Wednesday

04-03-2026 Vol 19

Category: Congress

Capitol agenda: Thune says shutdown talks are picking up

Nearly one month into the government shutdown, the vibes might finally be shifting. A looming cliff of crucial deadlines, plus fresh outside pressure, is adding new urgency into bipartisan...

Meet the Senate aide with a $44,000 taxpayer-funded commute

Sen. Roger Marshall’s chief of staff, Brent Robertson, has taken at least 26 trips to Washington from his home in central Virginia.

Senate votes against Trump’s 50 percent tariff on Brazil

The Senate once again rebuked President Donald Trump on tariffs, a vote that comes as the president is in Asia touting tariffs and notching progress on trade agreements. Senators...

Cotton blocks Trump-backed effort to make daylight saving time permanent

Sen. Tom Cotton wasn’t fast enough in 2022 to block Senate passage of legislation that would make daylight saving time permanent. Three years later, he wasn’t about to repeat...

Judge extends order barring mass firings of federal workers during shutdown

U.S. District Judge Susan Illston said she found some accounts from impacted federal employees “very affecting.”

Troops will get their paychecks this week, Vance says

The vice president spoke after a Senate GOP lunch where he got an earful about the administration’s plan to import Argentinian beef.

Trump nominee for Kuwait ambassador falters

At least three Republicans on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee will oppose President Donald Trump’s pick for ambassador to Kuwait, Amer Ghalib — all but dooming his nomination inside...

Democrats still not supporting GOP bill to end the shutdown

Senate Democrats rejected the House-passed, GOP-led stopgap for the 13th time Tuesday, as the pain from the government shutdown is poised to escalate by week’s end. Lawmakers voted 54-45...

‘Things are getting real’: No plans for SNAP patch in House, Johnson says

Speaker Mike Johnson made clear to House Republicans on a private call Tuesday that GOP leaders have no plans to put a standalone bill for expiring food aid benefits...

Randy Feenstra running for Iowa governor

Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-Iowa) is running for governor in 2026, he announced Tuesday, making the GOP lawmaker the most high-profile Republican to enter the race for the state’s top...