Senator Maggie Hassan criticized a 30-second television ad praising President Donald Trump that was paid for with federal tax dollars and aired on Fox News, warning it may violate laws against using taxpayer funds for government propaganda. The White House defended the ad as a public service announcement.
U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse and Catherine Cortez Masto have reintroduced the Supreme Court Review Act, legislation designed to allow Congress to respond quickly to Supreme Court decisions and restore policymaking power to the legislative branch. The move comes as Americans' approval of the Supreme Court nears historic lows.
Democratic Senators Edward Markey and Jeff Merkley led colleagues in demanding the Trump administration abandon a proposed civilian nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia, citing the deal's failure to meet the "Gold Standard" and classified U.S. intelligence indicating Saudi Arabia has not ruled out developing nuclear weapons.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. disclosed to Senator Elizabeth Warren and other lawmakers that he deviated from his ethics agreement, prompting concerns about non-disclosure to Congress and failure to report changes to agency ethics officials. The revelation comes amid scrutiny of Kennedy's financial disclosures, which revealed book deals worth millions of dollars.
The Trump administration is scrapping plans for an executive order that would have given the White House greater influence over grant decision-making at the National Institutes of Health. The decision follows pushback from lawmakers, including Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins.
House Judiciary Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan issued a criminal referral to the Justice Department against Jack Smith, while releasing transcripts related to a dispute over Arctic Frost records. Smith and his allies have criticized the DOJ criminal referral.
Senator Susan Collins and other members of Congress are pushing back against a White House proposal to create a commission of political appointees to review National Institutes of Health research grants. The plan, pushed by OMB Director Russell Vought, has sparked concerns about politicization of federal biomedical research funding.
Senators from both parties expressed outrage after a classified briefing with Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby, criticizing what they described as stonewalling and a lack of clear answers on the National Defense Strategy and ongoing Iran war.
Republican Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky filed eight articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Tuesday, accusing him of violating the War Powers Resolution and launching military actions against Iran without congressional approval.
FBI Director Kash Patel defended changes to bureau hiring standards that removed automatic disqualification for applicants with histories involving bestiality and prostitution, telling lawmakers the policy was intended to allow human trafficking victims who were forced into such acts to apply. The explanation drew skeptical responses from both Republican and Democratic senators during a heated Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.
A group of Democratic lawmakers called for suspension of a new surveillance program quietly launched by the Trump administration to collect personal and identifiable health data from Americans who visit emergency rooms.
The House Veterans Affairs Committee voted unanimously to subpoena Oracle Health executives Larry Ellison and Mike Sicilia after the VA's electronic health record contract costs nearly tripled from $10 billion to $27 billion.
The House Veterans Affairs Committee plans to subpoena Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison and CEO Mike Sicilia to testify about the VA's electronic health record contract, which has nearly tripled to $27 billion after a $16.9 billion increase. Congress is seeking answers about the project's escalating costs and lengthy timeline.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. repeatedly told senators his 2019 Samoa visit had 'nothing to do with vaccines,' but newly released documents reveal he met with anti-vaccine activists before a deadly measles outbreak that killed 83 people, mostly children.
A legal watchdog has filed bar complaints against U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro and two deputies, accusing them of ethical violations in their efforts to bring federal charges against six Democratic lawmakers who participated in a video urging military members to resist unlawful orders.
More than 60 Democratic lawmakers have initiated a probe into the Trump administration's immigration enforcement actions after an Associated Press investigation revealed that over 50 active-duty military members' spouses and parents have been detained by immigration authorities.
A federal appeals court ordered the Trump administration to stop construction of its $400 million ballroom on the White House grounds, ruling the project lacks congressional approval. The administration said it will appeal to the Supreme Court.
The Federal Communications Commission voted Thursday along party lines to scrap the longstanding cap limiting how many U.S. television households a single broadcaster can reach, a move that benefits media conglomerates and Trump-aligned broadcasters but faces questions about congressional authority.
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee voted along party lines to hold Anthony Fauci in contempt after he invoked the Fifth Amendment and declined to answer questions about his role in the Covid-19 pandemic response.
A Senate committee will vote this week on holding Dr. Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress after he invoked his Fifth Amendment rights and refused to answer questions during a hearing about his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sen. Rand Paul set a Thursday vote.
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 12-10 along party lines to advance Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche's nomination after he formally rescinded a planned $1.8 billion fund for Trump allies, swaying GOP holdouts John Cornyn and Thom Tillis. The nomination now heads to a full Senate vote expected before the August recess.
Two sons of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo testified at a congressional hearing demanding transparency and accountability after their father was shot and killed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in Houston. The sons described the horror of learning about their father's death and emphasized his dedication to protecting and providing for his family.
TikTok's U.S. chief security officer Will Farrell is scheduled to testify before a U.S. House committee on September 15, 2026, marking the first public testimony by a TikTok U.S. executive before the U.S. House since ByteDance finalized a deal to separate the U.S. app from its global business.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley disclosed that the Justice Department notified him that former special counsel Jack Smith's investigative team secretly obtained and reviewed text messages involving 44 members of Congress during the investigation into Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The revelation has drawn criticism from congressional Republicans.
FBI Director Kash Patel is under investigation by congressional Democrats over alleged misuse of taxpayer funds for luxury expenses including private jets, BMW vehicles, and helicopter tours. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley has privately pressed Patel on whether he reimbursed the government for personal travel, marking rare Republican criticism of the Trump appointee.
Democrats are positioning healthcare issues, including rural clinic closures and potential congressional oversight, as a central campaign theme for the 2026 midterm elections, with the issue showing potential to sway traditionally Republican voters in states like Iowa while Senate races remain complicated by candidate controversies.
A congressional report alleges that consultants linked to President Donald Trump diverted donations meant for America250, the official bipartisan organization planning the nation's semiquincentennial, to a separate Trump-backed nonprofit called Freedom 250. Democrats claim the scheme enriched political allies, harvested voter data, and promoted Christian nationalist ideology.
Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth has called on the Federal Aviation Administration to reject President Donald Trump's proposed 'Triumphful Arch' project, citing concerns that its height poses a danger to aircraft.
The Trump administration has quietly shifted approximately $352 million in federal funds originally designated for the Secret Service toward the president's controversial White House ballroom construction project, drawing criticism from Democrats who say the money comes from Trump's tax cuts legislation and contradicts administration promises about funding sources.
Republicans in Congress are expressing skepticism and demanding more information about a newly announced agreement between the United States and Iran by President Donald Trump. Congressional leaders and intelligence committees are scrutinizing the deal.
A rare bipartisan consensus is forming in Congress that any final nuclear agreement President Trump strikes with Iran must receive a vote in Congress, with both Republicans and Democrats insisting on legislative oversight.
President Trump asked Congress for a temporary extension of foreign surveillance authority while defending his choice of Bill Pulte as acting Director of National Intelligence amid bipartisan pushback that threatens the program's continuity.
The House voted to direct President Trump to end hostilities with Iran, marking a rare bipartisan rebuke with four Republicans breaking ranks. The measure, which has now passed both chambers of Congress, faces likely veto and remains largely symbolic.
Former Attorney General Pam Bondi testified before House lawmakers on Friday, admitting to 'redaction errors' in Jeffrey Epstein case files while defending the Department of Justice's handling of the matter. She refused to answer questions about President Trump's involvement in the files' release.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche testified before Congress about a new $1.776 billion fund created through Trump's IRS lawsuit settlement, refusing to rule out payments to January 6 Capitol rioters. Democrats launched an investigation into Blanche's oversight of the fund.
The White House is requesting $1 billion in security-related funding tied to transforming the East Wing into a massive ballroom, sparking debate among House Republicans over the appropriateness and necessity of the expenditure.
President Trump is reportedly growing impatient with Cuba's government maintaining power despite months of U.S. pressure, prompting warnings from both Senate Republicans and over 30 members of Congress against military strikes or invasion. Lawmakers cite concerns about military overextension with Iran and the use of Guantánamo Bay for migrant detention.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth testified before Congress that the ongoing U.S.-Iran war has cost approximately $29 billion so far, while requesting at least $1.5 trillion in additional military funding to maintain U.S. military capabilities.
A key GOP lawmaker is investigating whether the American Medical Association's medical billing codes are contributing to healthcare fraud, broadening Republican efforts to combat fraud in the healthcare system.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faced Congressional questioning over the Iran war budget and costs, with the Pentagon claiming $25 billion in expenses while lawmakers disputed the figure could be as high as $1 trillion. The hearing marked Hegseth's first public Congressional appearance since the war began.
The Trump administration's three-part campaign to preempt state AI regulation through Executive Order 14365 and other measures is encountering resistance from states and Congress, with Illinois and other states pursuing their own AI regulatory frameworks.
CFTC Chairman Michael Selig faced intense bipartisan questioning from House lawmakers over the agency's approach to prediction markets, sports betting contracts, and oversight of crypto derivatives platform Hyperliquid amid staffing concerns.
