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☆ There are currently zero members of the US House of Representatives
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The US House currently has no duly-sworn members, and won't until a Speaker is chosen. It's the first time in a century that the House has been vacant for more than a day. Hours later, the chamber re-convened for the 118th Congress, ready to elect a new Speaker of the House and organize itself. The House is scheduled to reconvene at noon at Wednesday, with the first order of business being the election of a Speaker. asked former Republican Rep. Billy Long of Missouri, noting the role that members play in assisting their constituents with federal agencies.

In the third round of voting on Tuesday, all 20 of the lawmakers defying Mr. McCarthy voted for Jim Jordan of Ohio instead. Mr. Jordan, who himself voted for Mr. McCarthy, is a founding member of the Freedom Caucus and has repeatedly cast doubt on the 2020 election. Nineteen Republicans did not support Mr. McCarthy on the first two votes, casting their ballots for others, including Mr. Biggs and Mr. Jordan. 1st Zeldin Jordan Jordan Luna , Fla. 13th Fla. 13th Jordan Jordan Jordan Miller , Ill. 15th Ill. 15th Jordan Jordan Jordan Norman , S.C. 5th S.C. 5th Biggs Jordan Jordan Ogles , Tenn. 5th Tenn. 5th Jordan Jordan Jordan Perry , Pa. 10th Pa. 10th Biggs Jordan Jordan Rosendale , Mont. 2nd Biggs Jordan Jordan Roy , Texas 21st Texas 21st Donalds Jordan Jordan Self , Texas 3rd Texas 3rd Jordan Jordan JordanLee Zeldin, a former representative from New York, received one vote (from Andy Harris of Maryland) on the first ballot.

☆ Biden highlights bipartisanship during House GOP chaos
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

"To have a Congress that can't function is just embarrassing," Biden said before he left Kentucky to return to Washington. The GOP senator called the bridge an example of bipartisanship that the "country needs to see." "The Brent Spence bridge is one of them. The Brent Spence, which carries Interstates 71 and 75 between Cincinnati and northern Kentucky, was declared functionally obsolete by the Federal Highway Administration in the 1990s. "We're going to get it fixed," Trump said about the Brent Spence, which he called "dangerous."

Several Republicans have cast their votes for Representative Byron Donalds of Florida. The only way Mr. McCarthy could still win on this ballot is if several members decide not to vote or if he gains Democratic support. Mr. McCarthy could win the speakership with fewer than 218 votes by persuading lawmakers who do not want to support him to instead vote “present” or to not vote at all. During the second vote, those same 19 opposed him but rallied around Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio, a founding member of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus. How Every Representative Voted

☆ Biden signs TikTok ban for government devices amid security concerns
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( David Ingram | David Ingram Covers Tech For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

President Joe Biden approved a limited TikTok ban Thursday when he signed the 4,126-page spending bill into law. The ban prohibits the use of TikTok by the federal government’s nearly 4 million employees on devices owned by its agencies, with limited exceptions for law enforcement, national security and security research purposes. Since 2020, a bubbling movement led largely by conservatives has maintained a minor interest in a TikTok ban. “We’re disappointed that Congress has moved to ban TikTok on government devices — a political gesture that will do nothing to advance national security interests — rather than encouraging the Administration to conclude its national security review,” the company said in a statement. It added that the proposed security agreement with the Biden administration would address the security concerns of lawmakers and regulators.

☆ Florida GOP to hold no-confidence vote in RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Marc Caputo | Marc Caputo Is A Senior National Political Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

The Florida GOP plans to hold a no-confidence vote in Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel next month, a crucial test of the embattled leader’s strength just days before her own re-election. He issued the petition in response to Republican Party of Florida Chairman Joe Gruters sending out a letter Tuesday endorsing McDaniel. The messy race for national chair reflects broader troubles in the Republican Party. The two candidates vying to succeed Gruters as Republican Party of Florida chair, Leon County Chair Evan Power and Sarasota County Chair Christian Ziegler, both told NBC News they support Dhillon. "This is about who is best to be RNC chair, and that's Ronna."

☆ Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich says 'it's hard to imagine' Pence 'getting by both Trump and DeSantis' in a GOP presidential primary
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Gingrich said it would tough for Pence to topple both Trump and DeSantis in a 2024 GOP field. "It's hard to imagine him getting by both Trump and DeSantis," Gingrich told Politico's Adam Wren. While Trump has launched his 2024 White House bid, Pence and DeSantis are not currently in the race. Ron DeSantis of Florida in a GOP presidential primary if the former vice president were to jump into the 2024 race. "It's hard to imagine him getting by both Trump and DeSantis," Gingrich said.

☆ What could GOP control of the House mean for U.S.-China tensions?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-18 | by ( Megan Lebowitz | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +10 min

McCarthy also says he plans to create a House select committee on China, the first since the late 1990s. House Republicans will also investigate the origins of the coronavirus and “the CCP’s role in the spread,” the blog post said, although it is unclear whether that investigation would be part of the select committee. Tensions were further inflamed in August by Pelosi’s Taiwan visit, the first by a sitting U.S. House speaker since 1997. The most volatile issue in U.S.-China relations is the status of Taiwan, which Beijing has not ruled out seizing by force. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi speaks with Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen in Taipei, Taiwan on Aug. 3, 2022.

Senate Republicans who weighed in on Trump's remarks on Truth Social from Saturday focused more on the importance of upholding the Constitution. “A Massive Fraud of this type and magnitude allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution,” Trump wrote. Romney added that he doesn't think Trump's comments will affect his chances of winning the GOP nomination in 2024. Sen. Mike Rounds, meanwhile, tied Trump's remarks to his 2024 ambitions. Some GOP senators, including Rick Scott of Florida and Josh Hawley of Missouri, said the electorate should determine if Trump's remarks were disqualifying.

☆ Incoming House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries says there's 'a real risk' that the new GOP majority in the chamber will be 'hijacked by the extremists'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Hakeem Jeffries said there's "a real risk" the incoming House GOP majority is being "hijacked" by extremists. Jeffries, the incoming House Democratic leader, said Republicans have not laid out an economic plan. During his interview with CNN, Jeffries was relatively mum on his feelings about Kevin McCarthy. "It's because there's a real risk that the incoming Republican majority is being hijacked by the extremists who have grown in ranks," he added. When asked during the CNN interview what he thought about McCarthy, Jeffries didn't have much to say about his colleague.

☆ Former House Speaker Paul Ryan says there's no one 'better suited' to lead House Republicans than Kevin McCarthy: 'He's been good for conservatives'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Paul Ryan said there was no one "better suited" to lead House Republicans than Kevin McCarthy. McCarthy is trying to lock up votes to lead the House, which will have a slim GOP majority in 2023. Ryan also told Karl that he believed McCarthy would get at least 218 votes on the floor, and expressed confidence in the lawmaker's abilities to lead Republicans. "There isn't anybody better suited to running this conference than Kevin McCarthy. He's been good for conservatives, frankly, but he's also a person who really understands how to manage a conference."

☆ Pence says he won't testify before the Jan. 6 panel because it would set a 'terrible precedent' for Congress to ask a vice president to remark on deliberations held at the White House
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Mike Pence said he was "closing the door" on testifying before the House January 6 committee. On the CBS News show "Face the Nation," Pence argued that Congress had "no right" to his testimony. "We have a separation of powers under the Constitution of the United States. And I believe it would establish a terrible precedent for the Congress to summon a Vice President of the United States to speak about deliberations that took place at the White House." The former vice president then reaffirmed that he was "closing the door" on appearing before the panel.

☆ As Republicans Take Command in House, Fight Over 2023 Farm Bill Looms
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Kristina Peterson | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Debate over federal funding of food stamps—formally known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program—is expected to intensify next year. WASHINGTON—House Republicans had a tough time passing the last farm bill, when they had a sizable majority in 2018. It’s about to get much harder. The bill, always a big lift for any Congress, is typically reauthorized every five years. The current version expires at the end of September next year, setting up a looming legislative headache for GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy of California, who will have a slim majority if he is elected speaker in January.

☆ GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger says House Republicans will have a 'totally nonfunctional majority' in 2023 and McCarthy as speaker will be 'the equivalent of the dog who caught the car'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Rep. Adam Kinzinger said House Republicans will have a "totally nonfunctional majority" in 2023. But despite their newfound House majority, the GOP will have a razor-thin edge, with the party currently holding a 219-211 advantage with just a handful of races left to call. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Calif., arrives to speak with journalists after winning the House Speaker nomination at a House GOP leadership meeting on Capitol Hill on November 15, 2022. Because probably Kevin McCarthy has yet to promise him anything, and secondarily, he wants to be more famous than Marjorie Taylor Greene," he added. "Kevin McCarthy is going to have trouble."

As House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said herself, quoting scripture on the House floor Thursday: “For everything there is a season — a time for every purpose under heaven.”For Pelosi, the season to be leader of House Democrats has passed. She’ll continue to represent San Francisco while serving as an invaluable source of guidance and resolve for the next generation of House Democratic leaders. At 82, Pelosi is a historic figure, of course: the first female House speaker and one of the strongest speakers, if not the strongest, that America has ever seen. Yet as a minority in a GOP-run House, Democrats won’t be able to rack up accomplishments like they did in the last two years. There were calls for Pelosi to step aside in 2010 when Democrats lost 60 House seats — a true wipeout.

WASHINGTON — House Republicans' majority will be smaller than expected, but they're eager to use their new oversight powers and pass a spate of bills to draw contrasts with Democrats and give the Biden administration heartburn. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., joined by Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., left, and Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, in Washington on July 21, 2021. A growing number of Republicans say they have their sights set on impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, bashing his handling of the border surge. LegislationDemocrats still occupy the White House, so any legislation Republicans pass on a partisan basis won’t be signed into law by Biden. But House Republicans say they will waste no time showing the parties’ stark differences as they battle for control of the White House in 2024.

Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he's running for president again in 2024. Trump's 2024 campaign comes as he faces escalating federal and state criminal investigations. Trump cast himself as the lone panacea to a long list of ills on a "quest to save our country." Supporters wait for the arrival of former President Donald Trump during an event at his Mar-a-Lago resort on November 15, 2022 in Palm Beach, Florida. Grover Cleveland, of the National Democratic Party, was the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms in the White House.

☆ Senate Democrats laugh off Trump's endorsement of banning congressional stock trading. But there's still no consensus on passing their proposals in the lame duck session.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Senate Democrats have been wrestling with a proposed congressional stock trading ban. Donald Trump endorsed banning congressional stock trading in his 2024 campaign launch. He still felt qualified to weigh in on the unfinished legislative business Senate stock-ban point man Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon shelved until the lame duck in September. "I'm pleased to hear Trump supports a ban on congressional stock trading," Merkley wrote in an email. Stock trading ban advocate Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts urged Democratic leaders to follow through on the most popular proposals before decamping for the holidays.

☆ Republicans in disarray as McConnell faces a leadership challenge, McCarthy scrounges for votes to become speaker, and Trump seeks to stake his claim for 2024
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( John L. Dorman | Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Republicans last week faltered in producing the red wave election they had sought for over a year. McConnell now faces a leadership challenge, while McCarthy is looking for votes to lead the House. And on Tuesday, Scott informed colleagues that he would challenge McConnell, who since leading the Senate GOP caucus in 2007 has retained strong support within the party. The House Republican Conference on Tuesday voted 188-31 in favor of McCarthy leading the caucus over conservative challenger Andy Biggs of Arizona, but the California lawmaker will need 218 votes to win the Speaker's gavel next year. Republicans, already trying to navigate the new landscape on Capitol Hill, will have a lot to figure out as the 2024 presidential election looms.

More than 60 prominent conservatives, including former Trump White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and activist Ginni Thomas, are calling on House and Senate GOP leadership elections to be delayed until after the Dec. 6 Georgia Senate runoff. The open letter to GOP lawmakers released Monday comes just a day before House Republicans are set to hold their closed-door election to pick their leaders for the new Congress. Senate Republicans plan to hold their own internal elections on Wednesday. There should be no rushed leadership elections,” the conservative group wrote in their letter. “Conservative Members of the House and Senate have called for the leadership elections to be delayed.

☆ Republicans begin maneuvering for power as control of Congress remains unknown
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Summer Concepcion | Summer Concepcion Is A Politics Reporter For Nbc News. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

While control of the next Congress still remains unknown, Republicans in Washington on Thursday began ramping up plans to take over the House of Representatives. For the Senate, control will come down to three races. House controlIn Washington, House Republicans have already begun maneuvering to determine who from their ranks will become the House speaker should they take control. NBC News has not yet projected a winner for House control. "I am determined to ensure that this majority reaches its full potential," McCarthy said in a letter to House Republicans on Wednesday.

☆ Walmart's PAC has quietly donated nearly $1 million to campaigns ahead of the midterms. While the company has a ''don't rock the boat strategy,' it contributed to 41 election deniers.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-07 | by ( Ben Tobin | Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

WALPAC donated almost 50-50 to Democratic and Republican federal candidates for the midterms. Walmart's PAC donated to 41 candidates who denied the 2020 presidential election results, ProPublica found. Of that, about 53% went to Republican candidates, and 47% went to Democrats. Some members of Congress, particularly among Democrats, also reject any corporate PAC contribution — WALPAC or otherwise — as a matter of practice. However, the company did donate a significant amount of money to candidates who voted against certifying the 2020 presidential election results.

☆ Biden came to Florida to help Democratic underdogs, but barely mentioned DeSantis, one of his most vocal critics
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Kimberly Leonard | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Ron DeSantis, who frequently criticizes him. Ron DeSantis while campaigning in Florida on Tuesday evening, one week out from Election Day. Earlier in the day, however, Biden called DeSantis "Donald Trump incarnate" during a fundraiser in Golden Beach, Florida. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, in November. Taking the stage on Tuesday, Crist said "Ron DeSantis wants to do to America what he has done to Florida."

☆ With GOP Ukraine skeptics poised to gain in Congress, lawmakers look to lock in billions in military aid
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Dan De Luce | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Julie-Tsirkin-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

Congress last month approved $12 billion in military and economic aid to Ukraine, but the package being contemplated would be dramatically larger, the sources said. The amount would be enough “to make sure [Ukraine] can get through the year,” a Republican senator with knowledge of the matter told NBC News. Congress has allocated a total of $65 billion in funding to Ukraine since Russia attacked the country in February. “They don’t want to deal with it next year,” said Vajdich, a former Republican congressional staffer. Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a staunch supporter of military aid to Ukraine, said last month that he had discussed the issue with McCarthy and that he agreed other countries need to do more to assist Ukraine.

☆ DOJ says it needs more money for the Jan. 6 probe. The next spending bill may be its last chance.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Sahil-Kapur-Headshot.Jpg | Sahil Kapur | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration says it is in critical need of more money to bring the Jan. 6 rioters to justice. The Justice Department has told Congress that more than $34 million in funding is "critically needed" to fund the investigation. “The cases are unprecedented in scale and is expected to be among the most complex investigations prosecuted by the Department of Justice,” the Justice Department wrote to the legislative branch. Before they broke for recess, lawmakers involved in the talks told NBC News that the fate of the Justice request was still unsettled. I don’t have any problem giving the Justice Department the resources it needs to do that,” he said.

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