Democrats itch for fight with GOP on expelling lawmakers from committees
House Democrats are itching for a fight with the new GOP majority over who should qualify for committee assignments, tapping Reps. Adam Schiff (Calif.) and Eric Swalwell (Calif.) to sit on the Intelligence Committee in the face of Republican vows to keep them off of the powerful panel. A similar collision is likely to play out in a separate arena over Rep. Ilhan Omar, the third-term Minnesota lawmaker who is expected to be named by Democrats this week to the House Foreign Affairs Committee, despite GOP promises to boot her from the panel. The Democrats’ moves — and the i
Read MoreThe Memo: DeSantis fires culture-war barrages with eye on 2024
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has been firing barrage after barrage in the culture wars — a strategy that many Republicans see as an effort to raise his profile and differentiate himself from former President Trump in advance of a 2024 run for the White House. Virtually everyone in political circles expects DeSantis to make a presidential run. Some of the incendiary issues he is embracing — especially around race — could pose challenges in a general election. But DeSantis, fresh off a big reelection win in Florida, seems happy to take that chance for the mome
Read MoreZients’s ‘political savvy’ examined as he preps for chief of staff role
Jeff Zients is expected to step in for outgoing White House chief of staff Ron Klain in coming weeks, replacing a longtime confidant of President Biden’s with what some say is a less politically savvy adviser ahead of 2024. That question mark comes at a time when the White House will be juggling a host of GOP-led congressional investigations, critical negotiations over the debt ceiling and the start of Biden’s likely 2024 reelection bid. Zients, while boasting a lengthy résumé, has only had government jobs in the executive branch, and his private sector experience has drawn the ir
Read MoreEnvironmental advocates express frustration over Biden regulation delays
Environmental advocates, generally strong supporters of the Biden administration, are expressing frustration at what they describe as too-lengthy delays for important regulations. Their frustration follows the administration’s recent release of its semiannual regulatory agenda, which pushed back timelines for a range of rules governing planet-warming emissions and other pollution coming from power plants, drinking water limits for toxic chemicals and stipulations
Read MoreGallego Senate campaign launch sparks progressive hopes — and awkward questions
Rep. Ruben Gallego’s (D-Ariz.) entrance into the Arizona Senate race has supercharged many Democrats' hopes of ousting Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) while putting others in a tough position. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), Democratic senators and the party’s aligned campaign arm will need to decide how to handle what could be a three-party race with Gallego, Sinema — a newly-minted Independent — and an unknown Republican. Either they endorse Sinema, who often stalls their agenda and late last year bucked their party but still caucuses with the
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