GOP Senators had the option of rejecting Vought's nomination, but unlike the Democrats, they rubberstamped his appointment during his Senate confirmation vote. Now they have the audacity to claim they can't control him. Well, they certainly had the chance to do so earlier.
ABC News - Breaking News, Latest News and Videos: Poll finds more Americans blame Trump, GOP for shutdown than Democrats
Mike Johnson: Republicans ‘have nothing to negotiate’ on shutdown
Comment: "Speaker Mike Johnson moved to shut down any attempts to negotiate a way out of the shutdown Thursday as some senators look for off-ramps."
"Johnson said in a news conference outside his Capitol office that Democrats should stop pressing Republicans to come to any agreement to reopen the government, saying Senate Democrats instead need to pass the seven-week stopgap bill that had already cleared the House."
" 'I quite literally have nothing to negotiate,' Johnson said, before again warning that the shutdown will 'inflict pain' on Americans as it drags on."
"Still, Johnson is balancing concerns from some Republicans wary of President Donald Trump’s plans to slash federal workers and certain program funding amid the shutdown. Two House Republicans raised concerns directly with Vought on a private call Wednesday afternoon."
'Punch our customers in the face.' Farm concerns about Trump tariffs could fuel 2026 races
Comment: "Tariffs could become a campaign issue in several states that are highly dependent on trade with open or competitive Senate seats such as Iowa, Michigan and North Carolina."
Comment: "Soybeans were the country's largest agricultural export last year, worth more than $24 billion. Half the crop went to China. But Ragland told USA TODAY that China hasn't bought any of this year’s U.S. crop after their retaliatory taxes to Trump's tariffs drove the price too high."
Comment: "Trump and congressional leaders have acknowledged tariffs are hurting farmers, and they've offered to cut a slice off the billions the taxes are generating to pay farmers."
"Even before the full tariffs went into effect in August, the U.S. Agriculture Department projected the country will import nearly $50 billion more farm products this year than it exports."
Cruz posts video of Democrats wearing sombreros, cartoon mustaches
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5534584-ted-cruz-trump-inspired-ai-video-democrats-shutdown/
Comment: Taking his cue from President Trump, Senator Cruz's juvenile action disgraces the office of Senator of the United States. Wonder if those workers furloughed during the government shutdown find Cruz funny? How about those workers fearing being fired by Russell Vought?
GOP misleads with claim Democrats shut down government to give 'illegal immigrants' health care
Comment: "U.S. law prohibits federal health care benefits for undocumented immigrants. Democrats want to return benefits for those with lawful presence, like DACA recipients and asylum-seekers."
Comment: "With the government shut down, Republicans are centering their message on a simple argument: 'Democrats are grinding America to a halt in order to give illegal immigrants free health care.' "
"That message, from a new ad from the National Republican Congressional Committee, has been echoed by GOP lawmakers and the Trump administration in recent days."
"Vice President JD Vance claimed on Fox News that the GOP's 'big beautiful bill' turned off health funding for 'illegal aliens'."
" 'Democrats want to turn it back on,' he said. 'It’s not something that we made up. It’s not a talking point. It is in the text of the bill that they initially gave to us to reopen the government.' "
"U.S. law already prohibits unauthorized immigrants from gaining any federally subsidized health care coverage — through Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, the Children’s Health Insurance Program or otherwise. A 1996 statute established that."
"House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said Republicans are “lying” about the Democratic bill out of weakness."
Comment: "The Republican claim is highly misleading."
"The Democratic bill would not change existing law barring people who are in the U.S. illegally from getting federal health care coverage."
"The dispute centers around immigrants whom the federal government has decreed as 'lawfully present,' but who haven't formally been given legal status that is enforceable in court."
"There are an estimated 1.4 million people considered 'lawfully present' in the United States — including Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program beneficiaries, who came to the U.S. illegally as children; people who have Temporary Protected Status; and refugees and people seeking asylum who are still going through the legal process. Republicans are seeking to prohibit Medicaid or ACA eligibility for those groups."
"They are not 'undocumented' or 'illegal' immigrants. The government knows who they are, and many are going through the process of seeking official legal status or green cards. Among other things, they are not unlawful border-crossers who have been flagged for deportation."
"The GOP law prohibited those 'lawfully present' immigrants from accessing federal health care programs. The Democratic bill would restore that access — but not for undocumented people who lack protected status — while also restoring the $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts, a core goal for Democrats."
Comment: "Lawfully present" migrant were eligible for Medicaid and the ACA before Trump's so called Big Beautiful Bill took that eligibility away. Democrats are just trying to restore this eligibility, along with extending ACA tax credits for everyone. The Democrats have not proposed giving illegal immigrants health care. This is a GOP lie.
Video: Steve Rattner: GOP doesn't talk about repealing Obamacare, but that is what they are doing - October, 1, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_B5HzqtpXXs
Comment: Video also talks about GOP lies and misleading statements regarding undocumented immigrant care.
Video: Hakeem Jeffries pins blame for government shutdown on Republicans - October, 1, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJcLIXi1BG0
A small think tank's crusade against Obamacare is making some Republicans nervous
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/30/obamacare-aca-subsidies-extension-trump-00589336?cid=apn
Comment: "One small think tank is driving health policy within the GOP. It has also created friction on Capitol Hill and in the White House as Republicans clash over the future of Obamacare."
"Paragon Health Institute was established in 2021 and has only 11 full-time staffers, but founder Brian Blase is credited with formulating many of the proposals that became the basis for nearly $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts enacted as part of the GOP megabill. The group’s success is thanks in large part to its vast alumni network spread out across the highest levels of government, from the speaker’s office to the Trump administration."
"Now Blase is looking to exert his clout again, mounting a fierce campaign to convince lawmakers to let enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits expire at the end of the year. Democrats have made an extension of the boosted Obamacare subsidies, first approved by Congress in 2021, as their centerpiece demand in the current government funding fight. Republicans need to figure out if they’re willing to deal — and Paragon doesn’t want them to bend at all."
Comment: "But Paragon is making a key segment of congressional Republicans uncomfortable, according to interviews with a dozen House GOP lawmakers, senior aides, White House officials and people close to the administration, many of whom were granted anonymity to provide their candid views or describe private conversations."
"Though conservatives are largely complimentary of the think tank, a swath of House Republicans, including some of the conference’s most vulnerable incumbents, privately say Paragon is dead-set on notching conservative policy wins irrespective of the damage they might do to the GOP’s fragile majority in the midterms."
" 'Kind of feels like they’re giving Brian Blase the keys to the castle,' said an aide to a moderate House Republican of the access given to Paragon on Capitol Hill."
"As a government shutdown begins with few off-ramps in sight, Republicans soon will have to make a choice about how closely to heed Paragon’s advice. They have already been working to overcome negative messaging around the drastic Medicaid cuts in their sprawling tax and spending package from over the summer. Now, they’re confronting warnings from pollsters, advisers and vulnerable incumbents that allowing the ACA subsidies to expire at the end of the year will cause out-of-pocket insurance premiums to skyrocket and kick millions of people off their health coverage."
Fact Check: Trump falsely claims Democrats want to give free health care to "illegal aliens" in government shutdown battle
https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/30/politics/fact-check-trump-free-health-care-immigration
Republicans refuse to swear in newly elected Democrat, delaying success of Epstein petition
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5529055-republicans-grijalva-swearing-in-house/
Comment: "Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and House Republican leaders refused requests from Democrats to swear in Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.) on Tuesday, saying she will be sworn in when the House returns to regular session.
"The move deprives a petition of the last signature it needs to force a vote on a bill to release files related to Jeffrey Epstein, a push that Republican leaders and President Trump oppose."
Video: ‘Political malpractice’: Fmr. Dem Rep. criticizes GOP for not being in D.C. before shutdown - September 30, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vD6_gWt-FPM
Video: Sen. Schumer, D-N.Y., reacts to Trump's AI-generated post after shutdown meeting - September 30, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrS3wta6CmQ
Republicans decry White House moves to defund oversight activities
Comment: "Top Senate Republicans are calling on the White House to reverse course in its plans to withhold funding for the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency — a key government entity charged with overseeing watchdogs across the executive branch."
"In a letter Monday to Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought, Appropriations Chair Susan Collins of Maine and Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley of Iowa said they were 'urgently request[ing] an explanation' of a decision they said would 'disrupt numerous important oversight functions'.”
"The lawmakers also cautioned that “effectively defunding” the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency was 'contrary to congressional intent.' Collins has for months been pushing back against the Trump administration’s clawback of congressionally-approved dollars, while Grassley for decades has been a champion of federal whistleblower protections."
"A spokesperson for OMB didn’t indicate Vought had plans to change his mind on the matter anytime soon."
Comment: "The Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency alerted congressional leaders over the weekend that it had been informed by OMB that its funding would be withheld in the new fiscal year, which begins Wednesday. This decision would force the Council to halt its statutorily mandated functions and furlough 25 employees on Oct. 1, even though cash remains in an ongoing account for running the independent office."
"The move is part of a broad effort by the Trump administration to pare back power from historically independent inspectors general, after Trump fired more than a dozen of those officials in just the first week of his second term. Some of those officials have sued to reclaim their jobs, arguing Trump did not have authority to unilaterally terminate their employment without proper notification to Congress."
Comment: Is this the Trump administration's attempt "to defund the police" when it comes to the issue of government corruption and waste? Even congressional Republicans are against this, but Russell Vought and the Trump administration apparently don't care.
CBS News: Senate Democrats press DOJ to end taxpayer reimbursements of Jan. 6 rioters
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/senate-democrats-trump-jan-6-riot-reimbursements/
Comment: Initially federal courts ordered those convicted in the January 6th riot to help pay for the damage they did. However, after Trump pardoned the rioters, the rioters are demanding their money back. Senate Democrats are attempting to get Bondi's DOJ to fight efforts by the rioters to receive any reimbursement of the money they submitted to cover damage they created.
Comment: "In a letter dated Monday and obtained by CBS News, the top Democrats on the Senate Rules and Senate Judiciary committees asked the Justice Department to oppose efforts to seek repayments by those convicted in the Jan. 6, 2021, riots."
" 'These criminals are apparently demanding taxpayer compensation, not only to refund court-ordered restitution to cover damages they caused to the Capitol Building, but also to compensate them for having to face legal consequences for their actions,' the letter reads."
Trump posts vulgar deepfake slam of Democratic leaders after White House meeting
Comment: "If a government shutdown wasn’t already exceedingly likely, President Donald Trump might have made it a near certainty Monday night."
"The president posted a vulgar AI-generated deepfake video to his Truth Social slamming the top Democratic leaders — Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries — just hours after he hosted the two for an Oval Office meeting."
Comment: "Jeffries appeared to reply on X: 'Bigotry will get you nowhere. Cancel the Cuts. Lower the Cost. Save Healthcare. We are NOT backing down.' Later, he posted a photo of Trump with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein."
"Schumer in his own reply said, 'If you think your shutdown is a joke, it just proves what we all know: You can’t negotiate. You can only throw tantrums.' ”
POSTING FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES on Truth Social
https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115290424560405640
Comment: Here is the AI-generated deepfake video.
Comment: Can you believe that this AI generated garbage was created and posted by the President of the United States? Trump has disrespected both Congress and the office of the president? Can you imagine how the rest of the world perceives the so called "leader of the free world?" Can you imagine how our military now perceives their commander in chief? Can you imagine how much citizens are embarrassed by Trump's juvenile and boorish video?
Federal workers unions call on Schumer, Jeffries to hold the line even if it means a shutdown
https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/09/29/congress/unions-and-shutdown-00583979
Comment: "A coalition of federal unions are calling on Democratic leadership to fight back against budget cuts to 'critical public services,' even if it leads to a government shutdown and mass layoffs."
Comment: " 'We are directly impacted when the government shuts down: our members would no longer be able to work, get paid, or fulfill their mission of serving the American public,' the letter states. 'But we believe the most important thing is fighting against the centralization of executive power and for the long-term survival of the critical services the federal government provides, even if that means allowing the government to temporarily shut down.' "
"The American Federation of Government Employees — the largest federal union representing 820,000 federal workers — is not a signatory on the letter."
"Open mutiny": Democrats angrily reject proposed shutdown fix
https://www.axios.com/2025/09/29/democrats-shutdown-chuck-schumer-senate
Comment: "Democrats inside and outside of Congress erupted in fury over a proposal circulated among Senate Democrats to reopen the government for seven to 10 days if a shutdown happens."
Comment: "It is an early glimpse at the kind of intense public backlash the Senate Democrats risk from the rest of their party, especially their base, if they do anything short of allowing a government shutdown."
"In a closed-door meeting earlier this month, House Democrats fumed about a potential repeat of the government funding fight back in March."
"Some House Democrats saw that scenario coming to fruition with this proposal, with one telling Axios saying that if Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) 'really tries to go down this route there will be open mutiny among House Dems.' "
Comment: Many Democrats fear that, based on past experience, if they give in to Republican demands once again, they will face even more draconian demands in the future. Democrats don't want a government shutdown, but neither do they want to capitulate to Republican plans to significant hurt American's health care and to allow the Trump administration to rescind or take back funds already approved by Congress.
Lisa Murkowski speaks out after Comey indictment
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5528139-murkowski-comey-case-political-interference/
Comment: "Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), a moderate Republican, raised questions Monday about the independence of the Justice Department, pointing to the 'political pressure from the White House' that preceded former FBI Director James Comey’s indictment."
" 'The Department of Justice has long been insulated from presidential administrations to protect public trust in the rule of law,' Murkowski wrote in a post on the social platform X."
" 'But that independence is called into question when overt political pressure from the White House leads to unusual personnel changes and criminal charges filed just days after the President calls for them.' ”
"Murkowski, who has at times criticized President Trump in the past, stressed the importance that Comey’s case be handled 'free from political interference,' for the sake of U.S. democracy."
" 'Former FBI Director James Comey, like any American, is entitled to the presumption of innocence and a fair trial,' she wrote in her post. 'As the legal process moves forward, I expect the DOJ to act in accordance with the Constitution and federal law, and to demonstrate that this case is being handled free from political interference.' ”
Axios: "No one is safe": Democrats fear Trump will prosecute them next
https://www.axios.com/2025/09/29/trump-democrats-comey-indictment-mciver
Comment: "Some congressional Democrats are going so far as to check their own personal finances after the indictment of James Comey, Axios has learned."
Comment: "With President Trump calling for Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) to be prosecuted for mortgage fraud, members fear that a loose thread could provide an opening to go after them next."
Comment: " 'I've explored liability insurance,' another House Democrat said. 'And so have other members [in case] they come after us legally,' "
Comment: "Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) told Axios he thinks some members 'are going to be, absolutely, targets for this retribution purge.' "
"Going over personal finances, he said, is 'just wise of certain members who are, you know, more prominent targets.' "
"Rep. Greg Landsman (D-Ohio) said the Comey indictment shows that 'no one is safe'."
"Rep. Gil Cisneros (D-Calif.) said: 'Obviously, I think there is a worry that ... this administration is going to dive into your stuff and kind of trump up some bogus charge just because you were critical of the president.' "
Comment: Is malicious prosecution a crime, or just grounds for impeachment?
Thune says farmers will need a bailout this year from tariff money
https://www.axios.com/2025/09/28/trump-tariffs-farm-bailout-thune
Comment: Thune should have said, "farmers will need a bailout this year from" tax money paid by consumers and U.S. importers.
Comment: Most farmers wouldn't need a bailout if it weren't for Trump's disastrous trade policy that seriously hurt the international markets for selling their crops. Farmers are also facing labor shortages due to Trump's immigration policies.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar calls it "appalling" that Trump accused FBI of putting agents in crowd on Jan. 6 - CBS News
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/amy-klobuchar-trump-fbi-january-6-face-the-nation/
Comment: "Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, said Sunday that she finds it 'appalling' that President Trump alleged that the FBI had placed agents into the crowd as 'agitators' during the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021."
" 'They were brought in because we needed help,' Klobuchar said on 'Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan'."
"The president posted on social media on Saturday that the FBI 'secretly placed' 274 FBI agents into the crowd 'just prior to, and during, the January 6th Hoax.' Former FBI Director Chris Wray 'has some major explaining to do,' Mr. Trump added, referring to the way Wray has previously characterized the bureau's actions that day. The president's comments appeared to come in response to a report Thursday from right-leaning media."
" 'That's right, as it now turns out, FBI Agents were at, and in, the January 6th Protest, probably acting as Agitators and Insurrectionists, but certainly not as 'Law Enforcement Officials,' ' Mr. Trump said."
"A report from the Office of the Inspector General released late last year outlined that its review found no evidence 'showing or suggesting that the FBI had undercover employees in the various protest crowds, or at the Capitol' on Jan. 6, 2021."
Comment: Do you think that perhaps Trump has told this lie so many times, he's starting to believe it himself?
Republicans are making changes to SNAP and Medicaid. County officials say they’re not prepared to handle it.
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/27/trump-snap-medicaid-county-cuts-00582624
Comment: "Local officials charged with administering the country’s social safety net said changes in Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act will tax an already strained system, leading to an untenable workload for underresourced workers and potentially leading some eligible support recipients to fall through the cracks."
"New work requirements attached to federal assistance programs in Republicans’ recently passed budget bill could contribute to more than 10 million people losing health care coverage and more than 2 million people losing access to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, according to estimates from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office."
"But local officials from both Democrat- and Republican-leaning counties who are responsible for administering the programs in several states say they lack the staff, funding and resources to take on the administrative burdens of the changes. With more frequent enrollment renewals, complex eligibility requirements and changes to the cost-share between local and federal governments, underpaid and overworked officials worry the changes will overwhelm them."
Comment: "In at least nine states, counties are responsible for administering Medicaid and SNAP, and the changes in President Donald Trump’s spending and tax bill could cost those counties as much as $850 million in increased administrative costs each year, according to an analysis from the National Association of Counties."
Comment: Whether SNAP is administered by a state or individual counties, there will be a significant administrative cost impact imposed on state/local government. One would like to say that this was an unintended consequence of the Republican's so called Big Beautiful Bill. However, during congressional debate on the bill, Democrats warned of this problem. Republicans, knowing full well that they were placing this additional administrative on state/local government, chose to ignore the problem. In fact, Republicans may view administrative problems in signing up for SNAP as a positive, since fewer recipients result in less monetary outlay.
Sen. Chuck Schumer says he has 'no faith in Trump's judicial system' after Comey indictment
Comment: "Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Sunday that he has 'no faith in Trump’s judicial system' and accused the president of undermining democracy by going after former FBI Director James Comey and other political foes."
"Schumer said on NBC News’ 'Meet the Press' that President Donald Trump 'has turned this judicial system to be his own political fighter, [to] do what he wants, politically, so that he tells them to go after people he doesn’t like. He tells them to exonerate people that he likes.' ”
"Schumer pointed to Comey, who was indicted last week on charges of making a false statement and obstruction of a congressional proceeding, just days after the president said that Attorney General Pam Bondi should prosecute him. Trump also called for the Justice Department to investigate other political foes, including New York Attorney General Letitia James and Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif."
" 'When he says he doesn’t like Comey, look what happened there,' Schumer told 'Meet the Press' moderator Kristen Welker."
" 'Trump’s done so many bad things to undermine our democracy, to undermine our norms. This is one of the very worst,' Schumer added."
Comment: "Schumer on Sunday also spoke about Trump’s Saturday announcement that he was directing the Defense Department to send troops into Portland, calling the move 'indefensible'.”
"He said past presidents would have opted to call Oregon’s governor to offer help and support with crime issues, and that Trump departed from previous norms."
" 'The governor of Oregon said, ‘We don’t need you.’ And yet he comes in and brings in these troops. This is so against the American way. We ... do not have our military do local law enforcement,' Schumer added."
How House Republicans plan to rewrite history of Jan. 6
Comment: "A new House panel will re-investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol attack with an eye toward recasting the narrative about the events in Washington that day."
"It’s the latest sign that the deadly riot remains a wound on Congress that might never fully heal amid ferocious partisan sparring. Retribution, not reconciliation, appears to be the prime motivation behind the new probe, with the Republicans behind it still bitter over the work of the panel’s previous iteration, which was largely led by Democrats and concluded President Donald Trump was singularly to blame for the violence inflicted by his supporters."
Comment: "The panel’s chair, Georgia Rep. Barry Loudermilk, describes the investigation more soberly. He said in an interview that GOP staff have been quietly toiling for months, even before Speaker Mike Johnson moved to formalize the probe this month."
"Loudermilk said his team has been 'talking to different entities,' reviewing documents and brainstorming potential investigative targets."
" 'We need to look at it from a factual standpoint,' he said. 'It’s dangerous out there. There were a lot of civilians, as well as members of Congress and staff and even press that were here on Jan. 6. And I think we’re all interested to know, why did the Capitol get breached — regardless of who did it — how did it get breached?' "
"But to Democrats and even some Republicans, that rationale is a smokescreen for the panel’s true purpose: rewriting the history of Jan. 6, 2021, to minimize the culpability of the president and supporters who violently assaulted police officers and entered the Capitol in an attempt to disrupt the final certification of Trump’s 2020 election loss."
Comment: " 'They can’t even seem to settle on which conspiracy theory they want to advance,' said Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, who served on the previous Jan. 6 panel and serves on the new one. 'Was it Antifa? Did it not happen at all? Did Donald Trump really win the election? They can’t figure out what it is they want to say, and it’s because it’s just a tissue of lies and conspiracy theories.' ”
"The backdrop for the new GOP-led investigation is Trump’s return to the presidency and his persistent efforts to reject any blame for the attack — and to accuse his political enemies of persecuting his supporters. On his first day back in office, Trump pardoned about 1,000 members of the mob and ordered his Justice Department to drop pending criminal cases against hundreds of others."
"Trump has spent the intervening years downplaying the violence that occurred that day, which left more than 100 police officers injured. One officer died a day after the riot after suffering strokes, and several others died of suicide in subsequent weeks. Four Trump supporters died in the violence, including one who was shot by a Capitol Police officer as she attempted to enter the lobby that leads onto the House floor."
CNN: Top congressional leaders will meet Trump at the White House on Monday as shutdown looms
https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/27/politics/government-shutdown-congressional-leaders-trump
Video: It’s Trump’s Government Shutdown, Not Democrats - September 27, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kBgKq6pi6s
Comment: Analysis from Adam Kinzinger, former GOP congressman and Trump critic.
Where Senate Republican allies are spending big in 2026
https://www.axios.com/2025/09/26/senate-gop-super-pac-spending-ad-2026-midterm-election
Video: More states move toward gerrymandering ahead of midterms - September 26, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXOaX5PFPzo
Comment: "Redistricting battles are heating up ahead of the midterms. Republicans are pushing new maps in North Carolina, Texas, Ohio, Florida, Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas and Indiana, potentially adding multiple seats. Democrats could gain in California, Illinois, Maryland and Utah, where a judge ordered a map redraw. With control of Congress at stake, every seat will count."
Chair of a House committee on China demands urgent White House briefing on TikTok deal
https://apnews.com/article/tiktok-trump-select-committee-moolenaar-5ec54fe7c0b4bbad12ede1fb85044457
Comment: "The chairman of a House committee that pushed for the law demanding TikTok be spun off from its Chinese owners has requested an urgent briefing from the White House, one day after President Donald Trump signed an executive order supporting a proposed deal that would put the popular social video platform under U.S. ownership."
"In a statement released Friday, Rep. John Moolenaar, the chairman of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, praised the proposed deal as 'an important step in transitioning ownership of the TikTok platform to American hands but he emphasized that 'divestment was not the law’s only requirement'.”
" 'The law also set firm guardrails that prohibit cooperation between ByteDance and any prospective TikTok successor on the all-important recommendation algorithm, as well as preclude operational ties between the new entity and ByteDance,' Moolenaar said."
"The Michigan Republican’s statement marks the first congressional effort to conduct oversight into the negotiations over TikTok, coming nearly two weeks after Chinese and American officials met in Spain to discuss a framework divestment deal for TikTok. Trump on Thursday signed an executive order providing support for the deal, and said Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to move forward with negotiations."
Video: Breaking down fight over health care tax credits as shutdown looms - September 26, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8AYK3V4AJU
Comment: "The federal government seems poised to shut down next week unless congressional leaders can reach a deal. One of the major sticking points is the fight over renewing enhanced tax credits to offset healthcare coverage costs under the Affordable Care Act. Cynthia Cox, a vice president at KFF, joins to discuss the potential ripple effects."
Schumer: Trump’s proposed shutdown layoffs are an ‘attempt at intimidation’
https://thehill.com/homenews/5521068-democrats-reject-donald-trump-firing-threat/
Video: Breaking down the fight over a possible government shutdown - September 25, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvyGddJV9BA
Jeffries bashes Trump budget director over layoff threat: ‘Malignant political hack’
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5521302-jeffries-trump-budget-director-shutdown-firings/
Comment: "House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) is hammering President Trump's budget director for promising mass firings if the government shuts down."
"Jeffries said the threat from Russell Vought, the head of the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), won’t cow Democrats into supporting a GOP spending bill they deem a danger to public health."
" 'Listen Russ, you are a malignant political hack,' Jeffries posted Wednesday night on the social platform X. 'We will not be intimidated by your threat to engage in mass firings.' "
"Get Lost."
"Vought, a key player in the Project 2025 effort to gut the federal workforce, is directing federal agencies to ready mass firings in the event that Congress doesn’t extend federal funding beyond Sept. 30, causing large parts of the government to shut down. In a new memo, the OMB instructed department leaders to 'use this opportunity to consider reduction in force (RIF) notices for all employees in programs, projects, or activities' that meet several specific criteria."
"Among those considerations, a program might be on the chopping block if it’s deemed to be not 'consistent with the president’s priorities'.”
Democrats dig in on shutdown after White House layoff threat
Comment: "If the White House thought its threat to fire federal workers during a government shutdown would spark a Democratic retreat, so far, it’s not happening."
"Instead, multiple congressional Democrats brushed off the prospect of mass layoffs — floated in an Office of Management and Budget memo first reported by POLITICO — as a negotiating tactic and vowed not to bend as a midnight Sept. 30 shutdown deadline approaches."
"Among the Democrats still standing firm against a Republican-led seven-week funding punt include those representing many of thousands public employees who would be most at risk if President Donald Trump and OMB director Russ Vought follow through on their threats."
" 'Whether there’s a shutdown or not, they just keep firing government employees,' said Rep. Glenn Ivey, who represents part of Washington’s Maryland suburbs. 'I don’t know that capitulating on this front slows that down. In fact, it might actually encourage them to think that they can stay on the track that they’re currently on.' ”
"Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland called the threats 'mafia-style blackmail' in a statement, adding that the potential layoffs are 'likely illegal.' Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia said, 'For Trump, people’s lives and livelihoods are just bargaining chips.' ”
"Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, added that Trump is a 'petty wannabe tyrant' who will 'try to abuse a shutdown.' But 'that doesn’t mean he gets whatever he wants as a result,' she said."
Comment: "But it’s not only Democrats who are showing signs of unease with the layoff gambit spearheaded by Vought. It’s emerging as the latest crack in what had been, until this week, a united GOP messaging front."
Video: Steve Rattner: GOP doesn't talk about dismantling Obamacare but they're doing it piece by piece - September 25, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_Oq-FnU5oQ
Democrats in Congress are breaking with Israel like never before
https://www.axios.com/2025/09/25/democrats-israel-house-senate-palestine-trump
Comment: "Some of Israel's staunchest Democratic supporters on Capitol Hill are wavering like never before as progressives grow more emboldened in their defense of the Palestinian cause."
Comment: "The humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza has soured U.S. public opinion on Israel, and while members of Congress have been something of a lagging indicator, they are now shifting as well."
"Centrist Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) told Axios' Barak Ravid at an Axios event on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday that he is open to voting to limit the sale of U.S. weapons to Israel."
Comment: "A staggering 178 of House Democrats' 212 members signed onto a Thursday letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying they are 'deeply opposed' to Israeli annexation of territory in the West Bank."
Comment: "It's not just centrists and establishment Democrats shifting. Progressives are growing more and more strident in their demands for the U.S. to support a Palestinian state."
"Forty-six House Democrats have signed on to a letter to President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio urging them to follow the lead of the United Kingdom, France, Canada and other U.S. allies in recognizing Palestinian statehood."
Senate Democrats urge DOJ to release files related to border czar Tom Homan bribery investigation
Comment: "Democrats in Washington are ramping up efforts to investigate White House border czar Tom Homan over allegations that he accepted $50,000 in cash from undercover FBI agents last year."
"In a letter obtained first by NBC News, Democrats on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee urged Attorney General Pam Bondi on Wednesday to 'immediately' release documents related to the probe that the Justice Department reportedly closed. Homan, who served as acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement during President Donald Trump’s first term, owned a private consulting business at the time."
" 'The fact that the incoming Trump Administration reportedly closed this investigation prematurely raises further concerns that the Administration is weaponizing our system of justice to protect the president’s friends and to persecute his political foes,' the letter, led by Sens. Gary Peters, D-Mich., Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., and Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., said."
Michigan Democrat moves to impeach HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5521385-kennedy-health-care-impeachment/
Axios: Hakeem Jeffries rules out handshake deal with Republicans to avert shutdown
https://www.axios.com/2025/09/24/hakeem-jeffries-donald-trump-government-shutdown
Comment: Based on Republican's past history, would you trust them without getting any deal details put down in writing?
Trump to meet with Schumer and Jeffries as government shutdown looms | CNN Politics
https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/22/politics/shutdown-talks-schumer-jeffries-trump
Update: Trump cancels meeting with Schumer and Jeffries
Congress locked in game of shutdown chicken as funding deadline nears
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5513293-congress-shutdown-government-funding-deadline/
Video: Durbin: 'Can't Have One Set Of Rules For Republican Presidents & Another For Democratic Presidents' - September 22, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWSiXkjGWkg
Comment: "At a Senate Judiciary Committee prior to the Congressional recess, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) slammed Republicans' process of confirming nominees."
McConnell says Cruz ‘got it right’ with criticism of FCC’s Carr
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5516642-mitch-mcconnell-ted-cruz-fcc-kimmel/
Comment: "Former Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) has had his share of battles with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) over the years, but on Monday he said Cruz 'got it right' when the Texas senator said last week that Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr's pressure on ABC to suspend late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel was 'dangerous as hell' and something out of a mob movie."
" 'Well, my colleague, Ted Cruz, said it looked just like Goodfellas. As a First Amendment guy, myself, I think he’s probably got it right,' McConnell wrote on the social media platform X above an article highlighting Cruz’s comparison of Carr’s pressure on ABC to a scene from the classic mafia movie directed by Martin Scorsese."
Trump drive to pursue critics puts US on path to dictatorship, Democrats warn
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/21/trump-democrats-dictatorship
Comment: "Top Democratic leaders on Sunday warned that Donald Trump's drive to go after his political opponents is putting the US on a path to becoming a dictatorship and a 'banana republic' just eight months into his second presidency."
"The warnings came a day after Trump’s public call for the justice department to take action against perceived enemies – and after ABC yanked its late-night talkshow host Jimmy Kimmel off the air in the wake of a threat from regulators at the Federal Communications Commission who are loyal to the president. Such behaviors, along with others since his return to the Oval Office in January, has prompted many who are not fiercely aligned with him to describe him as an authoritarian."
"Turning the justice department 'into an instrument that goes after his enemies, whether they’re guilty or not … is the path to a dictatorship,' Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer said on CNN. 'That’s what dictatorships do.' ”
"Schumer’s fellow Democratic senator Chris Murphy, meanwhile, suggested the US was already becoming a 'banana republic'."
" 'The president of the United States is now employing the full power of the federal government, the FCC the department of justice, in order to punish, lock up, take down off the air all of his political enemies,' Murphy said on ABC."
Sen. Murphy says Trump using presidential power to punish political opponents
Comment: "Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said Sunday that the United States is in 'one of the most dangerous moments America has ever faced' as he accused President Donald Trump of using the federal government to target his political opponents."
" 'The president of the United States is now employing the full power of the federal government, the FCC, the Department of Justice, in order to punish, lock up, take down off the air all of his political enemies,' Murphy told ABC News' 'This Week' co-anchor Jonathan Karl."
"He continued, 'As you know, this is what happens in Iran. This is what happens in Cuba. This is what happens in China, in deeply repressive states in which if you have the courage to stand up and speak truth to power, you are silenced. I mean, there is no more fundamental right in America than the right to protest your government.' "
Republicans walk tight rope in defending Trump, condemning weaponization of DOJ - POLITICO
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/21/rand-paul-trump-weaponization-lawfare-mullin-00574538
Sen. Rand Paul says FCC chair's comments threatening ABC over Jimmy Kimmel were 'absolutely inappropriate'
Comment: "The Kentucky Republican said Brendan Carr had 'no business weighing in' on Kimmel's comments."
Video: Trump Says He'll Accept Jeffries And Schumer's Request To Meet As Government Shutdown Looms - September 21, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZmjurUC86w
Comments: While it's good that Trump will meet, his other remarks do not support optimism that a shutdown will be averted.
Reuters: Democratic leaders in US Congress demand meeting with Trump as government shutdown looms
Comment: "U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and his counterpart in the House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries, on Saturday demanded a meeting with President Donald Trump to avoid a government shutdown when funding ends on September 30."
"In a letter addressed to Trump, Schumer and Jeffries said Republican congressional leaders had repeatedly and publicly refused to engage in bipartisan negotiations to keep the government open at the direction of the president."
"Healthcare is at the center of the fight over funding, with Democrats seeking more money for subsidies under the Affordable Care Act and the restoration of funding cut from the Medicaid healthcare program for lower-income Americans."
" 'Democrats have been clear and consistent in our position. We are ready to work toward a bipartisan spending agreement that improves the lives of American families and addresses the Republican healthcare crisis,' Schumer and Jeffries wrote."
" 'However, we will not support a dirty spending bill that continues the Republican assault on healthcare.' "
"The Senate on Friday rejected a short-term funding bill and then left town for a week-long break, increasing the odds of a shutdown."
Video: AOC: 'We should be clear about who Charlie Kirk was' - September 19, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQjIyIIwoss
Comment: This is the man that Republicans are glorifying.
Jimmy Kimmel suspension becomes Democrats' new five-alarm fire
https://www.axios.com/2025/09/19/jimmy-kimmel-fcc-democrats-congress-investigation
Comment: "To congressional Democrats, the suspension of Jimmy Kimmel ranks alongside DOGE, El Salvador, the Epstein documents and Signalgate as one of the watershed fights of the second Trump administration."
"It's not about one late night host, lawmakers say, but the apparent government pressure that was brought to bear in pushing for his ouster over his comments after the assassination of Charlie Kirk."
" 'No president and no political party should weaponize the power of our federal government to punish those who disagree with them,' Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.) said in a statement."
" 'Silencing critics through government power is the playbook of authoritarian regimes. We're fighting this.' "
"Ansari is introducing a resolution, first obtained by Axios, denouncing Kimmel's suspension and the Federal Communications Commission's alleged role in it."
"It is being co-sponsored by 113 House Democrats — more than half the caucus."
"The measure 'warns that such practices echo the tactics of authoritarian regimes and pose a serious threat to the democratic traditions and constitutional freedoms of the United States.' "
"It also urges the FCC and Department of Justice to 'ensure that their policies and practices safeguard free expression and do not become tools of political retribution.' "
Dems slam Acosta for showing ‘no remorse’ for Epstein plea deal he helped broker
https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/09/19/congress/acostas-epstein-interview-00573415
Comment: "Democrats on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee said Alex Acosta took responsibility Friday for the plea deal he helped broker as the U.S. attorney in south Florida for Jeffrey Epstein.
"They also said, however, he was unrepentant for the arrangement many believe led the late, convicted sex offender being able to continue preying on women and girls for years."
" 'It is clear that Alex Acosta holds no remorse and does not feel, even in hindsight, that Jeffrey Epstein received a sweetheart deal,' Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.), told reporters on Capitol Hill."
"Ansari and other panel Democrats have, alongside Republicans, been meeting behind closed doors Friday with Acosta as part of House Oversight’s Epstein investigation."
Video: Schatz: This Is What Will Happen To Healthcare Costs If The GOP's Continuing Resolution Passes - September 19, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJENH34W0mM
NPR: House to vote on stopgap funding bill, but health care fight threatens a shutdown
https://www.npr.org/2025/09/19/nx-s1-5545929/house-stopgap-funding-bill-government-shutdown
Why Voters Will Feel the Impact of GOP Health Cuts Before the Midterms - POLITICO
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/09/18/trump-gop-healthcare-cuts-00569743
Comment: "The conventional wisdom in Washington is that by pushing off big changes to Medicaid until after the 2026 midterms, Republicans shielded themselves from voter backlash."
"Don’t be so sure."
"A full year before anyone casts their vote in November 2026 — meaning now, in the fall of 2025 — the American health care system will begin transitioning from an era of unprecedented expansion of coverage to an era of unprecedented cutbacks. And President Donald Trump and the GOP-controlled Congress will be easy to blame."
"Unless Congress reaches a deal fast on some expiring Obamacare provisions, insurance premiums are set to rise, often by double-digit percentages, in and out of Affordable Care Act exchanges. Hospitals are retrenching ahead of the massive cuts imposed by Trump’s 'big, beautiful bill.' Altogether, around 14 million people will lose coverage in the coming decade, the Congressional Budget Office projected in August, with the first wave of losses beginning in months."
"And even if some of the changes in Trump’s sprawling law kick in after the 2026 elections, that doesn’t mean people won’t hear plenty about them beforehand. State legislatures will have to debate what or who to cut to fill gaping holes in their health care budgets. Health plans, providers and state Medicaid agencies will have to start educating the public about new rules established by the legislation, like Medicaid copays and work requirements."
"Then of course, there will be the actual political messaging, led by Democrats and advocacy groups who are ready to remind voters that the GOP cut health spending by $1 trillion while cutting taxes for the rich."
Federal workers urge Democrats to stand up to White House
https://www.axios.com/2025/09/18/trump-government-shutdown-federal-workers
Comment: "Hundreds of federal workers across 60 agencies and departments are urging Congress to rein in the White House even if it means shutting down the government, in a letter sent Thursday afternoon."
Comment: "It's the broadest protest yet to emerge from inside the civil service — a sign of widespread discontent, anger and worry over the Trump administration's cuts to research, spending and the workforce."
"A shutdown would mean that many of these folks would go without pay, and those using their names are risking their jobs."
"The letter follows similar ones from inside specific agencies, including from employees at the EPA, NIH, NASA and FEMA. In two cases, workers were fired and suspended for speaking up."
Comment: " 'Every member of Congress should be clear-eyed: ceding more of Congress's power to avoid a shutdown will only worsen the damage, embolden authoritarianism, and cost the country more in the long run,' the letter says.
" 'Do not repeat March's mistake, when a bad CR [continuing resolution] paved the way for mass firings across our agencies, gutted science, slashed health care access, and emboldened further attacks.' "
" 'We do not want a shutdown, but we will accept a temporary shutdown to preserve our government on behalf of the American people.' "
‘I can't think of a greater threat to free speech’: Schumer demands Carr’s FCC resignation - Live Updates - POLITICO
Comment: "Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer demanded that Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr resign for pressuring Disney-owned ABC to suspend Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show over comments the comedian made about Charlie Kirk’s killing."
" 'Carr should resign,' Schumer told POLITICO on Thursday. 'I can’t think of a greater threat to free speech than Carr in many, many years. He’s despicable. He’s anti-American. He ought to resign, and Trump ought to fire him.' ”
Comment: "Carr on Wednesday called for ABC and its affiliates to yank Kimmel’s show off the air over those comments, warning on a conservative podcast that, 'look, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. These companies can find ways to change conduct, to take action, frankly, on Kimmel.' Disney indefinitely suspended Kimmel’s show later that day."
Swalwell tells Brendan Carr to ‘get a lawyer’ if Democrats retake House majority
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5511006-swalwell-warns-fcc-brendan-carr/
Comment: " 'I want to make it clear, there’s going to be a Democratic majority in just over a year,' Swalwell said during a Thursday hearing."
" 'And to the FCC chairperson and anyone involved in these dirty deals, get a lawyer and save your records because you’re going to be in this room and you’re going to be answering questions about the deals that you struck and who benefited and what the cost was to the American people because that happened,' he continued."
Tensions erupt among House Dems over vote to honor Charlie Kirk
https://www.axios.com/2025/09/18/charlie-kirk-house-democrats-vote-condemn-honor
Comment: "A resolution to honor conservative activist Charlie Kirk and condemn his assassination has been the subject of frenzied talk among House Democrats this week as some lawmakers grapple with how to vote on it."
"Kirk was not beloved by Democrats, but some in the party fear that anything short of a unanimous vote for the resolution could be a messaging coup for Republicans."
" 'People are worried that we're being totally set up,' one House Democrat told Axios on the condition of anonymity to offer details of sensitive internal discussions."
"The lawmaker noted that a bipartisan resolution condemning the shootings of Democratic state lawmakers in Minnesota passed the House 424 to 0 in June."
Comment: "House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said in Democrats' closed-door caucus meeting Thursday morning that leadership will vote for the resolution, according to multiple lawmakers who were present."
"His leadership team is not whipping the resolution, however, leaving lawmakers to decide for themselves how they plan to vote."
Comment: "The House is set to vote this week on the five-page resolution, which was introduced by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and is co-sponsored by 165 House Republicans but no Democrats."
Comment: "At least one House Democrat, Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas), is planning to vote against the resolution, telling Axios she is 'not sure what is honorable' about many of Kirk's past statements."
Comment: " 'I always try to be respectful in times of tragedy or horrific events like this, but ... they are politicizing his death in ways I'm not comfortable with,' another undecided House Democrat told Axios."
FCC involvement over Jimmy Kimmel makes Senate Republicans squirm
https://www.axios.com/2025/09/18/senate-republicans-jimmy-kimmel-fcc-charlie-kirk
Comment: "Republican senators are evading direct critiques of President Trump's FCC chair, Brendan Carr, who seemed to threaten broadcast companies if they did not drop late-night host Jimmy Kimmel after his Charlie Kirk monologue."
Comment: "The Republican response stands in stark contrast to the Democrats, who are sounding the alarm over what they see as a clear and craven assault on the First Amendment."
Comment: "Democrats are calling on Carr to resign. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said Thursday that Carr 'disgraced the office he holds by bullying ABC, the employer of Jimmy Kimmel, and forcing the company to bend the knee'."
"GOP senators waffled over any government overreach by Carr. They instead kept the focus on punishment from private companies."
Politico: ‘Be very careful’: Some in the GOP balk at kicking Kimmel off TV
Comment: "A handful of prominent Republicans on Capitol Hill said they were worried about the implications of Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr pressuring a TV network to suspend late-night host Jimmy Kimmel."
"Their comments suggest an emerging split in the GOP over the party’s views on free speech."
Video: GOP lawmakers reject effort to subpoena FCC chief in Kimmel case - September 18, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brTTAzovcns
Politico: House Oversight rejects bid to subpoena FCC’s Carr
Comment: "Republicans on the House Oversight Committee refused to subpoena Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr after television stations across the country suspended comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show amid comments he made about the death of Charlie Kirk."
" 'In the name of all those who are being censored ... I motion today to subpoena Brendan Carr and to have him explain to the American people why he is bullying private individuals,' Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) said as he made the motion."
"The move comes one day after Carr told a conservative podcaster that 'we can do this the easy way or the hard way' to address Kimmel’s comments about Kirk’s killing. Stations swiftly announced they would yank Kimmel's show indefinitely."
Comment: "Khanna’s motion was tabled in a 24-21 party-line vote — effectively killing it — though ranking member Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) said he is working with Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) to secure Carr’s testimony before the committee."
Comment: "Democratic leaders on both sides of the Capitol have called for Carr to resign following the network’s decision to yank Kimmel’s show from the air, arguing it amounted to the sort of governmental censorship Republicans have decried for years."
Video: Washington state's Sen. Cantwell asks Supreme Court to halt Trump tariffs - September 18, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zs1YqVgNubg
Video: Happening Now: Democratic Lawmakers Hold Press Conference On Redistricting Reform - September 18, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/live/uvrESnFVUb0
Another populist Democrat enters Maine’s Senate race
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/18/maine-sen-rodriguez-00569216
Comment: "The Democratic field to take on Maine’s Sen. Susan Collins is getting crowded."
"Former Air Force civilian officer Daira Smith Rodriguez launched her populist-flavored bid on Thursday, joining several other Democrats vying to unseat the longtime Republican incumbent in one of the party’s top pickup opportunities of the cycle."
Congressional redistricting kick-started by Trump spreading among states | AP News
Comment: "First came Texas, then California, then Missouri. President Donald Trump’s call to redraw U.S. House districts ahead of the 2026 elections has led to a wave of political maneuvering among state-level Republicans and Democrats that continues to unfold across the country."
"Politicians are reshaping congressional voting districts — a task typically done just once a decade, after each census — in an effort to give their parties’ candidates an edge in next year’s elections. The stakes are high because Democrats need to gain just three seats to wrest control of the House from Republicans, who are trying to buck a historical pattern of the president’s party losing seats in midterm elections."
Comment: If you have any doubt about the importance of controlling the House of Representatives, just look at how far Republicans will go in attempts to maintain control. The Speaker of the House has enormous latitude in determining which legislation comes up for consideration on the House floor. That's why it's important for Democrats to nominate viable House candidates and to challenge Republicans in each U.S. House district. Then it's important for constituents to stay informed and vote against Republican House members who surrender their authority and responsibility to Trump and the MAGA agenda.
Government Executive: Bill to nullify Trump’s union executive orders introduced by 48 senators
Comment: "A bipartisan group of 48 senators introduced legislation Wednesday that would nullify President Trump’s executive orders aimed at stripping two-thirds of the federal workforce of their collective bargaining rights and restore union contracts that agencies began cancelling last month."
"Last March, Trump signed an executive order citing a seldom-used provision of the 1978 Civil Service Reform Act to ban unions at most federal agencies, under the auspices of national security. And last month, Trump signed a second edict adding a half dozen more agencies to the March order’s provisions."
"The edicts are already the subject of several court battles over their legality, though federal appellate courts thus far have allowed the administration to push forward with implementation. The Protect America's Workforce Act, which has the support of all 47 Democrats as well as Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, would declare the two executive orders null and void, as well as restore all collective bargaining agreements between federal agencies and their unions that were in place on March 26, before the first edict was signed."
"In a statement Wednesday, Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., the bill’s lead Senate sponsor, described the two executive orders as 'union busting' measures that are part of a larger project of tearing down the nonpartisan civil service."
Democrat drafts impeachment articles for Pam Bondi, Kash Patel
https://thehill.com/homenews/5508418-impeachment-effort-bondi-patel/
Comment: Partisan sniping from both sides, leading nowhere?
Video: WATCH: Sen. Cassidy questions former CDC leaders in hearing on RFK Jr., children’s health - September 17, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDesiBeYR1E
RFK Jr. said CDC employees were ‘killing children,’ former director says - Live Updates - POLITICO
Comment: "Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. disparaged career employees at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as 'killing children and they don’t care'.”
"That was the testimony on Wednesday of former CDC Director Susan Monarez before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. Monarez testified she was let go last month because she would not rubber stamp recommendations from an outside panel of vaccine experts without adequate science or data."
Comment: Monarez testifys to RFK Jr.'s insanity.
Republican leaders reject Democratic health care demands for bill to avoid shutdown
Democrats say shutdown necessary to send ‘message’ to Trump
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5508947-looming-government-shutdown-threat/
Comment: "Democratic senators say that unless Republicans scrap their plan to advance a 'clean' seven-week continuing resolution, they don’t see any option other than defeating it as a way to send a 'message' to President Trump."
"Doing so would almost certainly trigger a government shutdown, something Democrats avoided earlier this year but is increasingly looking inevitable this fall."
"Democratic senators, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the looming shutdown has been the chief topic of discussion in recent caucus meetings."
"They said Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.), who took enormous heat from his left flank after voting for a GOP funding bill earlier this year, has not laid out any plan B to avert a shutdown before the Sept. 30 deadline."
" 'Donald Trump gave us the middle finger. There is no alternative,' said one Democratic senator, who requested anonymity to discuss caucus strategy."
Video: Robert Garcia Warns That D.C. Bill Would Give 'Absurd Level Of Federal Control' Over Local Judges - September 17, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pk_rSwbjsNI
Ex-CIA officer stripped of clearance ‘determined to run’ for Mitch McConnell’s seat | Kentucky | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/17/joel-willett-mitch-mcconnell-kentucky-senate
Comment: "A former CIA officer stripped of his security clearance by the Trump administration has announced he’s running for Senate as a Democratic candidate to claim Mitch McConnell’s long-held Kentucky seat.:
"Joel Willett launched his candidacy Wednesday, weeks after director of national intelligence Tulsi Gabbard revoked his clearance as part of a purge targeting 37 current and former intelligence officials."
" 'I’ve seen firsthand how the Trump administration and their far-right allies are trying to weaponize the government against anyone who disagrees with them,' Willett said in his announcement. 'That just made me more determined to run.' ”
"Following the revocation, Willett faced attacks from Trump-aligned online activists such as Laura Loomer and received death threats, according to his campaign. Gabbard at the time accused those targeted of 'politicizing and manipulating intelligence' but provided no supporting evidence for the claims."
"But for Willett, the experience has crystallized his concerns about democratic institutions and the treatment of public servants who express dissenting views."
Kash Patel says court orders bar him from releasing the Epstein files. Judges have said otherwise. - Live Updates - POLITICO
https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/09/17/congress/kash-patel-epstein-files-hearing-00568547
Comment: "Lawmakers questioned the FBI director’s characterization of those court orders, saying he has the power to release the bureau’s massive trove of records."
Democrats to propose alternative to GOP stopgap - Live Updates - POLITICO
Comment: "Democrats are preparing to offer an alternative stopgap spending bill that would avert an Oct. 1 government shutdown as they dig in against the Republican majority."
"Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) told reporters as he left a caucus lunch Tuesday that Democrats will offer a short-term spending bill that includes health care language as well as restrictions on President Donald Trump’s ability to rescind funding previously approved by Congress."
"' 'We think we’re going to have … an alternative that American people will like a whole lot better,' Kaine said."
"Another person granted anonymity to disclose private discussions confirmed the Democratic plan, adding that the proposal could be released as soon as Tuesday evening. Rep. Rosa DeLauro , the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, said she is also involved in developing the alternative. "
"DeLauro said Tuesday the legislation would extend expiring health insurance subsidies but also address 'health care writ large' including cuts to agency funding. She added that it would be released 'in short order'.”
As shutdown deadline nears, Democrats have rare leverage over Trump. They're digging in.
Fact-checking what lawmakers said during congressional weather modification hearing - ABC News
Comment: More insanity from Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Comment: "A congressional subcommittee spent nearly two hours on Tuesday discussing the rarely practiced but frequently talked about science of weather modification and geoengineering."
"Convened by the House Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency, the hearing titled 'Playing God with the Weather -- a Disastrous Forecast' looked at the federal government's role and the potential unintended consequences of weather modification and the ethical and legal issues surrounding the technology."
Comment: The ranking Democrat on the subcommittee, Melanie Stansbury, D-N.M., questioned both the motives and the appropriateness of the hearing.
" 'There's a more insidious issue here, which I think we've already heard in some of the comments, which is the using of the platform of Congress to propel anti-science theories to platform climate denialism and to ultimately put our communities at risk by continuing to put out disinformation,' Stansbury said."
Comment: The remainder of the article fact checks many of the ridiculous comments made by members of Congress about this issue.
Video: The Middle School Teacher Running for U.S. Senate | Y'all-itics: - Sept. 16, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oy8tvRGnWLU
Comment: "Just like Republicans, Texas Democrats are now forced to take sides in their race for U.S.Senate. Seminarian, former middle school teacher and current state Representative JamesTalarico just announced he will run for the seat held by John Cornyn since 2002. In this early release episode of Y’all-itics, the social media star with several viral clips explains where he sees a path to victory."
Frustrated GOP senators blow steam on Russia: ‘Sick of’ Trump, Vance ‘love affair’ with Putin
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5504778-trump-russia-sanctions-gop-frustration/
Comment: "Senate Republicans are growing increasingly exasperated over President Trump’s refusal to give them permission to move tough bipartisan sanctions legislation against Russia and countries that buy its oil."
"Trump pressed European allies over the weekend to levy harsher sanctions against Russia, but he has dragged his feet on the bipartisan sanctions bill, which Republican senators were hoping to get done in July."
"One Republican senator who requested anonymity to comment candidly on the stalemate over the sanctions legislation questioned whether Trump would ever come around to backing more military aid to Ukraine or slapping harsh sanctions on Russia."
" 'I’m sick of Trump and JD and their love affair with everything Putin,' the senator grumbled, noting Trump’s red-carpet welcome of Russian President Vladimir Putin at Alaska’s Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson last month and Vice President Vance’s recent comments defending Putin’s approach to peace negotiations."
"The Republican lawmaker said Russia’s massive drone and missile attack against Ukraine last week, the biggest aerial barrage of the three-and-a-half-year war, was a major provocation and a clear sign that Putin doesn’t fear serious repercussions from Washington."
Comment: The linked article contains comments from other GOP members of Congress.
Democrats plan to force Senate vote on Trump's tariffs on Canada and Brazil | AP News
https://apnews.com/article/senate-tariffs-kaine-brazil-canada-trump-64a2750e39b45a32f38a37b37ddfaf20
Comment: "Democrats are planning to force two Senate votes on President Donald Trump's tariffs in the coming weeks, keeping pressure on Senate Republicans as many of them have voiced frustration with the policies."
"Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine says he will introduce two separate bipartisan resolutions this week that would terminate the national emergencies that Trump declared to justify the tariffs he has imposed on Canada and Brazil. In April, four Republicans voted with Democrats to block Trump's tariffs on Canada, but the House never took it up."
"Kaine said it’s common for Republican senators to express concerns about the tariffs, but he wants to put them on the record as often as he can."
"Republicans can 'vote with your constituents or vote with President Trump,' Kaine said. 'Over time, the instability is creating huge concerns.' ”
"Kaine is introducing the two resolutions with a group of Democrats and Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, an outspoken opponent of Trump’s tariffs. By introducing the measures, the group is triggering a decades-old law that allows Congress to block a president’s emergency powers and force votes on Trump’s declarations, whether majority Republicans want to hold the votes or not."
Congress’s shutdown showdown intensifies ahead of deadline
Comment: "Both sides of the aisle are digging in their heels despite dwindling time to strike a deal to avert a government shutdown."
"House Republicans are aiming to unveil a mostly 'clean,' short-term funding patch to keep the government open come Oct. 1 — but without major concessions on health care that Democrats in both chambers are demanding be part of a stopgap measure."
"Pressed on the matter Monday, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told reporters, 'that’s a December policy issue, not a September funding issue.' ”
"Democrats have been pushing for lawmakers to address a looming, end-of-year deadline to stave off the expiration of Affordable Care Act tax credits, while also targeting Medicaid changes included in President Trump’s tax and spending bill that passed Congress earlier this month."
"House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), meanwhile, poured cold water on the idea of a 'clean' funding stopgap, also known as a continuing resolution (CR)."
" 'Partisan legislation that continues the unprecedented Republican assault on healthcare is not a clean spending bill. It’s a dirty one,' he wrote on the social platform X."
"The clash heightens the odds of a nasty funding showdown that could come to a head in the coming days."
Video: Government shutdown looms as lawmakers remain divided over funding bill - September 15, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLtW3kDXFUc
Politico: Collins predicts Republicans will be under ‘pressure to change’ the GOP megabill
Comment: "Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, one of three Republicans to vote against President Donald Trump’s 'big, beautiful bill,' is predicting lawmakers will have to make changes to the party-line tax and spending package when it becomes clear the cuts to Medicaid and rural health care become untenable."
Comment: Collins will get a chance to improve her constituent's health care this month by working with Democrats to extend expiring Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) tax credits. Since most GOP members of Congress are following Trump's orders to refuse to negotiate with Democrats on this matter, we'll see if Collins is serious about health care concerns or if she'll cave to Trump's demands.
Sen. Lindsey Graham says Charlie Kirk's killing is 'an attack on a political movement'
Comment: "Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said on NBC News’ 'Meet the Press' Sunday that he viewed the killing of Charlie Kirk as 'an attack on a political movement'.”
" 'I see this as an attack on a political movement,' Graham said. 'I see this being different. Charlie Kirk is one of the top three people in the country that allowed President Trump to win in 2024 by his efforts.' "
Comment: It's difficult to determine whether the murderous act of the alleged shooter is an attack on a political movement, but Lindsey can rest assured there is a growing army ready to attack the MAGA movement by any LEGAL means necessary. No one is justifying violence to achieve their political ends, but the lying, corruption, incompetence, and racism of the current Trump administration and it's cowardly sycophants in the GOP controlled Congress are frustrating a lot of concerned citizens. People are disgusted by the destruction of democratic institutions and by the overturning of judicial precedent by a Supreme Court which refuses to uphold lower court rulings against Trump's power grabs and doesn't even bother to justify it's actions. The cowardly GOP Congress has surrendered its authority & responsibility to Trump's/MAGA's intimidation and threats of Republican primary opposition.
Charley Kirk is no American hero, only a hero to those brain-washed by MAGA propaganda and willing to reelect Trump and MAGA candidates. After all, according to Lindsey, Kirk was "one of the top three people in the country that allowed President Trump to win in 2024." That's why Kirk is being martyred by right-wing Republicans.
Comment: Democrats do not condone acts of political violence. However, they refuse to lie down and accept the destruction of our democracy, economy, and civil society. We will not be intimidated by threats from the likes of Stephen Miller and the rest of the MAGA mafia.
NBC News: Trump tells GOP to cut Democrats out of funding bill as Schumer warns of shutdown
Comment: A standoff over how to prevent a government shutdown intensified Monday as President Donald Trump called on Republicans to write a funding bill on their own and cut Democrats out of the process."
"But any funding bill, including a stopgap to buy more time, requires 60 votes to pass the Senate, where Republicans control 53 seats and therefore need at least seven Democratic votes."
"Democratic leaders say Republicans are following Trump’s wishes and are refusing to negotiate, making a shutdown likelier. Congress has until 11:59 p.m. Sept. 30 to find a solution or the government will shut down."
" 'Our position remains this: We want to keep the government open by engaging in bipartisan negotiation where we can address some of the grave harms Donald Trump has caused to our health care system and help Americans with the cost of living,' Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said on the floor Monday evening."
Trump said recently on 'Fox and Friends' that Republicans should not 'even bother' with Democrats and that 'we have to get Republican votes, that’s all' — which Schumer condemned."
" 'When Donald Trump said on Fox News that Republicans ‘don’t even bother’ dealing with Democrats, then he’s responsible for making a shutdown more likely,' he said. 'This afternoon he doubled down again, posting online that Republicans should go at it alone in their partisan CR [continuing resolution], instead of engaging with Democrats to keep the government open.' ”
"Schumer argued that if there is a shutdown, Trump's statement and GOP actions would make them the responsible party. 'If one side refuses to negotiate, they are the ones causing the shutdown,' he said."
Video: I’m drafting a war powers resolution - September 15, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtjQAXNCUXo
Comment: From Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA)
NPR: A record number of congressional lawmakers aren't running for reelection in 2026. Here's the list
https://www.npr.org/2025/09/15/nx-s1-5534254/house-senate-retirement-tracker-2026
Republican Rep. Michael McCaul won’t seek reelection after 11 terms
Comment: "Texas Republican Congressman Michael McCaul announced Sunday that he will not seek re-election in 2026."
"McCaul, a former chairman of the Homeland Security and Foreign Affairs committees, joins two other House Republicans who announced their retirement from public office this year: McCaul's fellow Texan Rep. Morgan Luttrell and Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska."
House GOP eyes lawmaker security boost in bill to avert shutdown
Comment: "House GOP leaders are close to finalizing a government funding extension that would avert a shutdown through Nov. 20 and potentially include more money for lawmaker security in the wake of the Charlie Kirk killing."
"Republican leaders want to put the bill on the House floor this week, as a Sept. 30 shutdown deadline looms. POLITICO previously reported the bill would likely extend funding through Nov. 20, the week before Thanksgiving."
"The member security funding is of huge importance to many on Capitol Hill amid heightened threats on lawmakers. It’s the final item to sort out, according to three people granted anonymity to discuss the private negotiations."
"Speaker Mike Johnson said Sunday on Fox News that all options were on the table for lawmaker security efforts. He has pledged to speed up a review of an expiring pilot program to provide individual lawmakers with more safety resources."
"Republicans are preparing to push through the measure amid protests from Democrats. Democratic leaders have signaled they will oppose a funding punt that doesn’t include health care policy items like extending enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits."
Comment: Do you think it is bad public relations for the GOP to push for money to protect members of Congress, while refusing to extend funding for "health care policy items" that help protect the American people?
Reuters: Obamacare tax credits draw bipartisan support ahead of US government shutdown deadline
‘Don't even bother dealing with them,’ Trump says of Democrats’ shutdown demands - POLITICO
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/12/donald-trump-shutdown-democrats-00560031
Comment: "President Donald Trump dismissed congressional Democrats’ demands ahead of a looming shutdown deadline in a Fox News interview Friday, casting doubt on whether a deal to keep the government open is even possible."
" 'Don’t even bother dealing with them,' he added. 'We will get it through because the Republicans are sticking together for the first time in a long time.' ”
"Lawmakers have until midnight on Sept. 30 to reach a funding deal. GOP congressional leaders are eyeing a 'clean' stopgap that would keep current spending levels in place, with a few exceptions, until late November."
"But Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said this week that Democrats will not vote for any such bill absent bipartisan negotiations. Both leaders have said that health care concessions, such as extending soon-to-expire insurance subsidies or restoring Medicaid cuts made in the GOP megabill, are essential to a deal."
"Democrats have say in the matter because any funding deal will need 60 votes in the Senate, where the GOP has a 52-vote majority. But Trump on Friday suggested he was not aware of the mathematics."
" 'We have to get Republican votes. That’s all,' Trump claimed. Pressed about the 60-vote threshold, Trump responded: 'No. We’re gonna do a — probably a continuing resolution, or we’re gonna do something. So we’re gonna do something,' he said."
Comment: Do you think Trump has any idea that it will take Democratic help to reach the 60 Senate votes necessary to avoid filibusters that will stall passage of any continuing resolution? How can any President be so ignorant of the Senate rules and processes?
Video: Chuck Schumer warns of a government shutdown over health care demands - September 12, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwFU4VrW0U4
Schumer, Jeffries demand major health care concessions to keep government funded
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5498338-schumer-jeffries-health-care-concessions-funding-bill/
Comment: "Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.), House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.) and other high-ranking Democrats say any government funding package to keep federal departments operating past Sept. 30 must include major concessions from Republicans to repair what they say is fast becoming a national health care crisis."
Comment: "'On this issue, we’re totally united. The Republicans have to come to meet with us in a true bipartisan negotiation to satisfy the American people’s needs on health care or they won’t get our votes, plain and simple,' Schumer warned at a press conference on the House side of the Capitol."
"Jeffries delivered the same blunt message to colleagues."
" 'We are together in defense of the health care of the American people,' he said. 'We’re together as it relates to the unprecedented attack on the health care of the American people.' ”
Politico: Mike Johnson: Lawmakers want more security after Kirk killing
GOP senators push for vote on Russia sanctions package
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5497400-russia-sanctions-package-gop-trump/
Comment: "Republican senators are urging President Trump to give them the green light to vote on a Russia sanctions package in the wake of Moscow’s incursion into Poland's air space and Russian President Vladimir Putin's seeming disinterest in ending the war with Ukraine."
"Senate Republicans have pushed for months for Trump to back the chamber’s bipartisan package that would punish nations that import Russian oil, gas and uranium, only to see it languish without his support."
Senate GOP approve ‘nuclear option’ to speed Trump's nominees : NPR
https://www.npr.org/2025/09/11/nx-s1-5538448/senate-republicans-nuclear-option-confirmations
Comment: "Senate Republicans have voted to change the rules to make it easier to confirm President Trump's nominees, allowing the chamber to confirm certain nominees in groups rather than by individual vote."
"The vote Thursday comes after months of Republican lawmakers criticizing their Democratic counterparts for dragging out the confirmation process, one of the few elements of power the minority party has in GOP-unified government."
"Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., began the rules change process this week, which would allow the chamber to consider non-cabinet level executive branch nominees in batches. The senate is expected to finalize the rules change next week."
Comment: "The change applies to sub-Cabinet, ambassador and executive branch nominees. It does not apply to judicial nominees."
Comment: "Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has been vocal in opposing the rules change."
Comment: " '"Make no mistake, this move by Republicans was not so much about ending obstruction as they claim—rather it was another act of genuflection to the executive branch,' Schumer said Monday."
Talarico shakes up Texas Senate primary for Democrats
https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/5496224-talarico-challenges-allred-texas/
Comment: "Texas state Rep. James Talarico’s (D) entry into the Democratic Senate primary in Texas has shaken up the race and thrilled those who think new blood will give Democrats a boost heading into next year."
"Talarico, one of the legislators who fled the Lone Star State to stall Republicans’ redistricting push, enters the primary against former Rep. Colin Allred (D), who tried for Sen. Ted Cruz's (R) seat in last year’s midterms."
"Both Democrats are vying to oust Sen. John Cornyn (R), the longtime incumbent who faces a difficult challenge from his right in state Attorney General Ken Paxton (R), as the party becomes increasingly bullish about making inroads in Texas."
Politico: Ways and Means GOP has ‘tense’ meeting on ACA tax credits
Comment: "House Ways and Means Republicans discussed the dilemma of whether to extend expiring Affordable Care Act tax credits during their lunch Wednesday, according to three people with direct knowledge of the meeting."
"The conservation got rather 'tense,' according to one of the people, granted anonymity to speak candidly."
"It’s a politically divisive issue for Republicans, who need to hammer out a plan for dealing with the enhanced subsidies before the Dec. 31 expiration date or risk a major hike in insurance premiums. The Ways and Means Committee has jurisdiction over the matter."
"Most fiscal hawks deeply oppose an extension. But even a few conservative members of the Ways and Means panel say privately that they could see a deal coming together later this year, acknowledging the political necessity to act."
Schumer says GOP plan to avert shutdown "not good enough to get our votes" - CBS News
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/chuck-schumer-gop-plan-to-avert-shutdown-2025/
Video: Johnson on Kirk shooting: ‘Political violence has become all too common’ - September 10, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpHeOU5-szI
Politico: ‘Intensified interest’ in passing Russia sanctions bill, says Thune
Comment: "Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Wednesday that there is an 'intensified interest' in passing Russia sanctions legislation in the wake of recent actions by Moscow."
Comment: "Thune called Russia’s recent actions a 'provocative act' that was 'an attempt to test the U.S. and our NATO allies'.”
"A bipartisan bill — spearheaded by Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) — has been languishing in the Senate despite having enough support to override a hypothetical veto. That measure would impose tariffs on countries that import Russian energy and implement secondary sanctions on foreign firms that support Russian energy production."
"Senate aides, including those for Graham and Thune, have been working with the White House to try to iron out what Thune called 'technical' concerns with the legislation. Graham is supposed to speak with Trump this week about progress in those talks."
GOP senators ratchet up demands for Trump to push new sanctions on Russia | CNN Politics
https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/10/politics/russia-sanctions-congress-graham-trump
Republicans increasingly say Trump has been played by Putin | CNN Politics
https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/10/politics/vladimir-putin-trump-republicans-poland
Comment: It's about time Republicans publicly admit what they have known for quite some time.
Schumer moves to force Senate vote on Epstein files
https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/09/10/congress/chuck-schumer-senate-epstein-vote-00555454
Comment: "Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is moving to force the Senate to take a vote that would force disclosure of the Jeffrey Epstein files, throwing the chamber into a debate Republicans have so far largely been able to avoid."
"In a surprise move, Schumer teed up a procedural vote on a measure directing Attorney General Pam Bondi to make public any available documents that the Justice Department possesses related to Epstein and his associates. Schumer filed the proposal as an amendment to a sweeping defense policy now being debated in the Senate."
" 'There’s been so much lying, obfuscation, cover-ups — the American people need to see everything that’s in the Epstein file,' Schumer told reporters Wednesday."
"It’s unlikely the Senate would get to a vote on Schumer’s actual amendment. It first needs to overcome a procedural hurdle, where it will need 60 votes including support from more than a dozen Republicans. One GOP aide, granted anonymity to disclose private discussions, said Schumer’s move threatened to derail bipartisan negotiations over other amendments to the defense bill, one of the few must-pass bills Congress takes up every year."
"Republicans could also try to table the amendment as soon as Wednesday afternoon. But Democrats are certain to cast any vote as a referendum on Epstein-related transparency."
Comment: "Schumer’s proposal is identical to a bipartisan House proposal from Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.). The pair is using a discharge petition to try to force the measure to the House floor over Speaker Mike Johnson’s objections."
Johnson backs Virginia wind project in break with Trump
Comment: "House Speaker Mike Johnson is going to bat for an offshore wind project near Virginia Beach at a time when the Trump administration has halted the construction of similar projects and the president has warned that support for the industry could cost politicians their careers."
"The Louisiana Republican told POLITICO’s E&E News on Tuesday that he voiced support to Cabinet secretaries about the nearly complete Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project. It’s the largest planned offshore wind venture in the country and has thus far escaped the administration’s wrath."
Comment: "Johnson’s push can be seen as managing the needs of a member of his caucus. But it’s also a break with Trump and his long-running crusade against wind energy, which many attribute to his failed fight against wind turbines near his seaside golf resort in Scotland."
" 'Amazing phenomenon — Any Country that relies on Windmills is DEAD,' Trump posted Sunday on Truth Social. 'Their Energy Costs have gone through the roof, and their populations are angry. Windmills aren’t only killing the birds, they’re ‘killing’ lots of bad politicians who are losing their jobs because of them!' ”
"That post came after he said at a recent Cabinet meeting: 'We’re not allowing any windmills to go up.' ”
Comment: "Kiggans said she approached Johnson 'just to let him know that the project is important to Virginia because of its ties to our Navy there'.”
“ 'It’s almost 80 percent complete,' she said of the project, which is led by the utility Dominion Energy. 'Ratepayers have already paid for it.' ”
"The White House did not respond to requests for comment. But last week, the Trump administration canceled a nearly $40 million Department of Transportation grant for Virginia-based Norfolk Offshore Wind Logistics, an industrial plant that would support the project."
The Hill: Democrat wins Virginia special election to replace deceased Rep. Gerry Connolly
https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/5494041-fairfax-county-supervisor-elected/
Comment: "Connolly’s seat has been vacant since his death in May. Walkinshaw’s win narrows the Republican majority in the House to 219-213."
Comment: "Walkinshaw was considered the hands-on favorite to win the seat. The deep-blue district is reflective of the rest of Virginia’s suburbs of Washington, D.C., which tend to lean Democratic."
Pressure mounts on GOP leaders to extend ObamaCare subsidies
https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5492622-obamacare-subsidies-gop-pressure/
Comment: "GOP pressure is mounting on Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to extend expiring Affordable Care Act tax credits, as a number of rank-and-file Republicans push leaders to prevent the popular subsidies from expiring at the end of the year."
"Eleven GOP lawmakers have endorsed legislation extending the benefits for an additional year, punting the issue beyond the midterm elections. Most of them are vulnerable front-liners facing tough reelection contests — and wary of the spike in health costs expected to hit patients if Congress doesn’t act."
Comment: Do you think Republicans are interested in fixing the problem, or only interested in postponing the consequences until after the 2026 elections?
‘He’s a nut’: Hill Republicans sour on Trump housing official Bill Pulte
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/09/republicans-congress-bessent-pulte-trump-00552586
Comment: "Republicans on Capitol Hill are privately expressing growing discontent with a top Trump administration housing official who has thrust himself to the center of the president’s campaign against the Federal Reserve."
"Bill Pulte has parlayed a niche regulatory job — director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency — into celebrity status within President Donald Trump’s orbit by becoming one of his most vociferous social media attack dogs. But his antics are aggravating some more establishment figures around Trump — most notably Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who threatened to punch Pulte in the face at a private dinner last week in Washington."
GOP senator rails on Trump’s DHS over slow pace of hurricane relief and vows to stall nominees | CNN Politics
https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/09/politics/ted-budd-dhs-nominees-hurricane-helene
Video: Watch "Republicans are 'leading us' to a shutdown, says chair of House Democratic campaign arm" on YouTube - September 9, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvMdPFK_1yA
Politico: Democrats launch legal blitz to blunt GOP redistricting advantage
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/09/democrats-hopes-courts-redistricting-fight-00551030
Comment: "Outgunned in the national redistricting war, Democrats are launching a multipronged legal battle to try and prevent GOP gains ahead of next year’s midterms."
"It stands to be a grueling, lengthy and costly process for Democrats to counter President Donald Trump’s effort to draw new congressional maps that boost Republicans as they look to grow their slim majority next year. But with limited options to redraw maps in blue states outside Gov. Gavin Newsom’s effort in California, the courtroom presents the party’s best hope of countering Trump’s aggressive strategy."
"The specifics differ from state to state, but taken together they will demonstrate some of Democrats’ long-held strategies in redistricting cases, namely arguing Republicans are suppressing voters of color and engaging in partisan gerrymandering with their proposed maps."
"The courtroom challenges are largely organized by the National Redistricting Foundation, the legal arm of the National Democratic Redisctricting Committee — led by former Attorney General Eric Holder. The group declined to share how much it is prepared to spend on these cases, citing ongoing litigation, but is making an early and concentrated push with the tacit backing of Barack Obama, who headlined a fundraiser for the groups in August."
House Democrats post 2nd Epstein birthday book page referencing Trump
https://www.axios.com/2025/09/09/epstein-birthday-book-trump-reference-house-democrats
Comment: "Democrats on the House Oversight Committee publicly posted on X another page from Jeffrey Epstein's birthday book that referred to President Trump."
Comment: "The post that features an image of Epstein holding a large check with the caption, 'Epstein and a longtime Mar-a-Lago member joking about selling a 'fully depreciated' woman to Donald Trump for $22,500,' came hours after they posted a doodle in the document containing the president's name — which he strongly denies any association with."
Comment: At the very least, the two document excerpts are certainly embarrassing. A joking reference to the "selling" of a woman, especially a "fully depreciated" one, is outrageous. The sexually oriented doodle is juvenile and disrespectful at best.
Video: BREAKING: Democrats say House Oversight Committee has received Epstein 'birthday book' - September 8, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYRNBLHEoVs
Video: Chuck Schumer Torches Trump's Tariffs After 'Abysmal' August Jobs Report - September 8, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3hsI2HGCm4
Vance post on boat strike 'really ticked me off,' Rand Paul says - Live Updates - POLITICO
https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/09/08/congress/rand-paul-jd-vance-boat-strike-00551368
Comment: "Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul said he was compelled to publicly dress down Vice President JD Vance, a fellow Republican and former colleague, over the 'disdain for human life' shown Saturday in an online post praising a deadly strike on alleged drug traffickers."
"After Vance said the strike on a small Venezuelan boat was the 'highest and best use of our military,' Paul lashed out Saturday night: 'What a despicable and thoughtless sentiment it is to glorify killing someone without a trial,' he wrote on X."
"Paul told reporters Monday that the message was in keeping with his long criticism of unchecked U.S. military power and questioned whether the attack, which reportedly killed 11, was legally or morally justified."
" 'Maybe [the boat] was coming here. Maybe it wasn’t. But nobody’s even asking whether we need to prove that. We just blow them up,' he said, adding: 'I got no love lost for these people. But at the same time, is this the new Coast Guard policy? ... Almost none of the boats we’ve interdicted does it end up with us blowing up the boat.' ”
" 'But I think what really ticked me off and got me going,' Paul continued, referring to Vance, 'was for someone to glorify the idea of killing people without any due process and saying he just didn’t give a shit what anybody who was going criticize him was going to say. That to me was a disdain for human life and a disdain for processes.'"
The Guardian: Mike Johnson claimed Trump was anti-Epstein informant, then retreated amid criticism
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/08/mike-johnson-trump-epstein-fbi-informant
Comment: "In a matter of days, the US House speaker, Mike Johnson, claimed that Donald Trump was an FBI informant who was working to try to take down the late sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein – then backed away from the confusing statement."
"Johnson made the baffling claim on Thursday speaking to reporters at the US Capitol. 'He was an FBI informant to try and take this stuff down,' Johnson said of Trump."
"The remark was so perplexing that it reportedly confused even Trump administration officials."
Comment: This is the guy that House Republicans voted to be their leader?
Inside Congress’ warring factions over how to fund the government - POLITICO
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/08/congress-factions-government-shutdown-trump-00548818
Comment: "Battle lines are emerging on Capitol Hill in the fight to avert a government shutdown in three weeks — and it’s not just Republicans vs. Democrats."
"On one side, fiscal hawks are joining with the White House to keep federal agencies running on static funding levels, ideally into January or longer. On the other, Democrats and some top Republicans want to punt no further than November to buy congressional negotiators more time to cut a cross-party compromise on fresh funding totals for federal programs."
"In the end, the standoff could hinge on Speaker Mike Johnson’s appetite for trying to pass a funding package backed by President Donald Trump but not Democrats, as he did in the spring — and whether Senate Democrats once again capitulate rather than see government operations grind to a halt Oct. 1."
Comment: "Even more irate after Trump’s latest move to unilaterally cancel almost $5 billion in foreign aid through a so-called pocket rescission, Democrats are warning there will be a funding lapse if Republicans don’t negotiate with them. And while they’re being cautious not to box themselves in with ultimatums on funding totals or specific policy demands, they’re starting to flex their muscles by floating concessions Republicans could make in exchange for support across the aisle."
"That includes making a deal by the end of the year to head off the expiration of enhanced health insurance subsidies that would result in premium hikes come January for millions of Americans."
GOP, Democratic leaders look to de-escalate shutdown standoff
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5489383-congress-funding-deadline-deescalation/
Politico: Duckworth says DHS 'fled the base’ during visit by Democrats
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/07/duckworth-dhs-fled-naval-base-visit-00549536
Comment: "Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) said federal officials disappeared from a Navy base near Chicago on Friday after Democrats announced they would tour the facility ahead of the arrival of immigration officers."
"In an interview with host Margaret Brennan on CBS’ 'Face the Nation,' Duckworth said when she joined fellow Illinois Democrats Sen. Dick Durbin and Rep. Brad Schneider for a tour of the Naval Station Great Lakes, Department of Homeland Security officials had given staff the day off, 'locked the doors and left the base'.”
Comment: "Ahead of the lawmakers’ trip to the base, Duckworth said, she and her colleagues asked DHS if they could come tour the facility to have a 'better understanding of what your operations are'.”
"DHS officials, she said, replied no."
" 'This is not the action of someone that’s doing something legal or that they’re- that they’re proud of,' said Duckworth."
ABC News: Massie on Epstein files: ‘We can't avoid justice to avoid embarrassment for some very powerful men’
Comment: "Republican Rep. Thomas Massie said Sunday that those who might be in the Jeffrey Epstein files need to be held accountable regardless of their social status."
" 'We can't avoid justice just to avoid embarrassment for some very powerful men,' Massie told ABC News' 'This Week' anchor George Stephanopoulos."
"Appearing in the files is not indicative of wrongdoing or a crime."
"Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna said there are enough votes in the House to force a vote on his and Massie's discharge petition, a rare bipartisan effort they've led to compel the Justice Department to release all records related to the convicted sex offender."
Video: Hard to ‘plumb the depths’ of ‘stupidity’ of Dept. of War rebrand: Top Armed Services Cmte. Democrat - September 5, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsLB3-V1Tfc
Comment: Adam Smith (D-Wash.) addresses several different issues on NBC's Meet the Press.
Politico: Plans for second GOP megabill face growing skepticism
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/05/second-megabill-doubts-republicans-00545855
Comment: "Republican hopes of pursuing a second major domestic policy package this year are running into major roadblocks as they confront a lack of consensus and a grand, unifying goal — like the extension of sweeping tax cuts that held the last megabill together."
"The bearish view — already prevalent inside the Senate GOP — is now taking hold among some members of Speaker Mike Johnson’s leadership circle, after he was touting the possibility of a fresh party-line bill as he worked to push the first package across the line in July."
"Still, House GOP leaders are forging ahead for now. They tasked their committee chairs earlier in the summer with assembling lists of proposals for a second budget reconciliation package, as well as program cuts to pay for them."
"Those proposals are due by the end of this week, and Johnson and other top Republicans are expected to kick off a process to circulate and evaluate them across the conference. But after the fight for President Donald Trump’s 'big, beautiful bill' sparked intense policy fights among GOP factions, there’s a growing realization the party likely can’t pass a new package before the end of the year — if at all — according to interviews with more than a dozen House and Senate Republicans."
Comment: Do you think the problem may be the outcry from Americans against their last megabill, the so called "Big Beautiful Bill?" Americans don't like services cut to pay for more tax cuts for the wealthy. Do congressional Republicans want to dig themselves into an even bigger hole?
Axios: Trump's economic doom loop poses new danger for Republicans
https://www.axios.com/2025/09/05/trump-polling-economy-big-beautiful-bill
Comment: "President Trump's attempt to rebrand the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act can't mask a grim reality: His economic approval is collapsing, and the data underneath is only getting worse."
Comment: "Trump is in danger of getting trapped in the same 'vibecession' dynamic that doomed President Biden — only this time, the structural signals are flashing red and Trump's signature legislation is toxic."
"Some Republicans already fear inflation could cost them dearly in the 2026 midterms, warning Trump has only a few months to reset his trajectory on voters' most important issue."
Comment: "Poll after poll shows Trump's Big, Beautiful Bill Act — which extended his 2017 tax cuts while slashing Medicaid and other safety net programs — is the most unpopular major piece of legislation in years."
"Trump campaign officials acknowledged the PR crisis in a closed-door briefing on Capitol Hill this week, where they urged Republicans to refer to it as the 'Working Families Tax Cut Bill'."
"Democrats say no amount of rebranding can disguise the reality: The poorest 25% of households lose money under the law while the richest reap the benefits, according to the Congressional Budget Office."
Axios: Trump officials cancel bipartisan briefing on Venezuela strike
https://www.axios.com/2025/09/05/trump-drug-boat-strike-venezuela-meeting
Comment: "Trump officials on Friday abruptly cancelled a briefing with top Senate national security and leadership staff about the deadly U.S strike on a drug vessel off the coast of Venezuela."
Comment: "Top Democrats this week said they were left in the dark ahead of the operation, which the administration has suggested is the start of a broader military campaign."
"Officials pulled the plug on the bipartisan briefing Friday after attendees had already arrived, we are told."
"The session has been rescheduled for next week, according to a person familiar with the matter."
Comment: "Democratic frustrations are soaring over what they say is the White House's lack of transparency about military activities. Similar tensions rose after President Trump's strike against Iran earlier this year."
CBS News: Senate Democrats to investigate firings of Justice Dept. employees who worked for special counsel Jack Smith
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/senate-democrats-investigate-firings-justice-dept-employees-jack-smith/
Comment: "Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee are launching an investigation Friday into the firings of Justice Department attorneys and employees who investigated President Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election and his handling of classified records."
"In a letter obtained by CBS News, the panel's Democrats are asking Attorney General Pam Bondi to hand over records about at least 20 Justice Department staff fired last month."
"The senators said they're seeking information regarding the justification 'for any of these draconian personnel actions,' in reference to the terminations. They said of Justice Department leaders, 'Firing career administrative staff who lack decision-making authority because they were doing their jobs is a petty but pernicious abuse of power.' "
The Hill: Pair of Senate Democrats charge Israel with ‘ethnic cleansing’ of Palestinians
https://thehill.com/policy/international/5487938-senate-democrats-israel-palestinians-gaza/
Comment: "A pair of Senate Democrats are accusing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of overseeing a campaign of 'ethnic cleansing' against Palestinians, raising urgent alarm as Israel begins its takeover of Gaza City and threatens to annex parts of the West Bank."
"Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) said they came to their conclusion throughout a seven-day trip to the region last week, noting their personal observations point to the Israeli government seemingly trying to remove an ethnic or religious group from a territory through force or intimidation."
" 'Based on our conversations and our observations, we came away with the inescapable conclusion that the Netanyahu government is engaged in a campaign of ethnic cleansing in Gaza and slow-motion ethnic cleansing in the West Bank,' Van Hollen told reporters Thursday morning from his office on Capitol Hill."
"Ethnic cleansing is not a crime formally defined under international law, but its practice can constitute crimes against humanity and be part of a larger legal determination of genocide, according to the United Nations."
The Hill: GOP senators signal to Trump that Kennedy is on thin ice
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5487383-gop-senators-criticize-kennedy/
Comment: "Republican senators are sending clear signs of disapproval and unhappiness with Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., making it plain to President Trump that they want the administration to address the chaos Kennedy has caused by trying to rewrite the nation’s vaccine policies."
"GOP senators have stopped short of calling on Kennedy to resign and haven’t yet said they regret voting for him in February, but they want him to back off efforts to change vaccine policy recommendations without sound scientific backing as the administration faces a growing public backlash."
"Kennedy received an unusual admonishment from Senate Republican Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), an orthopedic surgeon, when he testified before the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday."
" 'I support vaccines. I’m a doctor. Vaccines work,' said Barrasso, the Senate’s No. 2-ranking Republican leader."
" 'Secretary Kennedy, in your confirmation hearings, you promised to uphold the highest standards for vaccines,' he said. 'Since then, I’ve grown deeply concerned.' ”
Video: Trump defends RFK Jr. after Republicans, Democrats hold tense Senate hearing - September 5, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gL9fBz_fRQ
NPR: Democrat who called RFK Jr. a 'charlatan' says U.S. is vulnerable to next pandemic
USA Today: When could a government shutdown occur? How would it affect you?
Politico: Jeffrey Epstein discharge petition will fail, Mike Johnson predicts
Comment: "Speaker Mike Johnson said Thursday he doesn’t believe a bipartisan effort to force a House vote compelling the release of Jeffrey Epstein-related documents will succeed."
"Asked about the discharge petition led by Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), Johnson said he doubted they would convince enough Republicans to sign on."
"Massie and three other GOP members have so far signed; at least two more House Republicans would be needed in order to end-run Johnson and force a vote on requiring the Justice Department to release its entire file on the disgraced sex trafficker."
Comment: Wishful thinking on Johnson's part?
Politico: RFK Jr. says CDC director’s firing is just a start
Comment: "The health secretary came out swinging at his first appearance on Capitol Hill since he pushed out the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."
Comment: "Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has no plans to try to lower the temperature around the upheaval he’s caused at his department."
"That was Kennedy’s message to senators Thursday during his first appearance on Capitol Hill since pushing out the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention over a dispute on vaccine policy last week, prompting a wave of resignations and concerned responses from even some Republican lawmakers."
"Kennedy told senators on the Finance Committee that the CDC official, Susan Monarez, had lied about the circumstances that led to her firing, and said the CDC’s failings during the pandemic, and in combating chronic disease, meant more people at the agency needed to go."
" 'We are the sickest country in the world. That’s why we have to fire people at the CDC. They did not do their job,' Kennedy said. 'I need to fire some of those people to make sure this doesn’t happen again.' ”
"Democrats responded in kind, blasting Kennedy for the upheaval at the CDC and for upending the agency’s advisory panel for evaluating vaccines. Kennedy fired all of its members earlier this year and has replaced them with several vaccine skeptics. Kennedy was an anti-vaccine activist before he teamed up with President Donald Trump."
"The Finance panel’s top Democrat, Ron Wyden of Oregon, said Kennedy had caused a 'health care calamity' and 'elevated conspiracy theorists, crackpots and grifters to make life or death decisions.' ”
The Guardian: Trump’s second presidency is ‘most dangerous period’ since second world war, Mitch McConnell says
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/04/trump-dangerous-period-mitch-mcconnell
Comment: "The world during Donald Trump's second presidency has entered a period of danger with 'certain similarities to the 30s', according to Mitch McConnell, the veteran Republican former Senate leader."
"Calling it 'the most dangerous period since before world war two', McConnell was openly critical of the Trump administration's fixation with trade tariffs, which he likened to the isolationist policies of the US in the 1930s that historians say hastened a global depression that paved the path to conflict."
"But while decrying the lack of US preparedness to confront authoritarian regimes abroad, the 83-year-old McConnell – a senator since 1985 and leader of Republicans in the chamber for a record 18 years until he stood down earlier this year, then announced his own upcoming retirement – did not discuss the Trump administration’s own moves towards authoritarianism."
"He also glossed over his own responsibility for handing Trump so much power. As majority leader, McConnell maneuvered to deny Barack Obama a rightful supreme court pick, and rushed to give Trump another in the final weeks of his first term in 2020. It made McConnell the architect of the current ultraconservative 6-3 majority on a panel that critics say has been overly loyal to Trump, not least last year’s astonishing ruling giving him immunity for criminal acts."
Comment: Having some regrets, McConnell? Trying to make amends? How many of you think it's too little, too late?
House Republicans launch bill to extend health subsidies past midterms - POLITICO
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/04/aca-enhanced-tax-credits-extension-00544565
Comment: "Ten House Republicans are leading new legislation that would extend enhanced tax credits for coverage under the Democrats’ 2010 health law."
"While it’s unlikely to be enacted as a standalone proposition, it could offer the GOP a path forward on the issue, and sends an important signal that the party is increasingly seeing real political risk in letting these subsidies expire at the end of the year."
Comment: "The legislation would extend the subsidies for one year, punting the issue past the 2026 midterms. The current roster of Republican co-sponsors is composed of some of the most vulnerable incumbents of this election cycle: Along with Kiggans, they are Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick and Rob Bresnahan of Pennsylvania, Young Kim and David Valadao of California, Jeff Hurd of Colorado, Carlos Gimenez of Florida, Tom Kean of New Jersey, Juan Ciscomani of Arizona and Mike Lawler of New York."
"The subsidies were originally created in 2021 as part of the massive covid relief act, and then extended through 2025 as part of the 2022 climate law. Both these laws were championed by Democrats, with no Republican support."
Comment: Do you think these Republicans really care about the health care cost of Americans, or only care about being reelected in 2026?
Axios: Top Democrat says intel visit canceled after Laura Loomer's online attacks
https://www.axios.com/2025/09/04/intelligence-meeting-canceled-hegseth-loomer-warner
Comment: "Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chair Mark Warner (D-Va.) said Wednesday his 'long-scheduled' classified intelligence agency meeting was canceled after far-right activist Laura Loomer attacked him online."
Comment: "Warner questioned whether Loomer is a member of President Trump's Cabinet, saying she was behind the firings of the National Security Agency/U.S. Cyber Command chief and the Defense intel agency boss."
"She also 'got 37 individuals' ' security clearances revoked by National Intelligence director Tulsi Gabbard after the conspiracy theorist targeted them online, Warner said in a video posted to YouTube Wednesday evening."
" 'When is the purge going to end? This is the kind of thing that happens in authoritarian regimes,' Warner told reporters Thursday. 'You purge your independent intelligence community and make them loyal not to a constitution but something else.' "
Comment: "Warner said in a video post to X that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth 'bowed down' to Loomer and canceled his visit to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency's headquarters in Springfield, Virginia, after she criticized him and Navy Vice Adm. Frank 'Trey' Whitworth, the NGA's director, on the platform."
Video: Laura Loomer is basically a Trump Cabinet official at this point. - September 3, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cB76b1RytAk
Axios: Rogue House Republicans help Dems kill a vote to censure LaMonica McIver in shock result
https://www.axios.com/2025/09/03/lamonica-mciver-censure-homeland-security-ice
Comment: "House Democrats, with help from more than half a dozen Republicans, succeeded in killing a motion to censure Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.) for clashing with ICE officers in April."
Comment: "McIver is being prosecuted by the Justice Department on charges of assaulting law enforcement, but she has denied wrongdoing and alleged that both the charges and the censure measure are purely political."
Comment: "Federal prosecutors have alleged that McIver elbowed an officer as law enforcement moved to arrest Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, but McIver has said she was the one who was assaulted in the scuffle."
Comment: Even some Republicans find this attempt to censor a Congresswoman ridiculous, since she was simply trying to perform her oversight role and was involved in a scuffle with ICE agents trying to impede her oversight.
GOP Senate leader Thune keeps door open to extending expiring Obamacare tax credits
Comment: "Senate Majority Leader John Thune is keeping the door open to a potential extension of tax credits under the Affordable Care Act that are scheduled to expire at the end of 2025."
"The issue has divided Republicans, with some calling for extending the funds to avoid insurance premium hikes next year, an idea that numerous conservatives in the party oppose."
Comment: "The issue has risen as a concern for many Republicans ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, with some strategists in the party warning that voters will punish them if the subsidies expire and lead to premium increases next year."
"Democrats passed the funds during the Biden administration, and they are set to expire at the end of the year. Democrats are dialing up the pressure on the GOP to extend them."
"Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., told NBC News in a statement that Democrats have repeatedly forced votes on legislation to extend the ACA funding this year, only to be rejected by Republicans each time."
Politico: Massie implores GOP colleagues to help force vote to release Epstein files
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/03/massie-gop-release-epstein-files-00541753
Comment: "Rep. Thomas Massie is publicly pleading with his Republican colleagues to break rank with House GOP leaders and join his crusade to force a vote on the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files."
"At a Wednesday press conference outside the Capitol alongside some of the late convicted sex offender’s accusers, Massie said he needed just two more members on his side of the aisle to sign onto the discharge petition that will allow him to bypass leadership and get his bill on the floor."
"All Democrats are expected to put their names on the petition, meaning a total of six Republican signatures is necessary to reach the 218-member threshold."
'This is not a hoax': Epstein survivors speak out demanding files be released
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/jeffrey-epstein-survivors-set-speak-capitol-hill/story?id=125211468
Comment: "Trump still insisted Wednesday that it was an 'Epstein hoax'."
Comment: "Through tears, a group of women who say they were victimized by Jeffrey Epstein shared their stories on Capitol Hill as they called on lawmakers to support the release of records that the Department of Justice has so far withheld from Congress."
Comment: "Survivor after survivor, however, implored lawmakers to back a bipartisan push from Republican Rep. Thomas Massie and Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna to compel the Justice Department to publicly release the Epstein files."
Comment: "So far, four Republicans have signed on to the Massie and Khanna discharge petition -- a procedural tool to bypass GOP leadership and force a vote. Those signers include Massie, Reps. Nancy Mace, Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert."
"If all 212 Democrats sign the petition, only two Republicans are needed to reach the 218 needed to compel a vote on the House floor."
Comment: "House Republican leadership, however, is opposed to the Massie and Khanna effort -- as is the White House."
NPR: Epstein survivors join with lawmakers in calling for full release of government files
https://www.npr.org/2025/09/03/nx-s1-5527055/epstein-survivors-press-conference
Axios: Republicans fret about inflation's impact on 2026 midterms
https://www.axios.com/2025/09/02/republicans-fret-about-inflations-impact-on-2026-midterms
Comment: "Republican operatives and lawmakers are increasingly anxious about how inflation could affect the GOP in the 2026 midterms, and want President Trump to take more aggressive steps to address rising prices."
"Why it matters: GOP insiders and lawmakers believe the cost of drugs and consumer items — and how the White House deals with Trump's tariffs potentially turbocharging prices and creating shortages — will be key to whether the GOP keeps control of Congress next year."
Comment: " 'We don't want Democrats making campaign ads about $8 Lucky Charms and grandma unable to get prescription drugs because of shortages from the tariffs,' one GOP operative involved in drawing up the party's midterm plans told Axios."
Politico: Murkowski slams White House pocket rescission proposal
Comment: "Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski slammed President Donald Trump and budget chief Russ Vought’s plan to withdraw nearly $5 billion in funding previously approved by Congress."
" 'I strongly object to the Office of Management and Budget’s unlawful attempt to pursue a nearly $5 billion pocket rescission,' Murkowski said in a social media post Tuesday. 'Congress alone bears the constitutional responsibility for funding our government, and any effort to claw back resources outside of the appropriations process undermines that responsibility.' ”
"The White House’s move to flout Congress and unilaterally kill federal funding could throw into question larger spending decisions as lawmakers face an Oct. 1 deadline to avoid a government shutdown. Lawmakers have just four weeks to clear a funding patch before that deadline."
"Murkowski, who sits on the Senate Appropriations Committee, argued that the move by the White House would 'only threaten the good bipartisan work that has been done in committee and on the floor, and risk throwing the entire process into chaos'.”
Video: Breaking down the looming government shutdown battle - September 2, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1IuPGZVN2g
Video: 'A flashing red siren warning sign for Republicans': Enten on upcoming VA and NJ governor's races - September 2, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNt2aeShJfs
Politico: House members ready action on Epstein files
Comment: "House members are wasting no time laying the groundwork this week for a confrontation with GOP leaders over releasing the Jeffrey Epstein files."
"Freshly back in Washington from the August recess, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) plans to take the formal steps at 2 p.m. today to file a discharge petition, the procedural maneuver necessary to bypass leadership and force a vote on his resolution compelling the DOJ to unseal the files related to the late, convicted sex offender."
"Once he does that, Massie said in a social media post Tuesday morning, he can begin gathering the necessary 218 signatures required to bring the resolution to the floor. He said in an interview last week he expects to secure that number quickly. Massie also has co-sponsored the measure with Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), so a combination of support from virtually all Democrats and at least a handful of Republicans all but guarantees the two lawmakers will meet that threshold."
"A bipartisan group of House members, including leadership of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, is set to convene a closed-door meeting with Epstein’s victims Tuesday afternoon, according to a person granted anonymity to share details of a private event."
"A group of Epstein’s victims also plan to hold a rally on Capitol Hill Wednesday morning, separate from a long-scheduled press conference Khanna and Massie will host with victims around that same time to highlight their discharge petition effort."
"Despite GOP leaders’ efforts to quell the Epstein crisis over the recess, Massie said, 'this has not gone away like the speaker had hoped.' ”
Video: 'DISGUSTING': Top Dem EVISCERATES lawmakers for not fighting for Epstein victims - September 1, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrS_n1Bkagc
CBS News: Cornyn says he's "confident in the outcome" in the Texas Senate race, tells Paxton to "brush up on the Ten Commandments"
Comment: In their primary fight, GOP Senate candidates in Texas point out each other's defects, while still pledging their allegiance to Donald Trump. Democrats hope to take advantage.
Comment: "Cornyn and Paxton have repeatedly taken shots at each other over social media. Last week, Paxton posted on X, 'John Cornyn's not a MAGA Republican, but he plays one on TV.' "
"Also last week, Cornyn responded to a post on 'X' by Paxton, stating that he was directing Texas school districts to comply with a new state law that requires school districts to display a copy of the Ten Commandments in each classroom."
"Cornyn said, 'Might want to brush up on the Ten Commandments, Ken.' "
"When asked what he meant about his comments and which of the Commandments he was referring to, Cornyn said, 'All ten of them. I think this is indicative of the hypocrisy that we've seen from the attorney general, who pretends to be something he's not. I think we've been reminded time and time again from the impeachment, from the indictment for securities fraud, to the whistleblower lawsuit, and what he's done to his own family, that he is self-destructive, he's reckless, and he can't be trusted.' "
Comment: And believe it or not, despite the baggage Paxton has (described above), he still leads Cornyn in the current polls. What does that tell you about the GOP in Texas? Does this terrible choice of GOP candidates give Democrats a chance to win the Senate seat in Texas?
Video: Congress looks to avoid government shutdown after August recess - September 1, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7MMOlUQWJQ0
AP News: Government shutdown looms as Congress returns after monthlong August recess
https://apnews.com/article/congress-recess-shutdown-senate-house-c273344880d3b5e5bc71a4305f34cba2
Comment: "Congressional Republicans scored a massive victory this summer when they passed President Donald Trump's tax and spending cuts without a single Democratic vote. But as they return to Washington this fall after a monthlong August recess, they will have to find a way to work with Democrats — or around them — as a government shutdown looms."
"The annual spending battle will dominate the September agenda, along with a possible effort by Senate Republicans to change their chamber’s rules to thwart Democratic stalling tactics on nominations. The Senate is also debating whether to move forward on legislation that would slap steep tariffs on some of Russia’s trading partners as the U.S. presses Russian President Vladimir Putin on Ukraine."
USA Today: Sen. Bill Cassidy wants 'oversight' of CDC. Some say he deserves blame for its turmoil.
Comment: "Some health experts say Cassidy deserves blame for CDC turmoil as a doctor who was concerned about Kennedy’s vaccine views but voted to confirm him."
The Daily Beast: GOP Senator Blasts Trump’s $5 Billion Money Grab as Unlawful
https://www.thedailybeast.com/gop-senator-blasts-trump-5-billion-money-grab-as-unlawful/
Comment: "Republican Senator Susan Collins blasted President Donald Trump’s attempt to claw back nearly $5 billion in foreign aid so close to the end of the budget year as unlawful."
Comment: " 'Given that this package was sent to Congress very close to the end of the fiscal year when the funds are scheduled to expire, this is an apparent attempt to rescind appropriated funds without congressional approval,' Collins, the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said in a statement."
" 'Any effort to rescind appropriated funds without congressional approval is a clear violation of the law,' she said."
"Trump attempted so-called 'pocket recessions' during his first term but ultimately backed down. The last time it was used was about fifty years ago."
"The senator pointed out that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) had already found such rescissions to be illegal and argued that only Congress has the power of the purse, but Trump’s budget office pushed back."
White House declares $4.9B in foreign aid unilaterally canceled in end-run around Congress' funding power - POLITICO
Comment: "President Donald Trump threw a grenade Friday into September government funding negotiations on Capitol Hill, declaring the unilateral power to cancel billions of dollars in foreign aid by using a so-called pocket rescission."
"Escalating the administration’s assault on Congress’ funding prerogatives, the White House budget office announced Friday morning that Trump has canceled $4.9 billion through the gambit that Congress’ top watchdog and many lawmakers argue is an illegal end-run around their 'power of the purse.' ”
"The move to unilaterally nix money previously approved by Congress raises tensions on Capitol Hill as lawmakers face an Oct. 1 deadline to avoid a government shutdown, pitting Republicans at the White House against GOP lawmakers and increasing pressure on Democrats to force a funding lapse unless Trump stands down."
"Democrats and Republicans alike have warned that a pocket rescissions request would hamper cross-party talks to avert a shutdown at the end of September, while fulfilling White House budget director Russ Vought's wish that the process of funding the government be 'less bipartisan' to accommodate a raft of conservative priorities."
AP News: Trump blocks $4.9B in foreign aid Congress OK'd, using maneuver last seen nearly 50 years ago
https://apnews.com/article/trump-foreign-aid-pocket-rescission-374c63e6b4004e819a657e33b76f502e
Video: Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst won’t seek reelection to third term - August 29, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQr2m9DINXA
Military Times: Another federal shutdown threat looms as Congress heads back to DC
Comment: "Democratic congressional leaders on Thursday warned that federal agencies are headed towards a partial government shutdown at the end of September unless the White House and Republican leadership provide clear answers on a budgetary solution soon."
"In a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., on Thursday, the chambers’ top Democrats — Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, both from New York — asked for a meeting on the looming fiscal issues early next week, to stave off a budget crisis."
" 'The government funding issue must be resolved in a bipartisan way,' the pair wrote. 'That is the only viable path forward …"
" 'It is past time you reveal your plans to meet the needs of the American people. Otherwise, it is clear that you have abandoned bipartisanship altogether and are preparing to shut down the government.' "
"Lawmakers have until Sept. 30 to pass a new budget for the next fiscal year (which starts Oct. 1) or approve a short-term extension of current agency funding levels."
"Failure to do either will force a partial shutdown of most government activities until a new funding deal is reached."
"For the Department of Defense, that will mean shuttering of some non-essential base offices and training. Troops will still be expected to report for duty, but their paychecks may be delayed."
CBS News: Sen. Cassidy calls for vaccine advisory meeting to be postponed amid CDC departures
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/sen-cassidy-postpone-vaccine-advisory-meeting-cdc-departures/
Comment: "Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican who chairs the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, called on the Department of Health and Human Services Thursday to 'indefinitely postpone' its vaccine advisory committee meeting next month amid a slew of departures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."
" 'If the meeting proceeds, any recommendations made should be rejected as lacking legitimacy given the seriousness of the allegations and the current turmoil in CDC leadership,' Cassidy said in a statement."
Comment: "The agenda for the Sept. 18 vaccine advisory committee meeting is set to include discussions of vaccines for COVID-19, Hepatitis B, RSV and the MMRV measles, mumps, rubella, varicella vaccine, and could entail scheduling votes on recommendations for these vaccines."
NPR: Speaker Johnson pushed Medicaid cuts. His constituents worry about their own coverage
https://www.npr.org/2025/08/28/nx-s1-5518040/speaker-johnson-medicaid-cuts-louisiana
Comment: "The sweeping megabill pushed through Congress by House Speaker Mike Johnson could have some of its deepest consequences in his rural Louisiana district, where more than a third of residents are enrolled in Medicaid, according to data from the health information nonprofit KFF."
"Thousands of residents who rely on the program that provides health coverage to low-income Americans could lose those benefits — and the federally qualified health centers that serve them could risk closure if they lose the current levels of revenue generated from Medicaid reimbursements."
Axios: Exclusive: Texas Senate hopeful Colin Allred unveils anti-corruption plan
https://www.axios.com/2025/08/28/colin-allred-anti-corruption-plan-texas-senate
Comment: "Texas Democratic Senate candidate Colin Allred this week will propose a sweeping anti-corruption framework that includes banning lawmakers from trading stocks and overturning the 2010 Supreme Court decision that allowed unlimited political spending from private entities."
"Why it matters: The populist policy proposals will serve as a centerpiece of his campaign against Republicans in one of the nation's most high-profile Senate races next year."
"Allred's proposal to 'clean up Washington' is a 12-point anti-corruption plan that includes other populist priorities like ending gerrymandering, barring corporate PACs and a lifetime lobbying ban for lawmakers."
"The former congressman has personally pledged to refrain from trading individual stocks, to refuse corporate PAC money and to adhere to a lifetime lobbying ban."
WTOP: Republican proposal could extend federal law enforcement surge in DC for 6 months
Comment: "Republican members of Congress are proposing several bills that back President Donald Trump’s federal law enforcement surge, including a measure that would extend it for six months."
"The president’s declared crime emergency is scheduled to end after 30 days, unless Congress approves an extension."
"Many GOP lawmakers have said they will be ready to vote for an extension, if the president believes it is necessary."
Comment: "While Democrats have pushed back on the president’s deployment of federal agents and guard troops, they have little leverage given its widespread support among Republicans in Congress, who control the House and Senate."
"Democrats may try to oppose extending the law enforcement surge in the Senate with a filibuster."
"If they block the extension, the president has suggested he might declare a national emergency to get around Congress, which could lead to a battle in the courts."
WHYY: ICE denies U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon entry to region’s largest detention center
https://whyy.org/articles/ice-detention-center-mary-gay-scanlon-denied-access/
Comment: "U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials Wednesday denied U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, D-Delaware County, entry to the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Philipsburg, Pennsylvania."
"A Chinese citizen died in early August while in custody inside the ICE facility. Scanlon said she was there to conduct a congressional oversight visit."
"“The private prison director and the ICE manager for the facility came out and told me they knew there was a federal law requiring them to let me in — but that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem had ordered them not to allow members of Congress to visit these facilities,” Scanlon said in a video posted to X.
"Neither ICE nor the U.S. Department of Homeland Security immediately responded to a request for comment."
Axios: "Authoritarian power grab": Democrats erupt as Trump moves to fire Fed governor Lisa Cook
https://www.axios.com/2025/08/26/trump-lisa-cook-fire-federal-reserve-democrats
Comment: "Democratic Congress members responded with fury on Monday after President Trump said he's firing Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook."
"Why it matters: Some lawmakers are calling on the federal judiciary to swiftly strike down Cook's ouster, arguing that the president has no legal basis for it."
" 'It's an authoritarian power grab that blatantly violates the Federal Reserve Act, and must be overturned in court,' said Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), the ranking member of the Senate Banking Committee, in a statement."
"House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said: 'Trump is trying to remove her without a shred of credible evidence that she has done anything wrong.' "
"House Judiciary Committee ranking member Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) told Axios: 'What an outrage and a scandal. This is the big one constitutionally.' "
Politico: Republicans could take midterm hit if Obamacare subsidies expire
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/25/republicans-midterm-obamacare-subsidies-expire-00520581
Comment: "As congressional Republicans debate this fall whether to extend the Affordable Care Act enhanced subsidies, they need look no further than Florida to gauge the potential midterm election fallout for the party."
"The red state has the highest number of Obamacare enrollees in the country, and millions of low- and middle-income residents have used the subsidies to afford health coverage since their creation in 2021. Florida, an epicenter of the MAGA movement, also has a disproportionately large number of small business owners and employees who are heavily dependent on the tax credits."
"Not a single Republican voted in favor of creating the subsidies when then-President Joe Biden pushed them through, but the reliance of Sunshine State residents on them could give GOP representatives and senators cause to change their minds. Insurers, hospitals and business groups are mobilizing to push them on the issue. Polls show voters are likely to react poorly to skyrocketing insurance premiums, especially when combined with cuts to Medicaid and the ACA that Republicans enacted this summer."
Politico: Former Labor secretary will be interviewed in House Epstein probe
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/25/alex-acosta-house-interview-epstein-00523338
Comment: "President Donald Trump’s first secretary of Labor will answer questions from House investigators next month about his involvement in the Jeffrey Epstein case."
Comment: "As U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Acosta signed off on a 2008 deal that allowed Epstein to plead guilty to a single state charge, ending a long-running FBI investigation without federal charges. The deal is now widely seen as being unduly favorable to Epstein, who was later charged with federal sex trafficking charges and subsequently died by suicide in Justice Department custody."
"Acosta defended the 2008 deal after the federal charges were filed in 2019, while he was serving in the first Trump administration. The prior deal, he said, forced Epstein to register as a sex offender and put the public on notice of his behavior."
The Guardian: Trump ‘manufactured crisis’ to justify plan to send national guard to Chicago, leading Democrat says
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/24/trump-national-guard-chicago-hakeem-jeffries
Comment: "Earlier on Sunday, Hakeem Jeffries, House minority leader and New York Democratic congressman, said Donald Trump had 'manufactured a crisis' to justify sending federalized national guard troops into Chicago next, over the heads of local leaders."
"Jeffries, appearing on CNN’s State of the Union, accused the US president of 'playing games with the lives of Americans' with his unprecedented domestic deployment of the military, which has escalated to include the arming of troops currently patrolling Washington DC – after sending troops into Los Angeles in June."
"The mayor of Chicago, Brandon Johnson, said any such plan from Trump would be perpetrating 'the most flagrant violation of our constitution in the 21st century'."
Comment: "Jeffries said he supported a statement issued by the Democratic governor of Illinois, JB Pritzker, that Trump was 'abusing his power' in talking about sending the national guard to Chicago, and distracting from the pain he said the president was causing American families."
"The national guard is normally under the authority of the individual states, deployed at the request of the state governor and only federalized – or deployed by the federal government – in a national emergency and at the request of a governor."
The Hill: Trump seeks to ramp up pressure on Grassley over ‘blue slip’ controversy
Comment: "President Trump sought to ramp up pressure on Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on Sunday over his defense of the 'blue slip' practice that allows home-state senators to veto nominees to district courts and U.S. attorneys’ offices."
Comment: Since Trump wants to attack precedence, do you think that, in the future, we should stop allowing convicted felons the opportunity to make judicial appointments?
House Oversight Committee Democrats say most Epstein files turned over by DOJ were already public | CNN Politics
https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/23/politics/epstein-doj-files-house-oversight-democrats
Politico: Why the Epstein drama isn't going away anytime soon
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/22/congress-trump-doj-epstein-files-00519316
Comment: "The Justice Department is expected on Friday to start handing the first batch of Jeffrey Epstein files over to Congress. But it may be a while before lawmakers get the information they want — if ever."
"The DOJ is taking a piecemeal approach to transmitting documents to Capitol Hill, pursuant to a subpoena issued this month by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee after Democrats on the panel forced the matter."
"The committee, led by Kentucky Republican Rep. James Comer, anticipates receiving an initial tranche of files related to the convicted sex offender by the end of the day Aug. 22. Making these materials public, however, will be a slow, deliberative process."
"That’s because House Oversight intends to coordinate with the Justice Department on taking steps to shield the names of the women who were victims of Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019, and information around ongoing criminal cases."
Politico: Epstein files land on Capitol Hill
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/22/epstein-files-land-on-capitol-hill-00519851
Comment: "Now comes the waiting game as congressional Republicans and the DOJ coordinate on redactions."
NPR: First wave of Epstein files is being sent to Congress, says Oversight Committee chair
https://www.npr.org/2025/08/22/nx-s1-5509535/epstein-files-congress-house-oversight-committee-trump
Politico: The GOP’s big problem in selling the ‘big, beautiful bill’
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/21/republicans-trump-vance-megabill-00516964
Video: Sen. Ossoff: Republicans have 'no spine' with Trump's tax bill - August 20, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VxIK6RS0ok
Comment: Ossoff responds to J.D. Vance's plan to pitch Trump's tax bill in Georgia, and also speaks on other issues.
Politico: Here's how Trump could throw a ‘wrench’ into Hill funding negotiations as shutdown looms
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/20/trump-vought-pocket-rescissions-shutdown-00515278
Comment: "President Donald Trump’s budget director has talked about attempting the ultimate override of Congress’ funding prerogatives during the final 45 days of the fiscal year — and that time is now.
"With six weeks left until Oct. 1, lawmakers are staring down a government shutdown deadline alongside the threat of a 'pocket rescission,' a controversial White House tactic to cancel federal cash without the consent of Congress. It’s also a ploy that the government’s top watchdog, along with key lawmakers from both parties, say is illegal."
Comment: "Lawmakers anticipate Trump will send Congress a formal rescissions request to claw back billions of dollars in federal funding as soon as lawmakers return from recess in September."
"Already, the threat of the White House then unilaterally canceling the funding in October — regardless of Congress’ response to the request — is straining negotiations between Democrats and Republicans desperately trying to head off a shutdown with bipartisan negotiations, which Vought is also actively seeking to undermine."
" 'He is trying to throw a wrench in this by introducing or sending to us a second rescission bill — by trying to do pocket rescissions,' Delaware Sen. Chris Coons, the top Democrat on the appropriations panel that funds the military, said of Vought in an interview."
If Democrats succeed in midterms, they're coming for Kristi Noem
Comment: "Hakeem Jeffries promised that the Homeland Security secretary would be among the first 'hauled up' to Capitol Hill for oversight hearings if House Democrats win a majority in 2026."
Trump wants the Senate to scrap the 'blue slip.' Republicans aren't interested. - POLITICO
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/19/senate-republicans-blue-slip-00513489
Comment: "President Donald Trump last month tried to goad Sen. Chuck Grassley into ending the practice of giving deference to home-state senators in the judicial nominations process — a pressure campaign that quickly escalated into an all-out social media war on the 91-year-old Judiciary Committee chair."
Comment: "It didn’t work. Despite Trump’s threats to rally his base against Grassley, Senate Republicans rebuffed the attempts to get their colleague to give up on so-called blue slips, which allow members of the minority party power to effectively veto nominees for U.S. attorneys and district court judges who would serve their regions."
"It also doesn’t look like their position will change heading into the fall, either, as Republicans have indicated they’ll seek a rules change to speed up the confirmation process for certain Trump nominees on the Senate floor but not at the committee level."
NPR: As Republicans face voters during tense town halls, it's about sticking to the script
Comment: "Ahead of the recess, the National Republican Congressional Committee, an organization dedicated to increasing the amount of GOP seats in the House, sent Republican lawmakers a memo to 'Make August Count,' with crafted messaging and language to use when interacting with constituents, encouraging them to go on offense to sell their legislative victories."
Comment: "Those are similar to the talking points the NRCC encouraged Republicans to focus on: issues that polled well among voters, including provisions in the bill that remove taxes on tips and overtime and work requirements for those on Medicaid. Lawmakers who decided to host town halls heeded the NRCC's advice."
Comment: Those were talking points that Barry Moore stressed at his recent Enterprise town hall meeting, so apparently he's following the script also.
Comment: "NPR reviewed nearly 10 recent town halls. The same series of questions seemed to be at the top of voters' minds at each event. They were concerned about health care, immigration and tax cuts. Multiple constituents reiterated the same question, especially if they didn't think it was answered adequately. But the lawmakers rarely veered away from the NRCC's talking points."
‘People want proof of concept’: The Trump campaign promise that doesn’t have the votes - POLITICO
Comment: "Shutting down the Education Department will be complicated, especially when every lawmaker has a stake in federal school aid and other agency programs."
Comment: "Republican lawmakers trying to make good on President Donald Trump’s campaign promise to abolish the Education Department are prepping for legislative surgery instead of rolling out the guillotine."
"Trump signed an executive order in March telling his Education secretary, Linda McMahon, to 'facilitate' the closure of the agency she leads as a way to give states more control of the federal money for their schools. McMahon has also publicly embraced the president’s call to put herself 'out of a job' and pushed out about half of the agency’s staff while exploring ways to move programs to other departments."
"But closing the Education Department requires congressional approval. And despite being a target of conservative ire since its founding, shutting it down may be a tough sell for Republicans with poor school districts and states that depend on its legal guidance, civil rights enforcement and other support. That need for careful calculus has made it clear to the two top GOP education leaders on Capitol Hill that a more 'rational' and piecemeal deconstruction of the agency is necessary."
Democrats introduce measure to terminate Trump's D.C. takeover
https://www.axios.com/2025/08/15/trump-dc-crime-national-guard-democrats-congress
Comment: "A group of House and Senate Democrats on Friday introduced a joint resolution that would put an end to President Trump's control of the city's police force"
"Why it matters: The measure is an extreme long-shot, but it is a show of strong Democratic opposition to a move that many in the party say amounts to a chilling and unprecedented power-grab."
Comment: "Driving the news: Raskin is introducing the resolution along with Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), House Oversight Committee ranking member Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), and Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.)."
Comment: "What they're saying: 'Trump has made clear that his efforts in D.C. ... are part of a broader plan to militarize and federalize the streets of cities around America whose citizens voted against him,' Raskin said in a statement."
Comment: "Reality check: The lawmakers have no way to force the joint resolution to a vote in the House or Senate, and the Republicans who control both chambers are highly unlikely to put it to a vote."
Comment: "Yes, but: The Senate's 60-vote threshold will soon be an obstacle to Trump if he seeks to maintain his control of the D.C. police after a month, as he will need Democratic support for a joint resolution to extend the emergency."
Axios: No. 2 House Democrat Katherine Clark calls Gaza war a "genocide"
https://www.axios.com/2025/08/15/israel-gaza-genocide-katherine-clark-democrat
GOP populists plan to repeatedly bypass Mike Johnson in September
https://www.axios.com/2025/08/14/mike-johnson-jeffrey-epstein-stock-trading
Comment: "House Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-La.) right flank is trying to bypass him repeatedly next month by forcing votes on releasing the Epstein files and banning congressional stock trading."
"Why it matters: The tool these lawmakers are planning to use — the discharge petition — has been the source of growing controversy in the House in recent years."
A strange GOP divide is forming over Trump’s gerrymandering plans - POLITICO
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/14/gop-redistricting-00508626
Comment: "President Donald Trump’s aggressive redistricting push is sparking public concern from an unusual mix of Republicans."
"Resistance to mid-decade redraws is running the ideological gamut and cutting across levels of government. While many are backing Trump’s gambit to protect the GOP’s House majority in the midterms, a growing number of Republican lawmakers are airing concerns — a list that spans lawmakers from swing districts in blue states to safe territory in ruby-red Florida."
"Trump and his team have convinced once-wary Texas Republicans to draw a new House map and lobbied the GOP governors of Missouri and Indiana to at least 'seriously' consider following suit, but the Republican governor of New Hampshire has ruled out pursuing any changes because 'the timing is off.' And GOP state lawmakers across the country — who hold the power to redraw lines in several of the states at the forefront of what’s becoming a nationwide redistricting arms race — are finding themselves similarly split."
"These strange divisions underscore the complex political dynamics of the president’s latest power play. It’s become a loyalty test that could boost Republicans’ chances of keeping their trifecta in Washington, but one that also carries significant electoral risk for several of their own members in Congress and potential for broader voter backlash."
Video: Ossoff urges Republicans to reinstate Affordable Care Act subsidies set to expire under spending bill - August 14, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QNBEUf_SWw
Record number of lawmakers aren’t planning to run for reelection : NPR
Comment: "Since President Trump returned to the White House this year, a record number of members are eyeing the exits as the Republican-led Congress has largely ceded its power to Trump's vision of the country."
"With just under 15 months to go until the 2026 midterms, nine senators and 21 House members have announced they don't plan to run for reelection, each a modern record for this point before the election, according to an NPR analysis of congressional campaign data since 2017."
Proponent of Medicaid cuts set to brief House Republicans as they plot another megabill - POLITICO
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/13/house-medicaid-cuts-brian-blase-00508181
Comment: "An influential group of House Republicans has invited a chief architect of the hard-right push for deep Medicaid spending cuts to brief congressional aides Thursday as GOP leaders quietly map out a possible second party-line reconciliation package."
"Brian Blase, president of the Paragon Health Institute, will address a staff briefing on health care reform hosted by the Republican Study Committee, according to an invitation obtained by POLITICO."
"The RSC, composed of 189 House conservatives, has been a key force pushing for a follow-on to President Donald Trump’s 'big, beautiful bill' that was signed into law last month. The group has invited several conservative experts to address staffers in recent weeks though it has yet to endorse any specific health care policies for any forthcoming package."
"Those staff-level meetings continue as House GOP leaders try to plot a way forward amid skepticism over whether another sprawling domestic policy bill is even possible given the difficulties Republicans had coming to agreement over the first one."
Comment: Do you think Republicans will continue coming for your healthcare, until voters elect enough Democrats so they can take control of Congress? It only takes a few more.
NPR: The hidden costs of cutting Medicaid : Planet Money
Comment: "Lawmakers have justified these cuts as a necessary step to address the bigger budget deficit exacerbated by tax cuts and other spending increases in the big bill. However, that doesn't capture how these cuts will send costs spilling out around society, to be paid by hospitals, clinics, individuals and then in the end, back to the federal government."
Comment: In other words, unless society is willing to let people die unnecessarily, someone will pay for healthcare.
House Republicans want another megabill. One GOP senator says it could be ‘damaging.’ - POLITICO
Comment: "House Republicans are pushing for a second megabill. The Senate GOP’s not so sure."
"After a grueling ordeal to get President Donald Trump’s 'big, beautiful bill' signed into law last month, Speaker Mike Johnson and other leaders are already talking about crafting at least one more domestic policy package that can pass along party lines in the Senate."
"A White House official, granted anonymity to share details about private conversations, said another filibuster-skirting reconciliation bill is under discussion. The conservative Republican Study Committee has launched a 'Reconciliation 2.0' working group and is hosting staff briefings throughout the summer recess to begin generating recommendations for follow-up legislation."
Comment: "But most senators have questions about what could go into another reconciliation package — and they’re casting doubts on whether it’s even politically possible to do this all over again."
AP News: Trump’s big bill is powering his mass deportations. Congress is starting to ask questions
Comment: "The Republican Party’s big bill of tax breaks and spending cuts that Trump signed into law July 4 included what’s arguably the biggest boost of funds yet to the Department of Homeland Security — nearly $170 billion, almost double its annual budget."
"The staggering sum is powering the nation’s sweeping new Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations, delivering gripping scenes of people being pulled off city streets and from job sites across the nation — the cornerstone of Trump’s promise for the largest domestic deportation operation in American history. Homeland Security confirmed over the weekend ICE is working to set up detention sites at certain military bases."
Comment: Please note that $170 billion corresponds to approximately $500 for every man, woman, and child in America. ($170B/340M = $500). Is this what you where you want your tax dollars spent?
Comment: "The crush of new money is setting off alarms in Congress and beyond, raising questions from lawmakers in both major political parties who are expected to provide oversight. The bill text provided general funding categories — almost $30 billion for ICE officers, $45 billion for detention facilities, $10 billion for the office of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem — but few policy details or directives. Homeland Security recently announced $50,000 ICE hiring bonuses."
"And it’s not just the big bill’s fresh infusion of funds fueling the president’s agenda of 1 million deportations a year."
"In the months since Trump took office, his administration has been shifting as much as $1 billion from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other accounts to pay for immigration enforcement and deportation operations, lawmakers said."
" 'Your agency is out of control,' Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., told Noem during a Senate committee hearing in the spring."
Comment: "But Murphy said later in a letter to Homeland Security, objecting to its repurposing funds, that ICE was being directed to spend at an “indefensible and unsustainable rate to build a mass deportation army,” often without approval from Congress.
NPR: He built Michigan’s Medicaid work requirement system. Now he’s warning other states : Shots - Health News
Comment: "The new tax-and-spending law signed by President Trump in July will mandate a vast expansion of Medicaid work requirements to most states."
"These systems will lead to 4.8 million more people becoming uninsured by 2034, according to estimates from the Congressional Budget Office."
"The law applies to 40 states and the District of Columbia, because they expanded Medicaid in recent years to cover more working-age adults."
"About 18 million people will be affected once the work mandate is fully implemented nationally. Starting in 2027, they will need to prove they're working, volunteering or getting job training at least 80 hours a month, in order to keep their coverage."
Comment: "The number of people who lose coverage, either temporarily or permanently, could vary fairly widely by state, depending on how each state implements and maintains their reporting systems."
"Michigan's experience illustrates how challenging it can be to stop large numbers of people from inadvertently losing coverage, even when leaders try their best to prevent that."
Comment: "Gordon was terrified of Michigan becoming another Arkansas, which was the first state to implement work requirements, in 2018. The change led to more than 18,000 Arkansas residents losing their coverage."
Comment: "Even after all that work, Gordon and his team had no illusions the system they'd spent $30 million creating was flawless."
Comment: Trump's so called "Big Beautiful Bill" leaves it up to the individual states to implement the new work requirements and manage verification compliance. Not only are these very expensive requirements for the state, the bureaucracy and paperwork cause eligible recipients to lose Medicaid coverage. Experience in Arkansas and Georgia are other examples of terrible trouble implementing state mandated Medicaid work requirements.
Axios: Obamacare sticker shock could jolt Republicans
https://www.axios.com/2025/08/08/obamacare-premium-increases-republicans
Comment: "Pressure on Congress to renew Affordable Care Act subsidies is likely to ramp up this fall as notices of 2026 premium increases go out and consumers get their first warnings that huge rate hikes could be coming."
"Why it matters: Backers of renewing the enhanced tax credits, which expire at the end of this year, hope the sticker shock could motivate Republicans to get behind a short-term reauthorization to avoid an uproar over premium increases in an election year."
Comment: "The big picture: Out-of-pocket premium costs for over 20 million enrollees in the ACA marketplaces will increase by an average of 75% if the enhanced subsidies expire at the end of this year, according to KFF. Congressional scorekeepers also project 4.2 million more people would become uninsured over a decade."
Axios: Democrats investigate FBI effort to "hunt down" Texas legislators
https://www.axios.com/2025/08/08/democrats-fbi-texas-doj-patel-bondi-redistricting
Comment: "House Democrats are probing the FBI's efforts to help locate a group of Democratic state legislators from Texas who fled the state in a bid to stop Republicans from redrawing Texas' congressional maps."
"Why it matters: The lawmakers are arguing that the operation is a partisan misuse of federal resources for combatting serious crimes, including terrorism and drug trafficking."
Comment: "What they're saying: In the letter, the four Democrats noted that breaking quorum has 'occurred periodically' in Texas history, most recently in 2003 and 2021."
Comment: "Zoom in: In addition to asking Bondi and Patel to confirm the FBI or DOJ have agreed to assist in the search, the lawmakers asked for an accounting of the personnel and resources used."
Comment: "The bottom line: Bondi and Patel are highly unlikely to comply with the Democrats' requests for information, and the lawmakers lack subpoena power to compel their testimony or the production of documents."
Axios: Redistricting desperation is going viral ahead of 2026
https://www.axios.com/2025/08/07/congress-redistricting-trump-california-texas
Comment: "Look anywhere right now, and politicians are joining the calls to rig the 2026 midterms in their party's favor."
"Why it matters: Republicans started it. But both parties are behaving as if winning the House majority next year is an existential fight."
"What's at stake: If Dems take the House, they can end President Trump's partisan budget cuts, gain control of the House's oversight powers and ... very likely ... impeach the president."
Comment: "The bottom line: The past three weeks have upended decades of efforts to limit partisan politics' influence on redistricting."
John Thune's bid to change rules for nominees faces GOP opposition
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5437602-thune-rallying-gop-nuclear-option/
Comment: "Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) faces a difficult test in rallying GOP colleagues to change the Senate’s rules to speed up the confirmation of approximately 140 Trump nominees."
"Changing the Senate’s procedural rules with a simple-majority vote is sometimes called the 'nuclear option' because it’s viewed as an extreme tactic."
Comment: "A senior Senate Republican strategist said senators are going to be reluctant to give up their power to place holds on executive branch nominees, a power that GOP senators employed to gain leverage over the Biden administration."
" 'There’s a core group of people that are wary of setting new precedents or changing anything that’s going to affect them when the shoe’s on the other foot. I don’t think it’s a slam dunk,' the strategist said of Republican senators who are worried about diminishing their own authority if they return to minority-party status."
Republicans fear Trump tariffs are cutting into economy
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5435741-trump-tariffs-economic-uncertainty/
Comment: "Republicans on Capitol Hill are feeling jittery about the economy after the latest jobs report showed the economy added far fewer jobs than previously estimated over the past three months."
"President Trump and his economic team insist the economy is going strong and poised for significant growth, but their bullish projections are meeting skepticism from some in the GOP who worry Trump’s trade regime is creating economic headwinds."
" 'It definitely is indicative of a weakened economy, an economy that’s not acting in a robust fashion. I’ve all along felt like there’s a lag between tariffs and actual economic downturn,' Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said."
Comment: If Republicans are so concerned about tariffs adversely impacting the economy, why do they let Donald Trump unilaterally impose them? The U.S. Constitution says that Congress has the power to impose tariffs, not the President. Trump has used some dubious emergency power (International Emergency Economic Powers Act) to usurp the authority of Congress to impose tariffs.
Axios: Trump and Johnson face escalating GOP revolt on redistricting
https://www.axios.com/2025/08/05/trump-johnson-texas-california-new-york-districts
Comment: "A growing number of blue-state House Republicans — at risk of being drawn out of their own seats — are speaking out against their party's mid-decade redistricting efforts."
"Why it matters: Their comments represent a sharp break with President Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), who have both endorsed efforts in Texas and other states to carve out more Republican House seats."
Early GOP rift emerges as Congress braces for shutdown fight
https://thehill.com/business/budget/5435830-republicans-government-funding-cr/
Comment: "Rifts are emerging between Republicans over how to approach next month’s government funding fight, with some pushing for leaders to try to pass new full-year spending plans and others already expressing openness to another funding patch if it means less spending."
"When lawmakers return from their monthlong recess in September, they’ll have just weeks before an end-of-month deadline to keep the government funded or risk a shutdown."
"Lawmakers acknowledge they’ll likely need a stopgap funding bill, also known as a continuing resolution (CR), to keep the government open come October and buy time for Congress to strike an overall fiscal 2026 spending deal."
"But some conservatives have already expressed backing for a full-year CR that would mostly lock in for another year funding levels set in March 2024."
Video: Cory Booker Refuses To Endorse NYC Democratic Mayoral Nominee Zohran Mamdani - August 5, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RLBAPMmRhw
Politico: Congress is on summer break. Funding 'chaos' awaits.
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/04/congress-is-on-summer-break-funding-chaos-awaits-00489552
Comment: "With eight weeks until the government shutdown deadline, competing factions of lawmakers are starting to define their ultimatums."
Axios: Scoop: Brown interviewing campaign managers for Ohio Senate race
https://www.axios.com/2025/08/04/sherrod-brown-ohio-senate-race-husted
Comment: "Former Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) is interviewing campaign managers for a 2026 comeback bid, a clear indication that he's preparing to jump into the race to defeat Sen. Jon Husted (R-Ohio), according to three people familiar with the matter."
Axios: Derek Dooley launches campaign for Georgia Senate seat
https://www.axios.com/2025/08/04/derek-dooley-launches-campaign-georgia-senate-seat
Comment: What's with the GOP recruiting millionaire sports figures to be candidates for Congress? What experience do they bring, other than name recognition? Do you think Georgia will remember Herschel Walker's run for Senate? Legislating is not a game.
Pro-Israel Democrats try breaking with Netanyahu to stop party’s shift amid Gaza crisis | CNN Politics
https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/03/politics/democrats-netanyahu-israel-gaza
"Nuclear option" lingers over Senate as members leave for August recess
https://www.axios.com/2025/08/03/senate-confirmations-nominations-rules-trump
Comment: "Senate leaders failed to reach a bipartisan deal to speed through more of President Trump's nominees — so senators are heading home with a GOP promise of changing the rules when they return in September."
"Why it matters: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) refused to back down from his demands, and Trump ultimately gave Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) cover to let his fatigued conference go home and reset."
Comment: "Schumer and his leadership team tried to use the recess as leverage. They've demanded Republicans commit to concrete concessions, such as unfreezing some federal funding, in exchange for helping clear a logjam of nominees."
Comment: "Top Senate Democrats this week railed against the possibility that the GOP would change the Senate rules to confirm more Trump nominees, referring to it as a 'nuclear' option."
" 'Republicans should keep in mind that if they choose to go nuclear — yet again — it will have consequences long beyond Donald Trump's presidency,' Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), the top Democrat on the Senate's Rules panel, said in a statement this week."
Axios: Senate to Trump on job numbers: Don't shoot the messenger
https://www.axios.com/2025/08/01/senate-trump-jobs-numbers-skepticism
Comment: "Trump's decision to fire the commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics over weak job numbers sent shockwaves across the Senate."
Comment: "Democrats responded with outrage over Trump's announcement that he was dismissing Erika L. McEntarfer from the Department of Labor."
"McEntarfer was confirmed 86-8 in January 2024, including a yes vote from then-Sen. JD Vance."
" 'Instead of trying to fix the economy, he shoots the messenger,' Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said on the Senate floor."
Video: Republican senators raise concerns about Trump's firing of Labor Dept. official - August 1, 2025
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna222584
Researchers forecast what Trump’s bill will mean for patients: Debt and delayed care
Comment: "Delayed treatments, canceled doctor visits, skipped prescriptions. Losing insurance is bad for your health."
"The Congressional Budget Office forecasts that the U.S. uninsured population will grow by 10 million in 2034, due to the tax and spending bill signed into law by President Donald Trump."
Comment: "It will become harder for many people to enroll in Medicaid or individual insurance plans and then stay covered. Medicaid is a state and federally funded program that covers care for people with low incomes."
"States will have to verify every six months whether someone remains eligible for Medicaid. That could cause coverage lapses for people with incomes that fluctuate or for those who move and miss renewal paperwork."
Politico: Senate passes first funding package ahead of shutdown cliff
Comment: "The Senate passed its first three spending bills Friday, taking swift action after leaders struck a bipartisan agreement to package the bills together earlier in the day."
"The chamber voted 87-9 to pass a two-bill package to fund the departments of Veterans Affairs and Agriculture, along with military construction and the Food and Drug Administration. In a separate 81-15 vote they also passed a third bill to fund Congress itself."
"With federal cash set to dry up at the end of September, the Senate’s minibus would do nothing to stave off a government shutdown that could potentially hobble federal agencies in October. But Senate leaders still want to move that package through with the goal of gaining leverage in the broader spending talks with the House and President Donald Trump."
Politico: Democratic governors advise strong counteroffensive on redistricting
Comment: "A group of Democratic governors is urging its colleagues to get tough in countering Republican-backed efforts to gerrymander Texas’ congressional districts."
" 'It’s incumbent upon Democrat governors, if they have the opportunity, to respond in kind,' outgoing Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly told reporters at a Democratic Governors Association meeting Friday. 'I’m not a big believer in unilateral disarmament.' ”
"Various mid-decade redistricting efforts could launch a partisan arms race, as the parties look to redraw competing congressional maps to their own advantages. Democrats face a tougher path, as several blue states are bound by independent redistricting commissions and state constitutions, which would prevent them from quickly remaking maps. By contrast, discussions are already underway in several other Republican-controlled states that could follow Texas’ lead, including Missouri, Indiana and Florida."
Politico: Cooper leads first public poll since jumping in North Carolina Senate race
Comment: "Roy Cooper has an early, six-point lead in the North Carolina Senate race, according to the first public poll of the marquee contest.
"The Emerson College poll, released Friday morning, found the Democratic former North Carolina governor with 47 percent support to Republican National Committee chair Michael Whatley’s 41 percent. Another 12 percent of voters are undecided."
'When Black women run, they do win:' New report shows gains in Black women lawmakers
Comment: "The number of Black women elected to Congress has remained steady in recent years, but a record number of Black women have served in state legislatures this year, often the pipeline to higher offices, according to a new report."
Axios: Senate Dems' bid to block $675 million Israeli arms deal fails
https://www.axios.com/2025/07/31/israel-weapons-sales-democrats-vote-fail
Comment: "The Senate on Wednesday rejected two measures to block over $675 million in arms sales to Israel — but a growing number of Democrats supported the embargo."
"Why it matters: Israel's bipartisan coalition in Congress hasn't quite crumbled, but more Democrats are disillusioned by the humanitarian crisis in Gaza."
Comment: "The big picture: Some moderate, historically pro-Israel Democrats are starting to split with the party over the levels of starvation and violence in Gaza."
Comment: "But bipartisan support for arming Israel in the conflict hasn't collapsed, with every Senate Republican voting to kill the resolutions and still a majority of Democrats joining them."
Video: Republicans really don’t want you to find out... - July 30, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6MkzAbfFvc
Comment: Senator Sheldon Whitehouse explains how the recent GOP funding bill might result in sequestration that could cause cuts to Social Security & Medicare.
Politico: White House backtracks on NIH funding hold amid Hill uproar
https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/07/30/congress/nih-cash-unfrozen-00484385
Comment: "Under pressure from Congress, President Donald Trump’s administration has reversed course after halting spending at the National Institutes of Health."
"Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle had been clamoring for cash to flow while warning that the White House budget office’s decisions have been contributing to a chaotic state of affairs that agitated elected officials in states where jobs rely on NIH dollars."
Comment: Does this mean that some congressional Republicans are starting to get some courage and will work with Democrats to stop some of the draconian and dangerous funding shenanigans from the Trump administration?
The Hill: Bipartisan Senate price transparency bill can fix US health care
https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/5426629-congress-health-care-reform/
Comment: "The Marshall-Hickenlooper bill gives employers and patients the upfront price information they need to protect themselves from overcharges and choose affordable care. It requires the publication of actual prices, including discounted cash and negotiated insurance rates, not estimates, throughout the health care system. And it requires insurers to give patients an advanced explanation of benefits —a breakdown of costs, including their out-of-pocket responsibility — before care is delivered."
Senate Democrat: Emil Bove ‘genuinely bad guy’
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5427127-sheldon-whitehouse-emil-bove-confirmation/
Comment: " 'This is a genuinely bad guy,' Whitehouse said late Tuesday in an appearance on MSNBC’s 'The Briefing.' ”
" 'He was in the Department of Justice for all of six months and managed to rack up three separate, significant episodes of prosecutorial misconduct,” he told host Jen Psaki, adding, 'I mean, most prosecutors go a lifetime without doing that.' ”
"Bove has been the subject of three different complaints in recent weeks. Two alleged he encouraged others to violate court orders, and another accused him of misleading Congress on the Justice Department’s (DOJ) dropping of bribery charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D)."
" 'This was like, big deal, first principles violated, real problems. A fake criminal investigation, dangling another investigation over the head of an elected official to try to get him to comply on policy stuff, and then the famous, ‘You know, you got to be ready to tell the courts F you if they disagree with Trump,’ ' Whitehouse said, referring to a whistleblower report alleging Bove used expletives to direct DOJ employees not to comply with court orders."
Video: The Republican motto when it comes to Emil Bove: see no evil, hear no evil. - July 30, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQbwLKeZUyE
Republicans confirm former Trump lawyer Emil Bove to lifetime appeals court perch
Comment: "Senate Republicans back Bove despite allegations from three whistleblowers about his conduct as an official at the Justice Department."
Comment: "Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., slammed Bove as being 'as far from the mainstream as any judicial nominee we have considered in this chamber.' ”
" 'He is a Trumpian henchman — the extreme of the extreme of the extreme. He is openly hostile to the rule of law. He is fundamentally opposed to democratic norms. He lacks the temperament to serve as a jurist,' Schumer recently said on the Senate floor. 'And above all, Mr. Bove is religiously obedient to Donald Trump.' "
" 'Shame on you,' Schumer told Republicans after the vote. 'This is a dark, dark day.' ”
Politico: Roy Cooper raises $3.4 million in first 24 hours of his Senate candidacy
Comment: "North Carolina represents Democrats’ best offensive opportunity for the Senate, a battleground state the former governor has won twice with Trump on the ticket. Cooper, the party’s top recruit, was expected to bring in big cash for the race, after growing a national fundraising network during his stint as Democratic Governors Association chair. Whatley, who took over the RNC last year, has built his own national donor relationships, raising expectations that the race will be one of the most expensive in 2026."
Politico: Roy Cooper officially launches North Carolina Senate bid
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/28/roy-cooper-north-carolina-senate-campaign-00479710
Comment: Winning the North Carolina Senate seat is critical if Democrats have any hope of winning control of the U.S. Senate.
Senate GOP quietly urges House to shift approach on shutdown talk
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5421217-house-senate-republicans-shutdown/
The New Republic: Independent Senator Calls for Ending Aid to Israel as It Starves Kids
https://newrepublic.com/post/198520/independent-senator-angus-king-end-aid-israel
Comment: "A staunch Senate moderate on Monday issued a remarkable statement regarding the hunger crisis in Gaza, saying he will not back U.S. support for Israel so long as its campaign of starvation continues."
"The centrist Senator Angus King, an independent of Maine, stated, 'I cannot defend the indefensible. Israel’s actions in the conduct of the war in Gaza, especially its failure to address the unimaginable humanitarian crisis now unfolding, is an affront to human decency.' ”
Scoop: Sherrod Brown met with Schumer in Ohio amid 2026 Senate push
https://www.axios.com/2025/07/28/schumer-sherrod-brown-ohio-senate-meeting-2026
Comment: "Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and former Sen. Sherrod Brown met in Ohio this weekend, as Brown weighs a possible comeback bid to flip a GOP Senate seat in the state, Axios has learned."
"Why it matters: Schumer has lobbied Brown for months to run. Fresh off a major recruiting victory in North Carolina, he wants to expand that luck to Ohio."
Comment: "The big picture: Schumer has limited pickup opportunities in the Senate next year. Hitting recruitment home runs could help him expand that map."
Comment: "Zoom in: While party insiders see Ohio as a stretch target for Democrats, Brown's entrance would instantly shift those dynamics."
The Daily Beast: MAGA Lawmaker Misspells Name of State in Senate Campaign Launch
https://www.thedailybeast.com/maga-lawmaker-misspells-name-of-state-in-senate-campaign-launch/
Comment: Do you think that will help him win in Georgia (or is it "Georiga"?)
Axios: How Texas Republicans could overplay their hand in drawing new congressional districts
https://www.axios.com/local/san-antonio/2025/07/28/texas-redistricting-abbott-republicans-risk
Comment: "Redistricting is usually done after the census, next scheduled for 2030."
Project 2025 architect to challenge Lindsey Graham for Senate in South Carolina
Comment: "Paul Dans, the architect of Project 2025, is launching a Senate bid in South Carolina to oust Lindsey Graham."
"Dans is set to announce his Republican primary bid with a formal launch Wednesday in Charleston. Graham is a close Trump ally but has for years faced skepticism from his MAGA allies. He is already facing a challenge from former Lt. Gov. André Bauer. President Donald Trump earlier this year offered Graham his 'Complete and Total Endorsement.' "
Comment: Isn't Graham right-wing enough for South Carolina Republicans? Are the MAGA folks turning on themselves?
'A Deal Is A Deal': Patty Murray Pressures Colleagues Not To Let Committee Work Be Undone By Trump
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Be9dVmvr6A
Comment: More discussion on rescissions.
Video: Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen says "Rescissions is just a Washington name for double-cross" - July 27, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=te3Sp1bHlys
Comment: Includes response to OMB Russell Vought's call for more rescissions and other discussions.
Vought won't rule out more rescissions funding cut before September.
Comment: "Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought said his office is considering more options to claw back funding approved by Congress and isn't ruling out sending more bills to lawmakers with further cuts before September."
Comment: "Vought's use of rescissions measures to amend government spending is seen by Democrats and some Republicans as a backdoor method of infringing on Congress' constitutional power of the purse."
" 'Rescissions is just a Washington name for double cross,' Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, also on 'Face the Nation,' said after Vought's interview on the program. 'They support one thing one day — the president even signs off — and then they come back and say they change their mind.' "
Video: Watch "One-on-one with Democratic Senator Mark Kelly" on YouTube - July 27, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=us4Q6uYiRZQ
AP News: How redistricting in Texas and other states could change the game for US House elections
Comment: "Redistricting usually happens after the once-a-decade population count by the U.S. Census Bureau or in response to a court ruling. Now, Texas Republicans want to break that tradition — and other states could follow suit."
Comment: "President Trump has asked the Texas Legislature to create districts, in time for next year’s midterm elections, that will send five more Republicans to Washington and make it harder for Democrats to regain the majority and blunt his agenda. The state has 38 seats in the House. Republicans now hold 25 and Democrats 12, with one seat vacant after the death of a Democrat."
Comment: Does this sound like unethical Gerrymandering to win, to you?
Video: Lisa Murkowski: I Never Want To See Another Rescissions Package Ever Again - July 25, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20hbPuXNbww
Comment: At least one GOP Senator is starting to speak out.
White House mulling a rare tool to block spending without Congress: What to know
https://thehill.com/business/budget/5419482-pocket-rescissions-white-house/
Comment: "Trump administration officials are weighing a controversial maneuver aimed at allowing them to block federal funding previously authorized by Congress without lawmakers’ approval."
"White House budget chief Russell Vought Russell Vought said earlier this month that the gambit, known as 'pocket rescissions,' is one of the options on the table for the administration as it continues its quest to reduce federal spending."
Comment: What happened to constitutional checks and balances and Congress' power of the purse? Will Republican cowards in the Congress surrender all their authority and responsibility to Trump and the executive branch?
NPR: Lawmakers seek to ban federal agents from wearing masks
https://www.npr.org/2025/07/25/nx-s1-5480219/lawmakers-ban-federal-immigration-agents-masked
Comment: "Since President Trump's return to office, images of masked federal agents carrying out immigration arrests have become a familiar — and for many Americans, deeply disturbing — sight. The Department of Homeland Security has endorsed the agents' right to wear masks, but some Democrats want to make it illegal."
"In Congress, Democrats have introduced several bills, including the No Secret Police Act, which would bar federal agents from concealing their faces with 'home-made, non-tactical masks.' "
"As long as Republicans are in the majority, Congressional action is unlikely. At the state level, though, legislation is advancing."
Politico: 14 Republican senators urge White House to release delayed NIH funds
Comment: "Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) is leading the letter making the ask of OMB director Russ Vought."
Comment: It's a lot more important to Britt when UAB is adversely impacted.
The Hill: Senate Democrats demand answers on rural health fund
https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5421354-senate-democrats-demand-answers-on-rural-health-fund/
Comment: "A group of 16 Democratic senators led by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) accused Republicans of using the $50 billion rural health program to buy votes for President Trump’s sweeping tax and spending package."
Comment: " 'We are alarmed by reports suggesting these taxpayer funds are already promised to Republican members of Congress in exchange for their votes in support of the Big, Ugly Betrayal,' the letter reads. 'In addition, the vague legislative language creating this fund will seemingly function as your personal fund to be distributed according to your political whims.'
"The fund will not make direct payments to rural hospitals. Instead, $25 billion will go to all states after they file “rural health transformation plans” which then must be approved by CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz."
"Such bulls**t": Not every Democrat wants to talk about Epstein
https://www.axios.com/2025/07/24/jeffrey-epstein-hakeem-jeffries-house-democrats
Comment: "House Democrats are at odds over whether to use Republican' blowup over the Jeffrey Epstein files as a talking point while they are in their districts for the five-week summer recess."
"Why it matters: Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries' (D-N.Y.) leadership team has encouraged its members to maintain the drumbeat on Epstein, but some Democrats say they are sick of talking about it."
Comment: "Driving the news: Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.), the co-chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, told Axios he is 'not really focused' on Epstein."
Comment: "The other side: Other Democrats argued that going after Republicans on policy and slamming them on Epstein aren't mutually exclusive. 'I think all these issues are linked together,' Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) told Axios."
Comment: "State of play: Jeffries has surprised some of his members by bear-hugging rank-and-file efforts to force the release of the Epstein files despite his usual reluctance to engage on salacious issues."
Comment: "What he's saying: Asked at a Wednesday press conference if he is concerned the Epstein issue would overshadow Democrats' attacks on Trump's 'big, beautiful bill,' Jeffries said, 'The reality is that it's all connected.' "
Comment: "Between the lines: 'Do I think this is going to win us the election? No. But ... this is a great opportunity for [Republicans] to kill each other,' a third House Democrat who spoke on the condition of anonymity told Axios."
Comment: "The bottom line: 'Everybody's got to do what they're comfortable with,' the senior House Democrat told Axios."
Video: Hakeem Jeffries holds presser amid Speaker Johnson’s House shutdown amid Epstein drama - July 23, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibg7KRtnjns
Axios: Senate Democrats buoyed by Cooper's decision to run
https://www.axios.com/2025/07/23/roy-cooper-senate-democrats-2026-map
Comment: "Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) landed his top 2026 recruit in former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, giving Democrats some midsummer hope they can steal a GOP Senate seat next year."
Politico: Thune’s plans for the fall shutdown fight
Axios: House flees Washington amid turmoil over Epstein fallout
https://www.axios.com/2025/07/22/house-bails-early-amid-epstein-file-uproar
Comment: GOP leadership in Congress skirts responsibility and takes the cowards way out?
Capitol agenda: House GOP eyes an early exit over Epstein meltdown - Live Updates - POLITICO
Comment: "Summer break might come early for the House, as Speaker Mike Johnson faces a Jeffrey Epstein problem that just won’t quit."
"Republican leaders are considering sending the House home as early as Wednesday, after a bipartisan clash over the so-called Epstein files broke the Rules Committee on Monday night. Rules recessed after Democrats threatened to force a vote on Epstein — a move that is now derailing floor action planned for this week."
Comment: So with a potential government shutdown looming in September, the Republicans are planning to start their August recess early, so they can avoid dealing with the Epstein fallout. Does this should like a good idea to you?
GOP megabill’s final score: $3.4T in red ink and 10 million kicked off health insurance, CBO says - POLITICO
Comment: "Congress’ nonpartisan scorekeeper released its final prediction Monday for how President Donald Trump’s signature legislative achievement will grow the national debt and affect U.S. households."
"Over the next decade, the megabill Trump signed on July 4 would increase the federal deficit by $3.4 trillion and cause 10 million people to lose health insurance, the Congressional Budget Office forecasts. While the newly enacted legislation would save more than $1 trillion by cutting federal spending on health care — with the majority coming from Medicaid — CBO predicts that the package’s costs will far outweigh its savings."
Democrats seek shutdown strategy as White House plots to strip their power
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/21/democrats-wrestle-with-shutdown-strategy-00464233
Comment: "Facing another funding cliff in 10 weeks, Democratic leaders are moderating their threats."
Republicans fear Washington headed for shutdown after bruising spending fights
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5409351-gop-lawmakers-fear-government-shutdown/
Comment: "Republican lawmakers fear Washington may be headed for a government shutdown later this year after two bruising fights over President Trump’s One Big, Beautiful Bill Act and a $9 billion rescissions package created bad blood on Capitol Hill."
"White House budget director Russell Vought says the administration plans to send up another wave of spending rescissions to Congress, and GOP leaders are already waving the caution flag on that as some Republicans privately warn it may not have the votes to pass."
"After six months of bitter partisan fighting since Trump’s inauguration, Republicans will now need cooperation from Democrats to keep the government funded, and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) is warning GOP colleagues not to expect 'business as usual.' "
"One senior Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee put the chances of a shutdown in the fall at 'a real square 50-50.' ”
Comment: "The senator acknowledged Democrats are furious after getting steamrolled on the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act and the rescissions package."
Bipartisan government funding is at risk of dying in Trump's Washington
Comment: "Eschewing a long standing practice, Trump's budget director is calling for a more partisan path to funding the government ahead of a Sept. 30 shutdown deadline"
Comment: "Just after the Senate overcame objections in both parties to approve the $9 billion spending-cut bill requested by Trump, a comment from White House budget director Russell Vought dropped like a bomb on Capitol Hill."
" 'The appropriations process has to be less bipartisan,' Vought told reporters at a Christian Science Monitor breakfast Thursday. 'It’s not going to keep me up at night, and I think will lead to better results, by having the appropriations process be a little bit partisan.' "
"He added that more rescission packages would be coming."
"The backlash was fierce. Senate Republicans responsible for crafting the government funding bills were taken aback by his candor."
Comment: "The series of clashes escalates tensions leading up to the fall deadline, with top Democrats warning ahead of the vote that they would have little incentive to provide the 60 votes to cut a deal."
" 'It is absurd to expect Democrats to play along with funding the government if Republicans are just going to renege on a bipartisan agreement by concocting rescissions packages behind closed doors that can pass with only their votes,' Schumer warned in a recent speech."
Politico: US senators visit Canada to build bridges as trade deadline looms
Comment: "With the clock ticking to an Aug. 1 deadline to strike a new Canada-U.S. trade and security deal, four U.S. senators met Prime Minister Mark Carney in search of common ground on some of the thorniest cross-border trade irritants: lumber, digital services taxes and metals tariffs."
"This marked the second congressional delegation to visit Carney in the past three months. He’s now welcomed nearly 10 percent of the U.S. Senate into his office this year — five senators in May, four more on Monday."
"Wyden, the ranking member of the Senate Finance committee who also leads on international trade issues, was joined by Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.)."
Comment: Could this be the reason that the U.S. Constitution normally gives Congress the authority to impose tariffs, not the President?
Rep. Mark Green leaves Congress early, reducing House GOP majority | Fox News
The Hill: Himes: White House warning of ‘massive market reaction’ if Trump fires Powell
https://thehill.com/business/5411006-himes-warning-trump-fires-powell/
Comment: "Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) said Sunday that a White House insider is warning President Trump of a 'massive market reaction' if he fires Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell."
Comment: " 'Well, interestingly, inside the White House — and I don’t know who it is — my guess is, it’s maybe the Treasury secretary — is saying — and this is a very difficult thing to say to a person like Donald Trump — that, if you fire the Fed chair, either illegally, which they’re happy to do, or because you trump up some baloney-like charge associated with a renovation of the headquarters, there is going to be a massive market reaction, because you cannot lie to the capital markets,' Himes responded."
Comment: "Senate Republicans have recently warned Trump that it would be a large mistake to go forward on his threat to fire Powell, saying it would probably send a 'shock wave' through the financial markets and rattle the larger economy."
"Republican senators, including those who are strong supporters of the president, have warned that any action to oust Powell would jeopardize the Fed’s independence, which could erode investors’ confidence in American monetary policy and creditworthiness."
Trump is chiseling away at the power of a compliant Congress | AP News
Comment: "But the imagery also underscored a symbolic transfer of political power, from Capitol Hill to the White House as a compliant Congress is ceding more and more of its prerogative to the presidency."
Comment: "Since Trump's return to the White House in January, and particularly in the past few weeks, Republicans in control of the House and Senate have shown an unusual willingness to give the president of their party what he wants, regardless of the potential risk to themselves, their constituents and Congress itself."
GOP’s Bacon calls Hegseth’s base name changes ‘stupid as hell’
https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5408964-don-bacon-criticizes-pentagon-renaming/
Comment: "Bacon, who announced last month he will not run for reelection next year, was one of two Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee who voted this week to block the Pentagon from using federal funds to rename military installations in honor of Confederate figures."
Comment: Have you noticed that Republican members of Congress are more likely to speak their mind once they have decided to retire from Congress?
NBC News: Republicans keep voting for bills they say they don't like
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/republicans-keep-voting-bills-say-dont-like-rcna219353
Comment: "The move represents a trend in Congress during President Donald Trump's second term. Republican lawmakers across the ideological spectrum keep casting votes in favor of bills even while warning that they’re deeply flawed and may require fixing down the road. In some cases, lawmakers explicitly threaten to vote 'no' on bills before eventually folding and voting 'yes.' "
"It isn’t unusual for lawmakers to back legislation they call imperfect. But this year, that contrast has become more stark. It comes as Trump has solidified his grasp over the GOP base, resulting in lawmakers growing increasingly leery of crossing him and risking their political futures."
Video: House passes $9B in spending cuts, including cuts to public broadcasting and USAID - July 18, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZ0gvJXMdCU
Axios: House sends cuts to foreign aid, PBS and NPR to Trump's desk
https://www.axios.com/2025/07/18/house-rescissions-foreign-aid-pbs-npr
Comment: "The House voted early Friday to approve President Trump's requested clawback of $9 billion in federal funding for PBS, NPR and foreign aid programs."
"Why it matters: Democrats fear the victory for the White House — following on DOGE's massive cuts — opens the door for more rescissions packages negating bipartisan spending deals."
Axios: Congress votes to strip more than $1 billion in funding for NPR, PBS
https://www.axios.com/2025/07/18/npr-pbs-funding-senate
Comment: "Congress on Friday voted to cut nearly $1.1 billion in federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, marking a devastating blow for PBS and NPR."
"Why it matters: The cuts will have a significant impact on local station groups that rely on federal funding to survive. Many are expected to shutter without it."
Schumer calls for Vought to be canned - Live Updates - POLITICO
https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/07/17/congress/schumer-vought-omb-appropriations-00460426
Comment: "Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Thursday that President Donald Trump should dismiss Russ Vought after the White House budget director called for the government funding process to be 'less bipartisan.' ”
Politico: Russ Vought: Appropriations process ‘has to be less bipartisan’
Comment: "The OMB director said more rescissions packages could soon be headed to the Hill."
Comment: "Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought isn’t interested in giving assurances to lawmakers on Capitol Hill that the White House will abide by any bipartisan spending agreements made this year."
" 'The appropriations process has to be less bipartisan,' Vought told reporters at a Christian Science Monitor breakfast Thursday."
"With Republicans in full control of government, he said now is the time for reining in spending, even without input from Democrats on Capitol Hill. He did not lay out a legislative path for partisan spending bills to clear the Senate, where 60 votes are required to pass legislation."
‘I don’t think anybody takes them seriously’: The House Freedom caucus is developing a reputation for folding
https://www.yahoo.com/news/don-t-think-anybody-takes-080042729.html
Comment: "House Freedom Caucus members argue their objections to – and eventual reversals on – Trump’s sweeping tax and spending cuts bill were just part of the process: they push legislation to comport with their ultra-conservative worldview, compromising on some points but not others as they look to what lies ahead."
"But their strategy of going public with concerns, only to set them aside under pressure, has affected how some in the party say they’ll approach negotiations with the group in the future. Their power as a voting bloc, some members say, is waning as Republicans attempt to navigate their razor-thin majorities through a government funding fight and push to slash more federal spending."
Video: Nominations for Bove and Pirro advance after Maurene Comey fired - July 17, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RW8wIdizBmA
Video: 'This is wrong!' Dems WALK OUT of Judiciary meeting on Trump official Emil Bove - July 17, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGu4geNXPzQ&t=73s
Video: Senate Democrats walk out of confirmation hearing for Emil Bove to become federal judge - July 17, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W142IG6gnOk
GOP senators push back on Trump's education funding freeze
https://www.axios.com/2025/07/17/trump-education-funding-freeze-senate-republican
Comment: "Ten Republican senators asked the Trump administration on Wednesday to release $6 billion in congressionally approved funding for K-12 educational programs."
Comment: "The Trump administration froze the money on June 30, the day before the funds are traditionally disbursed."
Comment: "The Department of Education previously told states that the funding is being reevaluated 'given the change in administrations.' "
Video: Watch "Murkowski pushes back on Trump's proposed DOGE cuts" on YouTube - July 16, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUdsG3401-0
Fort Who? Republicans join House Dems to bar Hegseth's military base name changes
Comment: "The House Armed Services Committee passed an amendment to its annual defense policy bill barring the Pentagon from using any of the funds from next year's defense budget to rename Defense Department installations in honor of Confederate figures."
Comment: What does this mean for Fort Rucker (Fort Novosel?)?
Military.com: Senators Demand Answers After Case Dropped Against Navy Federal for Charging Troops Overdraft Fees
Comment: "A group of senators says they have 'profound alarm' and are demanding answers over the unprecedented decision by the government's consumer watchdog to drop its case against Navy Federal Credit Union for charging its members -- almost exclusively service members, veterans and their families -- millions in illegal overdraft fees."
Republicans renew a bid to remove noncitizens from the census tally behind voting maps
Comment: "Ratified after the Civil War, the 14th Amendment says the 'whole number of persons in each state' must be included in what are called apportionment counts, the population numbers based on census results that determine each state's share of House seats and Electoral College votes for a decade."
"But GOP lawmakers have now released three bills this year that would use the 2030 census to tally residents without U.S. citizenship, and then subtract some or all of them from the apportionment counts. Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee unveiled the latest bill Monday."
"Any attempt to carry out the unprecedented exclusion of millions of noncitizens from the apportionment counts of the 2030 census is likely to undermine the head count's accuracy and face legal challenges, as the first Trump administration did in its failed push for similar changes for the 2020 census."
Comment: Can't congressional Republicans read the US Constitution, or do they just don't care what it says?
Politico: Thune explores rescissions amendment deal
Comment: "Thune will need 51 votes to take up the White House effort to claw back public media and global health funding. Several GOP senators huddled Monday night to discuss potential changes or clarifications they want, and White House budget director Russ Vought is coming to the Capitol on Tuesday to talk with GOP senators."
Video: Senate considers billions of dollars in cuts to public broadcasting, aid programs - July 14, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-zCDSH7Sf4
Axios: New Medicaid work rules put states in a bind
https://www.axios.com/2025/07/14/medicaid-work-rules-states-requirements
Comment: "The new Medicaid work rules in President Trump's tax-and-spending law put states on a tight timetable for setting up systems to notify millions of recipients about the requirements — and to track if they're complying. "
"Why it matters: Previous efforts to set work rules in Georgia and Arkansas showed it could be a messy and expensive process that generally relies on outside vendors to set up the necessary infrastructure."
"Georgia spent nearly $100 million to implement its rules, $55 million of which went toward building a verification system, but in two years only enrolled a fraction of those eligible. It spent $13,000 per enrollee just to sign them up."
Comment: Do you think Alabama's GOP congressional delegation thought about the added expense to Alabama's state government when they voted for these new Medicaid rules?
The Bulwark: Unfit to Serve: Jeanine Pirro Made Excuses for Jan. 6th
Comment: "Senators weighing her nomination for U.S. attorney should revisit her remarks denigrating prosecutors and calling defendants 'hostages.' "
Republican senators to watch on PBS, NPR, foreign aid funding cuts
https://www.axios.com/2025/07/15/senators-republicans-pbs-npr-foreign-aid
Comment: "Senate leadership is setting up votes, kicking off Tuesday, to claw back billions of dollars of appropriated federal funds. But first, there are GOP senators who need to be appeased."
CNN: GOP infighting over Trump’s DOGE cuts to take center stage as deadline looms
https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/14/politics/trump-doge-cuts-rescissions-congress-deadline
Comment: "Congressional Republicans are launching into their next big legislative fight — this time over DOGE spending cuts for foreign aid and public broadcasting — that risks the wrath of President Donald Trump if they fail."
"With just days to go before a critical deadline, Trump himself is applying pressure to his party, even dangling the threat of withholding his endorsement to those on the fence about supporting what would be another major win for the White House over Democrats in Congress."
Comment: Does this sound like another extortion attempt from the wannabe strongman over GOP cowards in the Congress?
Axios: A House Democrat is floating a radical new solution to Congress' age problem
https://www.axios.com/2025/07/14/congress-age-mental-marie-gluesenkamp-perez
Comment: "Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez is proposing something unprecedented: Having Congress' ethics office effectively adjudicate whether lawmakers are too cognitively impaired to do their jobs."
GOP senators question Pete Hegseth's leadership after Ukraine weapons ‘goof-up’
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5395620-republican-senators-question-hegseth/
Comment: "Some GOP sources on Capitol Hill warn that if Hegseth or senior members of his team acted to deliberately circumvent the commander in chief, it would pose a serious problem that would need to be addressed."
"Senate Republicans are 'alarmed' by reporting that Hegseth may have paused weapons shipments to Ukraine multiple times without their knowledge and they want details for who at the Pentagon was involved in freezing shipments."
Video: “Craven cowardice of the Republican party” on display: GOP strategist - July 10, 2025
https://www.yahoo.com/news/craven-cowardice-republican-party-display-005618598.html
Thom Tillis Reveals Infuriating Reason RFK Jr. Was Confirmed
https://www.yahoo.com/news/thom-tillis-reveals-infuriating-reason-133620132.html
Comment: Does anyone else think these "revelations" might have been more appropriate during the Senate confirmation process?
GOP Sen. Thom Tillis scorches Pete Hegseth: 'Out of his depth'
https://www.msnbc.com/top-stories/latest/thom-tillis-hegseth-trump-pentagon-rcna218020
Comment: "GOP Sen. Thom Tillis expressed skepticism over Pete Hegseth’s leadership at the Pentagon, telling CNN on Wednesday that the defense secretary appeared 'out of his depth as a manager of a large, complex organization.' "
"The North Carolina Republican said he voted for Hegseth during his confirmation process, despite the allegations of alcohol abuse and sexual misconduct against the former Fox News host, because there was 'never an example of an eyewitness-corroborated account.' (Hegseth has repeatedly denied the allegations.)"
Comment: Do you ever wonder why these Republicans, who are responsible for approving Trump administration officials, are only critical of the Trump administration after they announce their retirement from Congress?
Politico: Joni Ernst is the next GOP senator on retirement watch
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/10/joni-ernst-retirement-watch-iowa-senate-seat-00447670
Comment: "But three people granted anonymity to disclose private discussions said there is rising concern among fellow Senate Republicans that Ernst will retire rather than run for reelection, giving Republicans another seat to defend next fall."
GOP senators start turning against Powell
https://www.axios.com/2025/07/10/powell-fed-senate-bernie-moreno-interest-rates
Comment: "Sen. Bernie Moreno is recruiting more GOP senators for his pressure campaign to force Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to resign."
"Why it matters: Powell has resisted calls from President Trump to leave his post early, enduring mockery and meanness from the very president who appointed him in 2017."
Politico: Senators consider new security funding for lawmakers
Comment: Do you think the congressional security funding should be conditional upon Congress passing laws to unmask ICE and make it, at least, as accountable as other federal law enforcement agencies? That way, the public on the street can feel a bit more secure also.
US rights advocates, Democrats condemn lawmaker Randy Fine's comments as racist
https://www.yahoo.com/news/us-rights-advocates-democrats-condemn-011408374.html
Randy Fine's comments on Muslims, Ilhan Omar draw backlash from Democrats
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5393291-democrats-condemn-andy-fine-islamaphobic-attack/
Comment: "Democratic leaders on Wednesday condemned comments made by Rep. Randy Fine (R-Fla.) describing fellow lawmakers in Congress, including Rep. IIhan Omar (D-Minn.), as 'terrorists' while mocking their Muslim faith."
" 'The unhinged, racist and Islamophobic comments made by Randy Fine about Rep. Ilhan Omar are bigoted and disgusting. We are just weeks removed from heinous acts of political violence targeting elected officials in Minnesota for assassination,' House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (N.Y.), Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) and House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar (Calif.) said in a Wednesday release."
Trump's push to claw back funding ignites a fight that threatens a government shutdown
Comment: "President Donald Trump’s push for Republicans to bypass Democrats and claw back $9.4 billion in approved spending has ignited a new fight in Congress that could upend the normally bipartisan government funding process."
Comment: " 'If Republicans cave to Donald Trump and gut these investments agreed to by both parties, that would be an affront — a huge affront — to the bipartisan appropriations process,' Schumer said. 'It is absurd to expect Democrats to play along with funding the government if Republicans are just going to renege on a bipartisan agreement by concocting rescissions packages behind closed doors that can pass with only their votes, not the customary 60 votes required in the appropriation process.' "
Video: Sen. Josh Hawley says he’ll make sure Medicaid cuts in Trump bill he voted for ‘never take effect’ - July 9, 2025
https://youtu.be/wgvB2Ra6NJY?si=OVyEs-PrfmUCZKXI
After voting for Trump's megabill, GOP Sen. Josh Hawley wants to prevent a key Medicaid cut from taking effect
https://www.yahoo.com/news/voting-trumps-megabill-gop-sen-191041808.html
Comment: " Four days after President Donald Trump signed his 'big, beautiful bill' into law, one of the Republicans who voted for it wasn’t interested in touting the measure’s high-profile tax, immigration or health care provisions."
Comment: "And when asked about the steep Medicaid cuts in the bill, Hawley continued to criticize them. Hawley said his 'goal' is to ensure the provider tax changes, which will limit state reimbursement for Medicaid, don't go into effect in Missouri in 2030 — even as he helped to pass a piece of legislation that will do just that."
Comment: Do you think it may be political cowardice to vote for a bill, when you don't agree with some of its major provisions?
Video: Senate GOP not happy with Trump beatdown of Tillis - July 08, 2025
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5388826-thom-tillis-retirement-trump-senate/amp/
CNN: White House’s DOGE cuts package faces uncertain path in Senate as clock ticks
https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/08/politics/senate-vote-white-house-doge-cuts
Comment: "Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins on Tuesday expressed uncertainty over whether the bill to codify sweeping federal government cuts could pass in the Senate by next Friday’s deadline."
" 'I don’t know,' the Maine Republican told reporters when asked if she thought a House passed package to claw back $9.4 billion in spending can clear the Senate even with changes."
Senate GOP plots how to move Trump’s $9.4B clawbacks request - POLITICO
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/08/senate-gop-trump-clawbacks-request-00443248
Comment: "Some Republican senators are interested in trimming the package of cuts to public broadcasting and global health programs."
Comment: Please note that it's called a "clawback," because these are funds that were already allocated by earlier acts of Congress, including funding for public broadcasting (NPR, PBS).
Senate Democrats’ campaign arm rolls out ad campaign hitting Republicans over megabill’s Medicaid cuts
GOP faces ‘big, beautiful’ blowback risk on ObamaCare subsidies cuts
https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5390885-republicans-obamacare-subsidies-expiration/
Comment: "Medicaid cuts have received the lion’s share of attention from critics of Republicans’ sweeping tax cuts legislation, but the GOP’s decision not to extend enhanced ObamaCare subsidies could have a much more immediate impact ahead of next year’s midterms."
"Extra subsidies put in place during the coronavirus pandemic are set to expire at the end of the year, and there are few signs Republicans are interested in tackling the issue at all."
Comment: "The absence of an extension in the 'big, beautiful bill' was especially notable given the sweeping changes the legislation makes to the health care system, and it gives Democrats an easy message: If Republicans in Congress let the subsidies expire at the end of the year, premiums will spike, and millions of people across the country could lose health insurance."
The Hill: Senate Democrats press ICE on uniform, mask protocol
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5390939-democrats-question-ice-officer-operations/
Axios: Bill would force ICE agents to ID themselves, ban them from wearing masks
https://www.axios.com/2025/07/08/ice-agents-masks-democrats-id-bill
Comment: "Federal immigration agents would be banned from wearing most face coverings but be required to wear visible ID during public enforcement operations, according to a proposal from Democratic U.S. Sens. Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Cory Booker (D-NJ)."
"Why it matters: The long-shot proposal comes following images of masked, heavily armed immigration agents snatching people off the streets and taking them away in unmarked cars have shocked many Americans."
Trump bill's health effects won't be felt until after midterms
https://www.axios.com/2025/07/07/medicaid-impacts-tax-bill-delayed
Comment: "President Trump's tax and spending bill sets in motion nearly $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid and other health policy changes that could loom over the midterm elections."
Comment: " '"Republicans backloaded a lot of the Medicaid and ACA cuts,' said Larry Levitt, executive vice president at KFF. 'There will be few tangible effects in health care from this bill before the midterms.' "
Comment: Do you think Republicans know this bill will be terrible for the health care of average Americans and are trying to hide the impacts until after their next Congressional election?
Trump got $170 billion for immigration. Now he has to enact it. - POLITICO
https://share.google/dybi1lSB5KRZTxTBV
Comment: "The megabill, which the president signed into law Friday, offers an unprecedented infusion of cash into the country’s immigration enforcement apparatus, but even Trump border czar Tom Homan acknowledges the administration has a great deal of work ahead, especially when it comes to fulfilling Trump’s pledge to hire 10,000 new Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents."
Comment: $170 billion? They can't even spend that much money effectively. 10,000 new ICE agents? And taxpayers are paying for it.
GOP megabill littered with special tax breaks
https://share.newsbreak.com/dwsfpvvn
Comment: "Many are the sort of narrowly targeted breaks Republicans have long complained are unfair, reward influential special interests and unnecessarily complicate the tax code."
The Atlantic: The Most Perverse Part of the ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/07/congress-electricity-tax-cuts/683416/
Comment: "Of all the elements of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, perhaps none is as obviously self-defeating as getting rid of tax credits for clean energy. That decision will not simply set back the fight against climate change. Congressional Republicans could also be setting America up for the worst energy-affordability crisis since the 1970s. Unlike then, this time we’ll have imposed it on ourselves."
When would Trump's tax and spending bill go into effect?
Comment: "Different provisions of the GOP tax and spending bill will kick in over the next year or so. Many are set to expire just before Trump leaves office."
Comment: "Nationwide Medicaid work requirements take effect Jan. 1, 2027, shortly after the mid-term elections decide which party controls Congress." [emphasis added]
Comment: "The bill permanently extends the tax cuts introduced in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which were set to expire this year." [emphasis added]
Comment: "Workers will be able to deduct up to $25,000 in tips and up to $25,000 in overtime, but the tax law change is temporary and ends Dec. 31, 2028, right before he leaves office." [emphasis added]
Comment: "Only some Social Security beneficiaries will be able to deduct Social Security payments from their taxes, which was also a promise Trump made on the campaign trail. This deduction is also temporary. It would last from 2025 to 2029." [emphasis added]
Comment: If you notice, many negative aspects of this bill are postponed until after the 2026 congressional elections, while most positive aspects of this bill (for the middle and working classes) are temporary and end shortly after Trump's term ends. However, the major tax cuts (primarily for the wealthy) go into effect quickly and are not temporary.
Time Magazine: What the Budget Bill Means for Our National Debt
https://time.com/7299966/budget-bill-adds-to-national-debt/
Comment: "In brief, the bill is expected to lead to spending of about $7 trillion a year with inflows of about $5 trillion a year. So the national debt, which is now about 6x of the money taken in, 100% of GDP, and about $230,000 per American family, will rise over ten years to about 7.5x the money taken in, 130% of GDP, and $425,000 per family. That will increase interest and principal payments on the debt from about $10 trillion ($1 trillion in interest, $9 trillion in principal) to about $18 trillion (of which $2 trillion is interest payments). This will lead to either a big squeezing out (and cutting off) of spending and/or unimaginable tax increases or a lot of printing and devaluing of money and pushing interest rates to unattractively low levels."
How Trump's tax cut and policy bill aims to 'supercharge' immigration enforcement
https://www.npr.org/2025/07/03/g-s1-75609/big-beautiful-bill-ice-funding-immigration
Comment: "The massive package sets aside about $170 billion to support the Trump's administration's border and immigration goals, which includes detaining and deporting a record number of people from the U.S."
"Earlier this week, White House border czar Tom Homan told reporters that Congress needed to pass the bill in order for the federal government to buy more detention beds."
Comment: "The final bill allocates $45 billion for immigration detention centers, as well as about $30 billion to hire more ICE personnel, for transportation costs, and to maintain ICE facilities, among other spending. It comes as detention centers operate beyond their capacity."
"The American Immigration Council estimates that the new funding could expand detention capacity to 'at least 116,000 beds.' "
Comment: Since $170B works out to be about $500 for every man, woman, and child in this country ($170B/$340M), do you think this is the best use of our tax dollars?
Republicans muscle Trump's sweeping tax-cut and spending bill through Congress | Reuters
'Immoral': Democrat Hakeem Jeffries blasts Trump megabill in record-breaking, 8-plus-hour speech - ABC News
Comment: "Jeffries had stacks of binders next to him at the podium as he picked apart the bill and some of the Republicans who voted for it."
" 'Donald Trump’s deadline may be Independence Day. That ain’t my deadline,' Jeffries said. 'You know why, Mr. Speaker? We don’t work for Donald Trump, we work for the American people. That's why we're here right now on the floor of the House of Representatives, standing up for the American people.' "
Politico: It’s Medicaid decision time for these House moderates
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/07/02/medicaid-moderates-republican-trump-megabill-00436694
Comment: "House Republicans who said they wouldn’t accept big cuts to Medicaid are returning to Washington on Wednesday facing a politically perilous decision: whether to vote for a Senate-passed megabill that cuts even more deeply than the one representatives passed in May."
NPR: 5 ways Trump's tax bill will limit health care access
Time Magazine: Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Will Devastate Public Schools. America’s Kids Will Pay the Price
https://time.com/7299514/bill-will-devastate-public-schools/
Comment: "Hidden in this budget package before the House is a national private school voucher program funded through tax breaks for the wealthy that threatens to dismantle our system of public schools."
Axios: 5 under-the-radar pieces of Trump's "big, beautiful bill" that could impact your life
https://www.axios.com/2025/07/02/big-beautiful-bill-gambling-food-stamps
Revised Bill Gutting Student Loan Programs Passes Senate — Here’s What It Does
https://share.google/altOhoohaozJhdtGH
Reuters: Despite last-minute changes, US Senate bill deals big blow to renewable energy
Comment: "The U.S. Senate's massive budget bill that passed on Tuesday will make it harder to develop wind and solar energy projects, despite the removal of some contentious provisions, industry advocates and lawmakers said."
Johnson on the megabill: ‘I'm not happy with what the Senate did to our product’ - Live Updates - POLITICO
Comment: "The comments come as conservatives like Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) are saying they won’t vote for the domestic policy legislation, which Senate Republicans passed on the thinnest of margins Tuesday afternoon after a grueling all-night vote-a-rama."
"Norman told reporters outside the Rules committee that the House should send back its original plan to the Senate and leave town, instead of even considering the Senate Republican plan."
CNN: Here’s how Trump’s megabill will affect you
https://www.cnn.com/2025/07/01/politics/congress-senate-bill-tax-spending-trump-gop-explainer
Comment: "Senate Republicans’ version of the bill differs in key ways from what the House passed in May. Both chambers will ultimately have to pass the same version to send the package to Trump’s desk by his desired July Fourth deadline."
"But the general contours of the massive piece of legislation are known. It extends Trump’s first-term tax cuts, funds his vision for a border wall, and offsets some of that revenue loss and additional spending with cuts to federal support for the social safety net that helps Americans afford food and health insurance."
What happened right before the Senate’s big vote on Trump’s big bill
Senate passes Trump’s agenda bill after marathon voting session
https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-big-beautiful-bill-vote-07-01-25
Comment: "Senate approves Trump megabill: Republicans in the Senate narrowly passed President Donald Trump's domestic agenda bill after a dramatic scramble to win over key holdouts. The vote was 50-50, and Vice President JD Vance cast the tie-breaking vote."
"Headed to the House: Another high-stakes battle now looms, as the bill must pass in the House before heading to the president’s desk. GOP leaders are racing to try to get the bill to the White House by July 4."
Video: GOP Senator is 'the best ad Democrats have going into midterms,' rips Trump's budget bill - June 30, 2025
Government Executive: Following impoundments threat, new bill wants senior execs to get appropriations training, or else
Comment: "Legislation from Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, seeks to ensure that select members of the executive branch get annual training on the budget process or face a possible suspension of financial decision making for their agency."
Comment: " 'We set policy, we provide direction and we allocate funds. Then, based on those policies, directions and allocations, the Article II branch, the Executive branch, can Execute what we, the Congress, dictate on behalf of We the People,' Kaptur said from the House floor Friday when discussing the bill. 'Instead of recognizing our authority, DOGE, Elon Musk, [Office of Management and Budget director] Russell Vought and the rest of the Executive Branch have ignored the will of the people.' "
CNN: Elon Musk just made his starkest political threat since the election
https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/30/media/elon-musk-bill-primary-threat
Comment: " 'Every member of Congress who campaigned on reducing government spending and then immediately voted for the biggest debt increase in history should hang their head in shame! And they will lose their primary next year if it is the last thing I do on this Earth,' he wrote."
Polls for Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Are ‘Terrible, Terrible, Terrible’
https://www.yahoo.com/news/cnn-data-guru-reveals-unprecedented-094523899.html
Politico: The Senate megabill is on a collision course with House fiscal hawks
Comment: "House fiscal hawks are looking at the math underlying Senate Republicans’ sprawling domestic policy legislation, and they don’t like what they see."
"As Senate Republicans try to muscle President Donald Trump’s 'big, beautiful bill' for final passage, they’re on track to violate a budget framework brokered between House fiscal hawks and Speaker Mike Johnson. Under that framework, if the GOP piles on tax cuts over $4 trillion, they’d need to match them dollar-for-dollar with additional spending cuts beyond the $1.5 trillion in the House-passed bill."
Trump Tax Bill Hits Senate as GOP Torn by Competing Demands
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trump-tax-bill-hits-senate-185550810.html
Video: "A Rotten Racket" Senator Whitehouse Rebukes Republican Bill - June 29, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d94S2O0VdLw
Video: I’m Headed to the Senate Floor… - June 29, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CNg6S7D2G0
Thom Tillis says he will retire following Trump attacks
https://www.yahoo.com/news/thom-tillis-says-retire-following-173552945.html
Comment: "Sen. Thom Tillis, a two-term North Carolina Republican who was expected to contest one of 2026's toughest Senate races, tried to walk a fine line between President Donald Trump and his purple-state electorate."
"It backfired spectacularly over the weekend, with Tillis announcing Sunday that he would not seek re-election less than a day after Trump publicly attacked him for voting 'no' to advance his 'big, beautiful bill.'
Comment: Is your Congressperson/Senator voting for your interests or is he/she voting to escape the wrath of Donald Trump in an attempt to keep his/her job?
GOP Sen. Tillis won't run for reelection after Trump primary threat
https://share.newsbreak.com/dt7ngyg3
Video: Jeff Merkley Warns GOP Against Destroying The 'Architecture To Create Fiscal Discipline' - June 29, 2025
https://youtu.be/iMd9lHqun_Y?si=tdKSUiONSwmexbSc
Video: 'Forget Senate Procedure, Math Has Never Worked That Way': Murray Slams GOP Procedural Maneuvering - June 29, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVvArJGIeTs
CNN: House GOP leadership discussing new ways to limit classified information on Capitol Hill
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/06/29/politics/house-republicans-classified-information
Comment: "House Republican leadership is actively discussing new ways to restrict the classified information that all lawmakers can receive, after the White House indicated it will limit intelligence sharing with Congress going forward."
"Democrats are warning that would threaten their ability to do their jobs, and some Republicans also say they would be against further restrictions."
Comment: How can Congress provide oversight if their information is restricted? Do you think that this may be part of the Trump administration's plan to impede congressional oversight and to stop exposure of false statements from the Trump administration?
Politico: Senate rulekeeper deals blows to revised ‘Big, beautiful bill’
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/06/29/megabill-byrd-alaska-megabill-parliamentarian-00431730
Comment: "The Senate’s rewritten domestic policy bill faces new hurdles after the parliamentarian advised senators Sunday that several provisions violate the chamber’s strict rules for budget reconciliation bills."
Comment: Is the parliamentarian still finding problems with the bill, even after it has been advanced for a floor vote?
Forbes: Trump Claims ‘Victory’ After His Spending Bill Clears Key Senate Hurdle—But Democrats Stall Final Vote
Comment: "The Senate voted to advance President Donald Trump’s signature budget and spending bill to the floor, clearing a key despite some pushback from hard-right fiscal conservatives as a new estimate Sunday suggests the Senate bill could add more than $3 trillion to the national debt."
Comment: "The bill will now face more scrutiny with a floor debate and voting on amendments taking place before a final vote, though Trump immediately claimed victory after the procedural vote, calling it the vote a 'GREAT VICTORY' in a post on Truth Social."
Comment: Is it reasonable to assume that the difference between the estimated tax cut costs of $4.45T and the estimated $3T increase in the national debt will be the result of nearly $1.5T cuts to programs like Medicaid, SNAP, etc.?
Senate Republicans' tax cuts cost projected to rise to $4.45T - Live Updates - POLITICO
Comment: "That’s up more than $200 billion from a previous draft of the plan, and reflects numerous last-minute changes to the bill."
Politico: Senate Republicans make steep cuts to wind and solar in updated megabill text
Comment: "Senate Republicans released updated megabill text late Friday that would make sharp cuts to the Inflation Reduction Act's solar and wind tax credits after a late-stage push by President Donald Trump to crack down further on the incentives."
Axios: Democrats fume at "waste of time" Trump admin briefing on Iran
https://www.axios.com/2025/06/27/democrats-trump-iran-briefing-hegseth-rubio
Comment: "House Democrats left a Friday morning briefing on Iran from Trump administration officials largely grumbling at what they described as 'propaganda' and a 'waste of time.' "
Why it matters: The briefing appears to have done little to alleviate the growing tension around the Trump administration largely keeping Congress in the dark about its actions and not seeking congressional authorization."
AP News: The Senate is working to put Trump’s big bill back on track but hurdles remain
Politico: 5 House Republicans declare red line on megabill land sales
Comment: "Five House Republicans on Thursday threatened to vote down the GOP megabill if the Senate includes a provision to sell public lands for development."
"The move comes after Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) sought to include those sales in the bill, and this week revised and narrowed his proposal after the Senate parliamentarian ruled that his initial language did not comply with the strict rules governing measures that can be included in party-line reconciliation bills."
Axios: "Revenge tax" being yanked from "big, beautiful bill," Bessent says
https://www.axios.com/2025/06/26/trump-revenge-tax-budget
Comment: "The provision worried global investors, as it gives the president the authority to tax foreign holdings of U.S. investments. Some worried it would slow the flow of foreign capital into the U.S."
AP News: Republican plan for nationwide private school vouchers deemed in violation of Senate rules
The GOP Has a New Public Enemy Number One
https://share.google/97ZWzOXJwclsLTPXx
Comment: "Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough has struck some notable provisions from President Trump’s 'big, beautiful bill,' leading a growing chorus of GOP lawmakers to call on Senate Majority Leader John Thune to overrule or fire her."
"Being a reconciliation bill—which can pass with a simple majority, rather than the 60-vote threshold required to overcome a filibuster—the legislation cannot contain provisions unrelated to the budget. Currently, MacDonough is tasked with whittling away 'extraneous' measures that run afoul of that rule."
GOP senator calls for Senate parliamentarian to be fired after ruling against Medicaid cuts
https://www.yahoo.com/news/gop-senator-calls-senate-parliamentarian-150639622.html
Comment: :Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R) on Thursday called for Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) to fire Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough 'ASAP,' hours after she delivered a major ruling against a Republican proposal to slash hundreds of billions of dollars in federal Medicaid spending to help pay for President Trump’s tax agenda."
Comment: "Senate Republicans are using budget reconciliations rules to pass their bill so they can get around a Senate filibuster, which would otherwise allow Democrats to block the measure."
Comment: Tuberville is certainly welcome to introduce these Medicaid cuts in separate legislation that is not part of a budget reconciliation process. With a separate bill, the parliamentary restrictions would not apply, but Democrats would then have the opportunity to filibuster, making passage much more difficult. Apparently, Tuberville wants to ignore Senate rules he doesn't like.
Key Medicaid provision in Trump's big tax cut and spending bill is found to violate Senate rules
https://www.yahoo.com/news/key-medicaid-provision-trumps-big-140107618.html
Comment: "The Senate parlimentarian has advised that a Medicaid provider tax overhaul central to President Donald Trump's tax cut and spending bill does not adhere to the chamber's procedural rules, delivering a crucial blow as Republicans rush to finish the package this week."
Parliamentarian rejects GOP attempt to prohibit federal subsidies for health plans that cover abortion services
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5370563-parliamentarian-rules-aca-abortion-subsidies/
Trump budget director faces bipartisan heat in Senate on DOGE cuts
https://thehill.com/business/budget/5370122-vought-bipartisan-heat-senate-doge-cuts/
Comment: "White House budget chief Russell Vought faced heat from both sides of the aisle Wednesday as he sought to make the case to senators to pass the administration’s roughly $9 billion in proposed cuts to foreign aid and public broadcasting funds."
Thune faces brewing megabill mutiny - Live Updates - POLITICO
https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/06/25/congress/megabill-senate-mutiny-00424389
Senate Republicans battle over rural hospital relief fund to offset Medicaid cuts
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5369675-senate-republicans-rural-hospital-relief-fund-medicaid/
The megabill’s math isn’t adding up for Senate Republicans - POLITICO
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/06/24/megabill-math-senate-gop-deficit-00422147
House GOP moderates tell leadership they won't back Senate tax bill over Medicaid cuts
https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5367133-house-gop-moderates-senate-tax-bill-medicaid-cuts/
The Hill: GOP senator warns Medicaid cuts could derail Trump megabill
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5365429-josh-hawley-medicaid-cuts-trump-megabill/
Rolling Stone: Mike Johnson Mocks Millions Who Could Lose Medicaid: ‘Do Something Constructive’
Mike Johnson calls War Powers Act "unconstitutional"
https://www.axios.com/2025/06/24/mike-johnson-war-powers-act-unconstitutional-iran
Comment: Since the law is on the books, if Johnson thinks the law is unconstitutional, why doesn't he challenge it in court, rather than ignore the law he has sworn to uphold?
Opinion: Congress must reclaim its power and rein Trump in on military interventions
https://share.newsbreak.com/dr3b6k6j
The Hill: Parliamentarian cuts some energy provisions from GOP bill
The Hill: House Freedom Caucus chair pans Senate GOP’s ‘big, beautiful bill’
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5366809-harris-freedom-caucus-senate-trump-bill/
Comment: "Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.), the chair of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, is staking opposition to the Senate’s version of the 'big, beautiful bill,' spelling trouble for the legislation’s chances of clearing the House down the road."
AP News: GOP plan to sell more than 3,200 square miles of federal lands is found to violate Senate rules
https://apnews.com/article/public-land-sales-senate-mike-lee-bf4c3a046a107efc7d4ffe005fdb9d2d
Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough rejects key Trump agenda provisions
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5363923-senate-parliamentarian-rejects-trump-provisions/
Comment: "The parliamentarian ruled these provisions violate the Byrd Rule and are not eligible to pass the Senate with a simple majority vote on the procedural fast track known as budget reconciliation."
Federal News Network: GOP civil service overhaul effort violates reconciliation rules
Comment: "The Senate parliamentarian on Sunday marked several provisions of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee’s portion of the 'One Big, Beautiful Bill' as violations of reconciliation rules. One of those provisions sought to make all new federal employees choose between becoming an at-will employee and taking on a 5% increase in their contribution rate to the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS), or keeping their civil service protections but taking on a 10% increase to their retirement contributions."
Reuters: Senate Republicans cannot force US Postal Service to scrap EVs, parliamentarian says
Comment: "USPS warned on June 13 that scrapping the electric vehicles would cost it $1.5 billion, including $1 billion to replace its current fleet of EVs and $500 million in EV infrastructure rendered useless and 'seriously cripple our ability to replace an aging and obsolete delivery fleet.' "
Reuters: US House Speaker Johnson says it is not time to consider war powers resolution
Comment: So, when would it be appropriate, Mr. Speaker?
Did Trump violate the Constitution by bombing Iran?
https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/23/politics/trump-iran-legal-constitutional-article-1-article-2
Comment: "President Donald Trump’s order to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities presents a new test of the Constitution and the extent of presidential powers to conduct war despite a lack of congressional approval."
GOP Rep Thomas Massie Bites Back After Trump Calls for His MAGA Banishment
Comment: "Massie was one of the first Republicans to publicly call out Trump’s involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict. Last week, he partnered with House Democrats in an attempt to introduce a war powers resolution to 'prohibit involvement in Iran.' Since the strikes, Massie has appeared on various news programs expressing his disapproval while Trump has banished him from MAGA ranks."
Republicans order key panel to score extension of Trump tax cuts as budget neutral
https://thehill.com/homenews/5363203-senate-republicans-trump-tax-cuts-budget-neutral-jct/
Comment: How stupid do Republicans think the public is? How desperate are they to pass tax cuts for the wealthy?
Politico: Senate GOP slashes megabill’s tax costs with new accounting method
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/06/22/senate-tax-bill-jct-score-00417131
Comment: "A new $440B estimate does not include the multi-trillion-dollar bill for extending soon-expiring tax cuts."
Comment: When all else fails, just "cook the books"!
Senate parliamentarian rejects GOP’s attempt to limit courts’ contempt powers
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5363225-senate-parliamentarian-rules-out-contempt-provision/
Comment: "The parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough, ruled that limiting courts’ ability to hold Trump officials in contempt violated the Senate’s rules governing what can be passed with a simple-majority vote on the budget reconciliation fast track."
Trump administration briefed top Republicans before Iran strikes, but not some Democrats | CNN Politics
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/06/21/politics/republicans-democrats-iran-strikes-briefings
Comment: "Democrats on the 'Gang of Eight,' which includes the congressional leaders from each party and the chairs and ranking members of the House and Senate intelligence committees, typically would be briefed before a significant US military engagement. A White House official said the administration made calls to some members of Congress before the strikes as a 'courtesy heads-up' but did not address the partisan breakdown of who was notified."
NBC News: Legality of Trump Iran strikes questioned by some lawmakers in both parties
Opinion | The Senate GOP’s Great Western Land Heist | Common Dreams
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/senate-gop-public-lands
Comment: "A buried budget clause could force the largest public land sell-off in modern history, without a vote, a hearing, or a warning."
Politico: Senate GOP’s plan to push food aid costs onto states axed from megabill
Comment: "The Senate parliamentarian determined that the cost-sharing plan would violate the so-called Byrd Rule, which limits what can be included in the reconciliation process, and would be subject to a 60-vote filibuster threshold, according to an advisory sent out Friday night by Senate Budget Committee Democrats."
Comment: "The cost-share plan was a critical way for Republicans to trim spending to pay for their massive reconciliation package and farm bill programs."
White House floats a new funding trick — and GOP lawmakers grimace - POLITICO
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/06/20/pocket-rescissions-white-house-funding-trick-00410444
Comment: "On Capitol Hill, leading GOP appropriators see Vought’s comments as another shot against them in an escalating battle with the Trump administration over Congress’ 'power of the purse.' And they warn that the budget director’s adversarial posture hinders their relationship with the White House as they work to head off a government shutdown in just over three months."
Comment: At what point will GOP members of Congress start to defend their constitutional appropriation authority against unlawful usurpation from the Trump administration?
Senate GOP Adds $1 Billion Tax 'Giveaway' for Big Oil to Budget Bill | Common Dreams
https://www.commondreams.org/news/gop-big-oil-tax-giveaway
Comment: "That provision was secured by Senator James Lankford, who has received more than $546,000 in campaign contributions from the oil and gas industry since 2019."
Senate parliamentarian deals blow to GOP plan to gut consumer bureau in tax bill
apnews.com/article/trump-big-bill-senate-parliamentarian-cfpb-88321be915179f80e47f355bd4d7db60 https://share.google/0Vq4w8ihgWVuEpRGo
Politico: Parliamentarian rulings would kill key climate provisions in GOP megabill
Comment: "Senate Democrats announced late Thursday that some key elements of the Environment and Public Works Committee’s portion of the GOP's megabill violate the strict budget rules that govern the filibuster-skirting reconciliation process."
Los Angeles Times: ICE issued new rules for Congress members visiting detention centers. Experts say they’re illegal
Comment: "Gomez and other Democrats have pointed to a federal statute, detailed in yearly appropriations packages since 2020, which states that funds may not be used to prevent a member of Congress 'from entering, for the purpose of conducting oversight, any facility operated by or for the Department of Homeland Security used to detain or otherwise house aliens ...' "
Trump’s megabill is already unpopular — just wait until Americans hear what’s in it
https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/trump-megabill-polls-immigration-project-47-rcna213505
Video: Sen. Kelly grills Segseth about "Golden Dome" and cuts that may affect its success. - June 19. 2025
https://share.newsbreak.com/do6ee5wv
Senator Markey: Trump’s ‘Golden Dome’ is Fool’s Gold
https://time.com/7295780/senator-markey-trumps-golden-dome/
Comment: "In truth, it will make us poorer, less secure, and more isolated. It’s a gold-plated boondoggle that will enrich defense contractors and ignite a new nuclear arms race. Let’s be clear: Golden Dome is a trillion-dollar mistake in the making."
The biggest losers in the tax bill: Senate edition
https://www.axios.com/2025/06/18/trump-senate-medicaid-big-beautiful-bill
Comment: "Low-income Americans are looking like the losers in the Senate version of President Trump's signature tax bill."
Comment: "There's more to like in here if you're wealthy."
Megabill debt warnings fall on deaf ears inside the GOP - POLITICO
Comment: "A new CBO report suggesting debt costs would swamp economic gains is being met with a big Republican shrug."
Senate’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ faces House headwinds: ‘This is political stupidity’
https://share.newsbreak.com/do64b8mb
Oil industry gets $1B tax tweak in GOP’s senate bill
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/oil-industry-gets-1-billion-145140661.html
Comment: "Senate Republicans included a tax break estimated to be worth more than $1 billion for oil and gas producers in their version of President Donald Trump’s sprawling fiscal package. "
The Daily Beast: DHS Says Lawmakers Must Give 72-Hour Notice Before Visiting ICE Facilities
GOP senators are not fans of Trump's new TikTok delay
https://www.axios.com/2025/06/18/senate-republicans-trump-tiktok-ban
Comment: "A bipartisan majority passed legislation requiring TikTok to divest or be banned in the U.S., and many Republicans view the app as a serious national security threat. But Trump is fine keeping it around a little longer."
Reuters: US Senate Democrats demand Kennedy explain canceling bird flu vaccine contract
President's proposed public land sale includes beloved Lake Tahoe sites - South Tahoe Now
https://share.google/N9PZI6bDRBBHAmTOu
Comment: "Over 250 million acres of public lands could be eligible for sale if the President’s budget reconciliation package, something he has called the 'big, beautiful bill,' is passed."
64 percent opposed to GOP megabill: Survey
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5355212-trump-unfavorable-bill-survey-kff/
Government Executive: Senate reconciliation bill would give Trump ‘carte blanche’ to reorganize agencies, lay off feds
Comment: "The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee authorizes a $100 million war chest for OMB to reorganize government without congressional oversight."
Politico: Hospitals stunned by Senate GOP’s Medicaid plan
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/06/17/hospitals-senate-medicaid-megabill-taxes-00410769
Comment: "Hospital executives weren’t happy last month when the House included a provision in its version of the bill freezing a loophole states have used to boost payments to hospitals serving the low-income patients enrolled in Medicaid. Hospitals have long enjoyed deference from lawmakers — since they both care for and employ their constituents."
Senate picks fight with House GOP on the "big, beautiful bill"
https://www.axios.com/2025/06/17/senate-trump-budget-bill-medicaid-taxes-salt
Trump is counting on economic growth to offset his tax cuts. But his big, beautiful bill likely wouldn’t deliver, experts say
https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/17/politics/big-beautiful-bill-tax-cuts
Comment: "While independent estimates vary somewhat, most find that the House-passed package would only give a small nudge to economic growth and fail to offset its trillions of dollars of tax cuts."
AFGE | Republican Members of House Appropriations Committee Greenlight White House’s Mass Firing of 80,000 VA Employees
Trump should immediately push Russia sanctions, Sen. Blumenthal says - POLITICO
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/06/15/trump-russia-sanctions-blumenthal-graham-00406834
Comment: "Speaking in a joint interview with Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Blumenthal urged Trump to move quickly: 'I think the president should call on the Senate to vote approval of the Russian sanctions bill literally tomorrow. He’s on his way tonight to the G7 meeting. He will be sitting across from world leaders. Right now, very bluntly, the perception may be one of weakness in terms of America’s position on Ukraine. He can be there in a position of strength.' "
'Not a big fan': GOP senator criticizes Trump military parade, says it 'glorified weapons'
Axios: Minnesota shootings set off five-alarm fire in Congress
https://www.axios.com/2025/06/14/minnesota-melissa-hortman-john-hoffman-congress
Comment: "Members of Congress went into this weekend with their nerves already severely frayed. The shooting of two lawmakers in Minnesota on Saturday has sent those tensions over the edge."
NPR: House votes to eliminate federal funding for public media outlets
Comment: "The Senate still has to approve the measure. This is the closest public media has come to losing its federal funding."
Padilla episode triggers five-alarm fire for Democrats
https://www.axios.com/2025/06/13/alex-padilla-trump-democracy
Comment: "To Democrats, the episode crystallized fears about Trump's willingness to crush dissent, and shatter democratic norms and institutions."
Includes Video: Democratic Sen. Padilla forcibly removed from DHS press conference in Los Angeles : NPR
https://www.npr.org/2025/06/12/nx-s1-5431731/padilla-removed-dhs-press-conference
Comment: "Democrat Adam Schiff, Padilla's fellow senator from California, vowed to hold the administration accountable."
" 'When a U.S. senator goes to demand answers about the lawfulness or lawlessness of these actions to see him tackled to the ground, brought to the ground, what is becoming of our democracy?' he asked on the Senate floor. 'Are there no limits to what this administration will do? Is there no line they will not cross?' "
Includes Additional Video: Padilla pushes back against Noem's claim he barged into news conference
Republicans struggle to defend Trump’s military parade as tanks prepare to roll in D.C.
Colorado Public Radio: Millions of acres of public land in Colorado, other Western states could be sold under Senate reconciliation bill
NPR: Statement from Katherine Maher, NPR President and CEO: The House voted to claw back Federal funding intended for public broadcasters around the country
The Guardian: House votes to claw back $9.4bn in spending including from NPR and PBS
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/12/npr-pbs-funds-house-republicans
Comment: "Republicans target public broadcasters in rarely used gambit while also slashing global health programs"
Tensions rising in GOP over Trump border plan as Rand Paul squares off with Stephen Miller | CNN Politics
https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/12/politics/rand-paul-stephen-miller-border
Axios: Congressman tells Hegseth to "get the hell out" of Pentagon in tense hearing
https://www.axios.com/2025/06/12/hegseth-hearing-carbajal-california-congressman
Comment: "The congressman grilled Hegseth on a variety of issues, including Marines' deployment to Los Angeles, the Signal chat leak and Russia's invasion of Ukraine."
'There is no Plan B': Republicans make a daring bet on the debt limit
Comment: Why couldn't 'Plan B' be a compromise with the Democrats to get rid of the tax breaks for the billionaires in exchange for help on the debt limit?
Politico: House appropriators decry ‘egregious’ ICE funding mismanagement
Comment: "Republicans are urging the Trump administration not to spend money it doesn’t have to fund its immigration enforcement efforts."
Hegseth takes fire from Republicans at heated Senate hearing
‘America’s reputation is on the line’: Republican senators chide Hegseth over Ukraine - POLITICO
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/06/11/mcconnell-hegseth-ukraine-fight-00399719
Comment: "The exchange between McConnell and Hegseth offered a rare high-profile window into the Republican party’s widening foreign policy gap. McConnell voiced a Reagan-era international view of American leadership, while Hegseth articulated a more restraint-oriented, America First approach favored by many of Trump’s allies."
‘Big, beautiful bill’ spurs Democratic plans for emergency actions to counter cuts - POLITICO
Comment: "The preparations signal the depths of concerns about how the Republican package might reverberate in state capitals, even as passage is far from assured, especially given the recent vitriolic attacks on the spending bill from Elon Musk. State officials are scrambling to navigate the likely fiscal challenges in what’s already the toughest budget year since before the pandemic in many states."
Senate GOP finalizing scaled-down food stamp cuts after backlash
Comment: "The Senate plan would ask states to pay for SNAP costs at a lower rate than the House plan — and exempt some states entirely."
Republicans back off Medicare changes in GOP megabill - Live Updates - POLITICO
Comment: "An effort to get savings from reforms to popular Medicare Advantage plans is failing to gain ground in the Senate."
Most GOP lawmakers plan to skip Trump’s big parade - POLITICO
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/06/10/trump-parade-congress-republicans-00398774
Comment: "POLITICO surveyed 50 Hill Republicans. Only seven said they’d stick around Saturday for the show."
Axios: Democratic Rep. LaMonica McIver indicted, potentially faces 17 years in prison
https://www.axios.com/2025/06/10/lamonica-mciver-indicted-alina-habba-doj
Comment: "McIver has denied the charges and said in a statement that 'the facts of this case will prove I was simply doing my job and will expose these proceedings for what they are: a brazen attempt at political intimidation.' "
Comment: "McIver has said she was the one who was assaulted in the clash."
Politico: House Republicans warn Thune over megabill ‘budget gimmicks’
Comment: "Thirty-eight House Republicans are warning Senate leaders against using 'budget gimmicks' as they revise President Donald Trump’s 'big, beautiful bill,' adding a new red line as GOP lawmakers clash over the scope of tax cuts."
Senior House Republican sends warning to White House on funding clawbacks - Live Updates - POLITICO
Comment: "At least one senior congressional appropriator isn’t interested in White House budget chief Russ Vought’s enthusiasm for so-called 'pocket rescissions,' which would allow the Trump administration to make permanent cuts to federal spending without congressional approval."
House to make fixes to GOP megabill to avoid 'fatal' ruling with Senate parliamentarian - Live Updates - POLITICO
Comment: "In the words of one senior House GOP aide, granted anonymity to speak candidly, certain House-approved provisions could prove 'fatal' to the bill’s ability to comply with the rules surrounding the filibuster-skirting budget reconciliation process, which Republicans are relying upon to pass their domestic policy measure without Democratic votes."
Politico: Two House Republicans issue megabill threats as Senate ponders changes
Senate GOP prepares to unveil SNAP piece of Trump agenda bill as some expect changes
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5335045-trump-agenda-bill-snap-senate/
Comment: "The panel has jurisdiction over the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and some Republicans have been concerned about a proposal that would see states’ share of SNAP benefits, which are currently fully covered by the federal government, increase."
Why millions of Americans would lose health insurance under House GOP megabill
Comment: "Federal funding cuts in the House of Representatives' One Big Beautiful Bill Act would cause millions of Americans to lose health insurance under Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, experts said."
Trump’s big bill includes an ‘unprecedented’ tax credit for a national school voucher program. Here’s how it would work | CNN Business
https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/06/business/national-school-voucher-trump-tax-bill
Senate Republicans propose eliminating penalties for violating fuel efficiency rules
https://www.yahoo.com/news/senate-republicans-propose-eliminating-penalties-165621122.html
Comments: What good are rules, regulations, and laws if there are no penalties for noncompliance?
Nearly 100 House Democrats urge RFK Jr. to restore millions in family planning grants
Comment: "Nearly 100 House Democrats are calling on Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to restore tens of millions of dollars in federal family planning grants to more than a dozen organizations that have been frozen for more than two months."
Video: Confronted with awkward facts, Republicans go to war against numbers they don't like - June 5, 2025
Video: Trump budget bill Medicaid cuts would leave millions uninsured, Congressional Budget Office finds - June 5, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIsLprxg-pU
Politico: Grassley wants changes to megabill provision limiting judges’ ability to enforce court orders
Politico: Dems fail to subpoena Elon Musk — again
https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/06/05/congress/dems-fail-to-subpoena-musk-00389089
Comment: "It’s not the first time Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have attempted to compel Musk to testify before Congress."
Politico: Congress has until July 18 to act on Trump’s request to claw back $9.4B
Comment: "The White House is required to spend the money if the House and Senate don’t approve a rescission by the deadline."
Video: Hakeem Jeffries urges Senate Republicans to show "John McCain levels of courage"
https://youtu.be/B7jhWA7bBVU?si=f8pRQYCP94ztzqXw
NPR: Rep. Pramila Jayapal says Trump rescission request is 'bad on all accounts'
ABC News: 'KILL the BILL': Elon Musk continues to blast Trump's bill in barrage of social media posts
Parliamentarian could nix the ‘revenge tax’ increase in GOP megabill
Comment: If parliamentarian finds that the "revenge tax" provision violates congressional rules associated with a "reconciliation measure," does that mean Democrats would have the right to filibuster the bill?
Axios: Horrified Republicans scramble to avoid an all-out war with Elon Musk
https://www.axios.com/2025/06/04/republicans-elon-musk-donald-trump-big-bill
Axios: "He's a complete joke": GOP rage with Musk spills out privately after break with Trump
https://www.axios.com/2025/06/04/elon-musk-house-republicans-donald-trump
ABC News: Army leaders defend parade and border spending as Congress presses for answers
Comment: "Members of the House Armed Services Committee also said they are concerned that the Defense Department is shifting about $1 billion from a variety of accounts — including base housing — to cover the costs of shoring up the defense of the southern border."
Due process is not limited to citizens, contrary to Nancy Mace’s claim
The Guardian: Marjorie Taylor Greene accused of assembling ‘rogues’ gallery’ to attack NGOs
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/04/marjorie-taylor-greene-hearing
Politico: Ukrainian delegation to brief senators amid Russia sanctions push
CNN: Musk blasts Trump’s agenda bill as a ‘disgusting abomination,’ catching White House officials off guard
https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/03/politics/elon-musk-trump-republican-bill
Comment: "Elon Musk on Tuesday lashed out at President Donald Trump’s agenda bill — which the president is pressuring GOP senators to support — calling it a “disgusting abomination.”
Trump formally asks Congress to claw back approved spending targeted by DOGE
https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-formally-asks-congress-claw-205905054.html
CNN: How Trump’s DOGE cuts package could put GOP in a bind
https://www.cnn.com/2025/06/03/politics/doge-cuts-republican-lawmakers-analysis
Comment: "That’s because the White House is now asking Congress to sign off on some of the cuts that the Department of Government Efficiency sought to make unilaterally."
Comment: "The idea is to make the cuts more permanent by having Congress pass what’s known as a 'rescissions' package. This would codify the DOGE cuts into law, so that they can’t be reversed by the next administration or overturned by the courts."
The Hill: Democrats outraged with DHS after Nadler staffer handcuffed
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5329359-trump-administration-clashes-with-democrats/
Yahoo Finance: Senate Begins Putting Its Stamp on Giant Trump Tax, Debt Limit Bill
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/senate-begins-putting-stamp-giant-100000582.html
‘We’re not going there’: Thune vows not to overrule parliamentarian on megabill - Live Updates - POLITICO
Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ heads for showdown with Senate parliamentarian
https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-big-beautiful-bill-heads-100000899.html
GOP beats down key budget office over tax plan projections
https://www.yahoo.com/news/gop-beats-down-key-budget-221442724.html
Comment: "Republicans are using Congress’s official budget scorer as a whipping boy, as they argue a major package of President Trump’s tax priorities is costless, despite multiple projections placing the plan’s price tag at trillions of dollars over the next decade."
The Hill: Morning Report — Senators put the budget bill under the microscope
ABC News: Democrat announces run against Ernst after her 'We're all going to die' comments
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/democrat-announces-run-ernst-after-die-comments/story?id=122431072
Video: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries Speaks To CNN's Dana Bash About Trump's 'Big Ugly Bill' - June 1, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7xs9n163Co
Mother Jones: Homeland Security Cops Invade NY Congressman’s Office, Handcuff Aide
Video: Trump’s budget bill gives Democrats ‘a lot of ammo’ to use in 2026 midterms: Dem. strategist - June 1, 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpTMDokUjKI
CNN: US senators meet with Zelensky in Kyiv as doubt cast over upcoming Ukraine-Russia peace talks
https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/31/europe/senators-zelensky-ukraine-russia-sanctions-intl-hnk
Comment: "A bipartisan pair of US senators met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Friday and urged stronger sanctions against Russia, while uncertainty swirls over whether the next round of peace talks will move ahead in the coming days."
Politico: The 7 pieces of the House megabill that could succumb to Senate rules
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/30/megabill-policies-senate-parliamentarian-byrd-rule-00375507
How the GOP megabill may roll back the Affordable Care Act
https://www.axios.com/2025/05/30/gop-megabill-affordable-care-act
Comment: "The bill that passed the House before Memorial Day includes an overhaul of ACA marketplaces that would result in coverage losses for millions of Americans and savings to help cover the cost of extending President Trump's tax cuts."
Trump tells Congress what to chop in 22 percent budget slashing
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/30/trump-budget-congress-shutdown-00377091
Comment: "Several GOP lawmakers have said they’ll buck the president’s request as Congress faces a Sept. 30 government shutdown cliff."
Politifact: Tax bill would cut SNAP, contrary to despite Mike Johnson's claim
From gym memberships to gun silencers, Trump's tax bill is full of surprises
Conservative Republican furor grows over future of DOGE cuts
https://thehill.com/business/budget/5322665-conservative-furor-doge-cuts/
House speaker says GOP ‘eager and ready’ to enact DOGE cuts as White House expected to send request to Congress next week | CNN Politics
https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/28/politics/doge-cuts-recissions-package-white-house
Comment: Is this the time to resist the insanity of many of the DOGE cuts, by stopping Congress from codifying the spending cuts?
Opinion: Banning stock trading in Congress is a crucial step toward restoring public trust
https://share.newsbreak.com/dc7vhhyx
Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' pits Senate GOP moderates against conservatives
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5320674-senate-republicans-trump-bill-debate/
GOP fears Donald Trump's ‘big, beautiful bill’ is ‘debt bomb’
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5316940-trump-bill-fiscal-concerns-republicans/
These Republican senators are balking at Trump's tax bill
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/05/27/gop-senators-trump-tax-bill/83876404007/
The House Budget Bill Fails Key Tax Reform Tests - Forbes
Senate Republicans demand new sanctions against Russia
https://www.axios.com/2025/05/27/senate-gop-russsia-sanctions-ukraine-putin-trump
GOP declares war on GAO
https://share.newsbreak.com/d9vehz2e
Comment: "The independent Government Accountability Office has served Congress as the nation’s chief investigator of wrongdoing at federal agencies for more than a century. Now it’s under assault."
A hidden measure in the Republican budget bill would crown Trump king | Robert Reich
https://share.newsbreak.com/d9uute27
Comment: "Hidden inside their Big Ugly Bill is a provision intended to block the courts from using contempt to enforce its orders. It reads: 'No court of the United States may use appropriated funds to enforce a contempt citation for failure to comply with an injunction or temporary restraining order if no security was given when the injunction or order was issued …' Translated: no federal court may enforce a contempt citation."
Trump's 5-step push to keep GOP control of the House in '26
https://www.axios.com/2025/05/27/trump-5-steps-gop-house-2026
House GOP’s SNAP proposal sparks concern from Senate Republicans
https://share.newsbreak.com/d9vct0yo
TRUMP’S CRYPTO GRIFT IS THE LATEST CORRUPTION MIKE JOHNSON SAYS HE’S TOO ‘BUSY’ TO CARE ABOUT
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/mike-johnson-trump-crypto-dinner-1235347935/
Comment: "The House speaker trots out one of his favorite excuses, then claims the president's highly questionable business deals are fine because he does them 'out in the open'."
Rand Paul can't accept megabill's debt ceiling hike - POLITICO
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/25/rand-paul-debt-ceiling-hike-00369740
The Guardian: ‘Fiscally irresponsible’: Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill’ benefits the rich at the expense of the poor
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/24/trump-tax-bill-analysis
Comment: "Bill will make permanent huge tax cuts to the wealthy and cost the government $4.6tn over the next 10 years"
Video & Transcript: How the GOP’s proposed Medicaid cuts could affect millions of family caregivers | PBS News Weekend
NPR: Trump's massive spending bill & the GOP's priorities
https://www.npr.org/2025/05/24/nx-s1-5407899/trumps-massive-spending-bill-the-gops-priorities
Politico: Capitol agenda: Megabill heads toward a Senate buzzsaw
NPR: 9 things to know about the big, private-school voucher plan in Republicans' tax bill
https://www.npr.org/2025/05/23/nx-s1-5397175/trump-federal-voucher-private-school
Axios: Thune threatens Putin with sanctions on Russia
https://www.axios.com/2025/05/22/senate-thune-russia-sanctions-trump-putin-ukraine
Senate GOP preps for ‘one big, beautiful’ rewrite - Live Updates - POLITICO
https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/05/22/congress/trump-bill-senate-rewrite-00365731
Politico: 7 things Senate Republicans hate about the House megabill
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/22/megabill-senate-republican-changes-00366407
The Guardian: The new Trump-led tax bill promises an American ‘golden age’ – that conveniently ends with his presidency
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/22/tax-cuts-republican-trump-bill
There's as reason Republicans want to hide what's in their newly passed megabill
Comment: "Early Wednesday, when most Americans were snuggled in their beds, Republicans in the House of Representatives were working hard to take away the health care of millions of Americans, blow a $3 trillion hole in the budget deficit and make the wealthiest people in America richer and the poorest Americans poorer."
Politico: ‘I don’t work for you’ : Jeffries’ broadside against GOP megabill included testy exchange
https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/05/22/congress/hakeem-jeffries-gop-megabill-00364711
Comment: "The House Democratic leader spoke for roughly 37 minutes, framing his party’s attacks on the legislation."
The Guardian: House passes Trump’s sweeping tax-cut bill and sends it to Senate
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/22/house-vote-trump-tax-bill
US House narrowly passes Trump's sweeping tax-cut bill, sends on to Senate | Reuters
House GOP lawmakers are proposing nearly $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid and food stamps. Here’s who could be impacted
https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/21/politics/medicaid-food-stamps-gop-proposed-cuts
Senate Republicans hint at clawing back hiring and firing power for congressional agencies - Live Updates - POLITICO
Comment: "Lawmakers are grappling with attempted intrusions by the Trump administration into congressional operations"
Senators should reject Billy Long's nomination to lead the IRS
https://thehill.com/opinion/congress-blog/5310771-long-irs-nomination-criticism/amp/
Ron Wyden says he has proof of favors 'promised' by Billy Long, Trump's IRS pick
https://thehill.com/business/5309889-long-expected-favors-irs-debate/
Warren Tells IRS Nominee Billy Long He Shouldn't Be 'Within 1,000 Miles' Of Agency
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/elizabeth-warren-billy-long-irs_n_682cc26ce4b0bf653cd6708f/amp
Missouri’s Billy Long grilled over donations, tax credits in Senate confirmation hearing
https://www.yahoo.com/news/missouri-billy-long-grilled-over-192829610.html
IRS nominee who sponsored legislation to abolish it faces pointed questions | AP News
https://apnews.com/article/irs-commissioner-taxes-billy-long-trump-855b54855dcb0d545987caed3ce65f6f
Trump’s IRS Pick Turns Into Babbling Mess as Senator Warren Grills Him | The New Republic
https://newrepublic.com/post/195505/trump-irs-billy-long-nonprofit-status
Trump's IRS Commissioner pick Billy Long grilled by Senate Democrats
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/05/20/trump-irs-commissioner-pick-billy-long.html
Axios: This is a fight over Obamacare, again
https://www.axios.com/2025/05/20/obamacare-aca-repeal-fight-again
Comment: "Many of the changes in play are directed at the people who've gained insurance under the ACA's Medicaid expansion, which helped drive the dramatic reduction in the share of Americans who are uninsured."
Donald Trump pitch fails to move GOP holdouts on ‘big, beautiful bill’
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5309603-trump-pitch-gop-holdouts-agenda-bill/
House GOP campaign arm won't protect lawmakers targeted by Trump
https://www.axios.com/2025/05/20/nrcc-trump-hudson-republican-primaries
Comment: "Trump told reporters on Tuesday that House Republicans who vote against his 'big, beautiful bill' could 'possibly' face primary challenges, saying they would be 'knocked out so fast.'"
Comment: How does the concept of checks & balances work, when the President attempts to politically intimidate members of the legislative branch of government?
Trump amps up pressure on GOP holdouts
Trump drops f-bomb, pressures Republicans to get in line behind his legislation
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5309356-trump-house-gop-bill-capitol/
Democratic congresswoman says federal charges in ICE facility scuffle are ‘absurd’
https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2025/05/20/politics/mciver-ice-federal-charges
The Hill: Morning Report — Trump heads to Hill to untangle budget plan
https://thehill.com/newsletters/morning-report/5308705-donald-trump-capitol-hill-budget-plan/
The GOP wants work requirements for Medicaid. Here's what those rules do (and don't) accomplish.
Axios: Scoop: Schumer to seek vote on blocking Qatar's gift to Trump
https://www.axios.com/2025/05/19/schumer-legislation-qatar-trump-air-force-one
Trump looks to unite Republicans with visit to Capitol before key votes on tax cut bill
https://www.yahoo.com/news/republicans-look-trumps-big-bill-182342749.html
Comment: "House Republicans narrowly advanced the sprawling 1,116 page package in a rare weekend vote late Sunday, but just barely, as GOP leaders promise more negotiations ahead."
Trump’s acceptance of Qatar jet gift is ‘definition of corruption’, senator says
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/18/trump-qatar-jet-gift-chris-murphy?CMP=share_btn_url
CNN: Utah GOP Sen. John Curtis vows to be independent voice as he breaks with Trump over key issues
https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/18/politics/john-curtis-utah-trump
BBC: Five House Republicans stall Trump's 'big, beautiful' tax bill
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpqelqpvpeqo
CNN: GOP hardliners defy party leaders and Trump as they vote to block agenda
https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/16/politics/house-budget-committee-vote
Breaking Defense: Lawmakers fret over rumor of White House cuts to NRO commercial imagery budget
The Hill: Trump’s firing of FEMA director unsettles GOP senators
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5302942-senate-republicans-criticize-fema-firing/
The Hill: Opponents raise alarm over school vouchers in GOP budget bill
https://thehill.com/homenews/education/5302600-school-vouchers-school-choice-gop-budget-bill/
NBC News: Senate Republicans put House on notice: We won't accept your Trump agenda bill without changes
Reuters: US health chief Kennedy clashes with lawmakers over vaccine comments
ABC News: RFK Jr. says people should not take medical advice from him, defends HHS cuts during congressional hearings
https://abcnews.go.com/Health/rfk-jr-testify-house-senate-committees-amid-layoffs/story?id=121771047
‘Not My Lane’: House Speaker Mike Johnson Defers To Trump On Accepting Gift Plane
https://www.yahoo.com/news/not-lane-house-speaker-mike-160117065.html
NPR: The latest roadblock for House Republicans' 'big beautiful bill': Senate Republicans
https://www.npr.org/2025/05/14/nx-s1-5398566/trump-budget-taxes-medicaid-senate
GOP senators raise red flags over House’s ambitious Trump legislative package
https://www.yahoo.com/news/gop-senators-raise-red-flags-100000320.html
Politico: ‘First time we were hearing of them’: The GOP megabill is packed with surprises for some Republicans
CNN: House lawmakers meeting on key pieces of Trump agenda see long hours, fiery debate over Medicaid
https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/14/politics/house-hearings-trump-agenda-tax-medicaid-snap
Politico: E&C Republicans advance health care piece of GOP tax bill after marathon markup
AP News: What's in Trump's big bill? Trillions in tax cuts, Medicaid changes and more
ABC News: Democrats say it's a 'sad day for DHS' under Kristi Noem's leadership in fiery House hearing
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/house-democrats-kristi-noem-spar-immigration/story?id=121803220
Politico: Democrats grill Noem on Abrego Garcia and two deported US children
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/14/kristi-noem-deportation-abrego-garcia-00349649
Politico: House Agriculture Committee approves $300 billion in nutrition spending cuts
Comment: "The House Agriculture Committee voted 29-25 along party lines to advance legislation that would cut as much as $300 billion in food aid spending to pay for Republicans’ domestic policy megabill and some farm bill programs."
Comment: "The GOP proposal would create the largest overhaul in decades to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which helps more than 42 million people in the U.S. pay for food, by forcing states to share the cost of SNAP benefits."
House Republicans propose major reforms to SNAP
https://www.yahoo.com/news/house-republicans-propose-major-reforms-134527701.html
NPR: RFK Jr. got rid of an 'alphabet soup' of health agencies. Now, Congress gets a say
Politico: CBO: 7.6 million would go uninsured under GOP Medicaid bill
https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/05/13/congress/cbo-megabill-medicaid-00345235
NBC News: Proposed Medicaid cuts by Republicans leave patients and doctors fearing the worst
Comment: "Republicans are rallying around work requirements and stricter eligibility screenings for Medicaid. Doctors and critics warn they could strip away coverage for rightful enrollees."
Axios: Why work requirements for Medicaid "don't work"
https://www.axios.com/2025/05/13/medicaid-work-requirements
Politico: Senate Republicans: House GOP’s energy tax credit cuts won’t work
Comment: "Senate Republicans are pushing back on the House GOP's proposed rollback of Democrats' clean energy credits and say there will have to be changes to earn their support."
Trump drug pricing proposal puts GOP senators in a tough spot
https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-drug-pricing-proposal-puts-100000848.html
GOP-backed bill threatens to police what Americans can read, watch and say online
Axios: GOP moves to boot Democrats off committees over ICE scuffle
https://www.axios.com/2025/05/13/house-republican-democrat-committees-new-jersey
Politico: GOP heavyweights join bipartisan bashing of Trump Qatar jet deal
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/13/senate-republicans-qatar-trump-jet-00345435
Chuck Schumer says he is placing a hold on Trump DOJ nominees amid questions on Qatar's luxury jet gift
Democrat Adam Schiff presses DOD inspector general for details on Trump's Qatari plane gift - ABC News
AP News: House Republicans unveil Medicaid cuts that Democrats warn will leave millions without care
https://apnews.com/article/medicaid-cuts-trump-tax-cuts-bill-1e2b12a91a3d12ceb0420ce7053de58e
House Republicans propose $5 billion for private school vouchers - ABC News
Comment: "House Republicans want to set aside up to $5 billion a year for scholarships to help families send their children to private and religious schools, marking an unprecedented effort to use public money to pay for private education"
The Hill: House Republicans cut green programs, boost fossil fuels in budget bill
The Guardian: ‘Just wildly illegal’: top Democrats push to censure Trump’s plan to accept Qatar jet
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/12/trump-qatar-jet-gift-democrats
The Hill: Republicans hit crucial week for advancing Trump agenda
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5295025-republicans-hit-crucial-week-for-advancing-trump-agenda/
Republicans stuck in the mud on Trump tax bill
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5292926-republicans-medicaid-salt-trump-bill/
Republicans unveil steep cuts to Medicaid in portion of Trump tax bill
https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5294994-house-republicans-medicaid-bill/amp/
States bear the brunt of House GOP Medicaid plan - POLITICO
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/11/energy-and-commerce-unveils-its-megabill-plans-00339830
The Hill: Raskin blasts Trump for Qatar plane ‘grift’
https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5294981-raskin-blasts-trump-for-qatar-plane-grift/
Trump officials ‘created confrontation’ that led to arrest of Newark mayor
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/11/trump-officials-newark-mayor-arrest
Comment: Includes Video. You decide if the Newark mayor or Democratic members of Congress did anything to merit arrests. By the way, the small gray haired women at the center of the video, who some are trying to protect, is 80 year old Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman.
Trump DHS eyes arrests for House Democrats over New Jersey ICE incident
https://www.axios.com/2025/05/10/trump-ice-arrest-house-democrats-new-jersey
Trump isn’t the only one targeting federal employees. House Republicans are pushing cuts to pension benefits | CNN Politics
https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/10/politics/federal-employee-pension-benefits-republicans
Politico: Trump Is Already Obsessed With the Midterms
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/05/10/donald-trump-midterms-2026-last-campaign-00339567
AP News: Tax the rich? Slash spending? Republicans wrestle with economic priorities in the Trump era
Opinion: We need a bipartisan Congress to check presidential power
https://share.newsbreak.com/d0kzpan8
The Guardian: Lawyer who prosecuted Trump hauled in front of House judiciary committee
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/09/jay-bratt-trump-deposition
Comment: "Exclusive: Jay Bratt, who led Mar-a-Lago case, first special prosecutor known to be summoned after Trump vows revenge"
Marjorie Taylor Greene says she won't run for Senate against Jon Ossoff - CBS News
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/marjorie-taylor-greene-senate-jon-ossoff/
Treasury Dept. asks Congress to raise debt ceiling before August to avert default
Comment: "In a May 9 letter, he urged them to extend the debt ceiling by July, before Congress leaves for its annual August recess, in order to avert economic calamity."
NPR: A fight over Medicaid cuts is threatening GOP plans for Trump's 'big, beautiful bill'
https://www.npr.org/2025/05/09/nx-s1-5392357/republicans-medicaid-trump-reconciliation-bill
The Hill: Trump pivots, says GOP should ‘probably not’ raise taxes on rich
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5291877-trump-tax-increase-rich/
Comment: What will be Trump's position on this issue tomorrow?
Trump revives tax hikes for Americans making "millions"
https://www.axios.com/2025/05/08/trump-taxes-millionaires-medicaid
Comment: "Trump is determined to make the wealthiest Americans pay more in taxes and protect his party from accusations that the MAGA movement is only interested in protecting the mega-rich." [Emphasis added]
House Republicans eye adding $60B farm bill package in Trump megabill - Live Updates - POLITICO
Comment: "Senior Republicans want to pay for it by shifting some SNAP food aid benefit costs to states for the first time."
Axios: Hard truths slam Mike Johnson on "one big, beautiful bill"
https://www.axios.com/2025/05/08/mike-johnson-tax-cuts-medicaid-salt-spending
GOP centrists revolt against steep cuts to Medicaid and other programs in Trump's tax breaks bill - ABC News
Senate Republicans fume at House over budget reconciliation challenges
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5289054-republicans-senate-trump-agenda/
ProPublica: Democratic Lawmakers Blast Trump Administration’s VA Cuts After ProPublica Investigation
Kash Patel Spars With Dems Over FBI Budget, Due Process
NPR: House Republicans approve amendment authorizing the sale of federal lands
House Republicans push to sell hundreds of thousands of acres of public lands in the West
https://www.yahoo.com/news/house-republicans-push-sell-thousands-161425099.html
AP News: House GOP backing off some Medicaid cuts as report shows millions of people would lose health care
https://apnews.com/article/medicaid-cuts-trump-tax-bill-house-gop-257e1d90a69059dcf8c7b23cb6eefa69
15 House Republicans – a group large enough to turn the tide in any vote – warn Trump about Social Security cuts
https://www.yahoo.com/news/15-house-republicans-group-large-160853327.html
Josh Hawley Introduces Law To Ban Mailing Of Abortion Pills, Citing Junk Science Report
https://www.yahoo.com/news/josh-hawley-introduces-law-ban-165304492.html
Politico: Pelosi warns the US needs NATO too
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/07/pelosi-warns-the-us-needs-nato-too-00334512
CBS News: U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi is pressed to spare civil rights-era "peacemakers" program from closure
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/community-relations-service-pam-bondi-house-democrats/
The Hill: Republicans blast Trump’s economic messaging: No more doll talk
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5286298-trump-dolls-economic-message-republicans/
The Hill: Heinrich raises concerns about DOGE-tied official’s role at Interior Department
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5287925-martin-heinrich-interior-doge/
WATCH: House Democrats blast Trump budget bill | PBS News
Comment: Includes long 30+ video. Please watch!
Democrats make long-shot effort to stop Trump cuts to Medicaid and Snap | House of Representatives | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/06/trump-democrats-medicaid-snap-cuts
House Republicans plan major SNAP food aid overhaul in Trump megabill - Live Updates - POLITICO
https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2025/05/06/congress/house-republicans-snap-food-aid-00330620
Axios: Congress erupts over Trump's billion-dollar crypto deal
https://www.axios.com/2025/05/07/trump-crypto-stablecoin-bill
Exclusive: Democrats target Trump's meme coin, family's crypto empire
https://www.axios.com/2025/05/06/trump-coin-democrats-crypto-stablecoin
Reuters: US senators urge USDA to explain DOGE review of farm loans
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-senators-urge-usda-explain-doge-review-farm-loans-2025-05-06/
Nomination for Trump’s pick for DC’s top prosecutor in trouble amid key Republican push back | CNN Politics
https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/06/politics/ed-martin-nomination-trump-dc-prosecutor
Key GOP senator won't support Trump loyalist Ed Martin to be D.C.'s top prosecutor
Comment: "North Carolina Republican Thom Tillis' decision likely derails Martin's nomination as U.S. attorney for Washington D.C."
Key Republican says he opposes Trump's controversial pick for top prosecutor in DC - ABC News
Comment: "Acting U.S. Attorney Ed Martin has defended Jan. 6 rioters."
CNN: Lawmakers want answers after reporting reveals crippling vacancies at hurricane-prone National Weather Service office
https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/06/weather/national-weather-service-staffing-hurricane-houston
Veterans Affairs secretary defends mass layoffs in testy exchange with Congress
https://www.yahoo.com/news/veterans-affairs-secretary-defends-mass-194900804.html
Military.com: 'Slash and Trash': Senators Blast VA Secretary for Planned Cuts, Lack of Details in Hearing
House Republicans warn Trump administration on Social Security cuts - Live Updates - POLITICO
Senate confirms Trump’s pick Bisignano to run Social Security : NPR
AP News: Georgia Republican Gov. Brian Kemp won’t run for US Senate seat in 2026 against Democrat Jon Ossoff
https://apnews.com/article/brian-kemp-senate-jon-ossoff-44fa0cc046bff1502bd2b324e868f9db
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp passes on running for a key Democratic-held Senate seat
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp passes on running for Senate - POLITICO
Politico: GOP may be closer than ever to enacting a massive rule-busting bill
The Independent: New report calls into question GOP Rep.’s Bronze Star for bravery in Iraq
The Hill: Warner says US will pay the price for federal cuts ‘literally for years’
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5281609-mark-warner-workforce-cuts-cia/
Comment: Article focuses on impact to US intelligence and national security
WSFA: Federal legislation targets financial relief for Alabama’s rural hospitals
Comment: Legislation introduced by Alabama Democratic Congressman Shomari Figures. Includes Video.
Opinion | Congressional Republicans don’t want the blame for DOGE’s mayhem
https://www.yahoo.com/news/opinion-congressional-republicans-don-t-100000695.html
JURIST Legal News: US House Republicans vote against blocking ICE from deporting US citizens
Comment: Does this mean that House Republicans approve of deporting US citizens?
Forbes: GOP Stays Silent On Deporting Americans In Unusual Immigration Markup
Axios: Dems launch pressure campaign to sink Trump's budget bill
https://www.axios.com/2025/05/02/trump-democrats-republicans-congress-budget-bill
Trump sends a scorched-earth budget plan. GOP lawmakers hate it already. - POLITICO
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/02/trumps-budget-asks-congress-00323256
Even Republicans are Raising Eyebrows Over Trump’s Exclusive Memecoin Dinner
https://www.yahoo.com/news/even-republicans-raising-eyebrows-over-033915183.html
Senate Republicans raise red flags about Trump's private dinner with his meme coin holders
https://www.yahoo.com/news/senate-republicans-raise-red-flags-172915293.html
Republicans are telling the White House that DOGE cuts will not be permanent
https://www.yahoo.com/news/republicans-telling-white-house-doge-141654573.html
Government Executive: Connolly demands rescission of regulations reviving Schedule F
Comment: "The top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee warned that politicization of the federal workforce will lead to more instances of 'incompetence' in government."
Power of judges to hold Trump administration in contempt may be undermined with filibuster-proof GOP proposal
https://www.yahoo.com/news/power-judges-hold-trump-administration-152631912.html
The Hill: 38 Republicans call for ‘full repeal’ of Democrats’ energy tax credits
House Democrats demand Musk financial disclosure from White House
https://www.yahoo.com/news/house-democrats-demand-musk-financial-173404192.html
Politico: The key Republican warning about a megabill Medicaid fallout
Politico: Trump is not ‘commander’ of Congress, top GOP appropriator says
Axios: Scoop: Senate GOP freezing out House lawmakers ahead of 2026
https://www.axios.com/2025/05/01/senate-republicans-house-lawmakers-donors
NPR: Judges would be accountable for abuse even if they retired or resigned, under new bill
https://www.npr.org/2025/05/01/g-s1-63714/judges-accountability-abuse-congress
Comment: Democratic Congressman files bill to help curb judges' possible "misconduct and abuse" of employees.
Vice President Vance casts tie-breaking Senate vote to kill bipartisan effort to rebuke Trump’s trade policy
https://www.yahoo.com/news/bipartisan-push-rebuke-trump-over-230507065.html
For News Articles links from before May 1st, 2025, please go to:
https://sites.google.com/view/dem2oldnews/home/old2-us-congress
There you will find a continuation of the news links & comments from the period prior to May 1, 2025 (Including article links prior to the November 2024 election, found by clicking a second google sites website link at the end of the site referenced immediately above). The article history can be viewed as follows:
www.dalecodemocrats.com (latest)
sites.google.com/view/dem2oldnews/home/ (Nov 2024 election - April 30, 2025)
sites.google.com/view/demoldnews/home/ (Prior to 2024 election)
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