Author: Juliegrace Brufke, Washington Examiner

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee announced on Friday 29 members it is placing in its front-line program aimed at helping incumbent lawmakers in swing districts retain their seats as the party looks to flip back control of the lower chamber in 2024. The list includes familiar names from swing districts during the 2022 cycle, in…

Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) slammed GOP lawmakers opposing his bipartisan rail safety bill following the East Palestine train derailment in Ohio, questioning their motives during a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing on Thursday. The freshman lawmaker, who is leading the legislation along with Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), stated he is a conservative but…

Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) blamed Joe Biden for negotiations over the debt ceiling stalling, telling reporters on Wednesday that the president has not reached out for an additional meeting to further talks since they met last month. McCarthy’s comments follow a House briefing with Congressional Budget Office Director Phillip Swagel the speaker convened on Wednesday,…

House Republicans are taking a victory lap over the all-but-certain passage of GOP legislation aimed at blocking Washington, D.C.’s controversial changes to its criminal code, reveling in particular at how President Joe Biden’s reversal on the matter blindsided many House Democrats. The resolution, led by Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-GA), will be taken up on the…

Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) defended his decision to release footage of the Jan. 6 Capitol riot to Fox News host Tucker Carlson on Tuesday, splitting with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who blasted the move after the conservative media personality downplayed the severity of the siege. The California Republican repeatedly sidestepped questions on whether…

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is slated to meet with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in California instead of Taipei in an effort to avoid acts of aggression from China, the Financial Times reported on Monday. The California Republican, who has been vocal in his support for Taiwan’s independence, vowed to visit the island prior to…

Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN) played a key role in building the new House Republican majority. Now, as House majority whip, he’s helping to coach it, a familiar position going back to his ice hockey days. Emmer, first elected in 2014 to Minnesota’s 6th Congressional District in the northern and western Minneapolis exurbs, was twice chairman…

House Republicans need to prove they can govern now that they have taken back control of the chamber, says House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA). Scalise, now second in House Republican leadership behind Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), believes GOP lawmakers, who hold a 222-213 edge over Democrats, can tackle large portions of their agenda despite…

Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) said she would vote to repeal the Washington crime bill, one day after President Joe Biden told Senate Democrats at a caucus lunch that he would not veto the legislation should it arrive on his desk. Murray’s decision, which follows centrist Democrat Joe Manchin (WV) announcing that he’d oppose Washington’s crime…

Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA), tapped by House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) as chief deputy whip, said he is confident Republicans can get key pieces of legislation passed despite operating with a razor-thin majority. As the highest appointed role in the House Republican Conference, the chief deputy whip frequently acts as a launching pad for…