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4 days ago | 
news.bgov.com | Katherine Rizzo |Jack Fitzpatrick |Skye Witley |Ellen M. Gilmer
Ready for Trump’s Clawback ListThis could be the day the White House gives Congress its long-talked-about $9.3 billion package of spending clawbacks from USAID, public broadcasting, and more. Last week, OMB Director Russell Vought said a request to formally undo previous spending decisions would be transmitted either yesterday or today. Once the White House provides a list, the targeted funds will be on hold for 45 legislative days while Congress decides whether to say yes.
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5 days ago | 
news.bgov.com | Katherine Rizzo |Jack Fitzpatrick |Ken Tran |Bobby Magill
Not Yet a Full LoafAfter a White House data dump, Congress has more of the information needed to start writing appropriations bills, but those 1,000-plus pages aren’t enough, Jack Fitzpatrick and Ken Tran report. Most agencies have yet to send Congress detailed documents called agency budget justifications.
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1 week ago | 
news.bgov.com | Katherine Rizzo |Maeve Sheehey
GOP’s Top Woman on the HillIn five years, Rep. Lisa McClain has climbed from political neophyte to top-tier insider with support both on the Hill and in the White House. Maeve Sheehey takes a look at the only Republican leader in the House or Senate whose entire career has been in the Trump GOP era, describing a politician who can shape-shift from personable Midwestern mom of four to sharp-tongued party defender.
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1 week ago | 
news.bgov.com | Greg Giroux |Katherine Rizzo |Maeve Sheehey |Andrew Satter
Lame-Duck Flock CountIt’s Memorial Day, the unofficial beginning of summer, and, for members of Congress, a chance to spend time back home interacting with — or maybe getting an earful from — constituents. Given how long it takes to get a congressional campaign staffed, resourced, and running, it’s also the time of year when up-and-comers start to get impatient with incumbents who might be on the fence about running again.
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2 weeks ago | 
news.bgov.com | Katherine Rizzo |Roxana Tiron |Ken Tran |Jack Fitzpatrick
Johnson, Trump, Rabbit, HatTwo consecutive overnighters, lots of White House involvement, and Speaker Mike Johnson pulled an extremely elusive rabbit out of the proverbial hat. The everything-all-at-once package of President Donald Trump’s spending and tax priorities made it into position for a House vote around 3 a.m. and won approval on the floor in a 215-214 vote moments ago.
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2 weeks ago | 
news.bgov.com | Katherine Rizzo |Ken Tran |Jack Fitzpatrick |Tiana Headley
Post-Midnight Meeting Still At ItThe topmost thing on many Washington minds this morning is “what’s up with the big beautiful everything-Trump-wants bill.” So that’s where our preview of today’s attractions begins. The House Rules Committee is about six hours into a hearing on legislation proposing a debt limit increase, tax cuts, a Medicaid squeeze, a 10-year path to spending cuts and more.
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2 weeks ago | 
news.bgov.com | Katherine Rizzo |Erin Schilling |Chris Cioffi |Jack Fitzpatrick
Look Him in the EyeIt’s one thing to face down a congressional leader who lacks the votes to get his way. It’s another to tell your own party’s president, mano a mano, that his “big beautiful bill” is your hill to die on — even though he can turn you into a talk radio punching bag or a conservative-TV hero with a few social media keystrokes. Clearly Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and President Donald Trump have done that math.
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2 weeks ago | 
news.bgov.com | Katherine Rizzo |Skye Witley |Jonathan Tamari |Ken Tran
More-Tax-Breaks-Less-Medicaid Bill Inches ForwardFirst, the bottom line: the combo package of tax cuts, debt limit increase, and squeeze on Medicaid and other federal spending is no longer stalled. It’s also not yet in its final form and there’s still no agreement on doing better for high-tax states on the so-called SALT federal tax deduction. “There’s a lot more work to do.
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3 weeks ago | 
news.bgov.com | Katherine Rizzo |Zach Cohen |Ellen M. Gilmer |Erin Schilling
Next Week’s Marquee EventYes, we keep repeating ourselves. Once again next week, the big thing to watch will be House action on the “big beautiful” tax-spend-debt limit bill. But the mammoth legislation is in trouble, Ken Tran and Jack Fitzpatrick report in today’s Budget Brief. We’ll know in a couple hours whether House leaders’ plans for next week are on track or whether the House Budget Committee has to delay its vote.
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3 weeks ago | 
news.bgov.com | Katherine Rizzo |Roy Strom |Lillianna Byington |Celine Castronuovo
Reconcilable DifferencesSpeaker Mike Johnson will meet this morning with fellow Republicans whose tax-law goals are so far apart they might as well be on different planets. Some of them represent states where middle-class families can easily exceed the 2017 tax law’s limit on state and local tax deductions, which get shorthanded as SALT.
