Democrats’ focus on the racist replacement theory, which casts minorities as an existential threat to white people, signals a shift in how they respond to gun violence. While previous mass shootings have prompted calls for votes to put most Republicans on record for opposing gun legislation, Democrats are now trying to make Republicans answer for the discriminatory arguments that the Buffalo shooter allegedly backed in a diatribe he wrote before attacking a grocery store. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) set the tone on Monday. While Schumer said focusing on the shooter’s rhetoric is no substitute for enhanced background checks for […]
Politico
3318 posts
The new inspector general report, which POLITICO is detailing here for the first time, gives a much tamer characterization of events than Nehls provided. After scrutinizing the matter, the inspector general recommended that the department update procedures on balancing security interests with congressional offices’ confidential work. But in contrast to Nehls’ assessment of events, the inspector general report didn’t suggest officers engaged in malicious surveillance or attempted character assassination. The episode occurred last November. According to Nehls, an officer entered his office on Nov. 20, 2021, and took a photo of a whiteboard where his team had jotted notes about legislation […]
But there is a tug of war among competing factions inside the national security bureaucracy that will make it difficult for Congress to compel military branches, spy agencies, national laboratories and other organizations to come clean given the longstanding secrecy and stigma surrounding the issue. “Without forcing peoples’ hand, it is going to be very difficult to uncover legacy ventures and programs that we know about based on oral interviews we dug up,” said a Defense Department official who is involved in the new effort but was not authorized to speak publicly. “There has to be a forcing mechanism.” “There has […]
Roberts said neither Congress nor the Justice Department had offered an adequate rationale to justify the burden on the First Amendment which the court has previously found to be posed by campaign finance limits. The chief justice also argued that capping the amount of money a candidate can use to repay post-election loans could shrink the pool of candidates willing to run for office. “The ability to lend money to a campaign is especially important for new candidates and challengers,” wrote Roberts, an appointee of former President George W. Bush. “As a practical matter, personal loans will sometimes be the only […]
Cavoli — President Joe Biden’s nominee to lead U.S. European Command and become NATO’s supreme allied commander in Europe — would go on to graduate from Princeton University in 1987 with an A.B. in biology. His senior thesis, “The Effect of Earthworms on the Vertical Distribution of Slime Molds in the Soil,” didn’t exactly foreshadow the career of a wartime military leader. After graduating, he received his officer commission and joined the infantry, deploying to the first Gulf War and spending time in Italy and Germany. Along the way, he got a master’s degree from Yale in Russian Studies, adding a […]
The contrast between public image and political reality has bedeviled the 44-year-old Mace in multiple ways as she struggles to find her footing in Washington and win a second term in her closely watched swing district. She’s oscillated back and forth from Donald Trump backer to critic — while she’s trashed him in private, according to three former aides. On top of that, her office’s workplace culture is facing new scrutiny. While she worked to elect Trump in 2016, Mace became a fierce critic after last year’s Capitol riot, then later embraced her partisan-warrior side before taking a high-profile anti-Trump vote. […]
Sen. Chris Van Hollen speaks during a Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee hearing, Tuesday, May 10, 2022, on Capitol Hill in Washington. | Tom Williams/Pool via AP Photo By David Cohen 05/15/2022 10:46 PM EDT Updated: 05/15/2022 11:02 PM EDT Sen. Chris Van Hollen said in a statement released Sunday night he suffered “a small stroke.” “Earlier today, an angiogram indicated that I had experienced a minor stroke in the form of a small venous tear at the back of my head,” the Maryland Democrat said in his statement. Van Hollen said he experienced “lightheadedness and acute neck pain” […]
“You’ve got 48 members of the Senate who wanted to go forward with an agenda that helped working families, that was prepared to take on the wealthy and the powerful,” Sanders said. “You got a president who wanted to do that.” Senate Democrats struggled for much of last year to cobble together spending legislation that could pass on a party-line vote and make it to Biden’s desk. Manchin and Sinema have opposed key elements of the Build Back Better package, with Manchin delivering a death blow to the massive package late last year. The pair have also opposed changing the 50-50 […]
The GOP leader argues the United States will be there for Ukraine as long as it takes and that there’s “broad bipartisan support for helping them” despite 57 no votes in the House on the package and Sen. Rand Paul’s (R-Ky.) unilateral delay of the legislation in the Senate. Perhaps most important, McConnell is directly rejecting the notion that helping Ukraine comes at the expense of the United States. “It’s in America’s interest to do this. This is not a charity we’re involved in here. It’s in our interests to help Ukrainians just like it’s in the interest of NATO countries. […]
Senate Republicans have been pushing for a vote to reverse Biden’s move to roll back the public health-related border constraints, known as Title 42. Some top Senate Democrats have said they’re willing to give Republicans the vote to shake loose the pandemic money, but there are concerns that a vote could succeed. Asked about linking border with Covid aid, Pelosi said Biden “made the right decision” to roll it back the policy. “I don’t know why 42 would be on it. It has nothing to do with it,” Pelosi said. After backing off on attempts to pass it as part of […]
The president said Ukraine is defending not only its own state but all democratic values and freedoms and the right of people to freely choose their own future. “Russia is committing genocide against the Ukrainian people,” Zelenskyy told the delegation. “[Russian President Vladimir Putin] commits war crimes that horrify the whole world — torture, mass executions, rape. Europe has not seen such crimes since World War II,” he said. Zelenskyy hosted the delegation inside the House of Chimaeras, which is on the premises of the presidential administration. The visit comes as a $40 billion aid package to fortify Ukraine’s defenses against […]
“We will take some action,” said Jan. 6 committee Chair Bennie Thompson. “I’m not sure exactly what it will be.” The Republican targets have been similarly circumspect in their comments. While they’ve criticized the select committee, they’ve explicitly declined to say whether or not they will comply with the subpoenas. Jordan and Perry both said they had yet to receive the subpoenas. “Do you decide to do things when you haven’t even seen them?” Perry said rhetorically when asked how he would handle the subpoena. McCarthy ignored repeated questions about whether he would comply. But his lawyer, Elliot Berke, accepted service […]
The student loan fight is a key friction point between Biden and Senate Democrats. Schumer, Warren and Warnock are pressing Biden to cancel as much as $50,000 in student loan debt for borrowers, but Biden is considering much smaller relief. The progressive wing of the party believes big debt relief will energize voters, though centrist Democrats generally prefer a more measured approach. Warnock himself could benefit as he prepares to face voters this fall. Biden publicly ruled out $50,000 in cancellations last month but said he’s considering canceling “some” student loan debt. Schumer and his allied Democrats have been unbowed, keeping […]
While the price move may not be as immediately visible to the average consumer as the spike in gasoline, it will contribute to the inflation that has dogged Biden for months, mostly by raising costs for food, heating, plastics and utility bills. Homeowners in some states dependent on gas have complained their winter heating costs nearly doubled from the previous year. Unlike oil production, which fell off sharply when the pandemic kept people from driving, natural gas production reached its highest point ever last year and remains strong. But demand has outstripped that extra supply because a late-spring cold snap in […]
The select committee’s subpoena of Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Cheney’s former partner in the House GOP’s upper echelon, and four members of the Trump-aligned House Freedom Caucus puts the panel on the fast track to a court battle — raising the prospects that it blows past its self-imposed deadline to finish its work. If Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Mo Brooks (R-Ala.), Scott Perry (R-Pa.), Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) or McCarthy sues to contest the subpoenas, the fight could take months to resolve with an uncertain outcome. And the committee is operating on an expedited timeline. It’s scheduled about two weeks of highly […]
“We don’t have a pro-choice majority in the Senate. Even if we did, we certainly don’t have 60,” said Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.). “This fight gets carried now out into the community. And there’s going to be big demonstrations, I think, around the country … That’s sort of the reality of where we are.” Senate Democrats have raced to use the tools at their disposal to force Republicans to go on the record against abortion rights rather than trying to seek the sort of centrist compromise they embraced on infrastructure. That approach ended in a bitter reminder Wednesday that they don’t […]
Senate leaders still need to resolve some hangups before they can send the aid package to Biden’s desk, as they need buy-in from every single senator to move quickly. The upper chamber is expected to vote on tweaks to the package, including an amendment by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) that would designate a special federal watchdog to oversee how the $40 billion is spent. “It’s irresponsible to shovel $40 billion out the door without knowing where it goes,” Paul told reporters Thursday. Paul, who opposes the overall legislation, indicated a vote on his proposal may not be enough for him to […]
The Republican leader indicated he would not comply with the subpoena. “My view on the committee has not changed,” said McCarthy, who added he had not yet seen the subpoena. “They’re not conducting a legitimate investigation. It seems as though they just want to go after their political opponents.” The select committee demanded testimony from the five lawmakers in the final week of May. Spokespeople for the other four members did not immediately return a request for comment. Members of the select panel have wrestled for months with the question of how to handle their GOP colleagues. Chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) […]
“It’s a majority that comes and goes. Sort of like the tide,” said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.). “I don’t know exactly what I expected, but I certainly expected a little bit more clarity.” Now nearly 16 months and running, it’s by far the longest 50-50 Senate in history. And Democrats have had great success confirming President Joe Biden’s nominees, punctuated this week by installing a new FTC commissioner who gave Democrats the majority and the first Black woman on the Federal Reserve Board. But on a day-to-day basis, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s job is an excruciating grind based on whether […]
She will replace Adm. Karl Schultz as commandant. Schultz, who has been the Coast Guard’s top officer since 2018, is set to retire later this month. Fagan has previously served as deputy commandant for operations, policy and capability and as a deputy director of operations with U.S. Northern Command. She has served on every continent and aboard the heavy polar icebreaker USCGC Polar Star. Fagan is also the Coast Guard’s first-ever Gold Ancient Trident, an award created in 2016 and given to the officer with the longest service in the marine safety field. Biden nominated Fagan for the top post in […]
Yet the vote’s fate is the latest example of the constraints Democrats face in a 50-50 Senate. While the possible reversal of Roe has some senators calling for a workaround or end to the legislative filibuster to pass abortion rights legislation, there’s zero chance of that happening this Congress given opposition from Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.). Further, even if they could end or amend the filibuster, Democrats don’t appear to even have a simple majority that would vote to enact federal protections for abortion. February’s vote on a nearly identical bill largely previewed Wednesday’s expected vote tally. […]
The new effort shows House Democrats are still focused on probing the Trump administration’s actions nearly 18 months after it left office. Bernhardt, a former lobbyist, had faced numerous accusations while in office that he made decisions benefiting his former clients and hid documents such as his public schedule. “The findings of this investigation show us yet again that the previous administration cast career staff expertise aside while they handed out federal agency decisions to Trump’s buddies and big donors on a pay-to-play basis,” Grijalva said in a statement. “I strongly urge the Justice Department to take up this investigation and […]
“Too often, Congress recognizes issues too late,” Porter, a top GOP target this fall in a swing district, said in an interview. “I had a colleague mention to me, ‘We’re not seeing it in the polls’ … Well, you don’t know what to ask.” For Porter, the episode revealed how much work Democrats still need to do to assure voters they understand everyday anxieties, particularly inflation’s strain on family budgets. She’s not alone: Some Democrats have warned for months their party is falling short when it comes to communicating to an increasingly exasperated public. And the same challenge of effective messaging […]
“That whole line of attack is unsavory to me,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). “I have no doubt that he’s loyal to the United States.” National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair Rick Scott (R-Fla.), who is neutral in the primary, said “I don’t have a concern about it” and Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) said that “it’s a legit issue, but I think he’s answered it well. I don’t have any concerns about it myself.” Cramer added that Oz’s negative remarks about Turkey’s authoritarian president have helped: “For a guy who has dual citizenship, he’s been critical of [Tayyip] Erdoğan, which I think […]
“They are concerned about a timeline that [China] might have, the urgency, and that Taiwan has not had an acquisition strategy focused on the counter-invasion scenario,” said Randy Schriver, a top Asia policy official in the Pentagon during the Trump administration. “These are platforms and weapons that maybe are not optimized for that.” Taiwan has made clear its interest in larger American-made weapons such as the MH-60R Seahawk helicopter. But the Biden administration is trying to convince Taipei that these expensive items, while fine for peacetime operations, would not survive an all-out assault from the mainland. Instead, the administration is urging […]
“I’m old-school,” Durbin said. “Amendments on the floor, it’s part of the assignment. And now we have people scared to death of all amendments on both sides. And I think that really is taking away from this place.” Still, both he and Murray said the decision was ultimately up to Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. The Democratic leader has called the GOP’s push “extraneous” and supports the Biden administration’s decision to end the deportation policy known as Title 42, following a finding by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. When asked about a Title 42 vote Tuesday, Schumer reiterated that Republicans […]
“It would be a tragedy for Ukraine to have bought all this time with our help, only to lose the initiative now,” Thune said on the floor. Once leaders hash out final text, the legislation is expected to easily pass both chambers. But top Democrats’ decision to forgo adding $10 billion in Covid health funding to the package — at Republicans’ insistence — has caused consternation among the majority party, since the funding for testing, therapeutics and vaccines now faces an uncertain path to final passage. The Covid package might finally clear Congress on its own, however, after two Senate Democratic […]
“There’s no secret, I want to protect every single child. So if there’s an opportunity to be able to move, protect more children if we can, I’m going to do it,” said Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.). But, he added that the 60-vote threshold required to get most legislation through the Senate would present “the same impasse … There’s a big difference in voting for and actually moving legislation.” “I’m definitely advocating: Let the states handle this,” added Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), who is up for reelection this year. “Maybe once that process has played itself out, yeah. Maybe there’s a point […]
Baier interrupted Murphy to challenge him, saying the law — which has sparked a national battle over sex education and gender issues since being signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis in March — was narrowly tailored to prevent classroom discussion of LGBTQ issues for the state’s youngest students. “The bill is about not talking about sexual identity from K through third grade. That’s not targeting gay kids,” Baier said. Murphy disputed that: “Yes, it is, it’s absolutely is. It is sending a message to these kids that they are not worthy, that they should be ashamed of their identification.” Baier pushed […]
“Four justices in the last hearings I’ve witnessed have said that precedent matters and that precedent is the foundation of our legal system,” she said. “And so if they just feel they can just upend this precedent because they don’t like it today, well, that’s inconsistent with what they promised.” Collins (R-Maine) last week said she felt betrayed by what she saw in the draft opinion. “If this leaked draft opinion is the final decision and this reporting is accurate, it would be completely inconsistent with what Justice [Neal] Gorsuch and Justice [Brett] Kavanaugh said in their hearings and in our […]
“If Putin loses, then I think that’s a great day for Europe, a great day for the United States,” Graham said, adding later: “If Putin is still standing after all this, then the world is going to be a very dark place.” Graham said Putin is eager “to rewrite the map of Europe.” He also repeatedly said that the fate of Taiwan could be determined by the outcome of the war. “If Putin wins, then Taiwan is probably going to be invaded by China,” Graham said. Source link
Carney, who is consulting for Chuck Morse, the state Senate president seeking the Republican nomination to challenge Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), said Morse is “not running away from abortion” and has articulated his position when asked. But in a state where abortions are legal up to 24 weeks — and where polling shows the majority of voters favor some restrictions on the procedure — the campaign prefers to move on to other issues. “We’re going to talk about the economy, about energy, about the failed Biden policies, about the open border,” Carney said of Morse’s message. “The things he’s talked about […]
Those former staffers and other Republicans told POLITICO she frequently yells and curses at aides, belittling her staff’s intelligence and berating them in front of others — members, constituents and even with reporters in close proximity. On more than one occasion, three former staffers said, Spartz likened her aides’ writing skills to those of elementary-school students and proclaimed that her children were more talented than her staff. “That’s the common theme: Staffers do their job, and then Victoria comes in saying that they have no idea what they’re doing, that they are morons, calling them ‘idiots,’” said one former staffer. “Senior […]
The breach of a draft Supreme Court majority opinion striking down Roe reshuffled Democrats’ hand in a Senate defense dominated for weeks by inflation and border security. Abortion rights is now a flashpoint for the four Democratic senators running the cycle’s most hotly contested races: Cortez Masto, Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, Raphael Warnock of Georgia and Mark Kelly of Arizona. It’s an opportunity for some of the four to get off the back foot as they hammer their GOP opponents for opposing Roe v. Wade. But it’s also a challenge for the entire Democratic Party: Can it sustain its message […]
Lawmakers from both parties said it was a warning shot to Biden’s negotiating team, who have all but acknowledged in private that an agreement that goes beyond curtailing Iran’s nuclear program is no longer possible, according to multiple people familiar with classified Hill briefings on the subject. The vote was also a preview of the bipartisan rebuke that’s likely to come if the U.S. and Iran clinch an agreement that doesn’t address Iran’s non-nuclear activities and removes the IRGC’s terrorist designation — a “test vote,” in the words of one senator. “It is a strong expression of sentiment about where we’re […]
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has already induced some of the deepest revisions to European defense and security posture in at least a generation. But the $33 billion aid package the White House sent to Congress last month — added to the $3.4 billion already committed since Russia’s invasion — would transform and modernize both the Ukrainian and NATO militaries all at once, and is aimed at flushing the last remaining Russian military equipment from the alliance and severing many of the lingering industrial ties to Moscow. These rapid-fire changes are coming amid hurried debates over the intentions of an unpredictable Vladimir […]
“I don’t delude myself into thinking I have a big swath of the Republican Party,” Romney said in a Wednesday interview. “It’s hard to imagine anything that would derail his support. So if he wants to become the nominee in ‘24, I think he’s very likely to achieve that.” Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) speaks to the media as he arrives at the U.S. Capitol on April 25, 2022 in Washington, D.C. | Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images Though Tuesday was just one night in a crowded spring primary calendar, Trump’s romp in Ohio signals that — for all the talk of his waning […]
“There were some language challenges with the original version and I think they’re trying to eliminate those concerns,” said Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.). “They’re taking care of that. Is that enough to get Manchin’s support? I don’t know.” Meanwhile, the GOP’s two pro-abortion-rights senators, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, are still pressing for a vote on the narrowest possible Roe-preserving measure — despite Democratic leaders’ disinterest in it so far. With the legislative filibuster still intact, requiring 60 votes to pass most bills, Democrats acknowledge the coming Senate floor vote will be largely symbolic. Still, party leaders argue it’s necessary to […]
At Tuesday’s private Republican Party lunch, he told his members to concentrate on the breach of the draft opinion in their responses, particularly if they felt uncomfortable with addressing the substance of Justice Samuel Alito’s document, according to four attendees. And in public remarks afterward, McConnell distanced his longstanding push to reshape the federal judiciary from the future of Roe. Yet his allies said that there’s no way Roe v. Wade would be in imminent danger without a series of decisions McConnell made over roughly a decade reflecting his single-minded focus on installing a conservative judicial majority. Stopping Garland and installing […]
Here’s a roundup of notable responses from members of Congress. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) “If this leaked draft opinion is the final decision and this reporting is accurate, it would be completely inconsistent with what Justice [Neal] Gorsuch and Justice [Brett] Kavanaugh said in their hearings and in our meetings in my office,” Collins said in a statement. “Obviously, we won’t know each Justice’s decision and reasoning until the Supreme Court officially announces its opinion in this case.” Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) “The filibuster is the only protection we have in democracy,” Manchin said. “I’m not going to comment on a […]
On Tuesday morning, Chief Justice John Roberts confirmed the draft’s authenticity — emphasizing that it was not a final opinion — and said he had ordered the marshal of the Supreme Court to investigate the “betrayal of confidence.” Though little is known about how the draft opinion came to light — or who might benefit most from its disclosure — some Republicans portrayed it as a breach by a progressive clerk or justice hoping to marshal public pressure against the five justices linked to the document. It’s the latest in a string of Republican accusations about the sources of breaches in […]
One of those lawmakers is Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), a member of both committees who has called the phenomena “an urgent issue” and for the first time is expressing her public dissatisfaction at the response. “Senator Gillibrand believes that the DoD needs to take this issue much more seriously and get in motion,” said one of her aides, who requested anonymity in order to discuss private conversations. “They have had ample time to implement these important provisions, and they need to show us that they are prepared to address this issue in the long-term.” Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) speaks during a […]
The two urged their fellow lawmakers to testify: “We urge our colleagues to join the hundreds of individuals who have shared information with the Select Committee to get to the bottom of what happened on January 6th.“ In its letter to Biggs, the committee said multiple House Republican lawmakers sought presidential pardons “for activities taken in connection with President Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.” The committee cited former White House personnel — many of whom have spoken with its investigators in recent weeks — as the basis for that statement. Biggs, a former chair of […]
“I think the strategy doesn’t change,” said Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.), the group’s deputy chair, who added: “Obviously, the more people who are engaged, the more ideas we have, the more momentum we have, the better.” Katie Porter (D-Calif.) is the deputy chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. | Francis Chung/E&E News Within its chamber, the group arguably has fewer reasons to make a strategic shift. A swath of centrist retirements this year means progressives will likely comprise a bigger share of the Democratic caucus in the next Congress, boosting their internal sway. But they’re not ready to talk about tangible […]
Time is running short, tensions high. And Republicans aren’t shy about their goals: They want to break Democrats’ resolve to pass another party-line tax and spending bill. If bipartisan negotiations on climate do just that, then “hallelujah,” as bipartisan group member Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) put it. Most Democrats say there’s no chance they will abandon their last-ditch effort to pass a big GOP-free bill lowering prescription drug prices, reforming the tax code and plowing billions into curbing carbon emissions. The man in the center of it all says the blunt force of a party-line filibuster sidestep “is for taxes” and that […]
“From my perspective, unless there are other elements of the deal, that would not be a good deal,” he said. Opposition to an agreement would not be inconsistent with Menendez’s prior stances. In August 2015, he announced his opposition to the original deal: “This deal is based on ‘hope.’ Hope is part of human nature, but unfortunately it is not a national security strategy.” In May 2018, then-President Donald Trump announced he was withdrawing from the “decaying and rotten” agreement, which also included Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia, and the European Union. The U.S. withdrawal left the deal more or less […]
“Our delegation traveled to Kyiv to send an unmistakable and resounding message to the entire world: America stands firmly with Ukraine,” the group said in a statement. “When we return to the United States, we will do so further informed, deeply inspired and ready to do what is needed to help the Ukrainian people as they defend democracy for their nation and for the world.” The short trip carried immense security risks as Russian forces continue to attack civilian areas across Ukraine. Pelosi, who is second in line to the presidency, is now the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit the battered […]
“They meant to be much further along in the total encirclement,” said the official who asked for anonymity in order to candidly discuss operations. Now they are “nowhere close to linking north with south.” Russian forces are wary of repeating their mistakes trying to take Kyiv, where ground forces advanced too far ahead of their supply lines and did not have the resources to sustain the fight, the official said this week. Now, they are able to move only a few kilometers on any given day, the official said. “They literally just sprinted to Kyiv and then didn’t have the backup, […]
Some of the people closest to the group’s complicated origin story warn that if it doesn’t return to its roots, moving away from firebrands is more likely to cause a stir than sponsor a bill, its influence risks waning just as the GOP reclaims the majority. Admission requirements The Freedom Caucus launched in 2015 with a vow to promote “open, accountable and limited government, the Constitution and the rule of law, and policies that promote the liberty, safety and prosperity of all Americans.” Members had to be willing to oppose a House rule, the most blatant form of opposing party leaders […]
The DSCC is reserving $8.4 million in Nevada, $7.5 million in Arizona, $7 million in Georgia and $4 million in New Hampshire, according to a DSCC aide. The party is also going on offense in two states, reserving $3 million in Pennsylvania, which is an open seat due to the retirement of Republican Sen. Pat Toomey, and $3 million in Wisconsin, where GOP Sen. Ron Johnson is running for reelection. The initial reservations are just the first chess move by Senate Democrats and, like other groups, the DSCC is likely to add to and modify its ad campaigns as the Senate […]
Yet, last week we had the bizarre and disturbing spectacle of Greene, in what is supposed to be a democratic republic, testifying in a proceeding to determine whether she can appear on the Georgia primary ballot or not. The attempt to get her off the ballot, pursued by some voters in her district and a group calling itself, unironically, Free Speech for People, never should have gotten this far. But a federal judge let it proceed, even though similar efforts have been blocked in North Carolina and Arizona. The argument is that, in encouraging Trump backers to reject and to push […]
In the meantime, Democratic leaders are caught in a bind, acknowledging that they’ll have to give Republicans a vote on Title 42 if the GOP follows through on its vow to block any pairing of Ukraine aid and Covid funding. “Considering them together makes good sense. And I’d really regret that my Republican colleagues would try to mire them down with extraneous and irrelevant immigration issues,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said. “There’s bipartisan support for both. If they want to play political games with either Ukraine or Covid, that’s a really unfortunate decision.” In the near term, many Democrats appear willing […]
“I said: ‘I’m sorry if this caused you problems,’” the Louisiana Republican told POLITICO in a brief interview, indicating that he spoke on the January 2021 tape out of a potentially hazy understanding of the facts: “I still haven’t been able to get all the details of what those accusations were, but I was being told things, and I know members were getting death threats and I was just very sensitive to that.” The meeting in Scalise’s office came hours after Gaetz first pressed the GOP whip behind closed doors Wednesday morning to either issue a retraction of his criticism or […]
She wrote a New York Times op-ed last week claiming Democrats are “headed toward big losses in the midterms” without delivering on their goals, sat for a lengthy Crooked Media podcast interview to push the party to make deals on issues it ran on in 2020, then did a rare three-network sweep on the Sunday shows. Democrats can’t afford to lose a single Senate seat and are at great risk of losing the House in November — but Warren is offering a prescription that’s in keeping with her policy-wonk identity during the 2020 primary. She wants anti-price gouging legislation and a […]
“It’s a distraction that some New York Times reporters would rather report on things that Americans don’t care about, instead of focusing on what’s causing the inflation, which is the reckless spending these guys are doing. Those are the issues. The tape’s not.” With Trump himself also seeming to revel in the power he exerted through the McCarthy-tape episode, its effect on the California Republican’s future speakership prospects is looking questionable so far. While other factors may yet affect the strength of McCarthy’s hold on the gavel should his party retake the House next year, even some Trump allies who voted […]
Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) speaks to the crowd before former President Donald Trump takes the stage at a rally Saturday, April 9, 2022, in Selma, N.C. | Chris Seward/AP Photo Rep. Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina was found with a loaded handgun in the Charlotte Douglas International Airport on Tuesday, according to the city’s police department. Airport officers were notified after Transportation Security Administration officials located the gun in a bag at a security screening checkpoint. The Republican lawmaker was cooperative with police and was cited on a misdemeanor criminal charge for bringing the weapon into the airport. “Mr. Cawthorn stated […]
He said the production line is capable of building only a limited number at a time and added that the work ahead to replenish global stocks will require a larger commitment from the U.S. government to fund and sustain a higher rate of production. “We’ve been working with the DoD for the last couple of weeks, we’re actively trying to resource some of the material, but unfortunately, DoD hasn’t bought a Stinger in about 18 years and some of the components are no longer commercially available,” Hayes said. Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks called a meeting with the heads of eight […]
Austin’s remarks came after he and Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the capital of Kyiv on Sunday and announced several new U.S. actions, including an expanded diplomatic presence in the country and more military financing. On Tuesday, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby — speaking from Germany — elaborated on Austin’s latest assessment of the conflict, telling CNN that a victory for Ukraine “is certainly in the cards.” “I think winning is very clearly defined by a Ukraine whose sovereignty is fully respected, whose territorial integrity is not violated by Russia or any other country for that […]
Yet a court ruling late Monday could give Biden some breathing room, as a federal judge signaled plans to temporarily block the administration’s decision to end the pandemic-era border restrictions. Without that decision, border politics threaten to rend the Democratic Party as well as freeze a $10 billion bipartisan coronavirus aid deal that Republicans insisted should include at least an up-or-down vote on keeping Title 42. What’s more, Biden will soon ask Congress to deliver more money for Ukraine’s defense against a Russian invasion. That bill, unless Title 42 were preserved by other means like a court order, could be another […]
“We want to see Russia weakened to the degree that it can’t do the kinds of things that it has done in invading Ukraine,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters in Poland Monday. “It had already lost a lot of military capability and a lot of its troops, quite frankly, and we want to see them not have the capability to very quickly reproduce that capability.” U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken attend their meeting Sunday, April 24, 2022, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, not in the picture, in Kyiv, Ukraine. | Ukrainian Presidential Press […]
Russian forces appear to be positioning for a pincer movement launched from the north and south that would trap at least 30,000 Ukrainian troops in the east, and possibly cut them off from resupply. As of now, weapons and aid are getting through, but as this new, more destructive phase of the Russian assault begins, counter attacking from a distance will likely be key to Ukrainian success. Artillery has been a critical piece in the Ukrainian resistance thus far in the war, and volunteer units have effectively used commercial and homemade drones to spot Russian positions and walk in accurate artillery […]
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, left, and Rep. Michael McCaul, right, speak with reporters. | Alex Brandon/AP Photo Rep. Michael McCaul, the top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, on Sunday said House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy enjoys “very strong” support from his Republican colleagues after audio released last week showed that McCarthy wanted then-President Donald Trump to resign in the wake of the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection. Asked whether McCarthy can still lead the House Republican Conference, McCaul (R-Texas) told “Fox News Sunday” in an interview: “Absolutely. I think Kevin is in very good shape. In fact, [Trump] came […]
Biden had long promised to revoke Title 42. But even as the state of the pandemic has improved in recent months, Democrats fear the policy’s repeal could exacerbate a precipitous increase in migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border and expose the party to Republican attacks ahead of the midterm elections in November. “Yes, they’re listening to the immigration activists,” Cuellar told “Fox News Sunday” in an interview, referring to the White House. “But my question is, who’s listening to the men and women in green and in blue? And more importantly, who’s listening to the border communities, the sheriffs, the landowners, the […]
The fierce pushback is a glimpse into the volatile politics surrounding Title 42 and the pressures buffeting vulnerable swing-state senators like Hassan — one of four Democratic incumbents whose fate in November will likely determine control of the Senate. “I’m really furious. I don’t see what she thought she was going to gain by doing this,” said Eva Castillo, one of the signers of the letter and director of the New Hampshire Alliance for Immigrants and Refugees. “I really think she’s trying to pander to the right and she thought doing this is going to help her win some more support.” […]
The new evidence underscores the expansive cast of elected Republicans who had ultimately enlisted themselves in Trump’s last-ditch effort to cling to power. Members traded theories about ways to push then-Vice President Mike Pence to single-handedly stop Biden’s election, they parried with the White House Counsel’s Office on the boundaries of the law regarding presidential electors, and they met directly with Pence’s staff to encourage him to take direct action on Jan. 6, when Congress convened to count electoral votes. “They felt that he had the authority to — pardon me if my phrasing isn’t correct on this, but — send […]
The push for another lethal aid package comes as lawmakers and the Biden administration alike are looking to redouble U.S. support for Ukraine as the country’s war with Russia enters a new phase in the Donbas region. The president will formally request the money next week when lawmakers return to Washington. “I support a package to address continued research and investment and therapeutics and vaccinations that we need for Covid … but I also think it’s very important to get this aid out to Ukraine as quickly as possible,” Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) told reporters on a conference call from the […]
Joining McCarthy on the call was Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), who was then the third-ranking Republican. They briefly discussed the prospect of Trump’s Cabinet invoking the 25th Amendment, which would allow Trump to be immediately removed from office, and McCarthy revealed he had spoken to Trump within the previous “couple days.” A spokesperson for McCarthy did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The California Republican had responded to the reporting by Burns and Martin earlier in the day by calling it “totally false and wrong,” though his statement did not address specifics. Spokespeople for Cheney and the Jan. 6 […]
That gap of information looms as the House panel works to finalize a minute-by-minute account of Trump’s actions on Jan. 6, when he pushed Pence to prevent the transfer of power to Biden. Committee Chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) has remained publicly undecided about whether to seek testimony from Pence himself, noting that Pence’s closest advisers have cooperated fulsomely. But investigators must also confront whether Pence’s side of that conversation — for which no Pence advisers were present — is significant enough to ask him to fill in the blanks. It’s unlikely the committee will attempt to force Pence to testify. There […]
“If your words are ‘defund the police,’ they’re going to think you mean that. And they know the world is on fire,” she said after the police visit, sitting outside a Culpeper coffee shop. “They know things are upside down. They know they’re afraid, they know there’s a pandemic. So why are you going to just say you want to do something that you actually, maybe, don’t want to do?” Few Democrats expect that crime will be their biggest vulnerability going into November, with the GOP targeting inflation as their top issue. Still, incumbents like Spanberger say it remains a campaign […]
Among the allegations from Gebhardt’s clients: Capitol Police intelligence analysts were directed to scrutinize a religious leader who officiated a funeral that a member of Congress attended. Analysts were also directed to “conduct research” on the relatives of members of Congress as part of their security work, according to his statement. And they didn’t like it. “Analysts’ complaints were filed with the USCP chain of command, Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) and Inspector General (IG), as well as Congressional committees,” he said. Since President Donald Trump’s supporters attacked the Capitol, the Hill’s police department has gotten a new chief and two […]
The pledge covers ASAT tests in which a missile is launched from Earth or an aircraft at high altitude to blow up a satellite. Such tests, which have been conducted by the United States, Russia, China and India, dating back to the Cold War can create thousands of pieces of debris that pose a hazard to spacecraft for decades. The announcement does not include other less destructive ASAT weapons, such as “co-orbital” — which use another spacecraft to interfere with a satellite in orbit — or electronic jamming and computer hacks. The pronouncement comes after Russia fired a missile at a […]
The assault comes about two weeks after Russia rapidly repositioned tens of thousands of troops who had been mired in the Kremlin’s failed northern offensives around the capital of Kyiv where they were repeatedly blunted by Ukrainian resistance. In those northern fights, Russia lost thousands of troops and hundreds of tanks and vehicles to anti-armor weapons rushed into the country by the U.S. and its Western allies, a feat that officials in Kyiv hope to repeat in the east. But that Western help for what is expected to be a different war in Donbas has just begun to arrive, and has […]
President Joe Biden has adopted a similar tack this year as he’s cajoled the oil and gas industry to increase production to ease the high energy prices that are now the prime U.S. inflation drivers. And he’s stuck to his climate change message, saying that only a shift to clean energy will protect consumers from the perils of the global energy market and the rising temperatures caused by fossil fuels. Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and the party’s lawmakers in the state won early raves from environmental groups for their support for renewable energy and climate policies, while the Democrats have […]
Taken together, the two primary outside groups in Senate races have slotted nearly a quarter-billion dollars for the fall, with much more spending to follow those initial commitments. With Republicans currently favored to take the House, the 50-50 Senate is shaping up to be this fall’s marquee electoral contest. And it comes with huge stakes: The ability to control the Senate floor and confirm President Joe Biden’s nominees. “This is such a strong year that we need to invest as broadly and deeply as we can,” Steven Law, the Senate Leadership Fund’s president, said in an interview. “In the Senate, majority […]
Earlier this month, Upton opted to retire rather than seek reelection following redistricting. He was one of a small group of House Republicans who voted to impeach then-President Donald Trump in January 2021 and who voted for the bipartisan infrastructure package later that year. Upton said that if Republicans only obtain a slim majority, that would give additional leverage to firebrand members like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) who could complicate leadership’s ability to corral votes on key issues such as raising the debt ceiling. “That’s why this over/under number is so important. Are we going to be over or under […]
“I should’ve quit long before I did,” said Kelley, who did legal work for CELDF before leaving the organization in November. Kelley uses both they/them and she/her pronouns and identifies as agender, meaning they do not think of themselves as having a gender. In an interview, Stacey Schmader, the group’s executive director, acknowledged hearing a staff member not using people’s appropriate pronouns on staff calls, which she described as “not respecting other people.” But in a statement CELDF posted to its website in February after E&E News inquired about the workplace complaints, the group denied the accusations of a hostile environment: […]
A Pentagon spokesperson declined to comment, citing Reid’s personal privacy. And Reid, reached by POLITICO, said he could not discuss the matter without prior approval from the Pentagon press office and did not respond to direct questions about his current employment status. Reid, 63, has been carrying out a series of high-profile tasks since the IG investigation was completed in April 2020 after at least four anonymous complaints dating back to 2019. Reid, who has worked at the Pentagon for 15 years, led the Afghanistan Crisis Action Group created during the chaotic U.S. military withdrawal last year. The group was responsible […]
“We can’t have this mindset of ‘burn the House down,’” said Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, another Republican with a bipartisan streak who plans to stick around next year. “We got to be a governing party when we’re in the majority, so we need people like Upton and folks like that. So other people have to step up.” The jolt from Upton’s retirement is less about protecting his seat, as it will likely stay in GOP hands, and more about the question before the House minority leader: What will the exodus of his centrists, as well as other senior Republicans who […]
The space agency has yet to develop a specialized training program for the astronauts, lacks critical equipment such as new space suits to protect them against deadly levels of radiation, and is still pursuing a range of technologies to lay the groundwork for a more permanent human presence, according to NASA officials, former astronauts, internal studies and experts on space travel. “This time you are going to need astronauts that are going to actually get out and start to live on the moon,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in an interview. “We’re going to build habitats up there. So you’re going […]
Durbin (D-Ill.), meanwhile, said he’s concerned about the bill’s prospects, particularly given Republican accusations during Jackson’s confirmation hearings that the justice-in-waiting was soft on crime. The Judiciary chair ranked criminal justice as high on his list of priorities, though he said legislation addressing crime and law enforcement “may be just as challenging as immigration” — a famously tough area of bipartisan compromise on Capitol Hill. While both Durbin and Grassley say the sequel legislation is necessary to fully implement and expand on the sentencing updates in the First Step law, the campaign-season politics surrounding criminal justice reform threaten broader GOP support. […]
“It’s not even so much that I think the administration is recommitting to oil and gas, it’s that nobody can tell what they’re trying to do,” said Justin Guay, director of global climate strategy at the environmental group Sunrise Project. “They’re not telling a coherent story.” The pressure on Biden to respond to the immediate crisis was underscored Tuesday when the Labor Department said inflation jumped 8.5 percent in March from a year earlier— the biggest increase since December 1981. Energy prices surged by 18.3 percent in March and accounted for over half that increase. Some green advocates close to the […]
But as it readies its voluminous findings, committee members are facing a handful of momentous choices about how to close out its probe, as well as what aspects are best left alone. Here are five endgame scenarios the committee must confront before going public: Calling Donald Trump: Not if, but when and how The committee is almost certain to seek testimony from Trump himself; it has long been seen as a fait accompli. While members of the panel have treaded cautiously around the question of whether to call the former president, it’s clear through court filings — and one landmark ruling […]
As for evidence against Trump, Cheney pointed to U.S. District Court Judge David Carter’s ruling last month that Trump “more likely than not” attempted to illegally obstruct Congress in efforts to overturn the 2020 election. She also referred to a plea agreement for one of the Proud Boys leaders, which “lays out in really chilling detail the extent to which violence was planned.” And it’s important to remember, Cheney said, that Trump tweeted out “Be there. Be wild” on Dec. 19, 2020, summoning supporters to Washington on Jan. 6. “It’s absolutely clear that what President Trump was doing, what a number […]
Grassley’s comments reflect Republicans’ broader disinterest indirectly addressing one of the central questions of the midterm election: Would the Senate GOP repeat its 2016 blockade of a Democratic president’s high-court nominee? And would it go further by stopping a nominee even with more than a year left in Biden’s presidency? Most liberals think they already know the answer — yes. Yet Republicans say they haven’t discussed the matter as a conference and, judging by their comments this week, they don’t have a unified position. A vacancy in 2023 would be treated far differently than one in 2024, according to interviews with […]
“It’s time for more urgency from the administration as the gun violence epidemic gets worse by the day,” Murphy said in an interview this week. “A lot of us know that the president’s heart is in the right place and we’ve been really patient with his team.” Murphy is leading a brigade of lawmakers and advocates pressing Biden to take unilateral action on guns. In a March 25 letter, previously unreported, Murphy and 127 other Democratic lawmakers demanded that Biden move expeditiously on three fronts: — Issue new executive orders on federal gun licensing requirements and create a centralized task force […]
Tanks and armored vehicles have fired away at each other in open fields and small villages, reminiscent of the ugliest battles in World War II. But using drones to obliterate logistics columns or adjust fire for Ukrainian artillery batteries miles away from the front also offer a glimpse into a way of fighting that analysts have talked about for years, but are only now being put to use in Ukraine. A former U.S. special forces officer, who saw the change in Ukrainian special operations forces over the years, said by 2020, the Ukrainian commandos “looked, smelled and tasted like Western SoF.” […]
During the selection process, Schumer even suggested to White House chief of staff Ron Klain that Jackson would be the best option to get confirmed over the other names on Biden’s short list, according to a source familiar with the conversation. “We called [Biden] early on and said, ‘We’ve got to get a nominee quickly, the longer we wait, the tougher it’s going to be,’” Schumer recalled in an interview. The idea of a lightning quick confirmation didn’t sit well with everyone in the caucus. But “when you have 50 senators, you can’t delay. A lot of people wanted to delay […]
“The Republicans are playing politics with the health of the American people,” charged Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). “Blocking Covid protection money is a ticking time bomb for public health. So Democrats will come back and try to get the money we need, but this is not a good day for the health of the world.” Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), who spent the last several weeks negotiating the Covid deal on behalf of Republicans, shot back that Republicans are ready to approve the bill once Democrats grant them amendment votes. “As soon as we have an amendment process, we can get onto […]
The Senate’s twin votes came together quickly as the chamber was staring down a two-week recess and as lawmakers were reeling over images that emerged last weekend showing Ukrainian civilians in mass graves and lying dead in the streets with their hands bound after apparently being tortured. All 100 senators voted for both bills on Thursday morning, further underscoring the bipartisan unity that has defined the U.S. response to Russia’s aggression. “No nation whose military is committing war crimes deserves free-trade status with the United States,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said. “No vile thug like Putin deserves to stand as […]
Lawmakers are resorting to extraordinary tactics last used during the most significant global conflict of the 20th century — yet another sign that the U.S. and its allies in Europe believe Russia’s invasion presents an existential threat to liberal order. It’s also an indication that the Western world believes Ukraine can now win the fight against the Russian invaders. Congress recently approved nearly $14 billion of military and humanitarian assistance for Ukraine, some of which has already been doled out. On Tuesday, the State Department announced an additional $100 million in funding for Javelin missiles and other materiel, bringing the total […]
And companies are stepping up their efforts to help build war crimes cases. They are cueing their satellites to pinpoint mass graves, bombed-out hospitals and shattered schools. They are helping to identify military units that have targeted civilians. And their real-time data is being used to deploy investigators, such as those from the International Criminal Court and United Nations, to collect more physical evidence or personal testimony from witnesses on the ground in Ukraine. “There is truth in imagery,” Steve Butow, director of the space portfolio at the Defense Innovation Unit, the Pentagon’s Silicon Valley outpost, said in an interview at […]
The younger Biden’s connections to a Chinese energy company are already under the DOJ’s microscope, with a grand jury hearing testimony earlier this year as part of an investigation into his tax dealings and possible violations of foreign lobbying laws. But a federal inquiry isn’t deterring Republicans from pursuing broader allegations against Hunter Biden. The House GOP’s eagerness promises to test whether next year’s likely new majority can conduct legitimate oversight without falling down a rabbit hole of politically motivated allegations that have a murky provenance. Russian disinformation touching on Hunter Biden’s business dealings, for example, emerged during former President Donald […]
“You need someone who can actually have a chance of helping us keep our majority,” Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.), who leads the Blue Dog Democrats’ political arm this cycle — which will roll out its first slate of endorsements on Wednesday. “We need a moderate to replace a moderate because those seats are not winnable by some of those folks on the further left of the spectrum of our party.” It’s part of a strategy that Democratic centrists believe can actually keep their hopes to keep their majority alive in November: Run the candidates similar to them. And it’s a notable […]
The Arizona Democratic senator is breaking palpably with the president as he pursues a full six-year term this fall in a once-reliable red state that’s recently become fertile territory for Democrats. Though Kelly has at times sought distance from the president on the border and economic issues during his 16 months in Congress, his recent run of schisms with the White House demonstrates that it’s not just Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) calling her own shots in the Copper State. Though Democrats are used to Sinema and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) bucking them, Kelly’s vote against David Weil to be wage administrator […]
Conflict over President Joe Biden’s immigration policy is complicating passage of a $10 billion coronavirus bill before a two-week congressional recess. Just a day after Republican Sen. Mitt Romney and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced a deal on billions for therapeutics, vaccines and testing, GOP senators threw in a wrench that could mean Congress will break with nothing. Senate Republicans say they want a vote on an amendment that would keep in place the Title 42 border restrictions, which allows limits on immigration due to the pandemic. Without one, they say the bill can’t proceed. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told […]
It is also the first time EPA has flexed its regulatory muscles under the revamped Toxic Substances Control Act, which Congress updated in 2016 to significantly strengthen the agency’s ability to restrict or ban chemicals used in commerce that pose serious health risks. EPA tried to ban asbestos in 1989, but the effort was largely struck down two years later by a federal appellate court, a fate that epitomized the toothlessness of the original 1976 TSCA law. That legal victory proved Pyrrhic, however. U.S. consumption had already peaked, and by the 1990s, the public was increasingly aware of the health risks […]
USNI News first reported that Fagan will be nominated for the top job. Members of the Senate Commerce Committee later confirmed the news. “Admiral Fagan’s nomination will inspire generations of American women to strive to serve at the highest level in the Armed Forces,” Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), chair of the Senate Commerce Committee, said in a tweet. If confirmed, Fagan would replace Adm. Karl Schultz, who is expected to retire in May. Senate Commerce Committee Republicans took note of the time crunch on Tuesday. “It is important for the Commerce Committee to proceed efficiently so the Coast Guard is not […]
Milley told the House Armed Services Committee that his advice to the commander in chief would stay private, but said his views on the cruise missile, known as the SLCM-N, and low-yield nuclear weapons “have not” changed. “I will say that to you though, as members of Congress who have oversight responsibilities, my position on SLCM-N has not changed,” Milley said. “My general view is that this president or any president deserves to have multiple options to deal with national security situations.” Milley has previously backed new weapons proposed by the Trump administration’s 2018 nuclear blueprint. During his 2019 confirmation process, […]
Upton announced his retirement in a speech on the House floor Tuesday morning. Speaking to reporters afterward, Upton pointed to redistricting as a key factor in his decision to retire, rather than backlash he faced over his impeachment vote. “My district was cut like Zorro — three different ways,” the Michigan Republican told reporters. “So I’ve been here 36 years. When I first ran, I thought I’d be here 10.” “I got a lot of unfinished business that I’m going to be working on now. … But no, this was our decision, independent of what I did with Trump,” added Upton, […]
Biden is seeking a $30 billion boost from the current year that would push overall national defense spending to $813 billion. Despite the hefty increase, Republicans are already putting pressure on Democrats to ladle billions more on top of that once Congress starts going through the budget. That’s what happened last year, when Republicans and Democrats on the House and Senate Armed Services Committees put aside Biden’s lower Pentagon budget request and drove defense spending higher. But the calculus is complicated by the eye-popping size of the request, high inflation, the unfolding response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and looming midterm […]