Outside the Beltway

As the shutdown drags on, Mitch McConnell finds himself facing pressure from the White House and from members of his own caucus.

In a late first-day session, Congress passed a series of bills designed to reopen most of the government, but they’re already ‘dead on arrival’ in the Senate.

Nancy Pelosi is Speaker of The House again after eight years out of power, but there’s little time for her to celebrate.

With Democrats set to take control of Congress today, a resolution to the shutdown doesn’t appear to be any closer.

Democrats have unveiled what appears as if it will be their first effort to end the shutdown, but there are already signs Republicans will reject it.

President Trump is now threatening to close the border if he doesn’t get funding for his border wall.

As 2018 draws to a close, there’s no sign that the government shutdown will end any time soon.

Congress will not be returning to Washington until some time next week. Thus guaranteeing that this shutdown will last at least through January 3rd.

Is it possible that the solution to the government shutdown is letting the President pretend he got funding for his border wall even though he didn’t?

Christmas is behind us, but don’t expect any progress when it comes to the government shutdown, which is in its fifth day.

There was no progress on resolving the government shutdown today, and little hope that anything will happen before late next week.

With just hours to go, a partial government shutdown is becoming more and more likely.

The Senate passed a bill that keeps the government funded through the beginning of February, but fails to provide any funding for the President’s border wall.

With three days to go before a government shutdown, there are at least some signs that the President may be backing away from his threats to shut down the government over funding for his border wall.

As Washington heads into the final days of a budget shutdown, Republicans find themselves on the losing end of a public relations battle.

U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor contends that a recent change in tax law unravels the basis for the Supreme Court’s upholding of Obamacare.

House Republicans reportedly don’t have the votes to fund the President’s border wall.

Nancy Pelosi is apparently close to a deal with dissident Democrats that will keep her in power until at least 2022.

Once again, President Trump is threatening a shutdown over the border wall that Mexico was supposed to pay for.

This month’s budget fight is likely the last chance the President will have to get any funding for his border wall.

Nancy Pelosi won a key vote yesterday on the road to returning as Speaker of the House again in January.

In the end, the race between Cindy Hyde-Smith and Mike Espy was not even close.

A brewing fight over funding for the President’s border wall could throw a monkey wrench into plans to pass a budget by next Friday.

With their House majority secure, Democrats must now select their leadership team for the next two years. It’s not going smoothly.

Whether as candidates or as voters, Democrats can thank women for many of their victories on Tuesday.

The 2018 midterms were mostly about Donald Trump. The results were idiosyncratic.

The GOP is likely to lose control of the House of Representatives tomorrow, but could this actually help Trump?

In the wake of attempted bombing attacks on people he has criticized, the President is blaming the media for poisonous political rhetoric. He needs to look in the mirror.

The Russians are interfering in our electoral system again, and they’re using our own hyperpartisanship to accomplish their goals.

With three weeks to go until Election Day, it’s looking like we’ll end up with a Congress divided between Democrats in the House and Republicans in the Senate.

We should take Congressional officers out of the line of succession.

Regardless of who wins control of the Senate in November, the person who will stand third in the line of succession will either be over, or very close to, eighty years old. That doesn’t make sense.

Trumpism is a direct by-product of the poisonous populism of the Tea Party movement, and they’ve both taken over the Republican Party.

Delaware Democratic Senator Tom Carper beat back a challenge from a ‘progressive” challenger in Thursday’s primary.

Another “progressive” victory over a longtime Democratic incumbent, but this one is a bit different.

President Trump’s much-hyped replacement for NAFTA doesn’t really amount to much and won’t amount to anything unless he can get Canada, and the U.S. Congress, on board.

With just 72 days to go until Election Day, the chances that the Democrats will take control of at least one chamber of Congress are looking quite good.

California Republican Duncan Hunter Jr, who was an early backer of President Trump’s campaign, has been indicted on charges he used massive amounts of campaign funds to pay for personal expenses.

Recent reports have indicated that doubts are growing about the wisdom of keeping California Democrat Nancy Pelosi at the top of House Leadership.

Republican Troy Balderson holds a narrow lead in a Special Election in Ohio. Even if he wins, though, the way this election played out does not bode well for the GOP in November.

A Special Election tomorrow in suburban Columbus, Ohio could tell us a lot about where the midterm elections might be headed.

A powerful political network is distancing itself from the Trump-dominated Republican Party.

Ohio Congressman Tim Ryan, who challenged Nancy Pelosi for a leadership spot in 2016, is telling supporters he’s running for President in 2020.

Joe Crowley, widely considered in line to replace Nancy Pelosi as party leader in the House, has been defeated.

Democrats have decided to move up the date of their 2020 Convention.

It isn’t a primary and it is an illustration of how electoral rules affect behavior.

The DNC is backing centrist candidates in a bid to win traditionally Republican districts. Party activists are not happy about it.

Instead of attending the White House Correspondents Association Dinner last night, Donald Trump took his show on the road where he continued his long-standing attacks on the press. Unfortunately, it’s a message that resonates with his supporters.

As expected, a Republican won the Special Election in Arizona’s 8th Congressional District, but it’s not a win Republicans should really be celebrating.

Hillary Clinton isn’t running for anything in 2018, but that isn’t stopping Republicans from running against her.