U.S. House
U.S. House Democrats make history electing first Black party leader in Congress
WASHINGTON — The three U.S. House Democrats who have led their party through four presidencies and thousands of floor votes formally passed the torch to the next generation Wednesday, when the party gathered behind closed doors to elect its top leaders for the 118th Congress. House Democrats named Hakeem Jeffries, of New York, as their leader. […]
U.S. House votes to avert calamitous rail strike, but Senate prospects murky
The U.S. House moved Wednesday to avoid an economically disastrous nationwide rail strike, voting to codify an agreement that members of some unions had already rejected and separately add paid sick leave that workers had demanded. The two-track approach allows Democrats to avert a strike that could cost the U.S. economy up to $2 billion […]
U.S. House GOP to keep earmarks for local projects — with some ‘tweaks’
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans voted Wednesday to keep earmarks in place when they take over the chamber in January, a move that solidifies GOP support for the controversial spending practice that was brought back under new guardrails and transparency mechanisms less than two years ago. Earmarking has become especially important to members of both […]
Same-sex marriage protected under bill passed by U.S. Senate with GOP support
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate approved legislation Tuesday that would enshrine protections for same-sex and interracial marriages, codifying many of the rights that would disappear if the U.S. Supreme Court were to overturn those landmark decisions the way it overturned the nationwide right to an abortion this summer. The 61-36 bipartisan vote sends the bill back to the U.S. […]
Nancy Pelosi, first woman to serve as speaker of the U.S. House, steps down from leadership
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who became the first woman in history to hold the gavel, shepherding landmark bills across four presidencies, announced Thursday she’ll step aside from leadership though she’ll remain in Congress. “With great confidence in our caucus, I will not seek reelection to Democratic leadership in the next Congress,” she […]
Republicans win control of the U.S. House with 218th seat
Republicans clinched a majority in the U.S. House on Wednesday night after a Republican won reelection to a California seat that put the GOP over the top, according to Associated Press projections. Though not as decisive a victory as GOP leaders had hoped, Republican candidates flipped key seats in New York, Virginia, Oregon and Arizona […]
U.S. House GOP picks leadership team for next Congress: McCarthy, Scalise and Emmer
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans elected their slate of leaders for the 118th Congress on Tuesday, even though the party hadn’t yet secured the seats needed to take the majority come January. The new leadership team emerged from several contested races decided during an hours-long secret ballot voting session, including a three-way campaign for whip […]
GOP on track to control U.S. House, but dozens of races still undecided
Republicans remained on pace to likely wrest control of the U.S. House, even as Democrats picked up a few more victories in close races late Wednesday and into the day Thursday. As of about 5 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, The Associated Press had called 209 races for Republicans. That put them ahead of Democrats’ 191, […]
Which party controls Congress? It could be days or weeks before we know
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden and Democrats exulted Wednesday in outperforming expectations in the midterm elections, even as vote-counting was still in progress and control of both chambers of Congress remained unknown. The U.S. Senate will go to the winner of two of the last three races where party control is still in doubt in […]
No GOP ‘wave,’ but Republicans could still gain control of U.S. House
WASHINGTON — Republicans fell short of their greatest ambitions for major gains in the U.S. House, with control of the chamber still in doubt early Wednesday. Republicans are still likely to narrowly win control of the U.S. House, based on expert projections. But of 20 races rated by elections forecaster Inside Elections as true toss-ups, […]
Ohio Democrats pick up one U.S. Congressional seat in midterm election
Ohio Democrats increased the number of U.S. House district seats they hold by one in the state’s midterm election Tuesday, though Republicans still hold 10 out of the 15 seats. Ohio lost one U.S. Congressional seat from the latest Census, and after Tuesday’s election, the delegation will go from 12-4 Republican-to-Democrat to 10-5 Republican-to-Democrat. The […]
Climate funding could suffer in the farm bill under GOP control of Congress
WASHINGTON — Republicans who may be taking control of Congress in this week’s midterm elections have not been very specific about many policy goals — but the farm bill is an exception. Members of the GOP in the U.S. House and Senate are sending strong signals they want to strip climate funding from the massive […]