Congress

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Congress Won't See Its Own Pay Interrupted

Federal workers brace for missed pay while lawmakers keep collecting their salaries

(Newser) - The first government shutdown since December 2018 is now in effect, meaning hundreds of thousands of employees are furloughed, and many more "essential" workers must clock in without pay. (The New York Times has a detailed visual breakdown here .) One group that will keep getting paid if...

Looks Like a Shutdown, Both Sides Say After Talks

Negotiations are blocked over health care spending as deadline approaches

(Newser) - Democratic congressional leaders left the White House on Monday without a deal to avert a government shutdown, which otherwise would take effect at 12:01am Wednesday. Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer said "large differences" remain between the parties on health care funding, the New York Times reports, and Vice...

A Day Before Deadline, Trump, Congressional Leaders to Meet

Neither party is sure president will negotiate on avoiding government shutdown

(Newser) - President Trump and the top congressional leaders from both parties have agreed to meet Monday afternoon, one day before the deadline to avoid a government shutdown. Trump had canceled a meeting with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries last week, citing a lack of...

He Was the First Congressman Assassinated. Few Remember

James Hinds championed Black rights after the Civil War, as Longreads explains

(Newser) - On a lonely Arkansas road in 1868, Congressman James M. Hinds was assassinated for championing Reconstruction and Black civil rights—yet his name has been all but erased from American memory. A story at Longreads examines how the first congressman ever assassinated while in office—a man once called...

Epstein Records Turn Spotlight on Musk, Bannon, Thiel

Oversight Dems release documents that also name Bill Gates, point to massages for 'Andrew'

(Newser) - Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have released a set of documents from Jeffrey Epstein's estate that reference several high-profile individuals, including Elon Musk, Steve Bannon, Peter Thiel, Prince Andrew, and Bill Gates. The six pages, part of a much larger batch of 8,544 records, include pieces...

White House Sends Democrats an 'Extraordinary Ultimatum'

OMB orders agencies to draft plans for permanent job cuts in case of shutdown

(Newser) - Federal agencies are bracing for possible mass layoffs as the White House instructs them to draft permanent firing plans ahead of a potential government shutdown, according to a memo obtained by news outlets. In it, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) directs agencies to draft "reduction-in-force" (RIF)...

House Passes Spending Bill, Avoids Partial Shutdown

But prospects in the Senate look dim

(Newser) - The House on Friday passed a short-term spending bill to extend government funding for seven weeks and avoid a partial government shutdown on Oct. 1, but prospects looked dimmer in the Senate, where the two parties show no signs of budging on the matter. The bill would generally continue existing...

Greene Again Urges Split Between Red, Blue States

Congresswoman points to deep political divide and safety concerns

(Newser) - Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has reignited her call for a "national divorce," contending that political divisions in the US have grown too deep to bridge and warning that the country is "no longer safe for any of us." The congresswoman on Monday reiterated her previous...

After Kirk Killing, White House Seeks $58M Security Boost

Request to Congress cites increase in threats

(Newser) - In the wake of Charlie Kirk's assassination, the White House has asked Congress for $58 million in new security funding for top government officials. The request for funds to bolster security for the executive and judicial branches is being considered as part of a stopgap funding bill, with...

JFK's Grandson Eyes Nadler's Congressional Seat

Schlossberg forms exploratory committee as Nadler exits House race

(Newser) - John F. Kennedy's grandson , Jack Schlossberg— a frequent critic of the Trump administration, including his own cousin , Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—is eyeing a congressional run in Manhattan, USA Today reports. Schlossberg announced Sunday that he has officially set up an exploratory committee to consider a run...

First Meeting of the 'Rose Garden Club' Has Adjourned

President Trump hosts dinner for members of Congress in newly paved-over Rose Garden

(Newser) - President Trump hosted a dinner on Friday night for members of Congress in the newly paved White House Rose Garden, telling them they were the first gathering of what he dubbed the "Rose Garden Club." The president held a microphone as he addressed about 100 people, mostly House...

Trump Takes Tariff Battle to the Supreme Court

High court asked to decide limits of presidential trade authority

(Newser) - The Trump administration is seeking quick action from the Supreme Court to uphold President Trump's wide-reaching tariffs on foreign imports, following a significant legal setback, the New York Times reports. Last month, a federal appeals court invalidated the administration's most aggressive tariffs, ruling that Trump had overstepped...

1K HHS Staffers Sign Letter Urging RFK Jr. to Go

The American people have been 'put at risk,' per the letter

(Newser) - Over 1,000 current and former Health and Human Services staffers have signed their names to a letter released Wednesday that calls for HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to go, claiming his leadership endangers public health. In a letter sent to Kennedy and members of Congress, the Hill...

Congress Is Back, and the Clock Is Ticking

Lawmakers now face a tight deadline to avoid a government shutdown

(Newser) - Congress gets back to work on Tuesday, and the biggest immediate challenge will be to sidestep a government shutdown under a tight deadline. The current funding expires at the end of September, and with limited time to negotiate, many expect a short-term extension will be needed. Yet, as the...

Democratic Stalwart Leaving Congress After 34 Years

Jerrold Nadler steps aside amid calls for new leadership

(Newser) - Representative Jerrold Nadler, a staple of New York City's Democratic establishment and Congress' liberal wing for more than three decades, will step down at the end of his current term, he tells the New York Times . Nadler, 78, said he was motivated by a growing demand for generational...

Panel Subpoenas Epstein Estate for Client List, Birthday Book

House committee seeks records on associates, finances, and possible coverups

(Newser) - The House Oversight Committee on Monday issued a sweeping subpoena to the estate of Jeffrey Epstein, demanding to see any client lists the disgraced financier may have had, as well as a leather-bound "birthday book" reportedly put together by Ghislaine Maxwell and containing messages from high-profile associates. The...

DOJ Pledges to Turn Over First Epstein Files This Week

Panel's deadline was Tuesday, and Democrats say the the department isn't in full compliance

(Newser) - The Justice Department has notified Congress it will start releasing documents related to Jeffrey Epstein as soon as Friday, according to Republican Rep. James Comer. The Kentucky Republican, who chairs a House Oversight subcommittee, said the DOJ committed to begin providing records the panel had subpoenaed, the Washington Post...

Court Lets Administration Block Billions Allocated to Foreign Aid

Appeals panel finds only GAO can challenge the freezes

(Newser) - A federal appeals court has allowed the Trump administration to continue withholding billions in foreign aid funding already allocated by Congress. The case revolved around President Trump's use of impoundment—the authority to delay or block spending. Aid groups had argued that power has strict legal limits, the...

MTG Urges Trump to Commute Santos' Sentence

Ex-congressman is serving 7 years for fraud, identity theft; Trump apparently hasn't ruled out commutation

(Newser) - Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is calling on President Trump to commute the sentence of George Santos, the former New York congressman now serving a seven-year sentence for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. Greene, a vocal Trump ally, posted a letter to the Justice Department on X that argued...

Federal Judges Question Trump's Tariff Powers Claim

'Tariffs seems to have no friends in that statute,' appeals court judge says of law Trump is using

(Newser) - A federal appeals court showed clear doubts Thursday about the Trump administration's claim to sweeping tariff powers under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act—a law that, notably, never mentions tariffs. The Justice Department contends President Trump can use the statute to levy broad new taxes on imports,...

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