Congress

A stakeout outside the meeting of the House Democratic Caucus on Dec. 20, as partial government shutdown looms.

A day before a potential government shutdown, the House rejected President-elect Donald Trump’s new plan Thursday to fund operations and suspend the debt ceiling, as Democrats and dozens of Republicans refused to accommodate his sudden demands. Details of the new bill have not been released. The government is set to shutter on Saturday. Follow here […]

While Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continued his tour of Capitol Hill in a quest to gain backing from lawmakers, a group of Republican senators launched a new caucus to support the objectives of President-elect Donald Trump and his pick to head the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The Congressional Make America Healthy Again […]

Stakeout of the Congress Democratic Caucus meeting at 4:00 p.m. ET on Dec. 19.

The House votes on the short-term spending bill at 5:30 p.m. ET on Dec. 19.

WASHINGTON—The House on Dec. 19 voted down a pared-down, Trump-backed plan to fund the government with just more than 24 hours until a government shutdown begins. In a 235–174 vote, lawmakers rejected the proposal. The group voting against the bill included all but two Democrats and a slate of conservative Republicans. The bill, which advanced […]

Congress has until midnight Friday to come up with a way to fund the government or federal agencies will shut down, meaning hundreds of thousands of federal employees could be sent home—or stay on the job without pay—just ahead of the holidays. Republicans abandoned a bipartisan plan Wednesday to prevent a shutdown after President-elect Donald […]

Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Thom Tills (R-N.C.) hold a news conference on disaster relief at 3:00 p.m. ET on Dec. 19.

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), and Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) make a statement in Congress at 6 p.m. ET on Dec. 18.

WASHINGTON—Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) said on Wednesday night the massive stopgap funding bill put forward by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) was scrapped after President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance came out in opposition to the bill. “There is no new agreement right now,” Scalise told reporters, and lawmakers are “looking at […]

The U.S. Senate passed the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on Dec. 18, bringing the $895.2 billion bill one step closer to becoming law. The 85–14 Senate vote came one week after the House passed the military budget measure. The bill now goes to President Joe Biden’s desk for consideration in his final weeks […]

The Congress Joint Economic Committee holds a hearing on “Trade Wars & Higher Costs: The Case Against Trump’s Tariffs” at 2:30 p.m. ET on Dec. 18. Witnesses: Ed Gresser, vice president and director for trade and global markets, Progressive Policy Institute Brendan Duke, senior director for economic policy, Center for American Progress Erica York, senior […]

The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property holds a hearing on restoring America’s status as the global IP leader at 2:00 p.m. ET on Dec. 18. Witnesses: Jacob Babcock, CEO,  NuCurrent Joshua Landau, senior counsel, Innovation Policy,  Computer and Communications Industry Association Kristen Jakobsen Osenga, professor of law, University of Richmond School of Law Jorge […]

The House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Limited Government holds a hearing at 2:00 p.m. ET. on Dec. 18 on “Revisiting the Implications of the FACE Act: Part 2” to examine the Department of Justice’s unequal application of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act. Witnesses: Erin Hawley, senior counsel and vice […]

The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet holds a hearing on “IP and Strategic Competition With China: Part IV—Patents, Standards, and Lawfare” at 10 a.m. ET on Dec. 18.

Though they have expressed alignment with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on issues like ending corporate capture of health agencies and removing chemicals from America’s food supply, some Republican lawmakers have expressed displeasure over the Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary nominee’s stances on abortion and vaccines. On Dec. 17, Kennedy met with multiple Republican senators […]

The Senate Committee on the Budget holds a full committee hearing titled “Next to Fall: The Climate-Driven Insurance Crisis is Here—And Getting Worse” at 10:00 a.m. ET on Dec. 18. Witnesses: Benjamin Keys, professor of real estate and finance, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania Ernest Shaghalian Jr., independent insurance agent, Butler & Messier Inc. Insurance, […]