Today on the Hill: The latest developments on Capitol Hill

House Speaker Mike Johnson said Wednesday that women’s bathrooms in the U.S. Capitol complex will be restricted to biological women — meaning the first transgender person elected to Congress won’t be allowed in them.

Johnson issued a statement after Rep. Nancy Mace, R-South Carolina filed a resolution this week that would prohibit any lawmakers from “using single-sex facilities other than those corresponding to their biological sex.”

Her proposal was in direct response to the election of Democrat Sarah McBride of Delaware, who is the first openly transgender person elected to Congress. She will be sworn in next year.

“All single-sex facilities in the Capitol and House Office Buildings — such as restrooms, changing rooms and locker rooms — are reserved for individuals of that biological sex,” Johnson said in his statement.

“It is important to note that each member office has its own private restroom, and unisex restrooms are available throughout the Capitol,” he added.

McBride earlier criticized Mace’s proposal.

“This is a blatant attempt from far right-wing extremists to distract from the fact that they have no real solutions to what Americans are facing,” McBride said.

One of the bathrooms on the House side of the Capitol has a sign on its wooden doors that has been up for years.

It says, “Men Only.”

Johnson on Tuesday made his personal position clear.

“A man is a man, and a woman is a woman, and a man cannot become a woman,” he said.

He added that everyone should be treated “with dignity.”

President-elect Donald Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency pledges to “send shockwaves” through the U.S. government and eliminate massive waste as well as the jobs of federal workers.

The department — which is not actually part of the government — is being led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, two entrepreneurs who share Trump’s view that the federal bureaucracy must be slashed.

Trump said the commission will provide recommendations and work with the White House “to dismantle government bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures and restructure federal agencies.”

Musk has suggested that DOGE (a nod to cryptocurrency Dogecoin) will seek to cut as much as $2 trillion in federal spending.

“This will send shockwaves through the system, and anyone involved in government waste, which is a lot of people!” Musk said in a statement.

Read the rest of the story here.

Former President Donald Trump — now the president-elect — has just completed one of the most extraordinary political comebacks in U.S. history.

Not only has he defeated Vice President Kamala Harris in the Electoral College count, but he appears to be on track to become the first Republican presidential candidate to win the popular vote since 2004.

Less than four years ago, his political future appeared to be near an end, after his supporters broke into the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, in an effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

He was impeached — for a second time.

He was criticized by Republican congressional leaders in the wake of the attack.

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, of South Carolina, said, “Count me out,” during a speech on the Senate floor, suggesting he was cutting ties with the president.

But only a month later, Graham was in Florida, playing golf with Trump as the former president worked on his political rehabilitation.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has privately criticized Trump, congratulated him on his victory and was glowing at a news conference Wednesday.

“It’s certainly a happy day for the GOP,” he said, smiling.

McConnell will remain in the Senate, but is stepping away from his leadership role.

McConnell said he’s glad to hand off to a Republican who will become the Senate Majority Leader.

“I’ve been the majority leader, I’ve been the minority leader — majority’s a lot better,” he said wryly.

GOP Senate majority 

Trump will have a Senate majority that will be larger than the 51-49 edge that Democrats had before the election.

At least 52 Republicans will be represented in the upper chamber and the number may rise, depending on what happens in close races in Pennsylvania and Nevada.

The House may also retain its GOP majority, though numerous races still need to be decided.

As of Wednesday, Republicans had a lead of more than a dozen seats.

If all House seats are filled, 218 is the number required for a majority.

In Virginia, neither party flipped a seat in House races.

Democrat Eugene Vindman is leading in the 7^th District race against Republican Derrick Anderson to replace Rep. Abigail Spanberger, who is stepping down to run for governor.

In the 2^nd District, it appears Republican Rep. Jen Kiggans will hold off a tough challenge from Democrat Missy Cotter Smasal.

But many races have yet to be called, including several in California.

It could take days for the winners of those contests to be announced.

If the House is held by the GOP, Trump will have a political trifecta — the White House, House and Senate.

There is also a conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court, which includes three justices nominated by Trump.

Virginia U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, the chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said that he’s concerned the final days before the election will bring a surge of disinformation designed to confuse and anger voters.

He said voters need to be vigilant and vet what they see on social media.

“It’s going to be a tense time,” Warner said. “Please don’t jump to conclusions.”

The Democratic lawmaker, who is not up for reelection, said Russia, China and Iran have shown time and again that they want to meddle in U.S. elections.

Read the story. 

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The tumultuous presidential campaign between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump will finally wind down in exactly one week — on Nov. 5.

Harris is making her “closing argument” Tuesday evening on the Ellipse near the White House, where Trump spoke to supporters on Jan. 6, 2021, shortly before they rioted at the U.S. Capitol and tried to overturn the 2020 election results.

Trump held a rally Sunday night in New York at Madison Square Garden, where he outlined the dangers of illegal immigration and “the enemy within,” which he’s spoken about frequently in the waning days of the campaign.

His speech was overshadowed by media coverage of various controversial comments made by others who spoke during the event.

Many Republicans in Congress have urged the former president to focus on the economy, as well as the border.

But Trump appears to be convinced that the border will be the animating issue that drives his supporters to the polls.

Harris, meanwhile, hopes to draw a sharp contrast with Trump by speaking where he did on Jan. 6.

Her campaign initially backed away from President Joe Biden’s heated rhetoric about Trump being a threat to democracy.

But Harris has turned up the rhetoric, in the wake of comments from Trump’s former chief of staff, John Kelly, who said in an interview with the New York Times he believes his former boss wants to rule like a dictator.

It remains to be seen whether various developments in the homestretch of the campaign will make a difference in the election, especially since tens of millions of people have already voted.

The final battle for the battleground states 

The election is widely expected to come down to turnout in the seven battleground states, where polls indicate Harris and Trump remain extremely close.

Pennsylvania, and its 19 electoral votes, remains the top political prize.

Harris campaigned in Pennsylvania on Sunday and Trump is scheduled to campaign in the Keystone State on Tuesday.

Harris was in Michigan on Monday, and after her address in D.C., is scheduled to campaign again in Pennsylvania on Wednesday, along with Wisconsin and North Carolina.

She has also planned campaign stops this week in Arizona and Nevada.

Trump was in Georgia on Monday. After Pennsylvania, he’ll hold a rally Wednesday in Wisconsin, then visit Nevada on Thursday and return to Wisconsin on Friday.

He also plans to campaign in Virginia on Saturday, though it’s not considered to be one of the battleground states.

Democrats always knew they faced a difficult political map to retain their narrow majority in the U.S. Senate this election year.

Maryland’s U.S. Senate seat opened up with the retirement of longtime Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin, but it was initially not considered in play, since voters hadn’t elected a Republican senator in more than four decades.

But that changed when former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan became the GOP nominee in the race against Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks.

Read the full story.

Control of the U.S. House of Representatives could turn on just a handful of competitive congressional races across the country.

All 435 seats are up for reelection, but political analysts said it will all boil down to roughly two dozen contests.

Republicans have held one of the narrowest vote margins in the history of the lower chamber, which has contributed to legislative dysfunction. The GOP currently holds 220 seats, while Democrats have 212 seats — three seats are unfilled.

Read the full story.

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Americans across the country will go to the polls two weeks from now, but millions have already voted, and the presidential candidates will be focused on just a handful of states.

The campaigning strategy this week reflects the Electoral College reality: the 2024 presidential election will likely be decided by voters in the seven battleground states.

Vice President Kamala Harris campaigned Monday in suburbs of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin — three states that could be critical to getting her to the necessary 270 electoral votes to get elected.

She campaigned in Philadelphia with former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, who was once part of the Republican U.S. House leadership but became GOP persona non grata after repeatedly criticizing former President Donald Trump in the wake of the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Trump went to another battleground state, North Carolina, where he praised the work of people who have helped victims of Hurricane Helene.

But he again criticized the Federal Emergency Management Agency, repeating a baseless claim that the agency diverted disaster assistance to people in the country illegally.

Trump, who has been critical of early and mail-in voting in the past, also praised the early voting efforts in North Carolina, a state he will likely need to win to return to the White House.

Democrats have not won the Tar Heel State since former President Barack Obama narrowly did so in 2008.

Who are the ‘deciders’ in this election?

The latest polls continue to suggest that voters are nearly equally divided in the seven battlegrounds states of Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada.

Harris and Trump are within the margin of error in all of those states.

A new Washington Post-Schar School poll tried to dig deeper, by examining voters who haven’t made up their minds and could ultimately be the “deciders” in a very close race.

The poll suggests that younger voters will be a wild card, 43% between the ages of 18 and 25 said they are uncommitted.

Among registered voters in the seven states, 37% said they will “definitely” vote for Harris and 37% will “definitely” back Trump — or they’ve already voted for each of the candidates.

The Post reported the “definite” support for Harris is a significant increase from a survey in the spring, when 26% said they would definitely vote for President Joe Biden.

Trump’s support rose from 31% to 37%.

But only 13% of “probably Harris” voters said they would be enthusiastic if she wins, with 11% of “probably Trump” voters saying the same about him returning to the White House.

The overall margin of error for the poll is plus-or-minus 1.7%.

For the states, it is between plus-or-minus 3.9 and 5%.

Want the scoop on the race for the White House? Sign up for WTOP’s Election Desk weekly newsletter to stay up-to-date through Election Day 2024 with the latest developments in this historic presidential election cycle.

While there have been all kinds of developments during the presidential campaign, one aspect of the race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump has remained constant: tight polling.

A new NBC News poll of registered voters out this week has the two candidates deadlocked at 48% each.

The poll suggests Harris has lost some ground since she entered the race during the summer, after President Joe Biden withdrew.

An NBC News poll in September had Harris leading Trump 49% to 44%.

The latest poll has a margin of error of plus-or-minus 3.1%.

In polls conducted in battleground states, the two candidates remain neck and neck.

Both Harris and Trump campaigned again Monday in Pennsylvania, which could be the state that determines who wins the presidential election.

The latest CBS News poll of likely voters in Pennsylvania has the candidates tied at 49% each.

They are also tied in Wisconsin at 49% and Harris has a slight lead of 50% to 48% in Michigan.

Trump leads 50% to 49% in Arizona, Georgia and North Carolina, while the poll has Harris with a slight lead of 50% to 48% in Nevada.

The CBS News poll has Harris ahead of Trump nationally, 51% to 48%.

The national poll has a margin of error of plus-or-minus 2.3%.

The findings from the survey also illustrate how differently Democrats and Republicans view the federal response to damage from recent hurricanes.

The survey found 83% of Republicans believe Trump’s claims that the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s hurricane funds are being diverted to people in the U.S. illegally, while 90% of Democrats believe that’s false.

FEMA has said the claim is untrue.

Harris to appear on Fox

Harris has recently stepped up her interviews and she’s about to do something Biden hasn’t done since becoming president — sit down for an interview on Fox News.

The network announced that Harris will be interviewed by Fox News chief political anchor Brett Baier and the interview will air at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.

The interview will take place on a network that often criticizes Harris and presents a flood of stories that are generally more favorable to Trump.

But it also represents a chance for Harris to show she’s not afraid to go into enemy political territory and possibly attract some independent voters.

Harris’ running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, has recently been interviewed twice on “Fox News Sunday.”

In an effort to reach out to female voters, Trump plans to take part in a Fox town hall in which the audience will all be women. The town hall is set to air the same day that Harris does her interview on Fox.

Harris this week is also doing interviews designed to shore up her support among Black voters.

While being interviewed by Roland Martin on Monday, Harris suggested that Trump has a history of racist behavior.

Harris also recorded an interview on Tuesday in Detroit with Charlamagne tha God for his syndicated morning radio show, “The Breakfast Club.”

Concerns have been raised in Congress that the U.S. Postal Service might not be up to the task of providing timely delivery of mail-in ballots, but Virginia lawmakers say they were reassured after a recent meeting with the U.S. Postmaster General.

Mail-in ballots have grown in popularity, especially in the wake of the pandemic.

Virginia’s congressional delegation has been keeping a close eye on the handling of mail-in ballots, in part because of past problems with deliveries and lost mail in the commonwealth.

U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, along with Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-7th, and Rep. Jennifer McClellan, D-4th, met on Friday with Postmaster General Louis DeJoy in Richmond. A representative from the office of Rep. Rob Wittman, R-1st, also took part in the meeting.

Spanberger said the lawmakers wanted DeJoy “to make sure that the agency is working to deliver a higher standard of service ahead of Election Day to make sure ballots arrive on time.”

She and the other lawmakers said they were encouraged by what they heard from DeJoy about stepped up training and other reforms aimed at getting mail delivered in a timely manner.

Spanberger said on average, it takes 2.18 days for a ballot to either be sent to a voter, or for a voter to send a ballot back to election officials.

In September, the Virginia Commissioner of Elections, Susan Beals, told a state panel that she had concerns that mail-in ballots might not be processed in time.

Several secretaries of state also testified before Congress about issues they worried about involving the mail, including threats made against election workers.

Warner said after the meeting on Friday that he believes there has been “dramatic improvement” in mail delivery, which has come under particular scrutiny in the Richmond area.

Absentee and early voting began on Sept. 20 in Virginia.

The deadline to apply for an absentee mail-in ballot is Oct. 25, though it is recommended people make their request earlier.

Want the scoop on the race for the White House? Sign up for WTOP’s Election Desk weekly newsletter for early access to WTOP Capitol Hill Correspondent Mitchell Miller’s updates. 

Hurricane Milton quickly intensified to Category 5 strength Monday and former President Donald Trump has intensified attacks on Vice President Kamala Harris in the past week, making several baseless claims related to the response to Hurricane Helene.

The battleground state of North Carolina is still trying to address the devastation from widespread flooding linked to Helene.

Trump has sought to portray the Biden-Harris administration’s federal response as a disaster.

“They stole the FEMA money just like they stole it from a bank, so they could give it to their illegal immigrants that they want to have vote for them,” Trump said at a rally last week in Michigan.

The accusation is entirely untrue and has been criticized by the White House.

No money has been taken from FEMA for migrants, at the expense of disaster victims. Earlier this year, Congress approved $650 million for a separate matter, called the Shelters and Services Grant Program, which assists migrants and tries to help communities deal with them when they come across the border.

Trump has made several other unfounded claims, including that the Biden administration was preventing assistance from getting to heavily Republican areas.

There has been so much misinformation from various sources that FEMA has a link on its website dedicated to knocking down rumors and baseless claims made on social media.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday some of the misinformation was “dangerous” because it can discourage people from applying for assistance, in the incorrect belief that programs have run out of money or won’t provide help for various reasons.

“Hurricane politics” will likely continue for some time, especially with Milton expected to make landfall in Florida later this week.

Mini-media blitz from VP Harris

Harris has come under attack from Republicans for not making herself available for media interviews and unscripted events.

She is now in the midst of a series of interviews from a wide range of sources.

An interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes” aired on Monday night, in which she addressed a wide range of major issues, including the U.S. relationship with Israel.

She is also doing a series of interviews designed to address younger voters and women.

Harris spoke with the host of “Call Her Daddy,” the most-listened-to podcast for women. Topics included abortion rights and Harris criticized GOP vice presidential candidate JD Vance for his comments about “childless cat ladies,” calling them “mean-spirited.”

Harris is doing interviews this week with radio host Howard Stern and “The Late Show” host Stephen Colbert. She’s also appearing on “The View.”

Trump has criticized Harris for not doing more interviews.

The GOP presidential nominee in recent months has held numerous press conferences and done a large number of interviews.

CBS said he originally agreed to an interview with “60 Minutes,” but then he reconsidered.

Trump has denied he ever committed to doing the interview, indicating he doesn’t trust the news organization.

Sign up for WTOP’s Election Desk weekly newsletter to stay up-to-date through Election Day 2024 with the latest developments in this historic presidential election cycle.

The CBS News Vice Presidential Debate Tuesday night between Republican JD Vance and Democrat Tim Walz will take place only hours after Iran launched a missile attack on Israel and will no doubt impact their faceoff.

Vance, a Republican U.S. Senator from Ohio, is likely to echo what former President Donald Trump said soon after the attack.

“The world is on fire and spiraling out of control,” he said in a statement. “When I was President, Iran was in total check.”

The statement also charged that neither President Joe Biden nor Vice President Kamala Harris “has any idea what is even going on.”

For its part, the White House said Biden and Harris had met Tuesday morning, in the midst of reports that an Iranian attack on Israel was imminent.

The White House later released a statement that said U.S. would, “help Israel defend against these attacks and protect US personnel in the region.”

Walz, the Democratic governor of Minnesota, will no doubt cite their leadership in dealing with various international crises.

The situation in the Middle East is sure to get a lot more attention during the debate, along with immigration, the economy, crime and abortion rights.

What does a former VP nominee say about being on the debate stage?

U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia took part in a debate with Republican Mike Pence in 2016, when he was the running mate of Hillary Clinton.

The Democratic senator said it’s a lot different than when a candidate is running for Congress or governor, when “you’re really selling yourself.”

In a vice-presidential debate, he noted the nominees are advocating for the top of the ticket and trying to protect the party’s nominee.

“Probably the only cardinal rule in a debate like this for the vice-presidential nominee is don’t allow shots on goal against your top of the ticket,” he said. “You’ve got to be a goaltender and try to block shots on goal.”

Kaine added that Walz, as a former football coach, knows what defense is.

Vance has been preparing for the debate with the House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, who is from Minnesota and a former hockey player.

The debate may be the final one of the campaign, since Trump has indicated he has no plans for a second debate with Harris.

The debate is scheduled for 9 p.m. and will be moderated by “CBS Evening News” anchor Norah O’ Donnell and Margaret Brennan, the moderator of “Face the Nation,” who is also the network’s chief foreign affairs correspondent.

WTOP will air CBS News Presidential Debate Simulcast. You can listen to the broadcast or watch a livestream on WTOP.com.

Editor’s Note: Ohio Sen. JD Vance has been preparing for the debate with House Majority Whip Tom Emmer. This post has been corrected. 

Want the early scoop on the race for the White House? Sign up for WTOP’s Election Desk weekly newsletter for early access to WTOP Capitol Hill Correspondent Mitchell Miller’s updates. 

Republican and Democratic members of Congress disagree on a lot, but a consensus seems to be building that the Secret Service is spread too thin and needs more support.

The Secret Service has been praised by lawmakers for taking quick action on Sunday, after a gunman was spotted near the golf course where former President Donald Trump was playing in Florida. Members of Trump’s Secret Service detail fired at the suspect, who fled and was later arrested.

Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md., is a member of a bipartisan House assassination task force that has been investigating the attempt on Trump’s life in Pennsylvania in July. Like other lawmakers, he wants to know as much as possible about the latest threat to help prevent any future incidents. He also said the Secret Service needs to get more funding and manpower.

“I think we’re going to have to figure how we can get additional resources to the Secret Service so they can carry out the mission of protecting the former president, protecting the vice president and other top elected and campaign officials,” he said.

Ivey, in an interview with WTOP, said he would be open to “some kind of emergency supplemental funding, for sure.”

He said it’s his understanding that the Secret Service has ramped up protection for Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris in the wake of the first assassination attempt on Trump earlier this summer. Ivey also indicated that the candidates may need to do fewer outdoor rallies, which can potentially put them more at risk than the more controlled environment of indoor facilities.

He noted that the Secret Service has a growing number of challenges. “They’ve got a lot on their plate,” he said. “And it’s not the type of mission that can fail, so we need to make sure they’ve got the resources they need to do it, and do it right.”

Can’t make it up — or can you?

The oddest issue to come up during the presidential campaign is without a doubt the unfounded claims from former President Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) that Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, are scaring the local populace by killing and eating pets in their city.

Vance has now acknowledged he helped create and spread the rumor.

Appearing on CNN’s “State of the Union,” he was asked by host Dana Bash if it was “a story that you created?” Vance said yes, and sought to explain himself by saying there was a need “to create stories so that the … media actually pays attention to the suffering of the American people.”

Trump mentioned the rumors about pets being eaten during his presidential debate with Vice President Harris. But local leaders in Springfield have consistently said there is no evidence of the claims from the leaders of the GOP presidential ticket.

The Springfield police have said they had received no reports of stolen or eaten pets. Also, the majority of Haitian migrants in Springfield are not illegally in the U.S. They are in Ohio under a federal program that allows them to remain in the country temporarily.

GOP consultants and political operatives have repeatedly questioned why Trump and Vance have focused on the matter, given that polls show they would do much better focusing on the economy, inflation and legitimate concerns about immigration and security at the southern border.

Is there a ‘Taylor Swift effect’ on the campaign?

An ABC News/Ipsos poll finds that most Americans believe Vice President Harris won last week’s presidential debate with former President Trump.

The survey found that by a margin of 58% to 36% Americans felt Harris was the victor. In Trump’s first debate with President Biden, the former president was seen as the winner by 66% to 28%.

But while Americans felt that Harris overwhelmingly won the latest debate, she hasn’t received a big boost overall. The poll has Harris leading nationally, 51% to 47% among registered voters. That’s within a percentage point of ABC News/Ipsos polling before the debate.

As for Taylor Swift’s backing of Harris, only 6% said the mega-star’s endorsement makes them more likely to vote for her. By comparison, 13% said it made them less likely to support her. Eighty-one percent said it makes no difference.

Harris leads Trump among women by nine points and is close to even among men. She leads by nine points among 18- to 29-year-olds, with most of that support due to young women. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2%. ​

No more presidential debates?

Former President Trump has indicated he has no desire to take part in another debate with Harris. Despite polling that indicates otherwise, he claimed to have won their debate and sees no reason to face-off with her again.

So for now, the campaigns will be gearing up for an Oct. 1 vice-presidential debate in New York City between Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Sen. Vance.

Both running mates have been doing a lot of campaigning in battleground states, such as Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. The two men began the campaign with little name recognition to many voters, but polls indicate that’s changed with a flew of public appearances.

A USA Today and Suffolk University poll released earlier this month found that 48% of likely voters found Walz favorable, while 36% found him unfavorable. Vance was viewed favorably by 37% and unfavorably by 49%.

Worth your time

• Trump points finger at Harris and Biden for assassination attempt (The Hill)
• What’s actually going on in Springfield, Ohio? (Politico)
• GOP struggles over funding agreement to avoid government shutdown (The Washington Post)

Want the early scoop on the race for the White House? Sign up for WTOP’s Election Desk weekly newsletter for early access to WTOP Capitol Hill Correspondent Mitchell Miller’s updates. 

U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, D-VA, who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, says he’s concerned about continuing threats against election workers, which often arise from misinformation about voter fraud.

Warner is also aware of continuing complaints about slow mail delivery and said he will be closely monitoring any complaints related to delays involving mail-in ballots, which could affect the upcoming election.

Secretaries of state told a congressional panel in Washington this week that they have dealt with a wide range of threats during the election season.

“Right now, we are enduring unrelenting harassment and threats,” said Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson before the House Administration Committee. “People have come to my home, they have threatened me, my staff and many of the hundreds of clerks and elections officials in our state.”

Warner added that unfounded claims about voter fraud often come from an important figure that isn’t helping the situation — former President Donald Trump.

The Virginia lawmaker noted that many election workers are volunteers who are simply making a commitment to their community and democracy.

“The fact that they’re taking the level of abuse that they are is reprehensible,” he told WTOP. “I think those who interfere in the process, those who abuse our election officials, ought to be pursued to the full extent of the law.”

Warner said he will be monitoring any complaints related to threats against election workers in the weeks leading up to Nov. 5, Election Day.

Secretaries of state worried about delivery of mail-in ballots

Warner often receives complaints from constituents in Virginia about major delays in mail delivery and he said lawmakers have been trying to make sure the U.S. Postal Service is prepared for the surge in mailed ballots this fall.

He noted they have pressed U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy “repeatedly” on the issue.

“We cannot have any screw-ups this election season,” Warner said. “I’m going to trust, but verify, but I think he understands that.”

Warner said sending out ballots and getting them returned needs to be treated like first-class or priority mail. First-class mail generally takes three to five days to deliver.

Many election officials have urged people to mail in their ballots at least five days before any deadlines, in order to ensure they arrive in time.

“We are going to monitor this literally on a weekly basis,” Warner said.

This week, the National Association of Secretaries of State and the National Association of State Election Directors sent a letter to DeJoy, warning that persistent problems with the mail threatens to disenfranchise voters.

“We implore you to take immediate and tangible, corrective action to address the ongoing performance issues with USPS election mail service,” the letter said.

The U.S. Postal Service has said it is well prepared for the election and that mail is currently being delivered in 2.7 days on average.

USPS has said that nearly 98% of ballots were returned to election officials within three days in 2020.

Alabama became the first state to begin sending out mail-in ballots for the 2024 election this week.

In Virginia, the deadline for registered voters to apply for a ballot to be mailed to them is Oct. 25. Early in-person voting begins in Virginia on Sept. 20.

Want the early scoop on the race for the White House? Sign up for WTOP’s Election Desk weekly newsletter for early access to WTOP Capitol Hill Correspondent Mitchell Miller’s updates. 

(AP Photo)

The debate Tuesday between Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump could have a profound impact on the race for the White House.

• Watch the ABC News Presidential Debate Simulcast

While Harris has been vice president for nearly four years, Harris will be under pressure to show the sliver of undecided voters that she has what it takes to get elected president.

A New York Times/Siena College poll finds that 28% want to know more about Harris, compared to 9% for Trump.

The poll also shows how close the race is, with Trump leading Harris by a single point, 48% to 47%.

The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8 percentage points.

The two candidates have prepared for Tuesday night’s debate in Philadelphia in very different ways.

Harris has done mock debates and spent days preparing at a hotel in Pittsburgh.

Trump’s campaign has indicated he’s done less formal preparation, though his team did bring in former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz to help the former president get ready.

Gabbard had some pointed interactions with Harris in 2019, when they were among the candidates debating as they sought the Democratic nomination for the Oval Office.

Trump’s Republican supporters have said they hope he’s his usual tough self, but don’t want him to launch into personal attacks against Harris.

They are hoping to see him hammer her on the economy, inflation and the southern border.

Trump was more reserved than he’s been in the past,

In his June debate with President Joe Biden, Trump was more reserved than he’s been in the past. But many of his false statements went largely overlooked because Biden performed so poorly.

The ABC News Presidential debate airs at 9 p.m.

It can be heard in its entirety on WTOP. Tap to watch the ABC News Presidential Debate Simulcast live on WTOP.com Tuesday night.

Pennsylvania likely to be pivotal

It’s not surprising that what may turn out to be the only debate between the two presidential candidates is taking place in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania is the largest prize among the battleground states, with 19 electoral votes.

When Trump won it in 2016, he won the election. When Biden won it in 2020, he won the election.

Since 1948, no Democratic candidate has been elected to the White House without winning Pennsylvania.

Harris plans to return to the Keystone State to campaign on Friday and Trump has campaigned there frequently, as well.

The two parties have also poured millions of dollars into campaign advertising in the state.

A CBS News poll has the two candidates in a dead heat in Pennsylvania, with each getting 50%.

The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

Turnout in the presidential race could also impact the U.S. Senate race in Pennsylvania, where Democratic Sen. Bob Casey is trying to defeat Republican Dave McCormick, who lost in the GOP primary to Dr. Mehmet Oz in 2022.

Congress begins preelection session

(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Congress is back in session this week, after a lengthy summer break.

Lawmakers will be closely watching the presidential debate, and they are also concerned about their own races in the upcoming election.

But before returning to campaigning, they need to pass a short-term spending bill to avoid a government shutdown.

That work began on Monday, as lawmakers started to debate over House Speaker Mike Johnson’s proposed six-month continuing resolution.

The measure includes the SAVE Act, which would require voters to show certification of U.S. citizenship to vote in federal elections.

Republicans say it’s needed, since some states and localities now allow non-citizens to vote in local elections, which GOP lawmakers argue could open the way to fraudulent voting in federal elections.

Democrats counter that federal law already prohibits non-citizens from voting in federal elections.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer served notice on Monday that Democrats believe Johnson’s bill is a non-starter.

Schumer called it “transparently unserious” and “seemingly designed for scoring political points instead of avoiding a shutdown.”

Biden has said he would veto the legislation if it reached his desk.

Congress will need to agree on a short-term spending plan within three weeks, since the funding deadline is Oct. 1.

New US Senator

(AP/Rod Lamkey)

In the wake of the resignation of Democratic New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez, a replacement has been sworn in to replace him.

Sen. George Helmy, who is a former chief of staff for New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, was sworn in on Monday to serve out the rest of Menendez’s term.

Menendez resigned last month, after he was convicted in a federal corruption trial for taking bribes, including gold bars, from businessmen who sought contracts with the Egyptian government.

Prosecutors said he acted as a foreign agent of Egypt, which Menendez denied. He’s appealing his case.

But after he was convicted, he decided not to seek reelection as an independent.

Helmy will serve out Menendez’s term, which ends on Jan. 3.

The winner of a November election will then serve a full term.

New Jersey Rep. Andy Kim is favored to win the seat, which is also being sought by Republican Curtis Bashaw.

Menendez, who faces the possibility of decades in prison, is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 29., shortly before the Nov. 5 election.

Congress comes back on Monday after a six-week summer break that included a transformed presidential race and tightening polls in battleground states where many lawmakers are seeking reelection.

But, while there is an election and more campaigning ahead, lawmakers have a more pressing matter in front of them: avoiding a government shutdown.

House Speaker Mike Johnson intends to bring up for a vote a short-term spending bill that would keep the federal government running through March of 2025.

The stopgap bill would also include a measure requiring proof of citizenship for people to vote in federal elections.

Read more here. 

Congress returns Monday and will only have a few weeks to avoid a government shutdown — which could be complicated by legislation related to federal elections.

Members of the House and Senate have been back in their districts for much of the summer, campaigning ahead of the November election. But when lawmakers come back into session next week, they’ll face a Sept. 30 deadline to pass a short-term spending bill to keep the government up and running.

Read more here. 

Visit WTOP’s Election 2024 page for our comprehensive coverage. Listen live to 103.5 FM for the latest. Sign up for WTOP’s Election Desk newsletter for headlines and analysis from now until Inauguration Day.

The battleground states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin are getting a lot of attention from the presidential candidates as the campaign ramps up heading into the fall.

President Joe Biden will be Vice President Kamala Harris’ top campaign surrogate as he makes stops in Michigan and Wisconsin this week.

The president campaigned with Harris in Pittsburgh on Labor Day, his first joint appearance with her since she accepted the Democratic nomination for president.

Harris is in a very unique political situation, suggesting to voters that she is the candidate who can bring about change, even though she’s been in the Biden administration for more than three years.

Former President Donald Trump and Republicans have criticized Harris for talking about what she would do on “Day 1,” saying she and the Biden administration have failed for years to address key issues like inflation and immigration.

Harris has tried to tout the administration’s accomplishments, such as helping to bring down medical costs and creating jobs through the Inflation Reduction Act.

But she also needs to carve out her own political identity and messaging, which she’s been developing in the early weeks of the campaign.

Ballots start going out this month

Election Day may not be until Nov. 5, but voting will begin soon.

Ballots in North Carolina will start being sent out this Friday to people who requested them, as well as military personnel and eligible voters overseas.

In the battleground state of Pennsylvania, starting on Sept. 16, voters will be able request and return ballots by mail.

A Pennsylvania court last week halted enforcement of a requirement that voters include handwritten dates on envelopes used to send in mail-in ballots.

The requirement was opposed by Democrats, who argued it would unnecessarily cause many votes to be thrown out.

Republicans plan to appeal the decision.

Trump has been a critic of mail-in ballots, suggesting that they open up voting to fraud, even though he has personally mailed in ballots in the past.

The Republican Party has sought to boost mail-in balloting, despite Trump’s reservations, due to concerns it could hurt the GOP nominee in the election.

Flap continues over Trump campaign ad at Arlington National Cemetery

The Trump campaign has doubled down and refused to apologize for making a campaign video of the former president with families of fallen soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery, even though federal guidelines prohibit political activity on the hallowed ground.

Harris over the weekend criticized Trump and his campaign for what happened last week at the cemetery, saying it was disrespectful and a “political stunt.”

Trump went to the cemetery last week to mark three years, since 13 American service members were killed at the Kabul airport in Afghanistan, as the U.S. withdrew from the country.

In response to Harris, the former president cited short videos from some Gold Star families, who defended his actions.

Several families said they asked to take photos with Trump during his visit.

The Army said an Arlington National Cemetery official was “abruptly pushed aside” during a dispute with a Trump campaign aide, as she tried to stop him from taking a video in Section 60 of the cemetery.

While the Trump campaign said it was given permission to accompany the families, federal law prohibits any filming for partisan or political purposes.

High-stakes debate next week

Vice President Harris and former President Trump will face off for the first time in a Sept. 10 debate in Philadelphia, which could have a big impact on voters who are still undecided.

There has already been a great deal of debate over the debate.

The Harris campaign wants the microphones of the candidates kept open, in the belief that may make Trump look bad, if he continually interrupts her.

Trump was criticized for a 2020 debate with Biden, in which he repeatedly cut him off. Even some Republicans acknowledged it made Trump look bad.

The Trump campaign has said it agreed to the latest debate on ABC, with the belief that the microphones would be muted, as they were then Trump debated President Biden in June.

That debate literally upended the campaign, with Biden performing so poorly that Democratic leaders pressed him to step aside.

There is a great deal of anticipation for this debate and it comes only weeks after Harris accepted the Democratic nomination.

Republican pollster Frank Luntz said this week that the stakes of next week’s debate can’t be overstated.

“The debate is everything,” he said during an appearance on CNN.

Worth your time

• Presidential race compared to ‘knife fight in a phone booth’
• Beyond the Midwest battleground — Harris may have another electoral path
• Trump political plan: attack

For the first time this week, the new Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, is leading former President Donald Trump in some major polls, though they remain in a virtual dead heat in many of the states that could determine who gets elected.

A new Reuters/Ipsos poll has Harris leading Trump 45% to 41%.

Read more here.

The Democratic National Convention begins Monday in the midst of a political whirlwind that’s generated momentum for Vice President Kamala Harris, who became her party’s presidential nominee only weeks after a poor debate performance led President Joe Biden to step aside.

Earlier this summer, many Democrats acknowledged they weren’t very excited about the convention in Chicago, with Biden slumping in the polls against former President Donald Trump.

That quickly changed after the president reluctantly gave in to pressure from Democratic leaders and announced last month that he wouldn’t seek reelection.

Read more here. 

A Maryland man who was near the House chamber on Jan. 6, 2021, when a woman was shot in the U.S. Capitol as rioters confronted police has pleaded guilty to assaulting law enforcement.

Uliyahu Haya, 48, of Silver Spring entered a guilty plea this week in U.S. District Court to a felony charge of assaulting, resisting or impeding officers.

Read the full story. 

Visit WTOP’s Election 2024 page for our comprehensive coverage. Listen live to 103.5 FM for the latest. Sign up for WTOP’s Election Desk newsletter for headlines and analysis from now until Inauguration Day.

Vice President Kamala Harris will meet with possible running mates this weekend and is expected to announce her choice by Monday.

Six potential candidates have met with the Harris vetting team. Those in the running include Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

Former Attorney General Eric Holder and the law firm Covington & Burling have led the vetting and investigation of the candidates.

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., is very familiar with the vetting process, having been considered twice as a running mate – first by Barack Obama in 2008 and again in 2016 by Hillary Clinton, who chose him as her vice-presidential candidate.

“It’s significant,” Kaine said of the vetting, which includes poring over financial information, public records and voting histories. “They do extensive interviews with you, with people who work with you, with your families members.”

Ultimately, the decision comes down to one person – the presidential candidate. In the case of Clinton, Kaine said she called him and he was ready to say yes.

“And she says, ‘Wait a minute, I’ve got to tell you why I’m asking you,’” he said. “She said, ‘You know there’s better political picks than you, but you’ve been a mayor, you’ve been a governor, you’re a senator with a national security background, if something were to happen to me, you’d be a good president.’”

When he was considered by Obama, he said he came close.

“‘You’re my heart pick and Joe Biden’s my head pick,’” he said Obama told him. “‘Sometimes, I go with my heart, sometimes I go with my head.’”

Obama picked Biden, who served as his vice president for eight years.

As for Harris, Kaine said, “It really does come down to what Kamala’s looking for,” noting she’ll want to have a good personal “vibe” with her running mate.

“That relationship is an unusual one,” he said. “It requires extreme candor and extreme, respectful confidentiality.”

Kaine said he believes Harris has a lot of “really good options.”

Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle, who was the subject of sharp bipartisan criticism for security lapses involving the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, submitted her resignation on Tuesday.

Her resignation followed a House hearing on Monday in which she was blasted by lawmakers from both parties for failing to answer numerous questions about security issues at the July 13 rally in Pennsylvania.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas appointed Deputy Director Ronald Rowe as acting director. He has worked for the Secret Service for 23 years.

House Speaker Mike Johnson reacted to Cheatle’s decision, soon after he announced the formation of a bipartisan task force to investigate the assassination attempt.

“I’m happy to see that she has heeded the call of both Republicans and Democrats,” he said when informed of the development at the end of a GOP news conference.

“Now we have to pick up the pieces,” he said. “We have to rebuild the American peoples’ faith and trust in the Secret Service as an agency.”

After Cheatle testified before the House Oversight Committee on Monday, the panel’s Republican chair, Rep. James Comer, and its ranking Democrat, Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, issued a rare bipartisan statement in which they both called for her to step down.

Cheatle had faced widespread condemnation from lawmakers related to the assassination attempt, in which a gunman was able to climb onto a building only about 150 years away from the stage where Trump spoke and open fire.

The former president was struck in the ear and a former fire chief, Corey Comperatore, was killed.

Two others attending the rally were injured.

Some members of Congress went to the rally site in Pennsylvania on Monday, to see for themselves what happened.

Sign up for WTOP’s Election Desk newsletter, which resumes this week, with the latest developments related to the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

This is an unprecedented moment in the long U.S. history of presidential races.

Never before has the presidential candidate of a major party been the target of an assassination attempt days ahead of a national political convention.

The shooting in Pennsylvania that came within inches of taking former President Donald Trump’s life comes after years of fiery rhetoric — much of it on social media — from members of both political parties.

Now, jarred by the bullets fired at the former president, which claimed the life of a supporter and critically injured two others, there is a collective call from political leaders that the rhetoric needs to cool down.

“This is a moment where all leaders have a responsibility to speak and act with moral clarity,” Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said Sunday. “Where all leaders need to take down the temperature and rise above the hateful rhetoric that exists, and search for a better, brighter future for this nation.”

The message has been echoed by Republican and Democratic congressional leaders, who remain stunned by what happened over the weekend.

Shapiro, a Democrat, called the wife of the Republican supporter killed on Saturday to offer his condolences.

He noted the wife of the victim, Corey Comperatore, called him a hero for protecting them by falling on top of them before he was killed.

Congress presses ahead with its own investigation

Former President Trump said on Sunday that the country needs to “stand united” against evil and earlier received a call from President Biden.

“There is no place in America for this kind of violence,” President Biden said on Sunday, adding that nothing is needed more right now than unity.

But there is also anger over what happened.

“The central premise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist who must be stopped at all costs,” U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, said on the social media platform X. “That rhetoric led directly to President Trump’s attempted assassination.”

Vance is among those being considered as Trump’s running mate.

The FBI is investigating, but Republican congressional leaders are vowing to carry out their own probe into the assassination attempt.

Rep. James Comer, chairman of the House Oversight Committee, has written to U.S. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to testify before the panel on July 22.

The chairs of the House Homeland Security and Intelligence committees say they are also beginning investigations.

Security experts have raised major questions about how a gunman could have been allowed to get on top of a building with a line of sight so close to the former president.

Will the call for calm last?

Both candidates for the U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania – Democratic Sen. Bob Casey and Republican Dave McCormick – have joined with others in calling for politicians to tone down the political rhetoric.

There will continue to be similar calls this week.

It will also be interesting to see how the GOP alters the program and speeches at this week’s Republican National Convention.

Former President Trump has made it clear he plans to speak at the convention in Milwaukee, which will be under tightened security.

The violence in Pennsylvania also changes the political dynamic for Democrats, who have been struggling with the future of President Biden’s campaign in the wake of his poor debate performance last month.

Any effort to have him step aside is likely on hold given the sensitivity of the moment.

Less clear is what will happen as the presidential campaign inevitably heats up over the summer.

Members of both parties have a history of “saying the right things” at a time of crisis, only to return to their fighting corners only weeks, if not days later.

This will be a test for Republicans and Democrats — and the country — as one of the most tumultuous presidential races in modern history continues to unfold.

Exactly two weeks ago, the 2024 presidential race was totally upended in a matter of seconds, when during the first televised debate of the year, President Joe Biden stumbled into a meandering sentence that ended with a pause and then, “Look … we finally beat Medicare.”

It was a stunning moment, all the more surprising to many Democrats since the president had holed up with advisers for days at Camp David, preparing for his faceoff with former President Donald Trump.

The debate performance was a self-inflicted wound.

Read more.

Maryland’s two U.S. senators urged fellow lawmakers on Wednesday to move more quickly to pass legislation for a new Key Bridge in Baltimore, while the state’s top transportation official said plans for a new span are moving forward.

While speaking at a hearing on the response to the collapse of the bridge after it was struck by a cargo ship, U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md. said each day without the span results in more hardships.

Cardin said they range from broader economic issues to traffic problems affecting daily commuters.

Read more.

Virginia Sen. Mark Warner is reportedly trying to get a group of fellow Democratic senators to meet with President Joe Biden and urge him to get out of the race for the White House.

The Washington Post first reported that Warner has told other lawmakers he no longer believes the president can sustain a successful campaign, in the wake of last week’s dismal debate performance.

Warner spokeswoman Rachel Cohen declined to confirm or deny Warner’s plans.

“Like many other people in Washington and across the country, Senator Warner believes these are critical days for the president’s campaign, and he has made that clear to the White House,” she said in a statement to The Washington Post.

Warner, a moderate Democrat, has a history of working with other senators to get groups together to address major issues.

Read the whole story here.

The presidential debate Thursday evening will feature two candidates who are very familiar to voters, but it will also include a lot of “firsts” when President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump take the stage in Atlanta, Georgia.

It will be the first televised debate held this early in the campaign — more than four months before the election in November.

No other debate in U.S history has been held this early. Major debates in the past have always taken place after the national political conventions, but those are still weeks away.

While there has been considerable buildup to the debate, will undecided voters still consider how it played out months from now? Or could it provide a slight bump in the polls that alters the trajectory of the campaign?

Read the whole story here.

A bipartisan bill has been introduced in the U.S. Senate to address the type of terrible situation that a high school girl from Texas experienced when she said a fellow student created deepfake images from some of her photos that made it appear she was naked.

Elliston Berry and her mother came to Capitol Hill this week and talked about what happened to her last fall, when she was a freshman.

Berry said she was in disbelief when she saw the photos, which were posted on Snapchat.

“Once these photos were released, I dreaded school and was anxious to even step foot on campus,” she said.

Her mother, Anna McAdams, said she repeatedly tried to get Snapchat to take down the photos but had no luck.

Ultimately, the staff of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who’s a co-sponsor of new legislation, intervened and they were removed.

“It should not take an elected member of Congress intervening to have these despicable lies pulled down from online,” Cruz said at a news conference.

Read the full report here. 

House Republicans are trying to prevent D.C. from using automated traffic enforcement, including speed cameras, and want to restrict District enforcement to prevent motorists from turning right on red at certain intersections.

Those are among numerous riders or provisions that have been added to the legislation covering D.C., which has been passed by the House Appropriations Committee.

Read the full story here.

A four-legged military veteran and other tail-wagging everyday heroes came to Capitol Hill this week to highlight the important role that dogs play in the armed services and federal agencies.

The dogs were the star attractions at a Tuesday gathering at the Rayburn House Office Building in D.C., organized by American Humane, the first national humane organization.

The event sought to drum up support for two bipartisan bills to protect animals: the Working Dog Health and Welfare Act and PETSAFE Act.

Read the full story here.

The 6-year-old son of Tennessee Rep. John Rose captivated Capitol Hill on Monday, lighting up C-SPAN with a series of goofy faces as his father gave a speech on the House floor.

Guy Rose elicited bipartisan smiles as he mugged for the camera, while his father criticized the conviction of former President Trump at his recent trial in New York.

“Regardless of one’s opinion of the current Republican nominee, we’d be well-served to remember the long and cherished tradition we have in this country of settling our differences at the ballot box,” Rose said, as Guy showed off a wide range of silly faces while sitting behind him, sticking his tongue out and cutting up like kids love to do.

C-SPAN posted the video, which immediately led to lots of comments and national attention.

The congressman later reposted it, noting, “This is what I get for telling my son Guy to smile at the camera for his little brother.”

Read more by The Associated Press here. 

The Republican chair of the House Judiciary Committee is proposing that funding for a new FBI headquarters in Maryland be eliminated in next year’s spending plans.

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, a frequent FBI critic, sent a letter outlining his plans on Monday to House Appropriations Committee Tom Cole.

“We recommend that the Appropriations Committee include language to eliminate any funding for the FBI that is not essential for the agency to execute its mission, including rescinding prior appropriations and prohibiting new taxpayer funding for any new FBI headquarters facility,” Jordan said.

The General Services Administration last year announced that it had chosen a 61-acre area in Greenbelt to be the new home of the FBI, after a lengthy competition between Maryland and Virginia.

Jordan and many conservative Republicans are upset with the FBI on a number of fronts, charging the agency has mismanaged resources and sensitive investigations.

They want to reduce funding to put pressure on the FBI to make changes.

FBI Director Christopher Wray told lawmakers earlier this year that it would be a mistake to cut back on funding for his agency, given the growing number of security threats facing the U.S.

“This is a time when we need your support the most,” he said at a hearing on the FBI’s budget.

Maryland’s congressional delegation has vowed to keep funds flowing for the FBI headquarters, in the wake of previous GOP threats to cut off money.

The GSA has indicated that it will take at least a decade for a new headquarters to be completed in Maryland.

Right now, construction is expected to begin within the next five years, with FBI employees working in the new facility by 2036.

The current FBI headquarters is located on Pennsylvania Avenue in D.C.

While there is disagreement over FBI funding, there is widespread agreement that the current headquarters is outdated, with parts of the building literally falling apart.

The building includes sports netting to keep chunks of concrete from falling and hitting people in the ground.

House Republicans fired off letters to New York prosecutors involved in the hush money trial of former President Trump the day after he was convicted on 34 felony counts, calling on them to testify before Congress.

The letters were sent to New York District Attorney Alvin Bragg and Matthew Colangelo, who prosecuted the case that led Trump to become the first former president in U.S. history to be convicted of a crime.

The Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government requested that they appear at a hearing on June 13, which will examine the “political prosecution” of Trump.

The panel had already sought documents from the prosecutors in connection with their investigation and it is unlikely either of them will appear before lawmakers.

But it’s another sign of the aggressive stance congressional Republicans are taking to defend Trump and support his effort to return to the White House.

U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., who’s among those seeking to become Trump’s running mate, has been highly critical of the trial and prosecutors.

“Weaponizing the justice system of the United States of America against a political opponent? Un-American,” Scott said in a video post on ‘X.’ “Joe Biden, you’re fired.”

Congressional Republicans have charged that the trial amounts to election interference and Trump on Friday again blamed President Biden for the New York trial.

While Bragg is a Democrat, he is a local official, and there is no evidence that the president or the Biden administration had anything to do with bringing charges against Trump.

Still, Republicans have unleashed a torrent of criticism related to the former president’s conviction, charging the trial is the result of a “two-tiered” legal system unfairly tilted against Trump.

The criticism ignores the fact that Democratic U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez is facing trial on corruption charges, a short distance in New York from where the Trump trial took place.

Republicans have often been divided over various issues, particularly in the U.S. House of Representatives, where House Speaker Mike Johnson recently survived an effort to oust him.

But they are unified in their support of Trump and belief that he’s been treated unfairly by the legal system.

Even Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has often been at odds with Trump, has publicly supported him.

“These charges never should have been brought in the first place. I expect the conviction to be overturned on appeal,” he wrote on ‘X.’

Republicans are also actively trying to help Trump with fundraising, as he moves ahead with his presidential campaign.

The Trump campaign said that immediately after the verdict, it raised $34.8 million, a record for online donations.

Trump is scheduled to be sentenced on July 11, just days ahead of the start of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where he’s still expected to formally become the GOP presidential nominee.

Former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan makes a unique political pledge in a new TV ad — saying that Republicans won’t always be able to count on his vote if he’s elected to the U.S. Senate.

Hogan is a lifelong Republican but he’s reprising a pragmatic theme that helped him get elected to two terms in Annapolis.

In the new ad released this week, Hogan looks directly into the camera and says Republicans won’t be able to count on his vote, but also says Democrats won’t be able to either.

“If they want my vote, they will have to do what is right for Maryland – not one political party,” Hogan says.

Hogan has sought early in his campaign against Democrat Angela Alsobrooks to stress his independence and downplay concerns that he might join Republicans in trying to further restrict abortion rights.

He will need support from independents and to peel away registered Democrats from Alsobrooks.
Registered Democrats outnumber Republicans in Maryland by a 2-to-1 margin.

The Maryland Democratic Party issued a statement Tuesday, noting that Hogan has said he will caucus with Republicans.

The statement seeks to link him to “Republican extremists like (Sen.) Rick Scott to push their agenda of banning abortion and sunsetting Medicare and Social Security.”

“Marylanders know what is at stake in this election and will stand against turning the Senate over to Republicans,” said Maryland Democratic Party spokesperson Lindsay Reilly.

Hogan’s candidacy has put Maryland in the national conversation over which party will control the Senate after the November elections.

Republicans only need to flip two seats to regain control of the Senate.

The GOP already has an inside track on flipping the West Virginia Senate seat that’s been held by Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin.

Manchin is retiring, and the seat is widely expected to be taken over by the Republican Senate nominee, Gov. Jim Justice.

Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., was one of Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks’ earliest and most prominent supporters. He could see her campaign begin to transform in the final months before Tuesday’s primary.

“She was escalating all along — the ground game,” Hoyer said this week in an interview with WTOP at his Capitol Hill office. “The crowds kept growing … and polls followed.”

Hoyer, who’s seen a lot of political races in his decades in politics, said of her campaign, “They caught it on the upswing.”

The Democratic lawmaker said he was surprised by the margin of victory over Trone — close to 10 percentage points — but not that Alsobrooks won.

Read the full story.

A U.S. Senate panel has begun considering legislation that could help D.C. in its effort to redevelop the RFK stadium site and bring back the Washington Commanders. But the bill remains a long way from the legislative goal line.

The Senate National Parks Subcommittee on Wednesday took up the measure, as Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., kicked off an effort to use his political leverage to advance the legislation on his terms.

Daines said he will hold up the bill, unless the Commanders work out an agreement with the Native American family that was involved in creating the team’s logo that was featured during its heyday.

Daines said he wants to help the family of Walter “Blackie” Wetzel, a member of the Blackfeet Nation from his state, get the recognition he feels is deserved.

Wetzel designed the logo that appeared prominently on the team’s helmets and a wide range of team paraphernalia for decades.

As he spoke on Wednesday, Daines placed an old helmet featuring the logo and autographs from former players on the dais in front of him.

“I am proud to display it here today,” said Daines, noting he has no intention to bring back the team’s old name. “This logo was inspired and envisioned by Wetzel as a tribute to Native Americans.”

Daines said he spoke with the Wetzel family Tuesday night and hopes the matter can be resolved.

The Washington Post reported this week that a Wetzel family member had met with team representatives and that initial discussions were positive.

The House has already passed the legislation that is now before the Senate. The bill would allow D.C. to enter into a 99-year lease for the site, which is currently under the control of the National Park Service.

RFK Stadium was cleared for demolition earlier this month.

Mayor Muriel Bowser is a supporter of the legislation, which she said she hopes will usher in a new era with the Commanders in the District. Maryland hopes to keep the team, as its new owners consider possible stadium sites. Virginia has also offered up various proposals to attract the team to the Commonwealth.

The House gave final approval to the FAA reauthorization bill on Wednesday, which will increase the number of flights at Reagan National Airport — a measure opposed by D.C.-area lawmakers.

The vote was 387-26 for the legislation, which had faced a Friday deadline.

The $105 billion measure was approved last week by the Senate and now goes to President Joe Biden for his signature.

Ten flights in and out of Reagan National Airport will be added under the legislation.

Lawmakers from Virginia, Maryland and D.C. had fought against the bill, arguing that adding more flights would undermine safety and add to delays for air travelers.

“The passage of a provision to increase congestion and delays at DCA is Congress at its worst,” lawmakers said in a statement.

The latest statement was signed by Virginia Reps. Don Beyer, Gerry Connolly, Jennifer Wexton, Abigail Spanberger, Bobby Scott, Jennifer McClellan and D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton.

U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland had joined U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine of Virginia in voting against the legislation when it was voted on in the upper chamber last week.

Supporters of the legislation said it will bring direct flights to D.C. from other parts of the country, providing more convenience and choices for flyers.

Flights are expected to start from San Antonio, Texas.

The amendment was backed by U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who helped get the overall legislation approved.

Read more from The Associated Press.

School officials, including the president of the Montgomery County School Board, were pressed Wednesday at a congressional hearing on how they deal with the issue of antisemitism.

The House hearing covering K-12 schools was held as Republicans step up investigations related to antisemitism more broadly, which have been spurred by campus unrest over the war in Gaza.

“This is the moment for all of us to take a stand against hate, against the indoctrination and radicalization of the next generation of leaders,” said. Rep. Aaron Bean, R-Fl., chair of  the Early Childhood, Elementary and Secondary Education subcommittee.

Bean asked three witnesses directly, “Is terrorism ever justified?”

Montgomery County School Board President Karla Silvestre, David Banks, the Chancellor of New York City Public Schools, and Enikia Ford Morthel, Superintendent of the Berkeley, Ca., Unified School District, all replied that it would never be justified.

Silvestre outlined in extensive detail Montgomery County’s efforts to address antisemitism and hate speech.

“Let me be clear — we do not shy away from imposing consequences for hateful behavior, including antisemitism,” Silvestre said, noting that the county school system is one of the most diverse in the country.

She told lawmakers that the school system investigates each case when it receives a complaint, or someone witnesses a particular antisemitic, hateful or racist action.

“If our investigation finds a staff member cannot uphold the employee code of conduct and support a safe learning environment for all students, they will not remain in Montgomery County Public Schools,” she said.

Silvestre said that in the past year, the school system has revised policies and procedures to strengthen the response to antisemitism and racist behavior.

She also pointed out that there is a “clear reporting process” for school leaders and staff.

Other efforts include working with community organizations to form a hate bias advisory group and taking part in listening sessions at synagogues.

Starting this summer, the school system will have mandatory, hate-based training for all staff members.

“I want to do everything in my power to make sure all students can pursue their education without worrying about antisemitic, racist or hateful threats,” she said.

While the hearing focused on K-12, it was held with the backdrop of the demonstrations that have disrupted classes and graduation ceremonies at universities across the country.

More than 30 protesters were arrested early Wednesday at George Washington University, after D.C. police were sent in and warned that arrests would take place if demonstrators didn’t leave a tent city that had been in place for two weeks.

A congressional hearing last year ultimately led to the resignations of the presidents of Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania, after they were widely criticized for what many considered too much equivocation related to issues of threats to Jewish students and free speech.

Congressional Republicans have been unified in their criticism of university administrators, charging that many have been weak and inconsistent in their response to protests on college campuses.

“We’ve got university presidents and university faculty that are just wimps — just wimps,” said U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla.

Scott is among the GOP lawmakers who have seized on what they believe is a lack of decisiveness in the response to pro-Palestinian protests, which have led to campus unrest across the country.

Read the full story.

GA GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene says next week she will call motion to vacate, which could oust House Speaker Johnson. Democratic leaders have said they will vote to table the motion. pic.twitter.com/ma9I8R4MD3

— Mitchell Miller (@mmillerwtop) May 1, 2024

Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said Wednesday she would call a vote next week on ousting House Speaker Mike Johnson, forcing her colleagues to choose sides in a difficult showdown after Democratic leaders announced they would provide the votes to save the Republican speaker’s job.

Speaking outside the Capitol, Greene ranted against Republican Party leaders at the highest levels and pushed back against their public entreaties, including from Donald Trump, to avoid another messy political fight so close to the November election. With her was Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., one of the few lawmakers who have joined her effort.

“We need leaders in the House of Representatives that are going to get this done,” said Greene, R-Ga., holding up a red “MAGA” hat from Trump’s “Make America Great Again” campaign movement.

Read more by The Associated Press here. 

Lawmakers return this week after passing a historic $95 billion foreign aid package that was in doubt for months, even as many of its members worried that “the world is on fire.”

Despite a U.S. House of Representatives that has one the narrowest majorities in history, a threat to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson if he moved forward on aid to Ukraine and growing GOP isolationism, the legislation sailed through both chambers on bipartisan votes.

After final passage from the U.S. Senate, the legislation was signed into law last week by President Biden and military assistance is already going to Ukraine to bolster its fight against Russia.

Passage of the sweeping measure will likely be the last major accomplishment of the 118th Congress during this election year.

Read the full story.

Congress is now poised to approve $95 billion in foreign aid that has been the focus of fierce debate for months and which could still potentially jeopardize the job of House Speaker Mike Johnson.

The U.S. Senate this week will take up legislation that was finally passed by the House over the weekend, after Johnson decided he could no longer continue trying to appease a few dozen GOP hard-liners.

Read the full story.

The House has taken a key procedural step, opening the way for debate this weekend for votes on bills to provide aid to Israel, Ukraine, Taiwan and deal with TikTok.

The House voted 316-94 on Friday to approve a rule allowing for the bills to be taken up individually on Saturday.

The floor action took place after an unusual vote in the House Rules Committee on Thursday night, when Democrats joined Republicans to advance the foreign aid bills.

Three Republicans on the panel voted against the legislation, even though House Speaker Mike Johnson wanted it moved forward.

It is rare for members of a party to rebel against their leader in what is known as “The Speaker’s Committee.”

Conservatives have railed against Johnson for deciding to take up aid for Ukraine, which they strongly oppose.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., has threatened to make a motion to vacate the chair, which could force Johnson out of the speakership.

But Friday’s bipartisan vote is a boost for Johnson, who is trying to navigate issues that have divided the GOP conference.

“Because we did this process, we got a better outcome here,” Johnson told reporters after the vote.

He noted that lawmakers on Saturday can now vote on how they want on the four separate bills.

The legislation totals $95 billion in foreign aid and the fourth bill would require TikTok to divest from its Chinese parent company within a year, or face a U.S. ban.

If the legislation is approved by the House this weekend, it will move on to the Senate.

Congress returns Monday after a two-week break and the list of major issues facing lawmakers has only grown while they were away from D.C.

Most immediately, Congress will need to consider an emergency aid package related to the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, which has effectively closed the port.

The economic impact from a cargo ship crashing into the bridge and taking it down is being felt well beyond Baltimore, which handles more “roll on, roll off” cargo than any port in the United States.

Read the full story.

House Republicans said Thursday that D.C.’s crime problem is undermining public safety near the U.S. Capitol, due to an increase in robberies and carjackings that have affected lawmakers and congressional staff members.

“D.C. crime is out of control,” Rep. Bryan Steil, GOP chair of the House Administration Committee said during a hearing to examine criminal activity on Capitol Hill.

Read the full story.

The chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said that he’s encouraged by new efforts from U.S. investors to purchase social media platform TikTok.

TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a company linked to the Chinese government.

The Senate is  considering a bill passed by the House this week, which if it is ultimately approved and signed by President Joe Biden, calls for ByteDance to either divest from TikTok or be banned in the United States.

Warner, like other lawmakers, is concerned that Chinese control of TikTok’s parent company presents a significant national security risk.  However, he stressed that he and other lawmakers who support the latest legislation aren’t trying to deny access to the estimated 170 million Americans who use the app.

Read the full story.

Legislation that would ban TikTok in the U.S. if the Chinese company that owns the popular social media app fails to sell it passed in the House on Wednesday in a 352-65 vote, with one lawmaker voting present.

The measure would require TikTok to be sold by its parent company, ByteDance, which is linked to the Chinese government.

The legislation will still need to be approved by the Senate and be signed by President Joe Biden to become law.

Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, the chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and ranking Republican Sen. Marco Rubio released a joint statement following the bill’s passage in the House.

“We were encouraged by today’s strong bipartisan vote in the House…and look forward to working together to get this bill passed through the Senate and signed into law,” the senators wrote in the joint statement on Wednesday.

The bill has bipartisan support and had previously moved to the House floor quickly, unlike much of the legislation lawmakers have been considering this session. It was approved Thursday on a rare, unanimous vote by the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Supporters of the legislation say it’s long overdue, owing to concerns that the Communist Party in China could use data to spy on Americans or influence public opinion.

It would give ByteDance 165 days to sell TikTok. If that didn’t happen, it would become illegal for app stores, such as those operated by Google or Apple, to make it available to download.

“We will not allow for the continued targeting, surveilling and manipulation of Americans through foreign adversary-controlled apps,” said Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Ore., who chairs the Energy and Commerce Committee.

But opponents argue that the ban would infringe on First Amendment rights and take away a popular video app that’s used by an estimated 170 million Americans.

Most of its users are younger and TikTok’s supporters say that a ban will cripple many fledgling businesses that have been promoted through the app.

Former President Trump recently said he opposed a ban — a reversal of his earlier position when he was in the White House.

But unlike on other issues, many House Republicans decided they would break with the former president on the ban.

Read more by the Associated Press.

President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address was one of the most partisan many in Congress can remember.

That’s not surprising, given the fact that the 2024 presidential ballot is set for a rematch between Biden and former President Donald Trump.

Read the full story.

This year’s presidential campaign is now fully underway following Nikki Haley’s decision to suspend her campaign. Her exit sets up another battle between former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden, who will give his State of the Union address on Thursday night.

“The race is set now,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, flanked by GOP leaders on Wednesday. “It will be a rematch and we like that rematch.”

Polls, however, indicate most voters are not looking forward to a repeat of the 2020 battle between the two candidates.

But the race between Trump, 77, and Biden, 81, is now on.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has not spoken to Trump in more than three years since the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, announced on Wednesday that he is endorsing him for the GOP nomination.

“It is abundantly clear that former President Trump has earned the requisite support of Republican voters to be our nominee for President of the United States,” McConnell said in a statement.

McConnell has rarely mentioned the former president, unless asked a direct question by Capitol Hill reporters. Trump has often criticized him, calling him “old crow.”

But McConnell had consistently said that he would support the Republican Party’s presidential nominee.

The chair of the House Republican Conference, Rep. Elise Stefanik, is more enthusiastic about the results of Super Tuesday.

“The American people have spoken,” Stefanik said. “They made clear what we have known for months. President Donald J. Trump is our Republican nominee.”

His nomination is now all but a formality, after winning 14 of the 15 state contests on Super Tuesday.

President Biden will be the Democrats’ nominee.

Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., who has been running against Biden in a campaign that attracted little attention, announced on Wednesday that he was suspending his campaign.

State of the Union

Members of both parties are gearing up for Thursday night’s State of the Union address, which will likely be the largest television audience President Biden will attract before the November election.

U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said the president has a lot of accomplishments he can point to, which include encouraging bipartisan legislation.

But he also alluded to the need to counter concerns about his age.

“I think it’s critically important for President Biden to show energy,” Warner said. “(And) to counter some of the concerns about the economy, because there’s a lot of good news to talk about.”

Warner acknowledges that inflation remains too high, but he also points to record highs on Wall Street, low unemployment and steady job growth.

The Democratic lawmaker said he also believes the president should not shy away from issues involving the southern border, which have been the focus of frequent attacks from Republicans.

“I do think he should make clear … the border’s a mess,” Warner said.

He believes the president should point out that the recent bipartisan Senate border deal died because former President Trump didn’t like it, suggesting he wants to run on the border issue to “bash” Biden.

“We live in a town that’s pretty full of hypocrisy, but that kind of hypocrisy was breathtaking,” Warner said.

House Republicans make no apologies for opposing the border deal and are criticizing suggestions that President Biden is seeking a “reset” with voters in this election year.

“The problem with their strategy is that the American people are going to see right through whatever scripted rhetoric Biden ends up reading off the teleprompter tomorrow night,” said House Majority Whip Tom Emmer. “Joe Biden has failed on every single issue.”

Election outlook for Congress

The battle for control of the House and Senate is again going to be fierce in 2024.

Democrats are on defense in Senate races, with nearly two dozen incumbents trying to hold onto their seats. By comparison, only 10 Republicans are defending their seats.

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., took a major step toward getting elected to one of California’s U.S. Senate seats on Super Tuesday. He received the most votes, followed by Republican former Major League baseball star Steve Garvey.

Schiff focused most of his attention during the primary on Garvey, rather than his two Democratic rivals, Reps. Katie Porter and Barbara Lee.

That’s because in the so-called “jungle primary” only the two top vote-getting candidates are left on the fall ballot.

Since California is largely blue, Schiff is favored to beat Garvey, who formerly played for the Dodgers and Padres.

In Texas, Rep. Colin Allred won his Democratic primary, avoiding a runoff. The former NFL player will face U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, who defeated then-Rep. Beto O’Rourke in 2018.
Control of the House could turn on just a few races, since Republicans currently hold only a 219-213 majority.

In California, the 22nd District race will be getting a lot of attention.

Votes are still being counted, with Republican Rep. David Valadao leading Democrat Rudy Salas and two other candidates. Only the top two vote-getters will be on the ballot in the fall.

Democrats are hoping Salas will be able to flip the swing district seat. Valadao beat Salas in 2022, in what was one of the most expensive House races in the country.

The legacy of abolitionist Frederick Douglass played a significant role in the creation of Black History Month, which takes place each February, the month that he was born.

Now, 129 years after his death, a Maryland congressman is seeking to honor Douglass with the Congressional Gold Medal, which is the legislative body’s highest national expression for distinguished achievement.

Douglass died on this day — Feb. 20, 1895 — at his home in Cedar Hill, in D.C.’s Anacostia neighborhood.

Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md., has introduced the bill to posthumously give the medal to Douglass.

Read full story here. 

The next deadline for a government shutdown is less than two weeks away, but Congress will be gone until nearly the end of the month, causing some lawmakers to send warning flares about another pending spending crisis.

The U.S. House ended its session on Thursday — a day early — after Republicans were unable to secure votes within their own party to address issues including government surveillance and tax cuts.

House members don’t return into session until Feb. 28 — just three days before the next partial government shutdown deadline on March 1.

Read the full story here. 

It took several months and a marathon session that ended in the pre-dawn hours of Tuesday, but the Senate finally approved a $95 billion national security package, including aid for Ukraine and Israel.

But House Speaker Mike Johnson has indicated he won’t bring up the sweeping legislation for a vote.

So, what happens now?

Read the full story here.

Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan’s decision to run for the U.S. Senate creates the potential for a high-stakes race the state hasn’t experienced in decades.

It was 50 years ago that Democrat Barbara Mikulski lost to the last Republican U.S. Senator to serve in Maryland, Charles Mathias.

Read the full story here.

Members of the Virginia and Maryland congressional delegations are vowing to fight a new effort to expand the number of flights in and out of Reagan National Airport.

The Senate Commerce Committee has decided to allow an additional five slots at the airport for long-distance flights.

U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine of Virginia and U.S. Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland said they are “deeply disappointed” in the decision, which they said threatened to “overburden” the airport.

Read the full story here.

Legislation has moved ahead in Congress that would allow the redevelopment of the old RFK Stadium site and potentially clear the way for a new football stadium for the Washington Commanders.

The House Natural Resources Committee voted this week to advance legislation to allow D.C. to enter a 99-year lease with the National Park Service.

Read the full story here.

The bipartisan U.S. Senate agreement on the southern border took months to reach, but it was only a matter of hours after its release that it was blasted by House GOP leadership and former President Trump.

The border deal would make some of the most significant changes to U.S. immigration policy in years.

Read the full story here.

Members of Congress are growing increasingly frustrated with Big Tech and what many lawmakers believe is lip service to concerns about how social media sites are impacting the mental health of children.

That was clear at a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee, where the leaders of five major tech firms were pounded with questions from lawmakers this week.

Executives from Meta, TikTok, the platform ‘X,’ Snap and Discord testified.

These types of hearings have taken place several times in recent years — the CEO of Meta, Mark Zuckerberg, had previously testified eight times.

But the latest hearing had a sharper tone, suggesting lawmakers are ready to do more this time around.

Read the full story here.

The chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee said he worries the U.S. is now less prepared than it was in 2020 for foreign adversaries sowing disinformation in the presidential election.

U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., has closely monitored foreign efforts to meddle in U.S. elections since 2016, when it became clear Russia was using social media to spread disinformation designed to confuse American voters.

Read the full story here.

Congress voted to approve a short-term spending bill to avoid a partial government shutdown Thursday, ahead of a Friday night deadline.

The House voted 314-108 to approve the continuing resolution. The House action came after the Senate voted earlier to approve the measure, 77-18 and now goes to President Biden for his signature.

The House moved up a vote to Thursday, due to concern about the forecast for snow in the Washington area, as lawmakers prepared to leave town.

House Speaker Mike Johnson needed help from Democrats to get the bill to final passage, since it required a two-thirds majority. A total of 107 Republicans voted for it, while 106 GOP lawmakers voted against it.

In the last vote for a continuing resolution in November, 93 Republicans opposed it. The previous spending measure was a so-called “laddered” continuing resolution, which extended funding to Jan. 19, as well as Feb. 2.

The current legislation is similar, with an initial deadline for four spending bills expiring March 1 and a second deadline for eight other spending bills on March 8.

Johnson initially indicated he wouldn’t support another short-term spending plan, given the opposition within his GOP conference. But he agreed with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to an overall top-line spending figure of close to $1.6 trillion and decided to stick with that agreement, despite sharp criticism from conservatives.

Congressional leaders hope to move on from the shutdown showdown to make progress on a separate, $110 billion supplemental, which includes aid for Ukraine and Israel.

President Biden met with lawmakers at the White House on Wednesday to discuss the foreign aid package, which would also include new reforms for the southern border.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he’s encouraged by progress in the border talks and support for foreign aid.

“I am more optimistic than ever before that we come to an agreement,” Schumer said after the meeting. “I put the chances at a little bit greater than half now, and that’s the first time I can say that.”

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said he believes the aid package could be taken up as early as next week by the Senate. Many House Republicans remain opposed to more aid for Ukraine and are pressing Johnson to hold firm on policy changes for the border.

He reiterated after the White House meeting that his top priority is border reform.

“The House is ready to act but the legislation has to solve the problem,” Johnson said.

The Senate voted overwhelmingly Thursday to approve a continuing resolution, the first critical step to avoid a partial government shutdown ahead of a Friday night deadline.

The vote was 77-18.

The deadline for current spending expires at 11:59 p.m. on Friday.

With approval in the Senate, the continuing resolution will need to be voted on in the House.

The House plans to take it up the legislation on Thursday as well, ahead of another winter storm expected to bring more snow to the Washington area.

Conservatives in the House Freedom Caucus oppose the stopgap spending measure and plan to vote against it, arguing deeper cuts need to be made.

House Speaker Mike Johnson will need help from Democrats to get the bill to final passage, since it will require a two-thirds majority. In the last vote for a continuing resolution in November, 93 Republicans opposed it.

The previous spending measure was a so-called “laddered” continuing resolution, which extended funding to Jan. 19, as well as Feb. 2.

The current legislation is similar, with an initial deadline for four spending bills expiring March 1 and a second deadline for eight other spending bills on March 8.

Johnson initially indicated he wouldn’t support another short-term spending plan, given the opposition within his GOP conference.

But he agreed with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to an overall topline spending figure of close to $1.6 trillion and decided to stick with that agreement, despite sharp criticism from conservatives.

Congressional leaders hope to move on from the shutdown showdown to make progress on a separate, $110 billion supplemental, which includes aid for Ukraine and Israel.

President Biden met with lawmakers at the White House on Wednesday to discuss the foreign aid package, which would also include new reforms for the southern border.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he’s encouraged by progress in the border talks and support for foreign aid.

“I am more optimistic than ever before that we come to an agreement,” Schumer said after the meeting. “I put the chances at a little bit greater than half now, and that’s the first time I can say that.”

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said he believes the aid package could be taken up as early as next week by the Senate.

Many House Republicans remain opposed to more aid for Ukraine and are pressing Johnson to hold firm on policy changes for the border.

He reiterated after the White House meeting that his top priority is border reform.

“The House is ready to act but the legislation has to solve the problem,” Johnson said.

U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia is hoping to advance bipartisan legislation in Congress this year that would make major changes in the college admissions process.

The Democratic lawmaker and U.S. Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., are co-sponsors of a bill that would prohibit accredited colleges and universities from giving preferential treatment in admissions to children of alumni or those with ties to donors.

Read the full story.

Maryland Rep. Steny Hoyer, the former House Majority Leader, has seen a lot of government shutdowns during his long congressional career.

“I think there’s more than a potential,” he said in a recent interview with WTOP. “I think it may be more likely than less likely that we would shut down the government.”

Hoyer believes House Speaker Mike Johnson and Republicans have set the table for a shutdown, in part because there will be so little time to resolve major spending issues when the House returns on Jan. 9.

Read the full story.

House members are now home for the holidays, but Senators are continuing to hammer away at an agreement on the Southern border, which would put an end to the impasse that’s holding up billions of dollars in aid for Ukraine and Israel.

A small group of lawmakers and staff members are working this weekend, trying to get to a deal on immigration issues that have vexed Congress for well over a decade.

Read the full story.

The House voted Friday to expel Republican Rep. George Santos of New York following the release of a blistering ethics report, making him just the sixth member in the chamber’s history to be kicked out by his colleagues.

The vote to oust him was 311-114, with two voting present. A two-thirds majority was required to expel him.

Two Democrats, along with 112 Republicans, voted against expulsion. One of them was Virginia Rep. Bobby Scott. The other was Rep. Nikema Williams of Georgia.

House Speaker Mike Johnson was among the Republicans who voted against expelling Santos.

Those who opposed expulsion pointed to the fact that he has not been convicted of any crimes. Santos has been indicted on 23 charges linked to campaign fraud. He has pleaded not guilty.

But many Republicans decided to vote to expel Santos, after the release of the House Ethics Committee’s report, which said Santos used campaign funds to pay for vacations, designer clothes and even Botox treatments.

Rep. Anthony D’Esposito was one of several New York Republicans who pressed for Santos to be removed from office.

“George Santos is a liar,” he said. “In fact, he’s admitted to many of them, who has used his position of public trust to benefit himself from day one.”

Despite encouragement from GOP leadership to resign, Santos refused, leading to the Friday’s vote.

Santos quickly left the Capitol and has said he will not return to Washington.

His ouster leaves Republicans with a slim 221-213 majority, meaning the defection of just four lawmakers on any GOP bill could prevent it from passing.

The governor of New York will need to set a date for a special election to replace Santos. Several people have already indicated interest in his seat.

Embattled Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., said he would not step down ahead of a House vote on Friday that’s likely to lead him to become the first lawmaker to be kicked out of Congress in more than two decades.

Santos held a news conference Thursday outside of the Capitol, where he railed against a House ethics investigation that appears to have secured his fate. But aside from denying that he didn’t cooperate with the probe, he didn’t address the wide-ranging allegations against him.

The ethics probe, released before the Thanksgiving break, states that Santos used campaign funds to lavish himself on vacations, designer clothing and Botox.

Santos has complained that the investigation into his conduct has been a distraction from more important matters before Congress. Given that view, he was asked why he wouldn’t resign.

“Because if I leave, they win,” he said of his critics, who include fellow New York Republican lawmakers. “This is bullying.”

Santos has survived previous expulsion votes, but those came before the scathing ethics report that has changed the minds of many Republicans.

Still, the fact that Santos has not been convicted of a crime has given some lawmakers pause, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, who said this week he has “real reservations” about ousting him before he goes to trial.

Before the ethics report came out Santos was separately charged with 23 counts linked to campaign fraud, in a federal indictment. He has pleaded not guilty.

No Democrats are expected to vote against expelling Santos on Friday. A two-thirds majority of the House is required for his expulsion.

“The question that we should all be asking, is why is George Santos still around?” the House’s top Democrat Hakeem Jeffries said on Thursday.

Jeffries accused Republicans of trying to “coddle” Santos, even though he lied about virtually his entire background before getting elected to Congress.

Jeffries said the GOP was “playing footsie” with Santos because the House leadership needed his vote. If Santos is kicked out, Republicans will be down to a 221-213 majority, meaning just a handful of GOP defections on any bill could sink it.

House Republicans have had trouble getting even some of their own spending measures to the floor because of internal divisions.

After the release of the ethics report, Santos said he would not seek reelection, but he remained defiant on Thursday, arguing the House should not set a precedent with his expulsion.

He could become just the sixth lawmaker ever to be kicked out of Congress and the first who had not been convicted of a crime.

Rep. James Traficant, D-Ohio, was the last lawmaker to be expelled, in 2002. He had been convicted on federal charges including bribery, obstruction of justice and racketeering

House Democrats joined Republicans to approve a short-term spending plan on Tuesday, the first step toward avoiding a government shutdown.

The vote was 336-95, with a large number of conservative GOP lawmakers opposing the “laddered” continuing resolution, which maintains current funding levels into next year.

The legislation includes two steps to keep federal funds flowing into the next year. It extends funding for several federal agencies through Jan. 19 and a second group would be funded through Feb. 2.

“It’s going to change the way we’ve done this,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said. “We have broken the fever. We are not going to have a massive omnibus spending bill right before Christmas. That is a gift for the American people.”

The Senate will need to approve the bill as well, ahead of a Friday midnight shutdown deadline.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has indicated that the Senate will approve it.

A vote to avert a shutdown at the end of September caused conservative House Republicans to oust former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and GOP lawmakers couldn’t decide on a new leader for more than three weeks.

Tensions flared at various points across Capitol Hill on Tuesday over various issues.

Rep. Tim Burchett, of Tennessee, accused McCarthy of hitting him in the back as he went by him in the Capitol. Burchett was one of eight Republicans who voted to force McCarthy out of the speakership. McCarthy denied he tried to do anything to Burchett.

“If I were to hit somebody, they would know I hit them,” McCarthy told reporters.

Separately during a Senate hearing, Sen. Markwayne Mullin, an Oklahoma Republican, got into it with Teamsters President Sean O’Brien.

Both men threatened to fight after Mullin read a comment the labor leader made about him on “X,” the social media platform. Mullin at one point got up from his seat, before Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders implored the two men to calm down.

The House hasn’t taken its normal legislative breaks over the past couple months, due in part to the impasse over the speakership, which led the lower chamber to shut down for almost all of October.

“I’ve been drinking from Niagara Falls for the last three weeks,” Johnson said, referring to his recent ascension to the speakership.

He expressed hope that the congressional passage of his short-term spending bill will allow lawmakers to go home to their districts over the Thanksgiving holiday and “cool off.”

“This place is a pressure cooker,” Johnson said.

BREAKING: House passes bill to avert government shutdown as GOP Speaker Johnson relies on Democratic support for temporary funding.

Read the full story. 

The House will vote Tuesday on a unique, short-term spending plan backed by House Speaker Mike Johnson that seeks to avoid a government shutdown this week.

The House will consider a “laddered” continuing resolution that includes two steps to keep federal funds flowing into the next year.

The continuing resolution extends funding for several federal agencies through Jan. 19 and a second group would be funded through Feb. 2.

“It’s going to change the way we’ve done this,” Johnson said. “We have broken the fever. We are not going to have a massive omnibus spending bill right before Christmas. That is a gift for the American people.”

But Johnson is going to need the help of Democrats to get the legislation passed — just as former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy did.

A vote to avert a shutdown at the end of September caused conservative Republicans to oust McCarthy and GOP lawmakers couldn’t decide on a new leader for more than three weeks.

Members of the House Freedom Caucus said Tuesday that they will vote against the new legislation, arguing it’s more of the same and doesn’t cut spending.

Under what’s known as suspension of the rules, the legislation will require a two-thirds majority of House lawmakers to pass.

Democratic leaders are not whipping against the bill and are expected to help provide the votes needed.

Congress needs to approve spending legislation to avoid a shutdown before a Friday midnight deadline.

House Speaker Mike Johnson hasn’t had much time to adjust to the demands of his new leadership post, amid war in the Middle East, a fast-approaching government shutdown deadline and unabating feuds within his Republican conference.

But he’s had a relatively solid start, notching a legislative victory this week with approval of nearly $14.5 billion in aid for Israel, even if the legislation will hit a wall in the Senate.

During his first news conference, he was asked what it’s been like to quickly ascend to one of the most politically challenging jobs in Washington.

Read the full story here. 

The House has approved $14.3 billion in aid for Israel that seeks to help the U.S. ally in the intensifying war with Hamas.

The vote on Thursday was 226-196, with a dozen Democrats joining Republicans in voting for the GOP-backed measure. The legislation is not expected to be taken up in the Senate, where it faces strong opposition from Democrats.

The vote followed a debate in which Republicans and Democrats strongly agreed on the need to provide assistance to Israel during the war with Hamas. But Democrats sharply criticized Republicans for offering up legislation that included $14.3 billion in cuts to the IRS.

Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., argued House Speaker Mike Johnson had proposed partisan legislation at a time when Israel is in need of immediate help.

“He has constructed a political ‘gotcha bill,’” Hoyer said. “The majority tries to score political points at the expense of Jewish lives and the confidence of both our allies and enemies in our resolve and reliability.”

But Republicans said there was nothing politically cynical about the legislation, only a recognition that the U.S. needs to be more responsible in its spending.

“This supplemental aid to Israel is a necessary step,” said Rep. Max Miller, R-Oh. “Such aid will provide Israel with the critical resources it needs to defend itself and mount a response that will allow for the elimination of the threat of Hamas.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson is defending Republicans’ $14.3 billion stand-alone bill for aid to Israel and says he has no plans to alter the legislation’s corresponding cuts to the IRS.

“If Democrats in the Senate or the House or anywhere else want to argue that hiring more IRS agents is more important than standing with Israel in this moment, I’m ready to have that debate,” he said Thursday at his first news conference since becoming speaker.

The legislation calls for a cut of $14.3 billion in funding for the IRS.

But Democrats point out that a review by the Congressional Budget Office indicates that reducing funding for the IRS would add $12.5 billion to the federal deficit, due to a reduction in taxpayer revenue.

The House plans to vote on the Israel aid package on Thursday.

Senate Democrats and many Republicans, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, are also concerned about Johnson’s insistence that funding for Israel and Ukraine remain separate.

Johnson said Thursday that he wants to pair funding for Ukraine with border security.

While most Republicans want added resources to address issues at the southern border, McConnell has repeatedly said that the flow of military assistance to Ukraine must continue.

In the Senate, meanwhile, tension is rising over the hold on hundreds of military promotions by Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala.

Fellow Republican Senators were visibly angry with Tuberville on the floor Wednesday night, telling Tuberville he’s endangering national security.

Tuberville has maintained a hold on nearly 400 military promotions, as a protest against the Pentagon’s policy that pays for the travel of military personnel if they go to another state to get an abortion.

At one point during the heated debate, Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, said Tuberville’s actions amounted to a “national security suicide mission.”

Sullivan and Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, both unsuccessfully called up more than 60 military nominees for unanimous consent votes.

But each time, Tuberville objected.

Republicans have begun to publicly press Tuberville, in part because of concerns related to a new proposal from Democrats.

The proposal, which would need to be approved with Republicans’ support, would allow military promotions to be approved together — “en bloc” on a single vote.

Newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson has gone from being a relatively unknown congressman from Shreveport, Louisiana, to the person who’s now second in line to the presidency.

Republicans shut down the House of Representatives for more than three weeks, amid infighting over who should become their new leader, choosing several more well-known GOP lawmakers as nominees — only to have them drop out or fail to get enough floor votes.

But just when it appeared they couldn’t agree on anyone, Rep. Mike Johnson quickly became their choice to get the gavel.

Read the full story.

Republicans have ended a self-inflicted political crisis that lasted more than three weeks, electing Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., as the new House Speaker.

“Today is the day we get this done,” Rep. Elise Stefanik said Wednesday as she nominated Johnson on the House floor.

Unlike the previous ballots, in which Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, failed three times to get the votes he needed, Johnson was elected on the first ballot.

The vote was 220-209.

Johnson, 51, is the vice chair of the Republican conference and is serving his fourth term in Congress.

In terms of congressional leadership, he is one of the least experienced lawmakers in decades to rise to House Speaker.

Johnson has pledged to bring Republicans together, after weeks of infighting that left many GOP lawmakers angry and embarrassed over how their party looked as the war between Israel and Hamas has raged.

Learn more about the new House Speaker.

House roll call totals 429 lawmakers. 220 Republicans and 209 Democrats. 215 votes will be needed for Louisiana Congressman Mike Johnson to be elected House Speaker. (If no “present” votes)

— Mitchell Miller (@mmillerwtop) October 25, 2023

After weeks of infighting, Republicans may be on the verge of ending an embarrassing and unprecedented struggle to elect a House Speaker.

Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana is the fourth nominee to be chosen by Republican lawmakers. But unlike the three others who failed to get the gavel before him, Johnson doesn’t appear to have a core of opponents ready to block him during a House floor vote.

The House is scheduled to convene at noon Wednesday to vote on the speakership.

Johnson, 51, is a conservative who helped support the legal effort for a challenge of state election results when former President Donald Trump claimed he won in 2020. He has served in the House since 2016 and is the vice chair of the Republican conference.

Johnson is known for focusing more on policy issues than other, more high-profile candidates who preceded him.

Appearing with fellow Republicans after he was nominated Tuesday night, he pledged to unify a GOP conference that’s been in disarray since the ouster of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy more than three weeks ago.

“Democracy is messy sometimes, but it is our system,” Johnson said.

When a reporter asked Johnson about whether he stands by his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, she was shouted down and booed by Republican lawmakers.

Republicans are exhausted after choosing three previous nominees for Speaker and failing to unify behind any of them. Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan and Majority Whip Tom Emmer were all unable to get the backing needed to be elected.

Republicans are hoping to finally end a self-inflicted political crisis, created when GOP hardliners filed a motion for McCarthy to vacate the chair on Oct. 3.

Louisiana Republican Rep. Mike Johnson has been nominated as House Speaker. Johnson, vice chair of the Republican Conference, had finished second to Majority Whip Tom Emmer in the first closed-door vote on Tuesday.

He won the next vote Tuesday night, after Emmer withdrew. Emmer was the nominee for four hours, before pulling out of the race after it became clear he couldn’t get the votes he needed on the House floor.

Republicans have been unable to elect a House Speaker for three weeks, which many of them have publicly acknowledged is an embarrassment.

Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy lost the top GOP post after agreeing to a vote on a short-term spending bill that avoided a government shutdown. Eight Republicans voted to oust him and were joined by Democrats.

Lawmakers will need to pass spending legislation in the coming weeks, before the next shutdown deadline on Friday, Nov. 17.

A new candidate forum for House Speaker was being held Tuesday evening, after Majority Whip Tom Emmer dropped out of the race, only hours after he had been nominated.

The five candidates seeking the speakership are:

• Rep. Byron Donalds, R-FL
• Rep. Mike Johnson, R-LA
• Rep. Mark Green, R-TN
• Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-TN
• Rep. Roger Williams, R-TX

Johnson finished second to Emmer in Tuesday’s earlier voting.

Emmer decided not to continue to seek the gavel after it became clear he wouldn’t get the votes on the House floor.

It has now been three weeks since former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was forced out of the post, after a motion to vacate that was supported by eight Republicans as well as Democrats.

The latest Republican nominee for House Speaker, Majority Whip Tom Emmer, has withdrawn in the race for the speakership.

His decision to pull out of the race comes only hours after he was elected over other candidates.

It had become apparent Tuesday afternoon that Emmer was opposed by enough GOP lawmakers to thwart his approval on the House floor.

He becomes the third Republican nominee to withdraw. The first was Majority Leader Steve Scalise. The second was Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, who lost a closed-door confidence vote, after being defeated on three straight floor votes.

Emmer was criticized by former President Donald Trump on Tuesday, only days after the two spoke over the phone. Trump called him a “RINO” (Republican In Name Only) on his Truth Social site.

NEW: House Majority Tom Emmer is the new Republican nominee for House Speaker. He defeated Louisiana Congressman Mike Johnson in the final round. Emmer must now see if he can get the votes on the House floor to become Speaker.

— Mitchell Miller (@mmillerwtop) October 24, 2023

Two Republican candidates remain for the nomination of House Speaker — Majority Whip Tom Emmer and Louisiana Congressman Mike Johnson.

Rep. Kevin Hern, of Oklahoma, was eliminated on the latest ballot. Rep. Byron Donalds, of Florida, voluntarily dropped out.

During a series of votes behind closed doors, members of the Republican conference have been steadily reducing the number of candidates for the speakership.

Once a nominee is chosen, he must still get enough votes on the House floor to be elected.

The number of Republican candidates for House Speaker has been cut to four. Rep. Austin Scott, of Georgia, was eliminated on the latest ballot.

Scott had previously run for Speaker against Rep. Jim Jordan, of Ohio.

The four candidates left are:

• House Majority Whip Tom Emmer
• Rep. Kevin Hern, R-Okla.
• Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla.
• Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La.

As Republican lawmakers meet in a closed-door vote to pick their nominee for House Speaker, two representatives have already been eliminated.

The first lawmaker to be eliminated was Texas Rep. Pete Sessions of Texas. Of the candidates in the race, Sessions had the longest tenure in Congress.

Rep. Jack Bergman, of Michigan is the latest candidate for House Speaker to be eliminated.

There are now five remaining candidates, including:

• House Majority Whip Tom Emmer
• Rep. Kevin Hern, R-Okla.
• Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla.
• Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La.
• Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga.

Republicans returned behind closed doors on Capitol Hill Tuesday morning to select from seven candidates who are seeking to become the next House Speaker.

WTOP learned Tuesday morning that Rep. Gary Palmer of Alabama dropped his bid, after he was one of eight candidates who made their pitches to the GOP conference Monday night as Republicans try once again to choose their leader.

The election comes exactly three weeks since former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was ousted, after eight conservatives voted for a motion to vacate the chair, along with Democrats.

McCarthy has endorsed House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, who is considered the frontrunner for the speakership.

Rep. Kevin Hern, R-Okla., chair of the Republican Study Committee, is also considered a top candidate.

The field was trimmed more, when Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Pa., dropped out of the race Monday night.

Other candidates include: Reps. Byron Donalds, R-Fla.; Mike Johnson, R-La.; Austin Scott, R-Ga.; Pete Sessions, R-Texas, and Jack Bergman, R-Mich.

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, is no longer a candidate, after losing three straight House floor votes last week.

Republicans will try again to choose a new House Speaker, nearly three weeks since the ouster of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Nine GOP lawmakers are seeking the speakership and will each make their case to the Republican conference during a candidate forum Monday, which begins at 6:30 p.m.

Republicans plan to vote on a nominee on Tuesday morning.

The leading candidate is widely considered to be House Minority Whip Tom Emmer, who is well-respected and has the supporter of McCarthy.

But Emmer is reportedly not the favorite of former President Donald Trump, who had backed Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. Jordan is no longer seeking the speakership, after losing three straight floor votes last week.

In addition to Emmer, these are the GOP candidates:

• Rep. Kevin Hern, R-Ohio, chair of the Republican Study Committee. Hern built a large group of McDonald’s franchises before getting elected to Congress. Along with a letter to lawmakers urging their support on Monday, he sent burgers from McDonald’s.
• Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla. The youngest candidate at 44, he’s received some votes in previous Speaker ballots. Donalds is a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus.
• Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga. A surprise candidate who ran against Jordan for the GOP nomination last week.
• Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La. Johnson is a former chair of the Republican Study Committee.
• Rep. Gary Palmer, R-Ala. Chairman of the Republican Policy Committee and played football at Alabama, after making the team as a walk-on.
• Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas. Has served in the House for more than two decades. After losing his seat in 2018, he ran again in a different district and won in 2020.
• Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Pa. A former businessman and served as Pennsylvania’s secretary of revenue.
• Rep. Jack Bergman, R-Mich. Retired Marine Corps lieutenant general, who has presented himself someone who could help Republicans get back on course.

Republicans this weekend are no closer than they were at the start of the week to electing a House Speaker.

In fact, they are actually farther away — they don’t even have a nominee.

At least on Tuesday they were holding their first floor vote on Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH).

Read more of this story.

Republicans decided Ohio Republican Rep. Jim Jordan should no longer run for House Speaker Friday, after he lost his third-straight floor vote.

Lawmakers in the GOP conference voted by secret ballot behind closed doors. The vote was 112 to 86 for Jordan not to move forward as the nominee.

Jordan had indicated a willingness to keep fighting for the speakership with votes this weekend. But he had steadily lost more support with each succeeding vote this week.

Some lawmakers coming out of the meeting were frustrated and angry, while others said it’s time to find someone else who can become House Speaker.

New York Rep. Mike Lawler had been a vocal opponent of Jordan. And like many others, he said it’s time to start over.

“We obviously need to get 217 members to agree on who the next Speaker is going to be,” Republican Lawler said as he walked out of the closed-door meeting. “I would like this to be resolved, so we can get back to the work of the American people.”

Republican Pennsylvania Rep. Dan Meuser said he is considering running for the speakership. He had been a supporter of Jordan.

Several others are also now thinking about running, but it remains unclear whether the GOP can coalesce around anyone.

Lawmakers plan to return on Monday to regroup. By that time, it will have been nearly three weeks since former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was ousted by eight Republicans, with help from Democrats.

McCarthy nominated Jordan on Friday, but his support didn’t help the Ohio lawmaker get any additional votes.

Republicans dropped Rep. Jim Jordan on Friday as their nominee for House speaker, making the decision during a closed-door session after the hard-edged ally of Donald Trump failed badly on a third ballot for the gavel.

NEW: Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan is out as the GOP nominee for House Speaker. A majority of Republicans voted behind closed doors against Jordan moving forward. He had lost his third vote for the speakership earlier today. Republicans plan to regroup on Monday.

— Mitchell Miller (@mmillerwtop) October 20, 2023

Read the full story.

Third House Speaker vote for Jim Jordan falls short. Hakeem Jeffries: 210 votes; Jordan 194 votes. Twenty-five Republicans voted for other candidates than Jordan.

— Mitchell Miller (@mmillerwtop) October 20, 2023

Rep. Jim Jordan failed badly Friday on a third ballot for the House speaker’s gavel, rejected by even more Republicans from the conservative mainstream who warned the hard-edged ally of Donald Trump that no threats or promises could win their support.

Read the full story. 

Jim Jordan has now lost more Republican votes for House Speaker on each succeeding ballot. At least 24 votes against on this third vote. First vote was 20 against and second was 22.

— Mitchell Miller (@mmillerwtop) October 20, 2023

Read more by the Associated Press here.

At least 10 Republicans have again voted against Jim Jordan and it appears he will not be elected House Speaker for a third straight time.

— Mitchell Miller (@mmillerwtop) October 20, 2023

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, is vowing to keep fighting to become House Speaker, though there is still no indication he’s close to getting the votes he needs.

“Our plan this weekend is to get a Speaker elected to the House of Representatives as soon as possible, so we can help the American people,” Jordan said at a news conference Friday.

A third vote on Jordan for the speakership is scheduled for 10 a.m.

Twenty Republicans voted against Jordan on the first vote and 22 voted against him on the second.

Jordan can’t lose more than four votes on a ballot to get elected.

The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee said President Joe Biden’s supplemental request to Congress, which includes aid for Israel, is another reason the House needs to get back to work.

“We can’t vote on that, can’t pass anything on that, until we get the House open,” Jordan said.

President Biden, who gave a national address Thursday night to discuss the need for assistance to Israel and Ukraine, is expected to request a package of more than $100 billion.

U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said despite the turmoil in the House, he believes Congress will eventually approve the assistance.

“The votes are there for Israel aid. The votes are there for more Ukraine aid. The votes are there for more border security,” he said. “The votes are there for all of it.”

But Kaine said it’s important that the Senate tackles the legislation ahead of the House, given the leadership vacuum in the House.

“I do think the right way for this to happen is for the Senate to act first, and show by a strong bipartisan vote, that we support this,” Kaine said.

Refusing to give up, Rep. Jim Jordan told GOP colleagues Thursday he was still running for the House gavel — leaving Republicans few viable options after his hardline backers resisted a plan to expand the temporary speaker’s powers to re-open the House.

The next vote on House Speaker will be at 10 a.m. on Friday, according to Congressman Jim Jordan’s office. It will be his third attempt to become House Speaker.

— Mitchell Miller (@mmillerwtop) October 19, 2023

Read the story from The Associated Press.

NEW: Jim Jordan now says he’s preparing for another vote for House Speaker. Follows meetings with Republicans, who sharply criticized proposal to make Speaker Pro Tem McHenry a caretaker Speaker. “We decided that wasn’t the way we’re going to go.” Plans to meet with opponents.

— Mitchell Miller (@mmillerwtop) October 19, 2023

More twists and turns are underway in the political drama over Republicans’ efforts to choose a new House Speaker.

Ohio Republican Rep. Jim Jordan, has reportedly decided not to seek a third vote to become Speaker, after losing to previous votes this week. Republicans met Wednesday to discuss their next steps.

A plan is still evolving, but it calls for House Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry to be empowered as the acting Speaker, so that the House can begin taking up legislation again.

McHenry would temporarily oversee the House, possibly for a few months. That would allow lawmakers to again consider aid involving Israel and Ukraine, as well as spending issues that need to be resolved before a Nov. 17 government shutdown deadline.

Jordan would not withdraw from efforts to become Speaker. But this would provide Republicans more time to figure out who they want to be the party’s leader in the House.

Democrats would likely need to go along with the plan involving McHenry since some conservative Republicans oppose it.

The House has been paralyzed for 16 days, since the ouster of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Republicans are scrambling to determine their next step, after Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, lost a second vote to become House Speaker.

He told reporters that no more votes were planned for Wednesday evening, but indicated it’s still possible another vote could come on Thursday.

Frustration is growing among GOP lawmakers, who have been unable to choose a new leader for 15 days, since the ouster of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Longtime Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., who nominated Jordan on Wednesday, noted that he had predicted bad things would happen, when a small group of Republicans supported pushing McCarthy out.

“Those who did this, whether intentionally or unintentionally, were going to put the Congress in a state of chaos and the country into a state of uncertainty,” he said, referring to remarks he made earlier this month.

“I think the last two weeks have vindicated that observation,” he said.

Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Calif., said Republicans’ closed-door meetings have become an unproductive “therapy session,” in which lawmakers vent but nothing gets accomplished.

He suggested that Republicans gather somewhere away from Capitol Hill and its distractions to focus on the important matter of choosing a new House Speaker.

Garcia noted that going to a historic site like Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, might provide a fresh start.

“Let’s dispense with all rules, dispense with all the protocols and all the B.S. that’s gotten us to this point,” he said. “Have big adult conversations in one room and figure out how we’re going to navigate this.”

NEW: Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan has lost his second straight vote, in his bid to become House Speaker. Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries got 212 votes; Jordan got 199 votes and 22 Republicans voted for others, including McCarthy and Scalise.

— Mitchell Miller (@mmillerwtop) October 18, 2023

Read the story from The Associated Press.

Twenty-two Republicans have voted against Jim Jordan on the second ballot for House Speaker. That’s more than the 20 who voted against him when he lost on the first ballot. Unless any votes change, Jordan has again failed to be elected Speaker.

— Mitchell Miller (@mmillerwtop) October 18, 2023

House vote on Congressman Jim Jordan for House Speaker is underway. More than a half dozen GOP lawmakers have voted against Jordan so far. If no lawmakers vote “present” he can only afford to lose four Republican votes. Jordan appears to be losing a second vote.

— Mitchell Miller (@mmillerwtop) October 18, 2023

Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan will try again Wednesday to get elected House Speaker after his first attempt was thwarted by 20 fellow Republicans who voted against him.

The House vote is scheduled for 11 a.m.

Jordan had originally hoped to be elected as Speaker Tuesday night, but a second vote was postponed amid few signs he had picked up the necessary support.

The hard-charging chair of the House Judiciary Committee will need to greatly reduce the number of GOP lawmakers who opposed him on Tuesday if he’s to get elected.

Jordan can only afford to lose the support of four Republicans in order to get the 217 votes he needs.

The second vote for House Speaker has been delayed to Wednesday at 11 a.m. Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan started the day optimistic that he would be able get the votes to become House Speaker. New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, chair of House Republican Conference, described him as an “America first warrior who wins the toughest of fights” in her nomination. But Jordan fell short, with 20 from his own party voting against him in the first round of balloting.

Jordan has been meeting with Republican lawmakers Tuesday afternoon, including Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise, who was first nominated to the speakership last week before withdrawing his name when it became clear he would come up short.

NEW: A second vote on House Speaker will not take place this evening. The vote on GOP nominee Jim Jordan will take place at 11 a.m. on Wednesday. Jordan was defeated on the first vote earlier today, with 20 Republicans voting against him.

— Mitchell Miller (@mmillerwtop) October 17, 2023

Republicans who voted against Jim Jordan for House Speaker are pressing for a second vote ASAP. Jordan is said to be looking to a vote in the 6 p.m. hour. A GOP lawmaker, Gus Bilirakis, is returning to D.C. from a funeral. He’s expected to vote for Jordan. https://t.co/GchAND1YMf

— Mitchell Miller (@mmillerwtop) October 17, 2023

Republicans have rejected congressman Jim Jordan for House speaker on the first ballot. More voting is expected as the staunch ally of Donald Trump works to shore up support and seize the speaker’s gavel. Not all Republicans are ready to elevate Judiciary Committee Chairman Jordan to the center seat of U.S. power, second in line to the presidency. About 20 Republicans voted against Jordan. Some are still upset over Kevin McCarthy’s sudden ouster as speaker two weeks ago. But with Trump’s backing, a win for the Ohio congressman would show just how far the GOP’s once far-right flank has moved into the party’s mainstream.

NEW: Jim Jordan loses on first ballot for House Speaker. Twenty Republicans did not vote for Jordan. Vote count was 212 for Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries; 200 for Jordan and 20 votes for other candidates. Without ‘present’ votes, 217 votes needed to win speakership.

— Mitchell Miller (@mmillerwtop) October 17, 2023

Read more from The Associated Press.

More than a dozen Republicans have not voted for Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan, so it appears he will lose his first vote for House Speaker.

— Mitchell Miller (@mmillerwtop) October 17, 2023

Six Republicans have now voted against Jim Jordan for House Speaker. Votes have gone to Kevin McCarthy, Steve Scalise and others, including a former NY congressman, Lee Zeldin.

— Mitchell Miller (@mmillerwtop) October 17, 2023

NY Rep. Elise Stefanik is nominating Rep. Jim Jordan for House Speaker, urging lawmakers to support him as the crisis unfolds in Israel and Gaza. There are 220 Republicans and 212 Democrats present. Jordan will need 217 votes to get elected.

— Mitchell Miller (@mmillerwtop) October 17, 2023

The House has been gaveled into session and voting will soon begin to determine whether Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan will be elected the new House Speaker.

The House began with a quorum call to determine the number of votes Jordan will need.

The House is about to vote on a new House Speaker and several Republicans said they will still not support Ohio Republican Rep. Jim Jordan.

If five or more GOP lawmakers don’t vote for Jordan, he can’t be elected.

Florida Republican Rep. John Rutherford is among those who have said they won’t back Jordan. He remains upset over how Jordan handled the original vote, when Majority Leader Steve Scalise was elected the GOP nominee behind closed doors.

“I’m not voting for Jordan because he got beat by Steve Scalise in a free and fair election. And now Scalise is out and he’s our nominee? That’s not fair,” Rutherford said.

On the Democratic side, former House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer is wary of Jordan becoming Speaker.

“We need to come to grips with the fact that moving right for the Republicans has not worked,” the Maryland lawmaker said, noting that conservatives have often been unwilling to compromise.

Jordan has the endorsement of former President Donald Trump and was a founding member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus.

The House plans to convene at noon Tuesday to vote on whether Ohio Republican Rep. Jim Jordan will become the next Speaker of the House.

Jordan and his supporters have been trying to flip dozens of Republican lawmakers who indicated they wouldn’t support him during a closed-door vote last Friday.

Jordan has picked up several significant endorsements in the past 24 hours ahead of the vote, but he can only afford to lose four GOP votes if he’s to secure the speakership.

Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was ousted two weeks ago, when eight Republicans joined Democrats in forcing him out of the post.

Try as they might, Republicans have been unable to meet the moment, repeatedly failing to elect a House Speaker. It is a crisis of their own making.

They did manage to choose a nominee for the speakership Friday — for the second time. Ohio Republican Rep. Jim Jordan won a closed-door vote against an opponent who told reporters he had no plans to run for Speaker when he woke up Friday.

NEW: Republicans vote to make Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan the new GOP nominee for House Speaker. He defeated Georgia Congressman Austin Scott. But questions remain over whether he can get 217 votes needed on House floor to become speaker. pic.twitter.com/wCsRdt8pO2

— Mitchell Miller (@mmillerwtop) October 13, 2023

Rep. Austin Scott, of Georgia, said he ran against Jordan, in part, because he was so disgusted with the disarray in the GOP. He told CNN the race for Speaker had made Republicans look like “a bunch of idiots.”

Scott only lost 124-81, even though his campaign for Speaker was all of one day.

It remains to be seen if Jordan can get the needed 217 votes to get the gavel. Republicans, after a very bad and embarrassing week, have left Washington for the weekend and will regroup Monday.

Jordan got a second chance because House Majority Leader Steve Scalise — the original nominee — pulled out of the race Thursday night, after it became clear he didn’t have the votes to get elected. Jordan may encounter the same challenge.

What some Republicans have themselves called a “clown show” began 10 days ago, when they kicked out former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy — the first time that had happened in the history of Congress.

Since then, all legislative activity has been at a standstill. GOP energy has instead focused on debate and dysfunction within the Republican conference, unable to get everyone to agree on their own leader.

“The world’s on fire, our adversaries are watching what we do,” said Texas Rep. Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “Every day that goes by, it gets more dangerous.”

McCaul has been one of the most vocal critics of fellow Republicans for failing to choose a House Speaker at a time when the war between Israel and Hamas is raging.

“I see a lot of threats out there. One of the biggest threats I see out there is in that room,” he said, pointing to a room in the Capitol basement where fellow Republicans were meeting at the time.

Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who was ousted from the post 10 days ago, says he’s supporting Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan to be the next speaker.

“I think Jim’s better prepared in the process to be speaker,” he said.

Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga., is also seeking the speakership, though he’s indicated in comments to reporters that he’s running primarily to kick-start the process.

McCarthy lamented that the House has been at a standstill since he was kicked out of the top job in the lower chamber.

“This whole time we haven’t been able to follow through on our bills that we’re trying to get done. We haven’t been able to do investigations,” he said. “We’ve got 4% of the caucus that really wants to have chaos.”

Some GOP lawmakers have said they still support McCarthy for speaker, but he downplayed the possibility of him returning to his old job.

“Out of all of the folks that have thrown their hat into the ring, he is head and shoulders above the rest, in the majority that he’s able to put together,” said Rep. John Rutherford, R-Florida.

Rutherford is critical of fellow Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, who triggered the motion to vacate, which led to McCarthy’s ouster.

The Georgia Republican was first elected to Congress in 2010 and is a conservative. He is not a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, which Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, helped to create.

Scott made it clear this week that he would not support Jordan, who’s again seeking the speakership.

Some view Scott’s candidacy as the potential for a protest vote against Jordan, which could include supporters of Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who dropped out of the race Thursday night.

Scott is a member of the House Intelligence Committee and the House Armed Services and has been active on military matters.

A new GOP candidate for Speaker of the House. Georgia Congressman Austin Scott is going up against Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan. https://t.co/CutdukneMV

— Mitchell Miller (@mmillerwtop) October 13, 2023

Republicans have again gathered behind closed doors on Capitol Hill to try to agree on a House Speaker, after Majority Leader Steve Scalise dropped out Thursday night, when it became clear he didn’t have the votes.

But it’s not clear anyone else can get the necessary 217 votes either.

Lawmakers returned Friday to the Longworth Building, to see if they can make any progress, in the midst of what many within the GOP admit has been an embarrassment for the party.

“If you look at where our conference is, there’s still work to be done,” Scalise said after ending his effort to become the next House Speaker. “There are still some people that have their own agendas and…and we have to have everyone put their agendas on the side.”

But that hasn’t happened yet.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan is going to try to become Speaker again, after narrowly losing the nomination to Scalise earlier this week.

But Jordan only received 99 votes in that closed-door contest — nowhere close to the votes he’ll need on the House floor.

The House has now been paralyzed, taking up no legislation for 10 days, since the ouster of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

Meanwhile, issues including the war involving Israel and Hamas, aid for Ukraine and next month’s pending government shutdown deadline can’t be addressed while the House is at a standstill.

The U.S. House of Representatives has been paralyzed for more than a week, since the historic ouster of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.

While Republicans narrowly voted to make Majority Leader Steve Scalise their nominee this week, he still doesn’t have enough support to get approved as House Speaker on a floor vote.

Scalise can’t afford to have more than four GOP lawmakers vote for someone else, or he can’t get the 217 votes needed to get the House gavel. But at least a dozen Republicans have said they won’t vote for him and plan to support House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan, who was defeated in the closed-door vote for the nomination.

The situation has frustrated many Republicans, who note the world is seeing a dysfunctional Congress, at a time when Israel — a key U.S. ally in the Middle East — is dealing with its most serious crisis in a half-century.

The situation is so unsettled that some Republicans have been exploring whether Rep. Patrick McHenry, who’s the Speaker Pro Tempore, could somehow preside over legislative activity.

McHenry, who’s an ally of McCarthy, is effectively the “acting” Speaker.

But there’s disagreement over what — if any — actual power he has in that role.

For now, the House remains at a standstill and is unable to take up a bipartisan resolution in support of Israel because the lower chamber is not functioning as a legislative body

Republicans nominated Majority Leader Steve Scalise on Wednesday to become the next House Speaker, as GOP lawmakers seek to end a self-imposed paralysis of Congress amid the worst Middle East crisis in decades.

Scalise was narrowly elected 113-99 Wednesday during a closed-door vote, over House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, who had been endorsed by former President Donald Trump.

The full U.S. House of Representatives must still vote to approve Scalise as Speaker, before any legislative action can be taken.

Read more

NEW: GOP lawmakers say Republicans have nominated Majority Leader Steve Scalise as the House Speaker, over Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan. Vote: 113-99. Lawmakers must still vote on the nomination on the House floor.

— Mitchell Miller (@mmillerwtop) October 11, 2023