RARE PHOTOS: 6 - The Real Truth

Robust House majority backs sanctions on Russia and Iran

The House voted Wednesday evening to pass sanctions legislation targeting Russia and Iran, sending the long-delayed package to the Oval Office. The vote was 262-159 on the bill, which includes a childhood education measure that the Senate had used as a vehicle for the sanctions text. The Senate passed the…

Roll Call · Sep 16

Surgeon general nominee won’t renounce RFK Jr. vaccine decisions

Surgeon general nominee Nicole Saphier, seeking to be confirmed as the nation’s top health educator and spokesperson, on Wednesday declined to fully distance herself from the Trump administration’s changes to the childhood vaccine schedule when pressed by a prominent Republican. During a hearing of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee,…

Roll Call · Sep 16

One Republican rages against House’s early exit

As the House heads home early this week with no plans to return until November, at least one Republican isn’t happy about it.  In a rare use of members’ “personal privilege,” Rep. Thomas Massie continued a feud with Speaker Mike Johnson, who earlier this month accused the Kentucky Republican of…

Roll Call · Sep 16

Oversight panel recommends holding billionaire Leon Black in contempt

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Tuesday afternoon recommended holding an associate of Jeffrey Epstein in contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with congressional subpoenas related to the investigations of the late sex offender and his former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell.  The committee voted, 41-0, to approve its report…

Roll Call · Sep 15

College NIL bill moves forward on Senate floor

A potentially landmark Senate college sports bill easily cleared a procedural hurdle on Tuesday, moving the bipartisan legislation one step closer to advancing out of the chamber. The Senate voted 74-24 on the procedural step, which opens a path to an eventual vote on passage.  Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., one…

Roll Call · Sep 15

AI threats confront a Congress far from erecting guardrails

In the wake of recent dire warnings from industry about the national security risks of frontier artificial intelligence models, lawmakers have been quick to express concern and call for industry or legislative guardrails. But action before the midterm elections looks unlikely as neither party has coalesced around a legislative plan…

Roll Call · Sep 15

Kevin McCarthy looks back on his brush with the speakership

As Kevin McCarthy pulled a drape off his smiling portrait at the Capitol on Tuesday, it wasn’t the only blast from the past. Crowded into Statuary Hall for the unveiling were members past and present, ranging from fierce loyalists to rivals to erstwhile friends. Even a Democrat sang the former…

Roll Call · Sep 15

Blanche vows to continue midterm efforts despite court blocking mail ballots rule

Attorney General Todd Blanche on Tuesday said the Trump administration would not be slowed in its efforts to oversee the midterm elections by a Supreme Court decision blocking an unprecedented mail ballot rule. During a press briefing in the Rose Garden, President Donald Trump’s former personal attorney defended his former…

Roll Call · Sep 15

Texas Democrats see opportunity in potential GOP-drawn ‘dummymander’

SAN ANTONIO — Johnny Garcia donned his signature cowboy hat, grabbed a stack of candidate brochures and hit the neighborhoods of northern Bexar County on a sweltering Saturday morning. Campaigning for a House seat redrawn to favor Republicans, the Texas Democrat approached Matthew Naef and launched into his pitch. “I…

Roll Call · Sep 15

Iran war has cost $38 billion and counting, CBO says

The Iran war directly cost the Pentagon $38 billion through July and is likely to consume $2 billion to $3 billion more per month if recent hostilities in the region continue, the Congressional Budget Office reported Tuesday.  The CBO report’s estimate of the war’s direct impact on the federal budget is…

Roll Call · Sep 15