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☆ Arizona Senate hopeful Ruben Gallego posts record-breaking fundraising haul in bid for Kyrsten Sinema's seat, breaking state record
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Kevin Breuninger Christina Wilkie | Kevin Breuninger | Christina Wilkie | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Rep. Ruben Gallego's Senate campaign said Tuesday it raised more than $1 million in one day after the Democrat launched his bid for Sen. Kyrsten Sinema's coveted seat in the 2024 election cycle. "There's a lot of really important work left on the table to get done for Arizona," Sinema said in that Friday interview. That Senate math shifted after Democrats outperformed expectations in the November midterms, extending their hold to an outright Senate majority, 51-49. When Sinema left the Democratic Party last month, she called the change "a reflection of who I've always been." "I think it is a big dilemma for the Senate Democratic majority to decide whether to support her or to support somebody running on the Democratic ticket," McConnell said.

☆ Matt Gaetz tried playing kingmaker during the House speaker vote after spending 2 years as a political pariah. Republicans say the grandstanding is unlikely to stop.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz was a key player in the House speaker vote fight. "I don't think this guy's looking to be a policymaker," the GOP strategist told Insider. Doug Heye, a former House leadership aide turned GOP strategist, said the jury's still very much out on Gaetz's motivations and his endgame. Or, it could be as easy as believing that guy who donned a gas mask to ridicule a House vote on COVID-19 relief is committed to troublemaking. Not a workaholicA former House GOP leadership aide said Gaetz's reputation precedes him on Capitol HIll.

☆ Rep. Ruben Gallego launches bid for Sen. Kyrsten Sinema's Arizona seat
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Representative Ruben Gallego, a Democrat from Arizona, speaks during a House Armed Services Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., U.S, on Thursday, July 9, 2020. Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego of Arizona on Monday launched a 2024 campaign for the U.S. Senate seat held by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who recently left the Democratic Party and faces an uncertain political future. "I will be challenging Kyrsten Sinema for the United States Senate, and I need all of your support," the 43-year-old Gallego said in a video posted Monday morning. In an interview with the Associated Press, Gallego said Sinema "clearly has forgotten where she came from." Arizona was one of the battleground states that helped Biden secure his 2020 presidential win over former President Donald Trump.

☆ Who’s Afraid of Mitch Daniels?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-19 | by ( The Editorial Board | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The 2024 election is already underway, and voters can be forgiven for tuning out the noise for a while. But one contest worth watching is the Republican Senate primary in Indiana, where ostensible conservatives are trying to head off a bid from Mitch Daniels , the state’s reform Republican Governor from 2005-2013. Sen. Mike Braun is vacating his seat to run for Governor of the Hoosier State, and on Tuesday GOP Rep. Jim Banks announced his Senate candidacy. Mr. Banks, who has run the conservative House Republican Study Committee, is a Navy veteran on the House Armed Services Committee and popular with the self-styled populist right. Eric Holcomb , and Mr. Daniels.

WASHINGTON — House Republicans on Tuesday awarded embattled Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., seats on two House committees, even as he faces federal, state and local investigations and fellow Republicans demand that he resign. Asked if Santos would be a distraction to his committee, Williams replied: "It's only going to be a distraction to those who want to distract." If they think [Santos's controversy] is going to be the main thing that comes out of the committee, they're going to really miss the boat." On Tuesday, McCarthy said the decision to grant Santos committee slots was made by the Steering Committee, and that he did not make that decision alone. When asked why Santos was given two committee assignments, McCarthy said that was standard protocol.

WASHINGTON — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said Wednesday that embattled freshman GOP Rep. George Santos, who is facing growing calls to resign after admitting to fabricating much of his personal biography, should not be seated on any top committees. "No," McCarthy said emphatically as he headed into a GOP Steering Committee meeting where members are deciding which colleagues should serve on certain committees. Lawmakers of both political stripes argue that seating Santos on committees could be a national security risk. Democrats say that McCarthy and the leadership team shouldn't seat Santos on any committees, while some Republicans agree with McCarthy: Keep Santos off the panels that handle the most sensitive, classified information. Dusty Johnson of South Dakota, the head of the Main Street Caucus, said Santos shouldn't serve on any committees.

☆ Mike Rogers posts mea culpa to Florida congressman Matt Gaetz for lunging at him on the House floor
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Alabama congressman Mike Rogers posted a mea culpa to his colleague, Matt Gaetz. Rogers was seen lunging at Gaetz in a tense moment on the House floor on Friday night. "I regret that I briefly lost my temper on the House Floor Friday evening and appreciate Matt's kind understanding." Rogers was seen lunging at Gaetz on the House floor on Friday night. McCarthy was then seen engaging in a tense conversation with Gaetz amongst a huddle of Republicans on the House floor.

☆ GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz on his decision to vote 'present' in the final House speaker roll call vote despite his opposition to McCarthy: 'I ran out of things I could even imagine to ask for'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-07 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Matt Gaetz was one of the last holdouts in backing challengers to Kevin McCarthy's speakership bid. Gaetz told CNN that he "ran out of things" to ask for by the end of the public leadership fight. However, by the 14th ballot — when the vast majority of the conservative holdouts had finally moved behind McCarthy — Gaetz shifted his vote from Jordan and instead recorded himself as "present." Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama after the 14th round of voting then confronted Gaetz and appeared to lunge at the Floridian over the vote. CNN reported that Gaetz on Monday had asked McCarthy to chair a House Armed Services subcommittee, but the GOP leader had declined the request.

☆ Members of congress say they are unable to receive classified information as Kevin McCarthy loses 6th vote to become House speaker in 2 days
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Azmi Haroun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Members of Congress are speaking out about the myriad issues caused by the House speaker vote. Following Rep. McCarthy's sixth failed bid on Wednesday, there are zero sworn members of Congress. There are currently no members of the Congress, as swearing-in ceremonies have been delayed while the quest to elect a House speaker has dragged on. And on Wednesday, several members of Congress said that the procedural hold-up and GOP infighting have restricted their access to classified information and key national security intel. By Wednesday evening, McCarthy had failed in six consecutive bids to become House speaker.

☆ Republican Gallagher to lead new U.S. House China select committee
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Republican U.S. Representative Mike Gallagher was named on Thursday to lead a select committee being created in the U.S. House of Representatives to focus on economic and security competition with China. Gallagher, a former Marine counterintelligence officer who has served on the House Armed Services Committee, has been a vocal critic of China's Communist government. House Republican leader Kevin McCarthy had said he would create a select committee focused on China if he is elected speaker when Republicans take control of the House in January. "The Chinese Communist Party is the greatest geopolitical threat of our lifetime," McCarthy said in a statement as he announced Gallagher's selection. Getting tough on China, the United States' top geopolitical competitor, has become an area of bipartisan agreement, although Democrats and Republicans differ to some degree in their priorities.

☆ House passes defense bill scrapping military's Covid vaccine mandate
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

To win bipartisan support for the bill, Democrats agreed to Republican demands to scrap the requirement for service members to get a Covid-19 vaccination. The bill directs Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to rescind his August 2021 memorandum imposing the mandate. Rep. Adam Smith, Democratic chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, told colleagues that the decision to impose the vaccine mandate was the right call at the time. While the rescission of the Covid-19 vaccine mandate has generated much attention, it takes up one paragraph of what is a 4,408-page bill. This year’s bill authorizes money to support a $4.6% pay raise for military members and the Defense Department’s civilian workers.

☆ U.S. House overwhelmingly approves bill backing record military spending
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Patricia Zengerle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

"This bill is Congress exercising its authority to authorize and do oversight," said Representative Adam Smith, the Democratic chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, in a speech urging support for the measure. This year's bill - the result of months of negotiations between Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate - needed a two-thirds majority in the House after disagreement from some House members over whether it should include an amendment on voting rights. The Senate is expected to pass the NDAA next week, sending it to the White House for President Joe Biden to sign into law. Authorization bills create programs but Congress must pass appropriations bills to give the government legal authority to spend federal money. Congressional leaders have not yet agreed on an appropriations bill for next year.

☆ White House slams Congress for move to rescind military's vaccine mandate
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 7 (Reuters) - The White House said on Wednesday that scrapping the requirement that U.S. troops get vaccinated for COVID-19 is a mistake, as lawmakers moved closer to requiring the Pentagon to rescind its vaccine mandate. President Joe Biden, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and military leaders have strongly backed the vaccine mandate as necessary to safeguard the health and readiness of the U.S. armed forces. "We continue to believe that repealing the vaccine mandate is a mistake," White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters. The bill is expected to pass the Senate and House this month, and be sent to the White House for Biden to sign into law. Austin said on Monday that the military has no data to back up claims by top Republicans in Congress that the vaccine mandate is hurting recruiting.

☆ U.S. military bill features up to $10 billion to boost Taiwan
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Patricia Zengerle | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Flags of Taiwan and U.S. are placed for a meeting in Taipei, Taiwan March 27, 2018. Beijing responded angrily when the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved broader Taiwan legislation in September despite concerns within President Joe Biden's administration that the bill could go too far in heightening tensions with China. The $858 billion military policy bill is expected to pass Congress and be signed into law this month. The "Taiwan Enhanced Resilience Act" included in the NDAA authorizes appropriations for military grant assistance for Taiwan up to $2 billion per year from 2023 through 2027, if the U.S. secretary of state certifies that Taiwan increased its defense spending. It also includes a new foreign military financing loan guarantee authority and other measures to fast-track Taiwan's weapons procurement, as well as creation of a new training program to improve Taiwan's defense.

Rep. Elissa Slotkin won reelection against Republican state Sen. Tom Barrett in Michigan's 7th Congressional District. Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin won reelection against Republican Tom Barrett in Michigan's 7th Congressional District. 2022 General EmbedsMichigan's 7th Congressional District candidatesWhen Slotkin first won the seat in 2018, she became the first Democrat to represent Michigan's 8th Congressional District (pre-redistricting) since 2001 with her victory over incumbent Rep. Mike Bishop. In 2022, she ran unopposed in the Democratic primary for the 7th Congressional District. Voting history for Michigan's 7th Congressional DistrictMichigan's newly drawn 7th Congressional District sits in the central region of the state and spans seven counties.

☆ Republican Rep. Don Bacon faces off against Democrat Tony Vargas in Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District election
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( Madison Hall | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Republican Rep. Don Bacon is running for reelection against Democrat Tony Vargas in Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District election. The 2nd District was one of nine in the country to vote for President Joe Biden in 2020 despite having a Republican representative. Nebraska's 2nd Congressional District candidatesBacon, a veteran of the Air Force, currently sits on the House Agriculture Committee and the House Armed Services Committee. Voting history for Nebraska's 2nd Congressional DistrictNebraska's 2nd District covers all of Douglas County, the city of Omaha included, and a portion of Sarpy County. His opponent, Vargas, has raised just over $3 million, spent 2.8 million, and has more than $313,000 of cash on hand as of October 19.

☆ Democratic Rep. Joe Courtney faces off against Republican state Rep. Mike France in Connecticut's 2nd Congressional District election
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( Hanna Kang | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Rep. Joe Courtney is running against Republican state Rep. Mike France in Connecticut's 2nd Congressional District. The 2nd District takes up almost the entire eastern part of the state and covers more than 60 cities and towns. Longtime Democratic Rep. Joe Courtney faces off against Republican state Rep. Mike France in Connecticut's 2nd Congressional District. Connecticut's 2nd Congressional District candidatesCourtney, first elected in 2006 in what was one of the tightest congressional races of that year, chairs the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower and Projection Forces. Voting history for Connecticut's 2nd Congressional DistrictConnecticut's 2nd Congressional District takes up almost the entire eastern part of the state and covers more than 60 cities and towns, including Griswold, Killingly, Plainfield, and Norwich.

☆ Liz Cheney endorses Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin over GOP hopeful Tom Barrett in Michigan as part of her crusade to derail 2020 election deniers
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Republican Rep. Liz Cheney has endorsed Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin for reelection. Cheney has crossed party lines because Slotkin challenger Tom Barrett is a 2020 election denier. A Jan. 6 committee leader, Cheney has resolved "to make sure those people don't get elected." Slotkin, a two-term lawmaker, is facing off against Barrett, a Michigan state senator, this November. Barrett brushed off the endorsement as grandstanding by "establishment war hawks" with a "senseless thirst for more foreign entanglements."

☆ How Google's former CEO Eric Schmidt helped write AI laws in Washington without publicly disclosing investments in AI start-ups
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-24 | by ( Eamon Javers | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +18 min

'Conflict of interest'Schmidt's investment was just the first of a handful of direct investments he would make in AI start-up companies during his tenure as chairman of the AI commission. Altogether, Schmidt and entities connected to him made more than 50 investments in AI companies while he was chairman of the federal commission on AI. To Poulson, Schmidt was simply given too much power over federal AI policy. The new entity would continue the work of the congressionally created federal commission, with many of the same goals and much of the same staff. More than a dozen staffers from the federal commission followed Schmidt to the new private sector project.

☆ Rep. Elissa Slotkin faces off against Republican state Sen. Tom Barrett in Michigan's 7th Congressional District election
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Hanna Kang | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Rep. Elissa Slotkin is running against Republican state Sen. Tom Barrett in Michigan's 7th Congressional District. The newly drawn 7th District excludes the city of Jackson, often touted as one of the birthplaces of the Republican Party. Michigan's 7th Congressional District candidatesSlotkin became the first Democrat to represent Michigan's 8th Congressional District (pre-redistricting) since 2001 with her victory in 2018 over incumbent Rep. Mike Bishop. In 2022, she ran unopposed in the Democratic primary for the 7th Congressional District. Voting history for Michigan's 7th Congressional DistrictMichigan's newly drawn 7th Congressional District sits in the central region of the state and includes all of Livingston, Ingham, Clinton, and Shiawassee counties and the state capital of Lansing.

There’s no palpable hunger for a shutdown so close to the Nov. 8 midterm elections, so Congress must pass a bill by midnight Sept. 30 to avert a lapse in funding. “The cleaner the bill is, the more likely” it is to pass quickly, said Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D. He wants tens of billions for Covid, and he says the pandemic is over,” said Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., a physician. Cases, hospitalizations, deaths, mental health aspects of Covid, long Covid. But conservatives are rebelling, saying Congress should push the issue into 2023 in the hope that the GOP will seize the majority and write legislation to its liking.

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