Lindsey McPherson

Republicans grapple with Trump’s position on package for tax cuts and spending

Republicans are divided on a strategy to move the Trump administration's agenda, and some want more input from President-elect Donald Trump, while others are fine to hash it out on their own.

January 7, 2025

Trump shows patience with congressional Republicans as they prepare to enact his agenda

President-elect Donald Trump is willing to wait a few months for Congress to pass "one big, beautiful bill" encompassing the key tenets of his agenda, but whether lawmakers can get it done before his patience runs out is an open question.

January 6, 2025

Congress certifies Trump’s win with no objections from Democrats

Lawmakers certified President-elect Donald Trump's electoral victory on Monday in a largely quiet affair that marked the second U.S. president to serve nonconsecutive terms.

January 6, 2025

Biden, Democrats urge Americans to ‘not forget’ events of Jan. 6, 2021, ahead of Trump certification

Democrats called on Americans to never forget the events of Jan. 6, 2021 as lawmakers prepared to certify President-elect Donald Trump's electoral victory.

January 6, 2025

Speaker Johnson gets rebellious GOP majority in line with tough fights ahead to pass Trump agenda

House Speaker Mike Johnson scored a major triumph in a dramatic single-ballot victory to retain the speaker's gavel, but House Republicans will need to stay united to move President-elect Donald Trump's lofty agenda with their paper-thin majority.

January 5, 2025

Rep. Ralph Norman receives primary threats after initially voting against Speaker Johnson

Rep. Ralph Norman drew the ire of conservatives after he initially voted against House Speaker Mike Johnson in his bid to retain to gavel.

January 3, 2025

Johnson aims for ‘return to fiscal sanity’ as he tries to sway conservatives ahead of speaker vote

House Speaker Mike Johnson, in a last-minute attempt to return to the job, released a list of commitments he has made to help spur "a return to fiscal sanity," including creating a working group of independent experts.

January 3, 2025

Johnson wins speaker’s gavel again on first vote in new Congress

House Speaker Mike Johnson held on and won the speakership again Friday, overcoming opposition from irate Republicans who threatened to derail his bid for the gavel.

January 3, 2025

Republican rebels block Johnson’s first bid for speaker’s gavel in new Congress

A small group of House Republicans on Friday blocked House Speaker nominee Mike Johnson's first attempt at winning his job back on the first day of the 119th Congress.

January 3, 2025

Johnson says Republicans ‘cannot afford any palace drama’ ahead of speaker vote

House Speaker Mike Johnson predicts he'll survive a Friday vote to hold onto the top leadership role, despite GOP critics who have not committed to supporting him.

January 2, 2025

Mitch McConnell steps out of leadership, leaving a distinctive imprint on the Senate

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell often says politicians come to Washington to do one of two things: "either to make a point or to make a difference." In his record-breaking 18-year run as the top Senate GOP leader, Mr. McConnell has certainly done both, but his colleagues say the Kentucky Republican will be remembered for the latter.

January 2, 2025

Four bipartisan bills that did not make it to the finish line last Congress

The 118th Congress, with politically opposed House and Senate majorities, was not known for passing bipartisan bills. But there were still deals, with some bipartisan bills getting close to passage or even through one chamber.

January 1, 2025

Speaker Johnson’s next job is tamping down a bubbling GOP revolt against him

House Speaker Mike Johnson will have to work the phones over the holidays in a bid to avoid losing the gavel in January after some hard-right lawmakers denounced his handling of recent spending negotiations.

December 23, 2024

Limit of Trump’s influence on House Republicans revealed in funding fight

President-elect Donald Trump was supposed to be the leader who could unify the fractious House Republican Conference, but an early test of that last week showed the limits of his power.

December 22, 2024

Senate’s political will to tackle troublesome Social Security finances is put to the test

A series of Senate votes last week on changes to Social Security shows how difficult it will be for Congress to address the program's financial problems.

December 22, 2024

Senate gives final approval to restore Social Security benefits to government workers

The Senate cleared a bill to restore full Social Security benefits for an estimated 2.1 million government workers and retirees, several of whom told The Washington Times the fix will provide them a critical financial lifeline.

December 21, 2024

Senate clears government funding extension, averting shutdown with no time to spare

The Senate early Saturday passed legislation to extend government funding through March 14, barely averting a shutdown with a vote coming just after the midnight deadline.

December 20, 2024

House passes revamped government funding extension hours before shutdown deadline

Republicans and Democrats coalesced around the GOP's revamped legislation to avert a partial government shutdown on Friday, hours ahead of the government funding deadline.

December 20, 2024

House Republicans to take up government funding extension, defer debt limit vote until next year

House Republicans, with input from President-elect Donald Trump and his team, have agreed to move a temporary government funding extension and wait until early next year to tackle the debt limit.

December 20, 2024

Republicans hatch new plan to split votes on government funding, debt limit, disaster aid

House Republicans on Friday began coalescing around a new plan to fund the government before the midnight deadline, preparing to vote on a temporary funding extension separate from other year-end priorities loaded into prior versions of the bill.

December 20, 2024