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☆ Once Rare, Impeachments and Censures Have Become the Norm in Congress
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Carl Hulse | More About Carl Hulse | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

After sidestepping Ms. Boebert, House Republicans are now conducting what they characterize as an “inquiry” into a potential impeachment, one that is likely to gain steam in the G.O.P. The censure, brought forward by Representative Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, a strong supporter of Mr. Trump, accused Mr. Schiff of lying and spreading distortions in his investigation of the president. Some Republicans were clearly uncomfortable with the idea of censuring Mr. Schiff, and the move failed on its first attempt. But after Ms. Luna dropped a proposed $16 million fine from her resolution, Republicans pushed through the censure on a party-line vote in June. Far from hanging his head in ignominy, Mr. Schiff said he welcomed the vote as a badge of honor that proved he was effective.

Persons: Ms, Boebert, Biden, Alejandro Mayorkas, General Merrick B, Garland, “, ”, Mitch McConnell, Kevin McCarthy, meting, Adam B, Schiff, Trump, Anna Paulina Luna of, Mr, Luna, Dianne Feinstein Organizations: Republicans, Democratic, Lawmakers, Capitol, Republican, censures, California Democrat, Intelligence Locations: Kentucky, California, Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, ignominy

☆ Trump Indictment Presents New Obstacle in Spending Fight as Shutdown Looms
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-04 | by ( Carl Hulse | More About Carl Hulse | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

House Democrats already uniformly oppose the emerging spending bills since they are below the spending levels agreed to by Mr. Biden and Mr. McCarthy in their deal to suspend the federal debt limit and contain numerous conservative policy riders they find objectionable. Should conservatives prevail in their insistence on even deeper cuts and other restrictions on federal law enforcement, it could drive off more mainstream Republican votes. is a stark break with the traditional Republican orthodoxy of strong support for law enforcement. It has little traction in the Senate, where Democrats and Republicans have been working in a bipartisan fashion to advance spending bills for consideration when the Senate returns next month. Most senators of both parties would be opposed to entertaining the sort of spending reductions for law enforcement sought by the House conservatives.

Persons: Biden, McCarthy, Greene, “, ”, Susan Collins of, Trump Organizations: Republican, Senate, Republicans, of Justice, Freedom Caucus Locations: Susan Collins of Maine, Russia, “

☆ Divided Over Money and Policy, House G.O.P. Punts on Spending Bill
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-27 | by ( Carl Hulse | More About Carl Hulse | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

House Republicans abandoned efforts to pass a spending bill to fund the Agriculture Department and the F.D.A. Caught between hard-right conservatives who wanted tens of billions of dollars cut from the legislation and more mainstream Republicans who oppose abortion-related restrictions that the far right insisted upon adding, G.O.P. The House did manage to approve its first spending bill of the year, to fund veterans programs and military construction projects. Democrats said the bill shortchanged construction by more than $1.5 billion and limited abortion access for women serving in the military. The spending clashes encapsulated the difficulties ahead for Republicans as Speaker Kevin McCarthy tries to mollify conservatives by cutting spending and adding culture-war provisions without losing the support of more mainstream Republicans, particularly those in districts won by President Biden.

Persons: Kevin McCarthy, Biden Organizations: Republicans, Agriculture Department, Democrats

Mr. McConnell, who had polio as a child, often has trouble with stairs and has long walked with a wobbly, uneven gait. The old McConnell, they said, would have not stayed on the sidelines, and many Senate Republicans were ultimately unhappy with the outcome. Last year, Mr. McConnell weathered a rare challenge to his leadership when Senator Rick Scott, Republican of Florida, decided to oppose him and received 10 votes. In the past, Mr. McConnell has been named leader with no contest. Senator Josh Hawley, Republican of Missouri, who voted for Mr. Scott, declined on Thursday to comment on Mr. McConnell’s health, but he said that he still wants new Republican leadership in the Senate.

Persons: McConnell, “, Chuck Schumer, Kevin McCarthy, Rick Scott, Josh Hawley, Scott Organizations: Capitol, Republicans, Republican Locations: Washington, Helsinki, Florida, Republican, Missouri

☆ Mitch McConnell Suffers an Episode at the Capitol, Freezing Midsentence
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Carl Hulse | More About Carl Hulse | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Mr. McConnell then returned to take a number of questions from the news media — more than usual — and answered them clearly. Asked what had occurred, Mr. McConnell said only, “I’m fine,” and said he was able to continue with his leadership duties. Aides later said that he had experienced some lightheadedness but noted he was able to resume speaking within minutes. 3 Republican and a medical doctor, who escorted Mr. McConnell to his office on Wednesday after the minority leader fell mute. The Republican leader, who had polio as a child, has always tread carefully and avoided stairs but has been noticeably more careful since his recent injuries when moving around the Senate.

Persons: McConnell, “, ”, John Barrasso of Organizations: Republican, Senate Locations: Kentucky, Washington, John Barrasso of Wyoming

☆ Senate Panel Approves Supreme Court Ethics Bill With Dim Prospects
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Carl Hulse | More About Carl Hulse | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday approved legislation that would impose strict new ethics rules on justices, moving over fierce objections from Republicans to address a string of revelations about Supreme Court justices taking free luxury trips and receiving other financial benefits from wealthy benefactors. The legislation, which stands little chance of advancing given the strong G.O.P. opposition, would require the Supreme Court to, at a minimum, adopt and adhere to ethics and disclosure rules equivalent to those applied to members of Congress. It would also impose new transparency requirements and create a panel of appellate judges to review misconduct complaints made against the justices. Democratic members of the committee said the action was necessary because the court has refused to police itself.

Persons: Richard J, Durbin Organizations: Democratic Locations: Illinois

☆ Democrats to Press Supreme Court Ethics Rules Over G.O.P. Opposition
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Carl Hulse | More About Carl Hulse | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Senate Democrats plan to push ahead this week with legislation imposing new ethics rules on the Supreme Court in the wake of disclosures about the justices’ travel and outside activities, despite blanket opposition by Republicans who claim the effort is intended to undermine the high court. The Judiciary Committee is scheduled on Thursday to consider legislation by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Democrat of Rhode Island, that would require the Supreme Court to establish a new code of conduct for justices, set firmer ground rules for recusal from cases, create a new investigatory board and promote transparency about ties with those before the court. Senate Republicans have made it clear they won’t support the legislation, and it has no chance in the G.O.P.-controlled House. “You have to start somewhere,” said Mr. Whitehouse. He added, “The more information that comes out about the mischief going on at the Supreme Court, the more inevitable it becomes that they come around to agreeing we have to do something.

Persons: Sheldon Whitehouse, Whitehouse, ”, We’re Organizations: Republicans, Democrat, Supreme Locations: Rhode Island

☆ Federal Judge Defends Clarence Thomas in New Book
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( Carl Hulse | More About Carl Hulse | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The book recounts 12 cases in which Justice Thomas, in Judge Thapar’s view, assiduously followed the original intent of the Constitution in siding with the aggrieved. He aims to dispel what he says are gross misconceptions about his book’s subject. “By cherry-picking his opinions or misrepresenting them, Justice Thomas’s critics claim that his originalism favors the rich over the poor, the strong over the weak and corporations over consumers,” the book says. While he promotes the book, he has found himself addressing the current furor over the court as much as Justice Thomas’s record — an unusual position in the ranks of federal judges, who usually steer clear of the media. Judge Thapar did note that he believes judges should stick to the letter of the law in providing required information.

Persons: Thapar, Thomas’s, Thomas, Thapar’s, Judge Thapar, Thomas’s originalism, ” Judge Thapar, Justice Thomas, “, ”

House Republican leaders working to write and pass the spending bills that fund the government face a major hurdle: Their own party — especially their most powerful, arch-conservative faction — has spent the last decade assailing federal spending and, with growing frequency, casting vote after vote against it. members of the House have supported spending bills less than half the time over the last dozen years, according to a New York Times analysis of such votes since 2011. Hard-right lawmakers associated with the Freedom Caucus, which has been the most outspoken about slashing spending, have voted in favor of government funding bills less than 20 percent of the time. Despite all of that, Speaker Kevin McCarthy, working to manage a right-wing revolt, has agreed to tailor the spending bills to the demands of a group of lawmakers who have rarely, if ever, supported such measures during their time in Congress. The approach could make it difficult to move the bills through the House and place the chamber on a collision course with the Democrat-controlled Senate that could lead to a government shutdown this fall.

Persons: —, Kevin McCarthy, Biden Organizations: Republican, New York Times, Freedom Caucus, Democrat

☆ The Senate’s Feinstein Question
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-29 | by ( Carl Hulse | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Ms. Feinstein was forced to return to Washington well before many close to her believed she was ready so her party could continue advancing President Biden’s judicial nominees. No definitive answer has emerged — and the proposition may never be tested since Ms. Feinstein has said she is not going anywhere. But the question has major implications both for the Senate itself and for California politics. Should Ms. Feinstein resign early, California’s governor would appoint a temporary senator who might then have a leg up in the hotly contested Democratic race to succeed her in January 2025. The idea that an early departure by Ms. Feinstein might imperil Mr. Biden’s judicial nominees has been seen as yet another reason for her to stay.

Persons: Dianne Feinstein, Feinstein, Biden’s, California’s, Gavin Newsom, Mr Organizations: Democratic, Senate, Gov Locations: California, Washington

☆ Democrats Reach Milestone: 100 New District Court Judges
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Carl Hulse | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Biden and Democrats, largely stymied by Republicans from enacting their policy agenda, have transformed the Senate into a judicial confirmation factory that has just passed a major milestone in its drive to remake the federal courts, approving the 100th District Court nominee since Mr. Biden took office. The pace of the effort has surpassed the one set by Republicans when they pushed to reshape the courts during the administration of former President Donald J. Trump, putting the Biden administration 20 District Court nominees ahead of the Trump team at the same point in his term. “These judges will affect America long after just about every senator is out of here,” said Senator Chuck Schumer, the New York Democrat and majority leader, who has had a longtime interest in judicial confirmations. It’s hard.”Despite being slowed by absences and resistance from Republicans who see some Biden nominees as unacceptable, the Democrat-led Senate hit the 100 mark last week with a 50-49 vote to confirm Natasha Merle to a seat in the Eastern District of New York. She was one of a string of newly confirmed judges with civil rights backgrounds whose nominations had been slow to reach the floor given concerted Republican opposition.

Persons: Biden, Donald J, ”, Chuck Schumer, Natasha Merle Organizations: Democrats, Republicans, Trump, Biden, New York Democrat, Democrat, Senate, of Locations: America, Eastern, of New York

☆ Debt Deal Behind Them, Lawmakers Plunge Into Bitter Spending Fight
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-15 | by ( Carl Hulse | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

After narrowly avoiding a federal default, the Republican-controlled House and the Democratic-led Senate are now on a collision course over spending that could result in a government shutdown this year and automatic spending cuts in early 2025 with severe consequences for the Pentagon and an array of domestic programs. Far-right Republicans whose votes will be needed to keep the government funded are demanding cuts that go far deeper than what President Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy agreed to in the bipartisan compromise they reached last month to suspend the debt ceiling, but such reductions are all but certain to be nonstarters in the Senate. The looming stalemate threatens to further complicate a process that was already going to be extraordinarily difficult, as top members of Congress try for the first time in years to pass individual spending bills to fund all parts of the government in an orderly fashion and avoid the usual year-end pileup. If they cannot, under the terms of the debt limit deal, across-the-board spending cuts will kick in in 2025, a worst-case scenario that lawmakers in both parties want to avoid. The clashes began this week, when House appropriators began considering their spending bills and, working to appease their ultraconservative wing, said they intended to fund federal agencies at below the levels that Mr. Biden and Mr. McCarthy had agreed to.

Persons: Biden, Kevin McCarthy, appropriators, McCarthy Organizations: Republican, Democratic, Pentagon, Senate

☆ G.O.P. Rebels Are Breaking the Rule on Rules, Upending How the House Works
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Carl Hulse | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It has long been an axiom of the House majority: Vote against a piece of legislation put forth by your party if you absolutely must, but never, ever vote against the “rule” to bring that legislation to the floor. Until the last few weeks, that standard had held for more than two decades. But now, about a dozen rebellious House Republicans have decided to leverage their badly needed votes on the routine procedural measures to win policy concessions, breaking the longstanding code of party discipline and threatening the traditional operation of the House. “I could care less, and neither could my voters,” he said about violating a House norm. “Tradition be damned; we have to change the way this town works.”

Persons: “, ”, Eli Crane of Organizations: Republicans, Caucus Locations: Eli Crane of Arizona

☆ House Mutiny Leaves McCarthy Facing Tough Choices
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( Carl Hulse | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

With his right flank in open revolt and keeping a stranglehold on the House floor, Speaker Kevin McCarthy faces two unappealing choices for how to govern. He can cater to the demands of hard-right members of his conference, pushing through bills that will face a bipartisan legislative buzz saw in the Senate. Or he can steer around them on crucial issues, teaming up with Democrats to pass spending bills and other vital measures, and contend with constant threats to his job from his own party — if not outright removal. leadership this week by nearly a dozen extreme right Republicans shut down the House with no resolution in sight, sidelining the party’s political messaging bill on gas stoves that was never going to become law. But it also created a paralyzing political quandary for Mr. McCarthy that foreshadows much bigger problems.

Persons: Kevin McCarthy, McCarthy Organizations: Republicans

☆ Debt Ceiling Senate on Brink of Passing Debt Limit Bill
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Carl Hulse | Catie Edmondson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

The wrangling over the nation’s debt limit raises a lot of questions, including what it actually is and why the United States has one. What is the debt limit? Why does the United States have a debt limit? While the debt limit was created to make government run more smoothly, many policymakers believe that it has become more trouble than it’s worth. What happens if the debt limit is not raised or suspended?

Persons: Janet L, Yellen, Ms Organizations: Congress, United, Treasury Department, Treasury, Liberty Bond Act, Wall Street, Social Security Locations: United States

☆ Debt Limit Fight Moves to the Senate as Default Date Nears
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Carl Hulse | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Debate on a bipartisan bill to suspend the debt limit and impose spending caps moved on Thursday to the Senate, where leaders of both parties were racing to quell shut down efforts to derail it in both parties in time to clear the measure for President Biden’s signature before a potential government default on Monday. The morning after the House overwhelmingly passed legislation, Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the majority leader, said the Senate would remain in session until it approved the package. He warned lawmakers against engaging in brinkmanship before the so-called X-date, when Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen has said the government will run out of cash to pay its bills. “Time is a luxury the Senate does not have if we want to prevent default,” Mr. Schumer said. “June 5 is less than four days away.

Persons: Biden’s, Chuck Schumer, Janet L, Yellen, Mr, Schumer, “, cautioning Organizations: Senate Locations: New York

☆ Senate Leaders Race to Avert a Default
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Matthew Cullen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Now it’s the Senate’s turn on the debt-limit billAfter the House passed legislation to suspend the debt ceiling and limit federal spending last night, the bill moved to the Senate for approval. Leaders of both parties in the chamber are now fending off efforts to derail its passage and deliver the bill for President Biden’s signature before a default on U.S. debt, which is set to take place on Monday. “The problem for the Senate is not whether the bill is ultimately going to pass — it will pass,” my colleague Carl Hulse said. “The problem is: How long is it going to take?”Senators in both parties have raised criticisms of the bill — which was negotiated by Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy, largely without Senate input — opening the door for time-consuming amendment votes. How this all might affect you: If you have student loans, this legislation would require you to resume payments for the first time since early in the pandemic.

Persons: Biden’s, Carl Hulse, Biden, Kevin McCarthy

☆ McCarthy Emerges From the Debt Limit Fight With Victories, and Some Wounds
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-31 | by ( Carl Hulse | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When the debt limit fight began, it was widely assumed that Speaker Kevin McCarthy, untested and inexperienced in high-stakes negotiations, would either preside over an economically and politically calamitous government default or lose his hard-won post in a right-wing mutiny after caving to Democrats. So far, he has managed to avoid both outcomes while claiming some fiscal and policy wins. With House approval on Wednesday night of the debt limit package he personally negotiated with President Biden, Mr. McCarthy defied expectations and even earned grudging respect from White House officials while defusing the debt limit time bomb he himself planted by insisting on concessions in return for raising the nation’s borrowing limit. The bar was set low for Mr. McCarthy, known more for politicking and fund-raising than for policymaking, after he struggled mightily to win his post in the first place as House Republicans took control in January. But in the end, he delivered an agreement that met his goal of cutting spending from current levels.

Persons: Kevin McCarthy, Biden, McCarthy, mightily, — Organizations: White House, Mr, Republicans

☆ Debt Limit Bill Heads to Key Committee in First Test of G.O.P. Support
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Carl Hulse | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

If they are joined by another Republican on the committee, they could sideline the agreement before it even reaches the floor. A third ultraconservative on the panel, Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky, is considered a potential ally of Mr. Roy and Mr. Norman but has shown receptiveness to the debt limit deal. Lawmakers are generally expected to back bills they had a hand in writing, even if they object to other aspects. “This debt deal arguably puts us on a better footing to do the appropriations process properly,” Mr. Massie said on Twitter on Monday. members backing the bill could also look to Democrats on the panel for support for the measure.

☆ Despite High-Level Guarantees, Time Is Running Out to Avoid a Default
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-26 | by ( Carl Hulse | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Senator Mitch McConnell had a message for Americans growing increasingly worried that the economy is going to crash if the federal debt ceiling is not raised: Just chill. “Look, I think everybody needs to relax,” Mr. McConnell, the Kentucky Republican and minority leader with deep experience in debt limit showdowns, told reporters back home earlier this week. “Regardless of what may be said about the talks on a day-to-day basis, the president and the speaker will reach an agreement. It will ultimately pass on a bipartisan vote in both the House and the Senate. The country will not default.”That may be a case of easier said than done.

☆ Finger-Pointing Won’t Save Anyone if Default Leads to Economic Collapse
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Carl Hulse | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Is it the Biden default? Or the Republican Default on America? Democrats lambaste Republicans for taking the debt ceiling hostage to appease “extreme MAGA” conservatives bent on shrinking government spending. Republicans hit Democrats for waiting too long to open talks and not taking G.O.P. They will flush us all.”Polls have suggested Mr. Graham’s view is correct.

☆ Feinstein Suffered More Complications From Illness Than Were Publicly Disclosed
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Annie Karni | Carl Hulse | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

When she arrived at the Capitol last week after a more than two-month absence recovering from shingles, Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California, 89, appeared shockingly diminished. Ms. Feinstein’s frail appearance was a result of several complications after she was hospitalized for shingles in February, some of which she has not publicly disclosed. The shingles spread to her face and neck, causing vision and balance impairments and facial paralysis known as Ramsay Hunt syndrome. Characterized by swelling of the brain, post-shingles encephalitis can leave patients with lasting memory or language problems, sleep disorders, bouts of confusion, mood disorders, headaches and difficulties walking. And even before this latest illness, Ms. Feinstein had already suffered substantial memory issues that had raised questions about her mental capacity.

☆ House Democrats Move Forward With Petition to Force Debt Limit Vote
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Carl Hulse | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“Given the impending June 1 deadline and urgency of the moment, it is important that all legislative options be pursued in the event that no agreement is reached,” Mr. Jeffries wrote. The strategy faces long odds given the complexity of the maneuver and the partisan divide in the debt talks. Democrats also see the petition as a way to demonstrate that their party is doing all it can to prevent an economic debacle. “I don’t think we are in any trouble,” Mr. Cole said in an interview. “I don’t think anybody wants to be one of about a half a dozen that hands victory over to Biden.”

☆ The Speaker Gets His Chance to Go Toe-to-Toe With the President
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-17 | by ( Carl Hulse | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

After insisting for months that he would never do so, the president appears ready to discuss a potential ransom. Republicans believe that Democrats have not afforded Mr. McCarthy the same standing and respect as his predecessors John A. Boehner and Paul D. Ryan, who had stronger policy chops. At a news conference last week, Mr. McCarthy refused to say he was offended or angered by the president’s regard for him. “If you believe the debt ceiling is as important as I think it is, why would you go silent for 97 days?” Mr. McCarthy asked. Democrats believed that failure by the House Republicans would then set up a scenario where members of both parties would race to increase the debt ceiling without accompanying spending cuts to avert a catastrophic default.

☆ Senate Democrats Seek Accounting of Gifts to Thomas and Other Justices
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Carl Hulse | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

He refused to take part in a recent Judiciary Committee hearing on possible new ethics rules, citing separation of powers issues. In the letter, the Democrats said the information they were seeking from Mr. Crow would help the committee correct shortcomings in the court’s current ethics and disclosure framework. “We’re seeking information on whether individuals with interests before the Supreme Court were able to gain access to Justices through gifts, lodging, and travel from Harlan Crow and his companies,” Mr. Durbin said in a tweet on Tuesday. Mr. Durbin has so far held back from threatening subpoenas to obtain information or compel testimony from the justices or others. Ms. Feinstein signed the new letter to Mr. Crow, but her unavailability could prevent the committee’s Democrats from winning approval of a subpoena, given Republican opposition.

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