Author: Kevin Freking
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Aid package for Israel fails in the House, dealing another setback to GOP leaders
A bill to provide Israel with more military aid has gone down in defeat in the House
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Expel George Santos? GOP leaders aren’t ready to take that step
WASHINGTON • Protecting a narrow, four-vote majority, Republican leaders in the House are making clear that they intend to let the legal process play out with New York Rep. George Santos before they take steps to force his resignation or expel him. The freshman congressman was accused Wednesday by federal prosecutors of embezzling money from…
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Republicans set to oust Rep. Omar from Foreign Affairs panel
WASHINGTON • Newly empowered House Republicans are preparing to oust Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Somali-born Muslim lawmaker, from the House Foreign Affairs Committee over her past comments critical of Israel — and as payback after Democrats booted far-right GOP lawmakers from committees for their incendiary, violent remarks. A procedural vote Wednesday showed unified Republican…
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GOP’s new committee leaders prepare blitz of investigations
WASHINGTON • House Republicans are promising aggressive oversight of the Biden administration once they assume the majority next year, with a particular focus on the business dealings of presidential son Hunter Biden, illegal immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border and the originations of COVID-19. Republicans won’t have enough votes to advance key legislative priorities if there…
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Senate passes stopgap bill to avert shutdown, aid Ukraine
WASHINGTON • The Senate passed a short-term spending bill on Thursday that would avert a partial government shutdown when the current fiscal year ends at midnight Friday and provide another infusion of military and economic aid to Ukraine as it seeks to repel Russia’s brutal invasion. The bill finances the federal government through Dec. 16…
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House committee reaches deal to get Trump financial records
WASHINGTON • A House committee seeking financial records from former President Donald Trump has reached an agreement that ends litigation on the matter and requires an accounting firm to turn over some of the material, the panel’s leader announced Thursday. The long-running case began in April 2019, when the House Committee on Oversight and Reform…
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Congress honors WWII hero of Iwo Jima with ultimate salute
WASHINGTON • Congress gave its ultimate final salute Thursday to Hershel W. “Woody” Williams, a 5-foot-6 “force of nature’” in the battle of Iwo Jima and the last remaining Medal of Honor recipient from World War II. Seventy-seven years after his wartime heroism, Williams, who died last month at 98, lay in honor in the…
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Jan. 6 takeaways: ‘Heated’ Trump, Pence’s near miss with mob
WASHINGTON • The House committee investigating the Capitol insurrection used its latest public hearing on Thursday to focus on the pressure that then-President Donald Trump put on his vice president, Mike Pence, to delay or reject the certification of Joe Biden’s election victory on Jan. 6, 2021. The committee is trying to show how that…
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House approves ‘red flag’ gun bill unlikely to pass Senate
WASHINGTON • The House approved a red flag bill Thursday that would allow families, police and others to ask federal courts to order the removal of firearms from people at extreme risk of harming themselves or others. It’s the Democratic-controlled chamber’s latest response to U.S. mass shootings and likely stands little chance in the Senate.…
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House passes gun control bill after Buffalo, Uvalde attacks
WASHINGTON • The House passed a wide-ranging gun control bill Wednesday in response to recent mass shootings in Buffalo, N.Y., and Uvalde, Texas, that would raise the age limit for purchasing a semi-automatic rifle and prohibit the sale of ammunition magazines with a capacity of more than 15 rounds. The legislation passed by a mostly…