Congress

Conservatives back border first, taxes later strategy in major party-line bills next year

Published

2 years ago

December 18, 2024

Some of the most influential conservatives in Congress are throwing their weight behind a two-step approach to enacting President-elect Donald Trump’s agenda early next Congress.

In a letter Wednesday led by Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris (R-Md.), the influential bloc of Republicans voiced support for an initial effort aimed at border security policies and a second bill that would extend the Trump administration tax cuts while “including necessary spending reforms and cuts.”

“We believe it is critical that we prioritize the prompt passage of a border security focused reconciliation bill,” the conservatives wrote. “Mindful that our slim majority in the House and the filibuster in the Senate means that success is far from guaranteed, we believe that a two-step reconciliation process gives us the best chance of securing passage of this transformational border security legislation.”

As they think of how to pay for the second measure, the Republicans said they’d prioritize “repealing the green tax credits” within the Inflation Reduction Act and “the estimated $2.5 trillion worth of cuts that the Department of Government Efficiency will identify as necessary to restore the fiscal health of the nation.”

This group of conservatives will have enormous influence in a House expected to temporarily have just a 217-215 effective GOP majority, meaning the party cannot afford a single defection on major legislation with full attendance. Senate Republicans can only afford three party defections on major bills.

Still, the two-step approach has its prominent detractors, notably House Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith (R-Mo.). However, conservatives may take some solace from the fact that incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune indicated recently that “failure is not an option” on tax policy.

Trump himself has yet to publicly weigh in.

Congress

Bipartisan House group urges Trump to enforce Russia sanctions, scrap diesel deal

Published

12 minutes ago

October 15, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

A bipartisan group of House lawmakers urged President Donald Trump to follow through on the Russia sanctions law he signed last month, warning on Thursday against giving Moscow economic relief as a key enforcement deadline approaches.

In a letter led by Rep. Jim Costa (D-Calif.) and shared first with Blue Light News, 22 House lawmakers asked Trump to fully implement the sanctions law named after the late Sen. Lindsey Graham by Oct. 18 and scrap his administration’s recent Russian diesel deal.

“As Russia prepares to wage a fifth winter campaign against Ukraine, the United States has an opportunity to reinvigorate peace efforts by placing maximum pressure on Vladimir Putin and the governments and networks that finance his war,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter sent to Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

The House lawmakers called for the Trump administration to apply sanctions “to their fullest extent and without delay” against Russian officials, oligarchs and banks financing the war — as well as the foreign banks, shadow fleet operators and intermediaries helping Moscow evade restrictions.

Included among the lawmakers who signed Thursday’s letter are Republican Reps. Don Bacon (Neb.), Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.), Michael McCaul (Texas), Dan Newhouse (Wash.) and Joe Wilson (S.C.), along with Democrats including Reps. Steny Hoyer (Md.), Marcy Kaptur (Ohio) and Jared Golden (Maine) — among others.

The lawmakers’ demands Thursday add to growing bipartisan pressure on Trump over his deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin, after the president announced on Friday that Russia would supply hundreds of thousands of tons of diesel to the “American and Global Marketplace.”

They also requested details on which sanctions and tariffs will take effect before Oct. 18, whether any provisions will be delayed or waived, and how the administration reconciles the diesel license with the existing statutory ban on Russian energy imports.

“Putin has repeatedly shown that he responds to pressure, not goodwill,” the House members wrote. “This will make clear that American resolve is bipartisan and durable, and that the cost of continuing this war will only grow until Russia comes to the negotiating table.

The White House, the State Department and the Treasury Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Trump defended the agreement Tuesday as “a deal for the world,” saying the diesel would enter global markets rather than go directly to the U.S. The move comes as the president scrambles to try to bring down fuel prices ahead of the midterms.

The Iran war — now in its seventh month — has contributed to the surge in costs, with the average price of diesel peaking at a record $6.53 per gallon in September, according to AAA.

Congress

James Talarico announces record-breaking $64M haul

Published

6 hours ago

October 15, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Texas Democrat James Talarico raised a staggering $64 million this summer — the largest third-quarter haul of any Senate candidate in history.

The national Democratic darling raised more than $134.3 million since launching his campaign in September of 2025, according to figures shared first with Blue Light News. More than 1.3 million donors contributed, the campaign said, as Democrats slowly reconcile themselves to their long-held but often fumbled dream of gaining a statewide perch in Texas. About 97% of those donations were of $100 or less.

“Grassroots contributors from across Texas are coming together to end billionaire control over our politics and bring down costs for working families,” Talarico said in a statement shared first with Blue Light News.

The announcement is a bright spot in an otherwise rough few days, with Talarico reemerging on the trail after being out for more than a week with the flu.

But Texas is an expensive state to run in, and Republicans are taking his campaign seriously. Talarico already had some $235 million spent against him as national Republicans scramble to hold the seat and boost Ken Paxton. Texas has emerged as a money pit for Republicans following a divisive GOP primary that saw Paxton, the controversial state attorney general, vanquish incumbent GOP Sen. John Cornyn, a favorite of the party establishment.

Talarico faces a wall of GOP money in the final days of the race.

“He’s fighting this battle basically alone while Elon Musk and the full weight of the GOP fundraising apparatus outspends him 2:1. This is still an uphill battle,” said a Democratic strategist doing work in Texas, granted anonymity to candidly discuss Talarico’s disadvantages.

In his 2018 Texas Senate run, former Rep. Beto O’Rourke raised a record $38.1 million in the third quarter, and South Carolina Democrat Jaime Harrison eclipsed that amount with a $57 million third quarter in 2020.

Congress

Capitol agenda: Waters rallies support as rivals circle

Published

7 hours ago

October 15, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

The race to be the top House Financial Services Democrat could shape up to be a free-for-all.

Rep. Maxine Waters, 88, who has spent decades on the committee, faces a challenge from Rep. Sean Casten, 54, and a potential bid from Rep. Bill Foster, 71, a more moderate panel member.

And Rep. Joyce Beatty, a longtime ally of Waters and senior member on the panel, has been encouraged by some Democratic lawmakers and lobbyists to run, although she would only jump in the race “contingent on the current chairwoman not being able to have enough votes,” said a House Democratic staffer close to the committee granted anonymity to discuss the sensitive dynamics.

A spokesperson for Beatty said in a statement she’d be voting for Waters as chair.

Waters, a resistance icon and accomplished legislator, meanwhile, is already shoring up support.

“Unless there is an individual who brings the unrivaled experience and tantalizing toughness of Maxine Waters, I look forward to supporting her,” Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a member of both Financial Services and the Congressional Black Caucus, said in a statement.

The 50-plus member CBC is likely to bolster Waters’ bid, and Waters could also leverage her Los Angeles-area seat for support from the 43 Democrats in California’s congressional delegation. Beatty is also a CBC member.

Waters and her team have also been making calls this week to recruit members to whip for her, including moderate Rep. Josh Gottheimer and progressive Rep. Ayanna Pressley, according to two people with knowledge of her outreach.

Waters is an outspoken progressive who can also tout a track record of dealmaking with Republicans. By tapping two members on opposite ends of the ideological spectrum, she is casting herself as a unifier.

On policy, Casten generally aligns with Waters. But his backers insist he has a unique lane given a caucus-wide appetite for generational change.

One senior House Democrat, granted anonymity to speak candidly, said they believe Casten will make the race a fight, and described a “widespread perception” in the caucus that octogenarians hanging on to leadership roles is “just selfish, and is not in the best interests of our caucus. We need to have the best team on the field.”

In 2024, a slate of younger House Democrats successfully challenged aging incumbents by pitching themselves as the fresh, energetic faces of their committees.

At that time, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries stayed out of the fray, and he might again. A Jeffries spokesperson did not return a request for comment.

What else we’re watching:

— HOUSE DEMS LOOK FOR CLARK TO BRING ‘ORDER’: Democrats’ No. 2 leader wants a chamber reset after four years of routine floor meltdowns and speaker revolts in a GOP-controlled House. But if Democratic majority materializes, it will include progressives like Rep. Katherine Clark herself, as well as “majority-maker” moderates and a crop of new leftist lawmakers. “To handle a couple hundred members of Congress is no kid job,” moderate Rep. Marcy Kaptur, who would be the longest-serving House Democrat if she can win reelection, said of Clark, adding she’s well-equipped to “keep order in the House, get our business done on time.” Clark and Jeffries, are intent on neutralizing infighting and keeping the House focused on an affordability and accountability agenda to pave the way for a presidential win in 2028.

— LEE, CRUZ BACK JAN. 6 CO-CONSPIRATOR: Two prominent Senate Judiciary Republicans are asking the Supreme Court to review the disbarment of John Eastman for helping orchestrate the plot to overturn the 2020 election for President Donald Trump. Sen. Mike Lee, who is poised to be the top Republican on the panel next Congress, and Sen. Ted Cruz, wrote in a brief filed with SCOTUS Wednesday that the decision to revoke Eastman’s license to practice law in California was a result of political activists weaponizing the bar disciplinary process against attorneys on “the disfavored side of public controversies.” Eastman was criminally charged in Georgia and Arizona for his role in the scheme, and in April he was disbarred.

Chris Marquette contributed to this report.