Congress

House Dems solidify their anti-Trump policy chiefs

Published

2 years ago

December 17, 2024

House Democrats have largely set their team for countering President-elect Donald Trump’s agenda next year.

While the caucus is still making other Democratic committee heads official, they decided several contested panel leader elections Tuesday morning, with uncontested elections for leadership recommendations later in the day. House Democrats largely saw the contested races to lead Democrats on the Oversight, Agriculture and Natural Resources Committees as a check on seniority in the caucus — and a way to instill fresher talent from the ranks.

On the Natural Resources panel, Rep. Jared Huffman (Calif.) is replacing Rep. Raúl Grijalva (Ariz.), who ended his bid to lead Democrats on the panel again. On the Agriculture panel, Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) beat Rep. David Scott (Ga.), who faced questions about his health and finished in a distant third in an internal caucus panel election before dropping out of the race. On Oversight, Rep. Gerry Connolly (Va.) defeated Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), though both would have represented new leadership after Rep. Jamie Raskin (Md.) launched a bid for the ranking position on Judiciary.

Although they won’t hold gavels, House Democrats are looking to counter the incoming Republican trifecta and Trump however they can. Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi played a prominent role on that front during his first term, and personally backed two of the three new ranking members on key positions.

Heading into the next Congress, Democrats had fretted about their aging leaders’ ability to respond to conservative policy changes on the farm bill in the Agriculture Committee and in energy policy on Natural Resources. They also see high-profile panels like the Oversight Committee as a messaging bulwark against the Trump administration.

Here’s what the new rankers will do from their leadership perches:

Oversight and Accountability Committee

Connolly, a seasoned investigator, told reporters Tuesday that he’s experienced at countering Trump, and his strategy to fight Republicans was going to be “to tell the truth.”

“And if that hurts, then we know we’ve made our mark,” Connolly said. He added that “we will do a thorough assessment of the committee on the Democratic side and make appropriate changes.”

Connolly had earned plaudits from his colleagues for his tenure on the Oversight panel, where he worked on Postal Service issues and currently serves as the top Democrat on a subpanel on cybersecurity.

His allies also pointed to his deep well of relationships in the Democratic caucus, including in the centrist New Democrat Coalition, which had backed him during the elections for the top spot on the panel.

“He’s bright, he’s witty,” said Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), who helped campaign for Connolly. “I’ve seen him on the Foreign Affairs committee, taking charge of the issue, particularly when the Republicans are overstepping, etc., as well as doing it in a way that brings us all together. … And I think that’s who Gerry is.”

Connolly said he was diagnosed with cancer in a statement after the election. In private conversations as he sought the top Oversight spot, Connolly said he has pledged to his colleagues that he will be transparent about the status of his diagnosis, including if it were to unexpectedly worsen.

Natural Resources Committee

Huffman is now in a key position to challenge Republicans’ effort to enact Trump’s planned “drill, baby, drill” push.

The Californian has a decade of experience on the committee and is known for his frequent sparring with Republicans, plus policy chops that he developed when he worked as an attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council. He was a leader among Democrats clamoring for a generational change atop committee leadership.

In taking over the panel that oversees federal lands issues, including energy production and permitting, Huffman told reporters Tuesday he planned to aggressively defend against Republicans’ “Project 2025 agenda” while building on Rep. Raul Grijalva’s (D-Ariz.) legacy to “put environmental justice first and really lifted up his disadvantaged communities that bear the brunt of the climate crisis.”

Huffman had the backing of the large and powerful California delegation, including Pelosi, who he thanked “for her advice and support.” Huffman’s backers cited his knowledge of environmental and climate issues, advocacy for tribes and environmental justice, and his pragmatic streak, along with his work raising money for colleagues on the committee and in the caucus running in tough districts.

Agriculture Committee

Craig’s defeat of Scott and Rep. Jim Costa (D-Calif.) will make her the first woman ranking member of the House Agriculture panel, which some of her supporters touted as a shot at the “boys club” of panel leadership, according to one House Democratic lawmaker who was granted anonymity to discuss the internal caucus dynamics.

It’s also a loss for Pelosi, who was advocating for Costa, her fellow Californian, along with the state’s powerful delegation, behind the scenes. In comments to reporters right after her win, Craig noted it wasn’t easy overcoming the “powerful California” delegation.

In a series of closed-door meetings over the past week, Craig made an aggressive pitch to Democratic House members, citing her credentials as a frontline Democrat from a rural district. She also argued during the closed-door Steering panel meeting that the party needed a Midwestern battleground Democrat in committee leadership to balance out the many senior Democratic leaders hailing from the coasts.

Craig is incredibly well-liked by a wide swath of members, especially younger members who are growing their ranks. Young female members, especially on the Agriculture Committee, wanted to help her climb.

Congress

Mamdani boosts congressional slate ahead of primary election

Published

8 hours ago

June 19, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

NEW YORK — With just five days to go until the primary election in New York, Mayor Zohran Mamdani issued a stark warning to members of Congress who believe “incumbency is a substitute for action”: Watch out.

“People often ask me what I think of the state of the Democratic Party,” Mamdani said to the crowd at the Kings Theatre in Brooklyn as he boosted his endorsed congressional candidates. “This slate here today is our answer. The Democratic Party must change.”

The democratic socialist framed Tuesday’s election as much more than what that means for New York, though. In recounting how people also ask him about the 2028 presidential election, he put it bluntly: “It starts now. It starts on Tuesday.”

“For far too long, our party has seen its job as managing decline instead of delivering material change for working people,” Mamdani said. “That old way of thinking will lose on Tuesday. And frankly, it will lose in South Carolina and New Hampshire. It will fall short of 270 electoral votes, because the party of the past will not be what leads us into the future.”

Mamdani, joined by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, urged his supporters to show up for his endorsed candidates “the way you showed up for me.” They include former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, who’s challenging two-term Rep. Dan Goldman; state Assemblymember Claire Valdez, who’s vying for retiring Rep. Nydia Velázquez’s seat; and community organizer Darializa Avila Chevalier, who’s trying to unseat five-term Rep. Adriano Espaillat, the chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

Mamdani’s endorsed slate of legislative candidates were at the rally, too.

The rally featured standard stump speeches from the candidates, highlighting the need to support working class New Yorkers and immigrants. Speakers called out the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the pro-Israel group that has loomed over many of these primaries — despite no evident spending from its independent expenditure arm. Sanders also emphasized his call to ban super PACs, which have reshaped primaries across the city.

Taking place just hours after the massive ticker-tape parade celebrating the Knicks’ historic championship, there were also Knicks references galore.

“I hate to break it to you, but OG Anunoby is not here to save the day,” said Mamdani, who was wearing a Knicks jersey under his suit. “The only hands we can count on are ours.”

Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks during a get out the vote rally ahead of New York's primary election on June 18, 2026, in Brooklyn.

Sanders, who is wildly popular in New York, previously endorsed Valdez and Lander. Both Valdez and Avila Chevalier are members of the Democratic Socialists of America and are backed by the city chapter in their bids. Sanders had not officially endorsed Avila Chevalier prior to the rally.

“Why are progressives and socialist candidates winning elections all across this country?” Sanders asked. “The answer in my view is not complicated. The working class of America understands that our current economic system is rigged, that it is designed to benefit the wealthy and the powerful.”

Polling has shown Lander with a lead over Goldman, and a tight race for Velázquez’s seat. Public polling is scarce in the Espaillat race, but recent internal surveys suggest Avila Chevalier is posing a real challenge to the incumbent. Mamdani endorsed her just weeks ago, much later than Lander and Valdez, but his engagement in the race has significantly elevated its profile.

“Six months ago, they told us this race was over before it started,” Avila Chevalier said at the rally. “They told us Adriano was untouchable, that he was an institution, that you don’t run against someone like him and win. That this district was his, and that we should wait our turn. And they said it with such confidence, like the outcome had already been written. Look around. Look at what we’ve built.”

Mamdani’s decision to get involved in congressional races is stress-testing how the new mayor navigates relations with powerful, well-respected party figures — many of whom he’s on the opposite side of.

Mamdani’s endorsement is expected to be a significant asset for his picks; he had dominant performances across these districts in last year’s mayoral primary. And that shine doesn’t seem to have dulled. Recent polling has shown that Mamdani has high approval ratings.

Goldman did not support Mamdani during last year’s mayoral primary or the general election, as Lander has often pointed out. Espaillat backed former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the primary, but supported Mamdani in the general election. Valdez’s opponents, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso and city Council Member Julie Won, both supported Mamdani in the primary.

The mayor has been active on the trail for his congressional candidates of choice in the closing stretch of the campaign. And he touted them all in an advertisement that ran during the first game of the Knicks’ finals run.

Still, Lander has tried to keep some distance. When asked at a recent press conference why he would appear in that ad with Avila Chevalier, who attended a pro-Palestinian rally the day after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack in 2023 — the same rally Lander said he left the DSA over — he said it was an “opportunity to show New Yorkers that politics can be a team sport.” He also clarified that he has not endorsed candidates in any other congressional primaries.

Avila Chevalier told reporters that she went to that rally to “stand against” Israel engaging in “a response that is often disproportionate and creates a greater loss of life.” She added that she has “condemned Hamas” and does “not believe that celebrating the loss of anybody’s life is OK.”

Kings Theatre isn’t located in any of the districts these congressional hopefuls are trying to represent — though it neighbors the seats that Lander and Valdez have their eyes on.

It’s especially far from Espaillat’s district, which includes parts of upper Manhattan and the Bronx.

While handing out campaign literature to people walking out of the subway in Hamilton Heights, Blue Light News asked Espaillat if he had thoughts about Avila Chevalier appearing at the rally.

“I’m rallying right here in my district with my constituents — not in Brooklyn,” he replied.

Jason Beeferman contributed to this report.

Congress

Meta faces calls for Congress to probe scam ads targeting seniors

Published

11 hours ago

June 18, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Retirement groups are calling on Congress to investigate Meta over a wave of social media scams targeting older Americans.

In a letter sent Thursday to House Homeland Security Committee Chair Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.) and ranking member Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), the groups alleged Meta has been slow to take down fraudulent ads, leaving seniors vulnerable to financial loss. The letter, shared exclusively with POLITICO, was signed by the Alliance for Retired Americans, the American Postal Workers Union Retirees and the American Federation of Teachers, among others.

“Fraudulent Medicare ads have proliferated on Meta platforms and too many seniors are getting scammed while Meta profits,” said Richard Fiesta, executive director of the Alliance for Retired Americans. “We are calling on Congress to investigate how these scams are allowed to spread, what Meta knew about them, and why stronger protections are not in place. Seniors should not be left vulnerable while scammers and tech companies cash in.”

The letter’s demands follow a report published last month by the Center for Countering Digital Hate, a nonprofit advocacy group, which alleged that Meta has profited by leaving up fraudulent ads, many of which target Medicare recipients.

“Scammers are determined criminals who use increasingly sophisticated tactics to defraud people and evade detection,” Meta spokesperson Andy Stone said in a statement. “We aggressively fight scams on and off our platforms because they’re not good for us or the people and businesses that rely on our services and for years we’ve been one of law enforcement’s strongest partners in the fight against this type of online crime — identifying criminals, disrupting their crimes and helping bring them to justice.”

Stone pointed to several examples of Meta’s efforts to combat scams on its platform, including a recent collaboration with U.S. and Thai law enforcement to disrupt online scams.

It’s not the first time Meta has faced scrutiny over the scams: Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) urged the Federal Trade Commission and the Securities Exchange Commission to open an investigation into the company in November after Reuters reported that Meta in internal documents projected 10 percent of its 2024 revenue would come from fraudulent ads. And in February, a group of bipartisan lawmakers pressed Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg over its plans to prevent and combat fraud on its platforms.

Reps. Dan Meuser (R-Pa.) and Lou Correa (D-Calif.) also introduced bipartisan legislation earlier this year to combat predatory scam ads.

Congress

Congress lays out path for final passage of housing bill

Published

11 hours ago

June 18, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Congress is expected to send a landmark, bipartisan housing affordability bill to President Donald Trump’s desk by the end of next week as the Senate and House schedule action on the legislation in the coming days.

The Senate has teed up the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act for final passage on Monday, after completing all its necessary procedural votes this week.

The legislation will then move on to the House where GOP leadership plans to open debate on Wednesday, with a vote expected as early as the same day, according to six people familiar with the vote granted anonymity to discuss plans.

House leadership plans to suspend the rules, requiring a two-thirds majority vote, to speed up the bill’s path to Trump’s desk. Final passage could be pushed to Thursday depending on timing, the people said.

The housing bill aims to tackle housing affordability and boost homeownership and supply ahead of a midterm election dominated by cost-of-living concerns.

The four lawmakers leading the negotiations over the legislation — Senate Banking Chair Tim Scott (R-S.C.), ranking member Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), House Financial Services Chair French Hill (R-Ark.) and ranking member Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) — came to an agreement Tuesday afternoon after months of back and forth on the bill’s contents.

The housing affordability legislation, which the White House supports, contains a provision limiting the role of large institutional investors in the single-family housing market, which was a key condition for Trump to sign the bill.