Congress
Capitol agenda: GOP defends Waltz after war plans group chat
Congressional Republicans are furious about senior Trump administration officials using a group chat to discuss war plans. But they’re not calling for anyone’s head.
Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg wrote in The Atlantic he had — presumably by accident — been added to a group chat on Signal, an encrypted messaging app, that was used by several high-level Trump officials to plan the recent attack on the Houthis in Yemen.
There are growing calls within the White House for National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, who added Goldberg to the group chat, to resign. But GOP lawmakers have pushed back on the idea, with some defense hawks regarding the former congressman and Green Beret as a key link to the administration and someone they can trust to be a serious voice in Trump’s circle.
And many Hill Republicans, including Speaker Mike Johnson, are digging in to defend Waltz.
“He was made for that job, and I have full confidence in him,” Johnson told reporters Monday night, hours after separately shrugging off the broader issues with the Signal chat as a “mistake.”
Many lawmakers were shocked — not just because seemingly no one noticed that Goldberg was added to the chat, but that senior officials would discuss sensitive national security information on a platform that could be hacked by foreign adversaries.
“At minimum, it’s totally sloppy,” said Rep. Nick LaLota, a military veteran who previously held top security clearance. Rep. Don Bacon, a member of the House Armed Services committee, said the incident was “unconscionable.”
But Republicans largely dodged questions Monday about launching a congressional investigation, though many said they wanted a briefing. House Foreign Affairs Chair Brian Mast, a Trump ally, called the incident a “mistake” but said that he believed the White House should investigate, not Congress. House Armed Services Chair Mike Rogers, when asked if there should be any hearings or probes into the issue, said he’s “still trying to find out what happened.”
Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker was more willing than others to entertain a formal inquiry, saying, “we’ll definitely look into it.”
Keep an eye on a Senate Intelligence hearing today at 10 a.m., which is set to feature testimony from some top national security officials who were reportedly part of the Signal chat: Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe.
What else we’re watching:
- Talking Tax: Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune will meet with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Director of the National Economic Council Kevin Hassett, Senate Finance Chair Mike Crapo and Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith at the White House around 4 p.m. on Tuesday to discuss the tax portion of the GOP’s massive party-line bill.
- Johnson meets with Judiciary GOP: Johnson will speak with House Judiciary Republicans on Tuesday to discuss potential alternatives to pursuing impeachments for federal judges who rule against the Trump administration, a person granted anonymity to share details of a private meeting told Hailey. Meanwhile, House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan said he briefed the president over the weekend on how his panel plans to review how the federal judiciary is working to stop pieces of the administration’s agenda.
- Schumer faces his members: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer will meet with his caucus today, the first time since he sparked widespread intra-party anger by advancing the GOP government funding bill. Senate Democrats have largely quashed questions about if Schumer should step down from leadership, at least publicly. But the Tuesday lunch will still be a test for Schumer, as Democrats try to plot a path forward.
Meredith Lee Hill, Hailey Fuchs and Jordain Carney contributed to this report.
Todd Blanche picked up an important GOP vote Tuesday for his nomination as attorney general — Sen. John Curtis of Utah — likely leaving him just one vote shy of securing confirmation.
Curtis said in a statement he plans to “support” Blanche and was pleased with the nominee’s “receptivity and understanding” of issues raised, including ending the “Anti-Weaponization Fund” created under a May settlement Blanche brokered between the IRS and President Donald Trump.
The announcement came moments after the Senate Judiciary Committee voted on party lines to advance Blanche’s nomination to the full Senate.
Crucial to that vote was Blanche agreeing in writing that the $1.8 billion payout fund was nullified and that another aspect of the settlement — an IRS audit immunity agreement — was scaled back. That gave GOP Sens. John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina enough comfort to vote for Blanche.
The remaining undecided Republican senators are Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. All three said Tuesday they are still grappling with their decisions.
“I’m still considering everything,” Collins said. “I watched part of the markup this morning to hear some of the statements, but I don’t have any decision to share with you right now.”
Murkowski declined to say how she would vote, and Cassidy told reporters that he had “nothing about Todd Blanche” to say.
Cornyn said he has already spoken with Collins and Murkowski and that additional conversations are expected.
“Senator Collins, she’s one of the most diligent individuals I know, certainly here in the United States Senate, and we had a good conversation.” Cornyn said. “She’ll have to speak for herself as to her ultimate conclusion. And I’ve also been exchanging messages with Senator Murkowski, and I know we’ll have further conversations about this.”
Jordain Carney and Calen Razor contributed to this report.
Democrats on the Budget Committee were frustrated by Sen. Ron Johnson’s (R-Wis.) first turn with the gavel after the new chair rebutted each of their remarks.
“Welcome to the chairmanship, but I find you are turning this into a debate committee and not a budget committee,” Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said during the Tuesday hearing on Medicaid.
Johnson, who took over chair after the unexpected passing of Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) last month, fact checked Democrats on the committee after their allotted question time, which got on the nerves of his colleagues.
Ranking Member Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) said near the end of the hearing that rebuttals by the chair aren’t “customary.”
Johnson, a frequent critic of the Medicaid program, defended his approach, which he said makes the hearings more “informative.” He sparred with Democrats on Tuesday over the impact of Medicaid cuts included in the 2025 One Big Beautiful Bill Act, as well as Medicaid fraud and spending growth.
“I keep my comments pretty short,” he said. “There are important points to be made, and I will continue to do that. I hope it doesn’t offend my Democratic colleagues, but that will be my contention here.”
Rep. Max Miller, facing allegations of domestic abuse from his ex-wife, said he would ask the House Ethics Committee to investigate the claims in an attempt to clear his name.
“In light of all the renewed interest in my family affairs I am going to file my own paperwork for an ethics investigation into myself to clear my name from these horrific attacks on myself and family,” the Ohio Republican said in an X post. “I have absolutely nothing to hide.”
Miller is facing calls to resign after GOP Sen. Bernie Moreno, the father of Miller’s ex-wife Emily Moreno, said he should not serve in the House and should “seek professional help.”
Miller has denied allegations of domestic abuse from Emily Moreno. He attempted to defend himself Sunday in a livestreamed monologue and by publishing a trove of documents related to the divorce. Those documents included an “intimate image” of their daughter, which Miller’s lawyer Aaron Minc said he uploaded by mistake.
A spokesperson for Emily Moreno did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Miller’s request for a House Ethics investigation. A committee spokesperson also did not immediately respond.
Miller said he would provide the panel with “all necessary documents needed for a detail examination.” It is unlikely the committee, which historically works slowly, would make any assessment ahead of the November midterm election where he is facing a strong Democratic challenger.
“The accusations continue to change, but my facts stay the same,” Miller said. “I am looking forward to my colleagues reading everything for themselves.”
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