Congress

Congress thought it had a spy-powers deal. Then Trump came in.

Published

4 months ago

June 8, 2026

Congress appeared to be on track to reauthorize a national spy program that’s due to expire in the coming days. Then Donald Trump stepped in.

The president’s decision to name Bill Pulte — a MAGA ally with no national security experience — acting director of national intelligence has upended bipartisan plans to pass a long-term extension of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which has been floating along on a stopgap patch since April amid broader political disagreements about the fate of the spy law.

Members on both sides of the aisle are concerned that U.S. citizens are getting swept up in warrantless surveillance designed to target foreigners overseas and want the program to be significantly reined in. A bipartisan coalition of lawmakers was working to pass a three-year extension.

But Democrats are withdrawing their support in protest of the Pulte appointment, with nearly every Democratic senator joining a handful of Republicans in tanking a procedural vote early Friday morning that would have allowed for passage of that three-year deal before the June 12 deadline.

It’s only the latest in a string of occasions where Trump has acted seemingly on impulse and without consideration for the political fallout and ramifications on Capitol Hill. That has complicated efforts by Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Speaker Mike Johnson’s to enact the president’s agenda with just months to go until the midterms.

“I don’t think he thinks about the impact on us and the timing,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) told reporters. “Which is unfortunate because it really has had an impact. Quite honestly, I’m worried about what we’re going to do on FISA.”

The newest FISA hiccup comes after GOP leaders saw passage of their immigration enforcement bill delayed, and almost entirely derailed, by Trump’s unrelated demands — first for more money to cover security features surrounding the White House ballroom project, then over the announcement of a $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” that fueled a wave of Republican furor on Capitol Hill.

The usually even-keeled Thune has hinted publicly at frustrations over how the administration’s uncoordinated decisions are making it harder to advance GOP priorities.

“Timing is everything. And we’re trying to get some stuff done up here, things that the White House wants done that … get more complicated with the weekly announcements,” Thune said last week.

Thune said after Friday’s failed FISA vote that it was “irresponsible” for Democrats to risk letting the surveillance power lapse. But when asked what impact Trump’s Pulte announcement had on that vote outcome, he conceded that there “have been timing issues around several things they’ve done in the last few weeks.”

Trump announced Thursday that Pulte would not be the formal nominee to succeed Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence — a move widely seen as an indirect acknowledgment his appointment was causing political headaches. Two people granted anonymity to speak candidly said Republicans viewed this step as Trump responding to private warnings from GOP lawmakers about Pulte and his impact on the spy power extension discussions.

But his assurances weren’t enough for Senate Democrats. All except Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania voted against advancing a deal that would have paired a three-year extension with some new guardrails and transparency requirements.

Later Friday, Trump told the Wall Street Journal he wants Pulte to begin firing a slew of employees in the intelligence community — further inflaming Democrats who are already on guard against Trump administration efforts to downsize the federal bureaucracy.

Several Democrats who were at one point inclined to help Republicans pass a long-term FISA extension now say they are not interested in cooperating until Pulte is removed.

“You just couldn’t have thrown an uglier wrench into the process,” said Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, in an interview.

“I’m bleeding Democrats” willing to vote for a deal, he added, “and we didn’t have that many to begin with.”

Across the Capitol, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, who was viewed as a Democrat likely to help advance a surveillance powers bill, said in a statement that Trump “is undermining extension of this critical authority” with the appointment.

“Pulte must go,” she said.

Meanwhile, the setback in the Senate is only empowering privacy hawks in both parties who believe they now have momentum to kill any FISA deal that doesn’t include sweeping changes whether Pulte gets yanked from his acting leadership post or not — further complicating matters for Thune and Johnson.

“Warrantless FISA surveillance depends on a handful of government officials to choose not to misuse the most powerful spying apparatus the world has ever seen,” Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said in a statement Friday. “Firing Pulte won’t solve the real problem.”

Republicans are hoping that talks between the White House and congressional Democrats can help shake things loose. Thune said “the administration will have to consider and Democrats will have to think about” if any deal can get through with Pulte in his current role.

Even if the Senate can manage to pass a FISA extension this week, House GOP leaders still have several hurdles to overcome in order to pass it in time.

Members of the House Freedom Caucus have revived a social media campaign demanding intelligence agencies get a warrant before searching the foreign data for Americans, and some hard-liners are pushing for the inclusion of a permanent ban on the Federal Reserve’s ability to issue a digital currency.

“I think we ought to just hold our powder dry and see what actually comes out of the Senate,” said Rep. Keith Self (R-Texas), a proponent of incorporating both policy changes into the bill.

He added it was “probably reasonable” to predict another short-term deadline punt at this point. Another hard-liner, Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), agreed it likely will “unfortunately” be needed.

House Democrats say they are not inclined at this point to move things along.

“We need the administration to appoint someone as DNI who’s going to take FISA seriously,” Rep. Brad Schneider of Illinois, chair of the centrist New Democrat Coalition, said Friday.

Even Himes, among the most vocal Democrats in favor of keeping FISA from expiring, wouldn’t commit to supporting an extension now without first securing Pulte’s removal.

“I was actually looking forward to gaining Democrats” to vote on an extension, Himes said. “Instead, my phone is ringing with Democrats telling me to go pound sand on FISA.”

Congress

Senate Democrats start spending in Mississippi

Published

39 minutes ago

October 20, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Democrats’ money machine is on its way to Mississippi.

Senate Majority PAC is putting an initial $1.2 million on television statewide through Election Day to boost Scott Colom, the group announced Tuesday — another plunge into deep-red territory for Democrats as they take advantage of a dismal environment for Republicans.

Colom, a local prosecutor, has gained on GOP Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith in recent public polling, and has started to gain the attention of national Democrats. Some Senators, including Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock and Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego, have pushed for more party investment in the race, which they believe in the right environment could flip a traditionally red seat.

But until now, Democrats said their resources were stretched too thin across a widening map that would allow them to play in the Magnolia State.

SMP is launching its first ad Wednesday attacking Hyde-Smith as a “do-nothing” senator and is planning a digital program as well. Lauren French, a spokesperson for SMP, said in a statement that “it is clear Colom is running a competitive race that has put Hyde-Smith on her heels.”

Hyde-Smith’s campaign downplayed the race’s competitiveness while tying Colom to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

“It took Chuck Schumer and his Super PACs thirteen months to run a single ad for Scott Colom,” Hyde-Smith campaign spokesperson Nathan Calvert said in a statement. “Chuck knows what Mississippians know, Scott Colom is too liberal, supports transgender surgeries for children, men in women’s restrooms and locker rooms, open borders, and higher taxes. Team Cindy is confident that voters will reject this radical agenda at the ballot box on November 3rd.”

Colom’s campaign didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.

Other national Democrats have started paying attention to the race too, with several set to descend on Mississippi ahead of Election Day. Former Vice President Kamala Harris will campaign alongside Colom later this week, and former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg will hit the trail next week.

The state has the highest proportion of Black people in the nation, giving Democrats a high base of support in most elections — and has long left Democrats dreaming they could win statewide, having invested some resources in recent Senate and governor’s races over the past decade. Hyde-Smith did not top 55% of the vote in either of her previous elections, and Colom has seized on an interview clip when she was asked about the high price of beef: “You know, you have so many proteins to choose from.”.

Still, despite the overall positive environment for the party, flipping the seat remains a steep uphill battle. Republicans control all levers of state government, and Trump handily won by 24 points in 2024. The last time Mississippians elected a Democrat statewide was 2015, and the last time the state sent a Democrat to the Senate was 1982.

SMP’s investment in Mississippi follows multimillion-dollar dives into Kansas and Texas that collectively show how far the Senate map has shifted onto red turf in the midterm’s closing weeks. The Chuck Schumer-aligned group has also cut back on spending on television in North Carolina and Georgia in recent weeks amid increasingly bullish outlooks for Democrats Roy Cooper and Sen. Jon Ossoff, respectively.

Congress

DCCC launches ads against Mike Turner in red Ohio district

Published

9 hours ago

October 20, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

House Democrats’ campaign arm is launching its first ad buy against seven-term GOP Rep. Mike Turner in his western Ohio district as they seek to turn up the pressure on Republicans in once-safe red seats.

The DCCC is dropping separate six-figure buys on two coordinated television ads boosting challenger Kristina Knickerbocker, spokesperson Riya Vashi said — a remarkable investment considering Turner won in 2024 by over 18 percentage points, overperforming President Donald Trump.

Ohio adopted a new redistricted congressional map last year that was expected to favor Republicans. Turner’s 10th District voted for Trump by 6 points in 2024; under the new lines it would have been closer to 8 points.

The first ad airing this week opens with a woman saying, “It’s time we had someone in Congress who actually stands up for us” as Knickerbocker jogs through a neighborhood.

Democrats are eyeing Turner’s Dayton-area seat as a reach opportunity. A new internal DCCC poll of 535 likely general election voters reviewed by Blue Light News shows Knickerbocker running three percentage points ahead of Turner. Polling from this summer showed Turner leading the race.

Another Democratic group, House Majority PAC, has already poured more than a million dollars into the race against Turner and has reservations planned through Nov. 3. Knickerbocker is not on the DCCC’s “Red to Blue” roster of candidates who get the bulk of its resources.

“Alarm bells should be ringing for Mike Turner,” Vashi said in a statement. “Kristina Knickerbocker has the momentum in this race, and the DCCC will make sure every voter in this district knows exactly how Turner has betrayed them.”

But the NRCC has been spending in the district for several weeks to boost Turner. House Republican campaign operatives are so far dismissing efforts to flip the seat.

NRCC spokesperson Zach Bannon called Turner “a life-long Ohioan who has a record of cutting taxes, lowering costs, and making Ohio streets safer.”

“While Congressman Turner delivers commonsense conservative wins, out of touch Democrat Kristina Knickerbocker supports a radical far-left agenda,” Bannon said. “This November, Ohioans will reject liberal Knickerbocker and send Congressman Mike Turner back to Congress.”

Congress

Capitol agenda: Dem gavels are coming for Elon Musk

Published

9 hours ago

October 20, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Elon Musk is facing a gauntlet of Democratic oversight.

Democrats have long eyed investigating the world’s richest man and the GOP’s top donor. They may get their chance if they win back congressional power in November, and senior members are mulling how a range of panels could target Musk and a huge swath of his businesses.

Their list of potential probes is growing.

Some members are eager to dig into Musk’s possible role last week in throttling crucial internet access to the Ukrainian military as President Donald Trump seeks to pressure the country into cutting a peace deal with Russia.

“What happens when one guy gets a giant contract from the government and then uses it to do something that shuts down communication in a war that has been extremely important to the United States to support Ukraine?” Rep. Pramila Jayapal said in an interview.

The incident is one of a glut of alleged conflicts of interests members cited as ripe for oversight, as Musk’s companies like SpaceX and Tesla rake in multi-billion dollar federal contracts and subsidies.

“The sheer number of conflicts of interest are astounding,” top Space, Science and Technology Democrat Rep. Zoe Lofgren said.

Spokespeople for Musk did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Members of House Oversight and other panels also want to examine Musk’s role in eliminating over 250,000 federal jobs during his time at DOGE, withholding congressionally appropriated money and accessing sensitive government data.

“Congress must demand a full accounting of the damage Mr. Musk and DOGE caused, and we will not let anyone obstruct our oversight,” House Foreign Affairs ranking member Rep. Greg Meeks said in a statement Monday, referring to the so-called Department of Government Efficiency Musk headed last year.

Meeks named Musk’s part in “the cruel dismantling of USAID” as a prime target for his panel next year.

Some Democrats are not waiting for gavels: House Homeland Security Democrats demanded last month Musk testify under oath about a watchdog report claiming DOGE overstated its savings. And Ways and Means Democrats called for an investigation into the group’s alleged data theft from Social Security records.

But even members on panels with less obvious ties to the tech mogul are eyeing targets. Rep. Maxine Dexter, who sits on Natural Resources and Veterans Affairs, said she sees Musk among “the well-connected billionaire, trillionaires who have seen government contracts as a way to subsidize their own company’s research, development, and bottom line.”

“We need to shut that down,” she said.

What else we’re watching:

— MEET TRUMP’S HILL LIAISON: Katie Bailey is poised to run point between the White House and a chaotic Congress — especially if Democrats prevail in the midterms. Trump’s pick for the new director of the Office of Legislative Affairs is a longtime former congressional aide with wide-ranging experience in oversight and investigations. Her first task will be helping navigate a fast-moving, high-stakes “lame duck” legislative session, where lawmakers rush to pass outstanding bills and avoid a government shutdown. James Braid, who previously held the role before announcing his departure in August, said in an interview that Bailey is up for that task.

— GOP TRIES TO SPARE UKRAINE FROM TRUMP: Republican lawmakers are scrambling to find a way to stop Trump from cozying up to Russia and dismissing Ukraine — but they’re running low on options. All of it comes in response to the president’s decisions to purchase Russian diesel, waive sanctions on Moscow and potentially stop sharing intelligence with Ukraine. Lawmakers are also frustrated with days of unexplained disruptions in Kyiv’s U.S.-controlled satellite defenses. The disparate responses reflect an undercurrent of Republican angst about an administration that has largely ignored Congress on Ukraine and foreign policy more broadly — and the lack of a coordinated response from the legislative branch. They underscore just how little power Trump’s own party has had in reining in his attacks on longstanding allied relationships.

Riley Rogerson, Chris Marquette, Adam Wren, Mia McCarthy, Mark Satter and Leo Shane III contributed to this report.