Republicans want to pair border security with aid for Ukraine. Here's why that makes a deal so tough
Congress return to work this week after the holiday break, and Senate Republicans have made clear they won’t support additional war aid for Ukraine unless they can pair it with border security measures.
A Meta engineer saw his own child face harassment on Instagram. Now, he's testifying before Congress
On the same day whistleblower Frances Haugen was testifying before Congress about the harms of Facebook and Instagram to children in the fall of 2021, Arturo Béjar, then a contractor at the social media giant, sent an email to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg about the same topic.
Texas activist David Barton wants to end separation of church and state. He has the ear of the new U.S. House speaker.
Barton has been a staple of Texas’ Christian conservative movement, offering crucial support to politicians and frequently being cited or called on to testify in favor of bills that critics say would erode church-state separations.
Texas Republicans unite to elect Mike Johnson as U.S. House Speaker
All Texas Republicans in the U.S. House voted for Louisiana’s Mike Johnson to be speaker, ending a stalemate that has left the chamber leaderless for three weeks. Johnson is a deeply religious conservative who won the support of the party’s disparate factions.
Texans Pete Sessions, Roger Williams both out in whirlwind day to pick U.S. speaker
Sessions dropped out of the race after a first round of voting within the Republican conference. Williams entered the race after the apparent front-runner, Tom Emmer of Minnesota, failed to reach the 217-vote threshold, but later on Tuesday evening and the Texas lawmaker was also out.
Sheila Jackson Lee expresses regret after audio leaks of her berating, demeaning staffers
Jackson Lee is running for Houston mayor, and the recording of her expletive-laden rant toward an employee was sent from an anonymous email account to multiple news organizations, three days before the start of early voting.
Texas Reps. Jodey Arrington, Pete Sessions and Roger Williams are making moves to become U.S. House speaker
Arrington and Williams expressed their interest after the House Republican Conference voted in a closed door meeting to drop Jim Jordan as their nominee for speaker. Sessions announced his run shortly after.
How Texas lawmakers are trying to deter illegal immigration and secure the border
Two Texas House members and an immigration lawyer sat down with Matthew Watkins, the Tribune’s managing editor of news and politics, to discuss the current state of Texas’ border and immigration bills that lawmakers are weighing during the special session.
After fighting for Uvalde residents, Roland Gutierrez struggles to break through crowded field to challenge Ted Cruz
The Democrat has dedicated significant energy to probing law enforcement’s response to the Uvalde school shooting. But he faces a fundraising deficit against U.S. Rep. Colin Allred of Dallas.
How new regulations impact abortion and birth control access in Texas
More than a year after the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, Texas continues to be the largest state in the nation to ban nearly all abortions. But some questions and changes to abortion and birth control access have arisen since then.
Congress didn't include funds for Ukraine in its spending bill. How will that affect the war?
When U.S. lawmakers approved a spending bill Saturday that averted a widely expected government shutdown, the measure didn’t include the $6 billion in military assistance that Ukraine said it urgently needed.
Texas “Ike Dike” coastal barrier project could cost $57 billion with inflation, Army Corps says
The latest figure is 68% higher than an earlier estimate of $34 billion, and it’s unclear when — or whether — Congress will appropriate the money to build the massive system of gates intended to protect the Houston region from storm surge.
Looming government shutdown could present challenges for military servicemembers
As the government shutdown deadline approaches, there is growing concern about the financial uncertainty service members and their families could face, and it remains to be seen whether Congress can come to an agreement and avert this potential crisis.
India’s Parliament passes law that will reserve a third of legislature seats for women from 2029
India’s Parliament has approved landmark legislation that reserves one-third of the seats in its powerful lower house and in state legislatures for women to ensure more equal representation, ending a 27-year impasse over the bill amid a lack of consensus among political parties.
India moves toward reserving 33% of the seats in Parliament and state legislatures for women
India’s Parliament has taken a major step toward reserving 33% of the seats in its powerful lower house and in state legislatures for women to ensure more equal representation, an issue that languished for nearly three decades because of a lack of consensus among political parties.
Biden's Democratic allies intensify pressure for asylum-seekers to get work permits
As migration to the United States from Venezuela and other countries soars, Democratic elected officials are pressing the Biden administration to quickly grant work permits for asylum-seekers while their cases wind through immigration courts.
Political divide emerges on Ukraine aid package as Zelenskyy heads to Washington
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s visit to Washington this week comes at a critical time as Republican leadership in the House and Senate diverge on the best way to get more military and humanitarian aid over the finish line.
Democrat Amo could be 1st person of color to represent Rhode Island in Congress after primary win
Former White House aide Gabe Amo could become the first person of color to represent Rhode Island in Congress after winning a crowded Democratic primary for the state’s 1st Congressional District special election Tuesday in the heavily Democratic state.