Katherine Swartz

3 days ago | notus.org | Katherine Swartz |Ben T.N. Mause

As the House recently worked through adopting the Senate’s budget, there was one group of holdouts that Speaker Mike Johnson — and President Donald Trump — had to win over: The House Freedom Caucus. “We’ve become the most significant faction in Congress, certainly,” Rep. Clay Higgins, a Freedom Caucus member, told NOTUS during the recent budget battle. “Possibly in the history of Congress.” In exchange for their votes on the budget, Freedom Caucus members were promised substantial spending cuts.

2 weeks ago | notus.org | Katherine Swartz

Congress House Speaker Mike Johnson is facing dissent from nearly every corner of his conference on the Senate’s budget resolution. But “nearly” is not “every.” Vulnerable Republicans concerned about Medicaid cuts — primarily, though not exclusively, moderates and front-liners — plan to back the Senate-adopted budget despite continued worries about the impact on Medicaid.

3 weeks ago | notus.org | Katherine Swartz

In Wisconsin, conservative groups spent over $53 million on a state Supreme Court race, including millions from two political action committees linked to Elon Musk. In Florida, two Democratic candidates outraised their Republican opponents by millions. Yet in both of these closely watched elections, the sides that raised and spent the most both failed to turn those dollars into advantages in voter turnout.

3 weeks ago | notus.org | Claire Heddles |Katherine Swartz

Democrats drew eye-popping fundraising numbers and national attention to two special elections in Florida, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the massive Republican majorities in the bright red House seats. according to election tallies from District 6 and turnout numbers so far in District 1, where polls close an hour later. In Florida’s 6th Congressional District, Republican State Sen.

3 weeks ago | notus.org | Katherine Swartz |Daniella Diaz

House Republican leaders thought Tuesday was the day they could kill a discharge petition forcing a floor vote on a proposed House rule to allow new parents to vote remotely. But the effort to squash Rep. Anna Paulina Luna’s discharge petition failed, with nine Republicans joining all Democrats to vote down a rule on the House floor and keep the discharge petition alive. And now, House leaders are contending with a new reality: Luna’s resolution might succeed.