Congress

Congress’ year-end funding deal ‘not quite there’ ahead of Friday shutdown cliff

Published

2 years ago

December 17, 2024

Top lawmakers were still negotiating the final details Monday night of a stopgap spending patch tied to a slew of other last-ditch priorities as Friday’s federal government shutdown deadline grows closer.

Negotiations between Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and their leadership counterparts are facing time pressure as they work to lock in a deal on a funding patch that’s expected to carry several other major bills, in Congress’ last action before lawmakers are scheduled to leave for the holidays. While negotiations on the funding patch itself are resolved, disputes continue over agriculture aid and other potential add-ons, as leaders look to attach year-end priorities like extending expiring health programs and a bill to restrict U.S. investment in China.

“We’re not quite there,” House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole (R-Okla.) said Monday evening. “Hopefully we’ll get it done, because I think everybody wants to get out of here on time. That’s the best thing working for us is time.”

Hopes that a permitting deal could hitch a ride on the spending deal collapsed earlier Monday.

“Until the deal is final, you can’t say for sure, because one change might restart certain negotiations,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) said Monday night.

Johnson said he is “intent” on giving lawmakers 72 hours to review final text of the bill, which is expected to punt the funding deadline into March, allowing the incoming Trump administration to weigh in on negotiations for the fiscal year at hand. Giving lawmakers three full days to review bill text would push House action to Thursday, at the earliest, risking at least a brief funding lapse at midnight Friday if Senate leaders can’t secure a time agreement for fast-tracked passage.

“Stay tuned,” Johnson said, hours after he suggested the bill would be released hours before. “I think we are very close to the drafting process right now,” he told reporters Monday night.

Hill leaders have tentatively secured a compromise on major pieces of a one-year extension of the farm bill, according to three people familiar with the talks. Disputes over those policies snagged negotiations over the weekend, and last-minute jockeying continued Monday night. But the plans so far include an additional $10 billion in economic aid for farmers, as sought by lawmakers from agriculture-heavy districts, among other items.

Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations panel, said she didn’t know exactly when text would be out, “but like Christmas, it’s coming.”

“In this business — and you’ve heard this over and over again — nothing is agreed to until it is all agreed to. And that’s where we are now,” DeLauro said. “Getting to the final push here to get it all done.”

Maine Sen. Susan Collins, the top Republican on the Senate Appropriations panel, is holding out hope for swift action.

“I really want there to be a final agreement,” Collins told reporters, “and to get it posted tonight so that we avoid a government shutdown.”

Jasper Goodman and Eleanor Muller contributed to this report.

Congress

Nvidia’s Huang heads to Capitol Hill for AI talks

Published

2 hours ago

July 27, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang will meet with lawmakers in Washington to discuss American leadership on artificial intelligence, the company said Monday.

A spokesperson for the chipmaker said Huang would hold talks with both Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill to talk about latest developments with the technology.

“Jensen is in DC to meet with leaders on both sides of the aisle to discuss American leadership in AI, including leading in open source,” the spokesperson said.

Huang is scheduled to sit down Tuesday with Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee who has expressed serious concern about security threats following last week’s OpenAI autonomous cyberattack.

The senator’s office confirmed the meeting. Senate Intelligence Chair Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

It comes as Huang defended open-source AI on X, writing that such models “strengthen safety and cybersecurity, accelerate innovation and diffusion, and enable sovereignty.”

Huang’s visit comes as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is also expected to meet with Warner, although a spokesperson for the senator said the talks were separate. Earlier Monday, Open AI announced it was in talks with Nvidia, a technology company that makes chips to use artificial intelligence, for a data center project.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Congress

Texas Republican is under House Ethics investigation

Published

3 hours ago

July 27, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

The House Ethics Committee said in a statement Monday it is investigating Rep. Lance Gooden, a four-term Texas Republican.

It’s unclear what the committee is probing, but the Office of Congressional Conduct, an independent investigative branch of the House, sent over findings regarding Gooden to the committee June 10.

The Ethics panel plans to release an update on its investigation by Nov. 9. Committee representatives declined to comment beyond the statement.

In 2021, the Campaign Legal Center filed a complaint asking for an investigation into Gooden’s apparent failure to report his stock trades in a timely manner, which is a requirement under a federal law known as the STOCK Act. The complaint was sent to the OCC.

Congress

Congressional Black Caucus members break with Jeffries, endorse against Thanedar in Michigan House race

Published

4 hours ago

July 27, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

A handful of members of the Congressional Black Caucus on Monday broke with Democratic Party leadership to endorse Michigan state Rep. Donavan McKinney in his bid to primary Rep. Shri Thanedar, an unusual move given that sitting members of the same party rarely endorse against each other.

Democratic Reps. Steven Horsford (Nev.), the former chair of the CBC, and Lateefah Simon (Calif.) called McKinney a “fighter.” Rep. Ilhan Omar (Mich.) praised McKinney as “the only trusted candidate” in the race. And Rep. Ayanna Pressley (Mass.) touted McKinney for “never [losing] sight of the people.”

“We need Donavan in Congress,” said Pressley.

The race between McKinney and Thanedar, who was elected in 2022, is the latest battleground in the ongoing ideological clash between the Democratic establishment and its progressive flank.

McKinney is hoping to capitalize on the latest wave of progressive successes in primaries, but Thanedar retains the power of the incumbency — and the backing of House Democratic leaders Hakeem Jeffries, Katherine Clark and Pete Aguilar.

Thanedar’s 2022 election marked the first time since 1955 that the majority-Black city of Detroit didn’t have a Black lawmaker representing it in Congress. And he won two years ago only after Adam Hollier, who was viewed as his most credible primary challenger, was disqualified from the ballot.

“It’s not just about having Black representation, but that is a part of what appropriate representation looks for,” Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.), who had previously backed McKinney, told Blue Light News. “You have a majority-Black district, and I think that there is certainly an appetite to see that again, or to at least make sure that a Black candidate has the opportunity to present themselves.”

In a phone call, Thanedar emphasized that he has worked closely with members of the CBC during his time in office, noting that the late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) was a mentor of his and, in addition to Jeffries, he has the endorsement CBC members like Rep. Bennie Thomspon (D-Miss.).

“I am fully aware that I am representing the Blackest city in America and I’m proud of it,” Thanedar, who is Indian-American, said. “My story is like Detroit’s story — I struggled through poverty, never say die, never gave up and I have that resilience that Detroit has. The resilience of Detroit is what my life is about.”

McKinney on Monday said he was “honored” by the endorsements.

“Millions of lives across the country have been made immeasurably better because of the hard work these members have done in Congress, and I look forward to working alongside these incredible leaders to pass critical legislation to protect voting rights, get big money out of our politics, and ensure all families have access to the resources they need to not just survive, but to truly thrive,” he said in a statement.