Fifty-fifty, Fetterman and filibuster: What could a split Senate look like? - Roll Call Fifty-fifty, Fetterman and filibuster: What could a split Senate look like? - Uncategorized Roll Call · Oct 27
‘Toothless messaging’? Senate agenda caught up in midterm branding As senators looked for the exits this week, Republican leaders forced votes on two hot-topic campaign issues: data center electricity costs and lawmakers’ ability to buy and sell stocks. Democrats tried to label both as “toothless” last-ditch messaging bids, saying Republicans are merely trying to boost their sagging polls as… Roll Call · Sep 30
Voluntary ratepayer protection bill blocked in Senate again A bipartisan bill aimed at pressuring state utility regulators to reduce data center-related costs stalled in the Senate again Wednesday after a procedural vote to take up the bill fell short of the 60 supporters needed to move forward. The cloture vote on the motion to proceed was 57-43, keeping the… Roll Call · Sep 30
AI export controls debate rages as Trump, Xi meet Senate Democrats are using Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s high-profile state visit to Washington this week to press Republicans for votes on export control legislation restricting Beijing’s access to advanced chips used in artificial intelligence technology. The bills in question have bipartisan support, and Republicans agreed to include them in a… Roll Call · Sep 23
Permitting deal down to the wire as senators look to the exits Senate negotiators expressed optimism over negotiations on legislation to overhaul the federal environmental permitting system, even as text remains elusive in what could be the final week in session before the midterm elections. This was expected to be a make-or-break week for a bill to streamline the process for greenlighting infrastructure projects, from… Roll Call · Sep 23
Senate Democrats continue staff diversity survey, despite Trump’s anti-DEI trend Staff working for Senate Democrats are significantly more diverse than a decade ago, according to the results of their annual survey. Forty-three percent of Senate Democratic staff now identify as nonwhite, up from about a third in 2017, when the survey first began. The report comes as President Donald Trump… Roll Call · Jul 31
Sen. Lindsey Graham leaves the Capitol a final time The late Sen. Lindsey Graham returned to the Capitol a final time Tuesday morning for a congressional tribute surrounded by his family, colleagues, staff and members of the Trump administration. The South Carolina Republican’s casket sat at the center of the Capitol Rotunda, underneath the Apotheosis of Washington fresco 180… Roll Call · Jul 28
Maine Democrats pick Troy Jackson to replace Platner as Senate nominee BANGOR, Maine – With just over 100 days to go until the midterm elections, former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson officially clinched the Democratic nomination for Senate at a party convention here Saturday, setting up a marquee fall matchup against longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins. Jackson will replace Graham Platner,… Roll Call · Jul 25
Wrapup: Congress’ July sprint off to a stumbling start Republican leaders laid the groundwork for a final dash to pass partisan legislative priorities before August recess. But if this week was any indication, it won’t be an easy run. First, Washington was struck by the sudden death of Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., on July 11. Moving quickly, South Carolina… Roll Call · Jul 17
Where has all the FISA fire gone? Congress let a key spy power lapse over a month ago. In the few legislative days left ahead of August recess, lawmakers don’t appear to be in any rush to change that. Discussions in the House have stalled as they wait for the Senate to move — even though Speaker… Roll Call · Jul 15
Supreme Court justices emphasize need for security funding Justices Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett pitched increased security funding for the Supreme Court next year at a pair of rare congressional hearings for sitting justices Tuesday that covered issues ranging from emergency cases to judicial ethics. Kagan and Barrett focused most of their testimony on increased security concerns… Roll Call · Jul 14
Platner, accused of sexual assault, suspends Senate campaign Maine Democrat Graham Platner suspended his campaign for Senate on Wednesday night, a move that allows the state party to select an alternate candidate to face Republican Sen. Susan Collins in a marquee matchup this fall. Platner’s announcement that he would drop out of the race comes two days after… Roll Call · Jul 8
Congress faces its own summer heat dome The sweltering Fourth of July weekend is over, but for both parties in House and Senate leadership, the heat is still cranked up. Both chambers are likely to return next Monday to the same sweat-inducing tangle of legislative problems that left them stumped as they headed out of town at… Roll Call · Jul 6
Senate clashes over fate of ‘anti-weaponization’ fund Senate Democrats sought to pass legislation to abolish the White House’s supposedly defunct “anti-weaponization” fund Tuesday, in a floor move blocked by Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn. Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., attempted to pass via unanimous consent the measure to stop the $1.8 billion fund from the Department… Roll Call · Jun 16
Roll Call · Jun 15 Trump soft pitches take-home pay message Buried deep inside President Donald Trump’s typical campaign trail stump speech have been brief mentions about boosting voters’ take-home pay, which could boost Republican congressional candidates in November. But there are worries in GOP circles that the president is not focused enough on his economic stewardship, amid sagging poll numbers,…
Roll Call · Jun 11 Senate plans fast action on Trump’s DNI pick Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters Thursday he will try to get President Donald Trump’s pick for director of national intelligence confirmed “as quickly as possible.” “I don’t know what realistic is, but we’re gonna probe the limits of it,” the South Dakota Republican said. Trump on Thursday afternoon…
Roll Call · Jun 11 At the Races: Eyes on the ball and the ballot Welcome to At the Races! Each week we bring you news and analysis from the CQ Roll Call campaign team. Know someone who’d like to get this newsletter? They can subscribe here. By Mary Ellen McIntire and Daniela Altimari Call it a sports week. New Yorkers are ecstatic after the Knicks went…
Roll Call · Jun 9 Ohio Senate candidates spar over donations tied, loosely or not, to Epstein by Lori Robertson ANALYSIS —Ohio voters are witnessing a battle of campaign television ads as each Senate candidate tries to tie the other to Jeffrey Epstein — by way of donations from those with some link to the late convicted sex offender. Democrat Sherrod Brown’s campaign charges that Republican Sen.…
Roll Call · Jun 5 Immigration bill passes without curbs on ‘anti-weaponization’ fund The Senate passed a nearly $70 billion reconciliation bill for immigration enforcement early Friday morning after rejecting repeated attempts by members of both parties to prohibit or restrict a Justice Department “anti-weaponization” fund. On a mostly party-line vote of 52-47, the Senate sent to the House a bill designed to…
Roll Call · Jun 4 Immigration budget bill suffers setback as House leaves town A GOP reconciliation bill for immigration enforcement appeared to be skating on thin ice Thursday night as the House suddenly left town for the week and lawmakers continued to wrangle over a Justice Department “anti-weaponization” fund. Senate opponents of the nearly $1.8 billion fund — derided by critics as a “slush…
Roll Call · Jun 3 In Iowa Senate race, Hinson-Turek matchup set for November Iowa state Rep. Josh Turek, a two-time Paralympic gold medalist who bills himself as a “commonsense prairie populist,” won the Democratic nomination for the state’s open Senate seat Tuesday. Turek beat state Sen. Zach Wahls in a contest that symbolized some of the party’s ideological divisions. Wahls ran as an…
Roll Call · Jun 2 Pulte pick raises concerns about DNI independence President Donald Trump’s pick of Bill Pulte to be the acting director of national intelligence got mixed reviews Tuesday on Capitol Hill, as some worried that the Trump ally may seek to weaponize the agency. Pulte, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency and chairman of Fannie Mae and…
Roll Call · Jun 1 Trump backs off ‘anti-weaponization’ fund after GOP backlash The Trump administration prepared to abandon its $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund” Monday after intense pushback from GOP lawmakers, potentially removing the biggest obstacle to a reconciliation bill for immigration enforcement. The administration will comply with a Friday order from a federal judge that temporarily blocked the fund, though it “disagrees…
Roll Call · Jun 1 This week: Reconciliation round two? After a weeklong recess, Senate Republicans return Monday with their focus set on ways to move their budget reconciliation package, which hit several hurdles before the Memorial Day break. The House, which has been on standby while Senate leadership works out how much of the White House wishlist they can…
Roll Call · May 21 Reconciliation bill punted until after Memorial Day recess Congressional leaders are closing up shop for the week without voting on their long-sought immigration budget bill, as Senate Republicans struggled to agree on legislative text amid an 11th-hour fight over a new Justice Department “anti-weaponization” fund. While Republican leaders had hoped to push the bill through both chambers on strictly…