Page 4 - Us Republicans

After passing budget plan, hard part of lawmaking begins for Republicans

Republicans narrowly got their budget plan over the finish line. Now comes the hard part. The resolution adopted this week was only a first step that allows Republicans to draft legislation that they can push through Congress without Democratic support. Next, they begin crafting a final bill with enough spending cuts to satisfy those on the right while not jeopardizing the reelection prospects of more vulnerable lawmakers whose constituents rely on key safety net programs. With thin majorities in the House and Senate, Republicans can afford to lose hardly any votes from their side of the aisle as they draft legislation, giving every individual lawmaker leverage over the process. It's going to take all of us to get it done, said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La. The road ahead is daunting. Republicans are determined to extend the individual tax cuts that were approved during President Donald Trump's first term before they expire at year's end. But they intend for the ...

Congress can block Trump's tariffs, but Republicans aren't ready to use it

As stock markets tumble in the aftermath of President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs, Republicans in Congress were watching with unease and talking of clawing back their power to levy tariffs but almost none seemed ready to turn their words into action. The Republican president is upending longstanding GOP principles like support for free trade, yet despite clear misgivings and a Constitutional mandate to decide tariffs, most lawmakers were not ready to cross Trump. Instead, they were focusing all their attention on advancing the president's" big, beautiful bill of tax breaks and spending cuts, even as tariffs in essence, import taxes threatened to raise consumer prices across the board and push the global economy into a recession. As the fallout from Trump's announcement reverberated around global markets, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who has made it clear he is no fan of tariffs, told reporters that he would give Trump "the benefit of the doubt in hopes that the ...

Susan Crawford wins Wisconsin SC seat, cementing liberal majority

The Democratic-backed candidate for Wisconsin Supreme Court defeated a challenger endorsed by President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk on Tuesday, cementing a liberal majority for at least three more years. Susan Crawford, a Dane County judge who led legal fights to protect union power and abortion rights and to oppose voter ID, defeated Republican-backed Brad Schimel in a race that broke records for spending, was on pace to be the highest-turnout Wisconsin Supreme Court election ever and became a proxy fight for the nation's political battles. Trump, Musk and other Republicans lined up behind Schimel, a former state attorney general. Democrats including former President Barack Obama and billionaire megadonor George Soros backed Crawford. The first major election in the country since November was seen as a litmus test of how voters feel about Trump's first months back in office and the role played by Musk, whose Department of Government Efficiency has torn through federal ..

Cory Booker's attack on Donald Trump sets record as longest Senate speech

Although Booker's speech ended shortly after 8 p.m. and was not a filibuster, its attention signaled that Democrats are already focusing on the 2026 midterms and the 2028 presidential race

Ex-Utah Rep Mia Love, 1st Black Republican woman elected to US House, dies

Former US Rep Mia Love of Utah, a daughter of Haitian immigrants who became the first Black Republican woman elected to Congress, died Sunday. She was 49. Love's family posted news of her death on Love's X account. Love had been undergoing treatment for brain cancer, and her daughter said earlier this month that the former lawmaker was no longer responding to treatment. She had been receiving immunotherapy as part of a clinical trial at Duke University's brain tumor center. Love entered politics in 2003 after winning a seat on the city council in Saratoga Springs, a growing community about 30 miles (48 kilometers) south of Salt Lake City. She later became the city's mayor. In 2012, Love narrowly lost a bid for the House against the Democratic incumbent, former Rep. Jim Matheson, in a district that covers a string of Salt Lake City suburbs. She ran again two years later and defeated first-time candidate Doug Owens by about 7,500 votes. Love didn't emphasize her race during her ..

President Trump signs executive order to dismantle Department of Education

While Trump may not be able to dismantle it completely without an Act of Congress, Democrats acknowledged that he could weaken it significantly without any congressional action

Republican legislation seeks to ban Chinese nationals from studying in US

A group of House Republicans on Friday put forward legislation seeking to prevent Chinese students from studying in American schools, as some US lawmakers are targeting China over national security concerns. Rep. Riley Moore, R-W.Va., introduced the bill that could bar Chinese nationals from receiving visas that allow foreigners to travel to the US to study or participate in exchange visitor programmes. Five other Republicans co-sponsored the measure. By granting Chinese nationals such visas, the US has "invited" the Chinese Communist Party "to spy on our military, steal our intellectual property, and threaten national security", Moore said in a statement. "It's time we turn off the spigot and immediately ban all student visas going to Chinese nationals." The measure is unlikely to pass, and it has drawn criticism from organisations and scholars over concerns that hostile policies and rhetoric toward Chinese students could hurt US interests. "No policy should target individuals sol

Senate Republicans seek congressional nod for DOGE spending cuts by Musk

The rescission process, which Congress established in 1974, allows presidents to cancel allocated funds through legislation approved by simple majorities in Senate and House of Representatives

Federal technology staffers resign rather than help Elon Musk, DOGE

More than 20 civil service employees resigned Tuesday from billionaire Trump adviser Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, saying they were refusing to use their technical expertise to dismantle critical public services. We swore to serve the American people and uphold our oath to the Constitution across presidential administrations, the 21 staffers wrote in a joint resignation letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press. However, it has become clear that we can no longer honour those commitments. The employees also warned that many of those enlisted by Musk to help him slash the size of the federal government under President Donald Trump's administration were political ideologues who did not have the necessary skills or experience for the task ahead of them. The mass resignation of engineers, data scientists and product managers is a temporary setback for Musk and the Republican president's tech-driven purge of the federal workforce. It comes amid a flur

Vivek Ramaswamy announces bid for Ohio governor

Vivek Ramaswamy, a wealthy biotech entrepreneur who was tapped to join the government-efficiency effort led by billionaire Elon Musk, announced on Monday that he is running for Ohio governor.

Kash Patel sworn in as acting ATF chief, days after joining as FBI director

New FBI Director Kash Patel was sworn in Monday as acting chief of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, taking the helm of two separate and sprawling Justice Department agencies, according to a person familiar with the matter. Patel was sworn in at ATF headquarters just days after he became director of the FBI, said the person who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the matter. It's not immediately clear if President Donald Trump intends to nominate Patel for the ATF post, or what the administration's plans are for the agency that has long been the target of Republicans. Justice Department and White House officials didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. With about 5,500 employees, the ATF is responsible for enforcing the nation's laws around firearms, explosives and arson. Among other things, it's in charge of licensing federal firearms dealers, tracing guns used in crimes and analysing intelligence in ...

Trump revels in federal firings, mocks Biden before adoring conservatives

President Donald Trump said Saturday that nobody's ever seen anything" like his administration's sweeping effort to fire thousands of federal employees and shrink the size of government, congratulating himself for dominating Washington and sending bureaucrats packing. Addressing an adoring crowd at the Conservative Political Action Conference just outside the nation's capital, Trump promised, We're going to forge a new and lasting political majority that will drive American politics for generations to come. The president argues that voters gave him a mandate to overhaul government while cracking down on the US-Mexico border and extending tax cuts that were the signature policy of his first administration. Trump clicked easily back into campaign mode during his hour-plus speech, predicting that the GOP will continue to win and defy history, which has shown that a president's party typically struggles during midterm elections. He insisted of Republicans, I don't think we've been at th

Republican senators push for border security bill without Trump's tax cuts

Senate Republicans are seeking to bypass Democratic opposition in that chamber and secure an early legislative win for Trump

Trump tells House Republicans he wants border wall, immigration funds

Trump also indicated that he was pursuing the ability to deport undocumented migrants, even if they couldn't be returned to their home countries

US lawmakers introduce bill to repeal China's preferential trade status

China is the US's largest trading partner, with bilateral trade hitting a record $690.6 billion in 2022

Trump meets with more Republicans as they discuss legislative roadmap

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday met with a small contingent of the most politically endangered House Republicans as the party struggles to agree on a strategy for implementing the tax cuts and other priorities that it promised voters. The meeting happened as Trump tried to advance other priorities during the first week of his second term. Roughly 160 aides at National Security Council were sent home while they are reviewed to determine if they align with Trump's agenda. "The American people have been waiting for such a time as this," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said. Stephen Miller, a top Trump advisor, met with Senate Republicans to update them on plans for deportations and reinstating what's known as Title 42, a policy that was put in place during the coronavirus pandemic to stop border crossings. Although Republicans control the White House and both chambers of Congress, they have only thin majorities on Capitol Hill, and there are disagreements on how t

Making YMCA great again: Why Trump loves the 'Village People' disco song

YMCA, a disco number released originally in 1978, has become a constant feature at the majority of Donald Trump's Maga) public rallies

Republican Congressman demands preservation of Adani prosecution records

A Republican lawmaker has asked the US Department of Justice to preserve all records in connection with the "selective prosecution" of billionaire industrialist Gautam Adani and his group of companies by the Biden administration. The demand comes less than a week before the Donald Trump administration takes office. Rep Lance Gooden, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, in a letter on Tuesday to Attorney General Merrick Garland, demanded that the department preserve and produce all records and documents leading up to its decision to go after the Adani Group. In another letter to Garland on January 7, Gooden had raised serious concerns over the department's recent indictment of the group. The indictment alleged acts conducted entirely within India, involving Indian citizens and officials, with no apparent injury to US interests, he had noted. "The allegations in the Adani case, even if proven true, would still fail to make us the appropriate and final arbiter on the issue. The

Trump gives GOP senators no set strategy as leaders strain to develop plan

President-elect Donald Trump likes the idea of one, big beautiful bill" for his top legislative priorities, but he emerged from a lengthy closed-door meeting with Republican senators late Wednesday open to other strategies as GOP leaders strain to develop a plan before the party gains full power in Washington. Trump said it feels great to be back inside the US Capitol for the first time since he left office four years ago, after the Jan 6, 2021, riot by his supporters. With his wife, Melania, he also paid tribute to the late President Jimmy Carter lying in state in the Rotunda ahead of funeral services Thursday. With Trump taking the oath of office on Jan 20, Republicans have no time to waste. We're looking at the one bill versus two bills, and whatever it is, it doesn't matter," Trump said about the conflicting strategies as he arrived. "We're going to get the result. More than 90 minutes later, after bantering with GOP senators on a wide range of topics, Trump exited with the sam

Carter had little use for presidents club, made friends with Gerald Ford

Jimmy Carter and the man he beat for president, Gerald Ford, got so tight after office that their friendship became a kind of buddy movie, complete with road trips that were never long enough because they had so much to gab about. Carter did not get along nearly so well with the other living presidents. The outsider president was an outlier after his presidency, too. Nevertheless, past and present Oval Office occupants will attend Carter's state funeral this week in what could be the largest gathering of the presidents club since five attended Washington services for George H W Bush in December 2018. As a member of that elite, informal club, Carter was uniquely positioned to do important work for his successors, whether Democrat or Republican. He achieved significant results at times, thanks to his public stature as a peacemaker, humanitarian and champion of democracy, and his deep relationships with foreign leaders, troublemakers included. But with Carter, you never knew when he'd