Congress

Sanders warns Democrats about spending too much time investigating Trump

Published

10 minutes ago

November 8, 2026

Sen. Bernie Sanders on Sunday applauded the Democrats’ midterm victories but warned the incoming majority against spending too much time investigating President Donald Trump.

In an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press,” the Vermont progressive said holding the Trump administration “accountable” is important — but addressing affordability must take priority.

“We cannot spend all of our time investigating Trump,” Sanders said. “We’ve got to stand up for working-class families, make a real difference in their lives.”

Democrats ran on a message of affordability ahead of the midterms, knocking the Trump administration for sky-high gas and grocery prices, the cost of living and rising healthcare costs. But they also vowed to investigate administration officials; incoming House Oversight Committee leader Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) on Sunday warned that Democrats could investigate everything from pardons Trump made earlier in his second term to Trump allies including Elon Musk and the president’s newly appointed chief of staff Stephen Miller.

Still, Sanders on Sunday said the election was about more than just Americans wanting to tackle the Trump administration’s “corruption and illegal, unconstitutional actions.”

“What I think this election was about, is the American people not only expressing disgust with Trump and his policies, but are demanding real change, no more tinkering around the edges,” said Sanders. “And what the American people are saying: Look, we are working long hours. We’re worried about our kids. We can’t afford healthcare. We can’t afford housing.”

But Sanders, who serves on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), also told BLN’s “State of the Union” that he would be “open” to a proposal by Sen.-elect Annie Andrews (D-S.C.) to impeach Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

“At the very least, I think, he is the most dangerous secretary of the HHS in history and he needs to be held accountable,” said Sanders. “We’re going to bring him before the committee, that’s for sure, and ask him some tough questions that have not been asked of him previously.”

And though Sanders accused Trump of being “erratic,” he added that the president is “a good politician” that Democrats may be able to work with.

“I think, when Trump looks out in the world and he sees millions of people working for starvation wages, he might not be unsympathetic to raising the minimum wage to a living wage,” said Sanders. “He would love, I think, to take credit for doing what every other major country does: guaranteeing healthcare to all people.”

Congress

Rep. Robert Garcia: ‘The days of us not fighting back are over’

Published

54 minutes ago

November 8, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

The top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee vowed Sunday to lead a series of probes into Trump administration officials, telling BLN’s “State of the Union” that Democratic leaders will no longer “take the high road.”

“When Republicans go low, what we’re not going to do anymore is just take that, take the high road and turn the other cheek,” said Rep. Robert Garcia. “The days of us not fighting back are over.”

Following his party’s decisive midterm wins, the California Democrat formally announced his bid to chair the Oversight Committee in a letter to colleagues Thursday.

The bid comes after Garcia warned members of the Trump administration and others to “lawyer up.” On Sunday, he added that even members of the president’s family — such as President Donald Trump’s son, Donald Trump, Jr., and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner — could “absolutely” be subjects of the committee’s investigations.

“They should be expected to answer questions,” Garcia said.

He also indicated that pardons Trump made earlier in his second term could be investigated, as well as donors helping finance the president’s White House ballroom; the operation into the removal of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro; the Iran war; and Trump allies including Elon Musk and the president’s newly appointed chief of staff Stephen Miller.

Attorney General Todd Blanche on Sunday accused Garcia and other Democratic leaders of “outright threats” and condemned the promised probes of “basically every member of the Cabinet,” including Miller.

“You have members of Congress who, after Tuesday, have done nothing but threaten everything that’s happening in this administration. That is not governing, that is not leading, that is not oversight,” Blanche said in an interview immediately preceding Garcia’s. “That’s actually a disappointment. And it’s sad.”

Blanche on Sunday appeared to indicate the Justice Department could investigate Democratic members at the behest of Trump, who has called Democratic leaders extortionists and, on multiple occasions, called for them to be jailed.

“What Todd Blanche is doing right now is a threat,” said Garcia. “He is threatening our committee. He’s trying to stop us from doing real oversight.”

Congress

Johnson’s meeting request

Published

2 days ago

November 6, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Sen. Ron Johnson is sending a letter Monday requesting a conference meeting to discuss the midterm results and a delay in the leadership election.

Johnson has gathered enough signatures to force the meeting under the Senate GOP’s rules and is proposing the gathering for 9 a.m. Tuesday.

“Tuesday’s result was a stunning defeat,” Johnson and his backers write in the letter to Conference Chair Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), a copy of which was obtained by POLITICO. “Holding leadership elections without engaging in a robust discussion and evaluation of how those running for leadership intend to lead would be political malpractice”

Republicans still expect their leadership election to be held Tuesday, where Majority Leader John Thune is so far unopposed to lead the party next year in the minority.

Congress

Chris Murphy released from hospital after stroke

Published

2 days ago

November 6, 2026

Blue Light Newsroom

Sen. Chris Murphy announced Friday that he has been released from the hospital after suffering a stroke last week, but will miss “several weeks” of Senate votes while he continues to recover.

“The doctors are very encouraged by the progress I’ve made so far,” the Connecticut Democrat said in a statement. “In order to take my recovery seriously and get back to work on the quickest timeline possible, I will be spending several weeks at a rehabilitation center after being discharged from the hospital today.”

He added that he remains in touch remotely with his staff and colleagues.

Murphy, who was hospitalized last weekend, said Friday that he was “diagnosed with a small bleed in the thalamus region of my brain.” Jose Suarez, the Chief of Neurosciences Critical Care at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, said in a separate statement released by Murphy’s office that the senator “experienced a small hemorrhagic stroke.”

“He has shown tremendous progress, and at the current rate of improvement, we expect that he will make a full recovery following rehabilitation,” Suarez added.

Murphy is the latest senator to suffer a stroke in recent years. Sens. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Ben Ray Lujan (D-N.M.) were both hospitalized for strokes in 2022. Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), at that time a Senate candidate, also had a stroke in 2022 that he later described as near fatal.