Capitol agenda: Republicans prepare DHS punt

With fewer than five days to go before a DHS shutdown, Senate Democrats have put bill text for full-year funding on the table. But another punt is probably still the best-case scenario, and it’s by no means guaranteed. — What Democrats are pitching: The draft legislation Democrats sent Republicans on Sunday would codify the immigration

Ghislaine Maxwell pleads the Fifth in House Oversight Epstein investigation

The congressional investigation into convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein hit its latest snag Monday morning when Epstein’s longtime associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, declined to answer questions in a sworn deposition. Maxwell, now serving a 20-year sentence for her part in Epstein’s sex trafficking scheme, invoked her Fifth Amendment right over video from a prison camp in

Howard Lutnick faces bipartisan calls to resign over latest Epstein revelations

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is facing bipartisan calls to resign after he appeared in a recent batch of files linked to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) accused Lutnick in a statement Monday of having “lied” about the extent of his connection to Epstein. Lutnick has sought to downplay their relationship, saying

GOP Senators rail at FDA after closed-door briefing on abortion drug

Some Senate Republicans emerged disappointed from a closed-door briefing Tuesday with FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, saying the agency is not taking a safety review of the abortion pill mifepristone seriously and calling for congressional action to curb access to the drug. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said in an interview Makary failed to give a timeline

Lawmakers don’t rule out exposing redacted names of powerful men in Epstein files

Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie are challenging the Justice Department for redacting the names of six men in the publicly released materials related to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein — and they could take matters into their own hands to reveal their identities. These omissions, the two lawmakers argued Monday evening outside the

House approves housing bill, setting stage for tough Senate negotiations

The House on Monday night passed its bipartisan housing package aimed at increasing home supply and affordability, setting up an uncertain effort to merge the measure with a Senate housing bill. House lawmakers approved by a vote of 390-9 the Housing in the 21st Century Act under suspension of the rules, a fast-track procedure for