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Bruce Evans, staff director for the Senate Appropriations Committee, speaks with Roll Call on April 12. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

Appropriators’ Right-Hand Man Sounds Off on the Current Senate

By Joe Williams
Posted April 18, 2018 at 5:04am
Speaker Paul D. Ryan, R-Wis., holds a sample of a postcard-style tax filing during a news conference in the House studio after a meeting of the GOP Conference on Tuesday. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Tax Day Fight Previews Larger Political Battle Over New Law

By Joe Williams
Posted April 17, 2018 at 2:41pm
Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., participates Monday in a mock swearing-in ceremony in the Capitol’s Old Senate Chamber with Vice President Mike Pence and her husband Michael Smith. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Cindy Hyde-Smith Sworn In as Mississippi’s Newest Senator

By Joe Williams
Posted April 9, 2018 at 4:09pm
Shane Warren is the chief international trade counsel for the Senate Finance Committee. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call file photo)

Meet the Staffer on the Front Lines of a Brewing Trade War

By Joe Williams
Posted April 4, 2018 at 5:00am
President Donald Trump and Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin, second from right, hold a listening sessions with veterans organizations in March 2017. Shulkin is the latest senior official to fall from favor with the president. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images file photo)

Survivor: Inside the Beltway

By Joe Williams
Posted April 2, 2018 at 5:05am
All 22 women members of the Senate want Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer to bring legislation on sexual harassment passed in the House to a vote in the Senate. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call file photo)

All 22 Female Senators Demand Leadership Acts on Sexual Harassment Legislation

By Joe Williams
Posted March 28, 2018 at 9:47am
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., pressed President Donald Trump's nominee to lead the Central Intelligence Agency for her role in the agency's torture programs. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call file)

McCain Presses Trump’s CIA Pick on Her Involvement With Torture Program

By Joe Williams
Posted March 23, 2018 at 9:49am
Members of the House exit the Capitol down the House steps after passing the omnibus spending package. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

Analysis: Omnibus Bill Signals Policy Areas Congress Will Punt On

By Joe Williams
Posted March 23, 2018 at 5:05am
NASA for years has been planning long-range space exploration to the moon and Mars. Back in 2006, NASA Administrator Michael Griffin, Associate Administrator Scott Horowitz, and Constellation Program Manager Jeffrey Hanley discussed the Constellation Program, the space agency’s plan for robotic and human exploration of the moon and Mars. (CQ Roll Call file photo)

To the Moon and Beyond! — Mission to Mars Funding in Omnibus

By Joe Williams
Posted March 22, 2018 at 2:37pm
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., left, and Rep. Ryan Costello, R-Pa., conduct a news conference in the Capitol on legislation to lower health insurance premiums for citizens who pay out of pocket on March 21, 2018. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Bipartisan Health Care Compromise Falls Apart, Obamacare Battle Continues

By Joe Williams and Mary Ellen McIntire
Posted March 21, 2018 at 5:17pm
Marc Short, White House legislative affairs director, says Democrats rejected the latest White House offer. Democrats counter the White House already missed its chance on a DACA fix. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call file photo)

Spending Bill Unlikely to Include DACA Fix

By Joe Williams
Posted March 20, 2018 at 12:59pm
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, left, said that the U.S. is currently in “one of the most challenging trade environments” that he has seen in his four decades in the Senate. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call file photo)

Hatch Blasts White House Trade Policy, Seeks Action On Trade Imbalances

By Joe Williams
Posted March 20, 2018 at 10:01am
Montana Sen. Jon Tester, is one of several moderate Democrats in the chamber who have notched key legislative victories under President Donald Trump. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Democrats Notching Key Legislative Victories Ahead of Elections

By Joe Williams
Posted March 19, 2018 at 2:49pm
Students protested in front of the Capitol last week as part of a national walkout and called on Congress to act on gun violence prevention. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Perceived Ban on Federal Research for Gun Violence to Remain

By Joe Williams
Posted March 19, 2018 at 12:15pm
Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., was among the members who thought the ball was in the administration's court adding a DACA fix to the omnibus. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

Members Caught Off Guard on News of DACA Fix On Omnibus

By Joe Williams and Camila DeChalus
Posted March 14, 2018 at 1:39pm
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says nullifying tariffs on imported steel and aluminum imposed by the president isn't in the cards for his chamber. Also pictured, from right, South Dakota Sen. John Thune and Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Despite Rancor On Tariffs, Senate GOP Rejects Legislative Response

By Joe Williams
Posted March 13, 2018 at 4:16pm
Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., arrives in the Capitol for the Senate Republicans lunch with President Donald Trump on Nov. 28. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file photo)

Flake Files Bill to Stop the Trump Tariffs

By Joe Williams
Posted March 12, 2018 at 5:54pm
Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Frank Larkin escorts President Donald Trump into the House chamber for the State of the Union address in January. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call file photo)

Sergeant-At-Arms Prepares for New Role as Advocate for Veterans

By Joe Williams
Posted March 12, 2018 at 5:04am
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call file photo)

One Gun Control Bill Has 60 Votes in the Senate — Now What?

By Joe Williams
Posted March 9, 2018 at 11:45am
Top White House economic adviser Gary Cohn and National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster brief reporters on Jan. 23. Cohn announced this week he is leaving that position. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Former Ways and Means Aide Considered as Cohn Replacement

By John T. Bennett and Joe Williams
Posted March 8, 2018 at 3:09pm
Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., right, and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., conduct a news conference in the Capitol to introduce legislation that would prevent individuals who pose a threat from accessing guns on March 08, 2018. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Senate Floor Time Stymies Gun Control Efforts

By Joe Williams
Posted March 8, 2018 at 12:45pm
Alabama Sen. Richard C. Shelby is likely slotting into the Appropriations chairmanship at a good time, with budget figures already agreed upon. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

Shelby Expected to Assume Appropriations Panel at Prime Time

By Joe Williams
Posted March 7, 2018 at 5:05am
Sen. Orrin G. Hatch, R-Utah, among the president’s strongest allies in the Senate, warned that imposing tariffs was akin to a tax hike. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file photo)

GOP Reaction to Trump Tariffs is Fast, Furious and Negative

By Joe Williams and Niels Lesniewski
Posted March 1, 2018 at 2:59pm
Demonstrators with United We Dream and others rally in the atrium of the Hart Building in January to call on Congress to pass the so-called DREAM Act to protect young immigrants from deportation. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file photo)

When Allies Attack: Friction Between Democrats, Immigration Advocates

By Joe Williams
Posted March 1, 2018 at 5:04am
Senate Judiciary Chairman Charles E. Grassley had scheduled a hearing Monday to hear from Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and his accuser, Christine Blasey Ford. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file photo)

Top Republican Seeks Answer On White House Security Clearance Process

By Joe Williams
Posted February 27, 2018 at 1:31pm
 Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., right, and Majority Whip John Cornyn, R-Texas, conclude a news conference after the Republican Senate Policy luncheon in the Capitol on February 13, 2018. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

As Omnibus Looms, Lobbying Commences

By Joe Williams
Posted February 26, 2018 at 5:05am
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, right, and Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer make their way to the Senate floor. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call file photo)

Democratic Leaders Request FBI Funding to Stop Russian Influence in Midterms

By Joe Williams
Posted February 21, 2018 at 12:10pm
Mississippi Sen. Thad Cochran has bipartisan support and respect, but also faces questions about how much longer he will be in office, even as he begins the task of moving an omnibus spending bill wrapping up the current fiscal year. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file photo)

Bipartisan Praise, and Questions, About Thad Cochran

By Joe Williams
Posted February 14, 2018 at 5:04am
Demonstrators supporting the so-called DREAM Act will likely be back on the Capitol grounds this week, like this group from Jan. 16 in the Hart Building. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call file photo)

Senators Prepare for Messaging and Uncertainty From Immigration Debate

By Joe Williams
Posted February 12, 2018 at 5:04am
The Senate’s leaders have reached an agreement on a longer-term budget agreement. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call file photo)

Senate Leaders Strike Budget Deal

By Joe Williams and Niels Lesniewski
Posted February 7, 2018 at 1:02pm
Washington Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers and South Dakota Sen. John Thune conduct a news conference at the media center during the House and Senate Republican retreat at the Greenbrier resort in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va., on Thursday. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Republican Retreat Heavy on Boasting, Short on Strategy

By Joe Williams
Posted February 2, 2018 at 5:05am
House Budget Chairman Steve Womack, left, seen here with Georgia Sen. David Perdue at the GOP retreat in West Virginia on Thursday, says the budget process is broken. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

House Budget Chairman Mulls Skipping Budget Resolution

By Lindsey McPherson and Joe Williams
Posted February 1, 2018 at 5:03pm
Elevator doors close on House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster, R-Pa., as he leaves the House Republican Conference meeting in the basement of the Capitol in 2015. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file photo)

Shuster Hopes to Move FAA Funding Before Infrastructure Bill

By Joe Williams
Posted February 1, 2018 at 12:22pm
Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., talks with reporters at the media center during the House and Senate Republican retreat on Thursday. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

GOP Leaders Confident There Won’t Be a Second Shutdown

By Joe Williams and Lindsey McPherson
Posted February 1, 2018 at 10:27am
Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., talks with reporters after he and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., conducted a news conference at the media center during the House and Senate Republican retreat on Thursday. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Republicans Remain Hopeful on Infrastructure, but Funding Still an Open Question

By Joe Williams
Posted February 1, 2018 at 9:24am
President Donald Trump talks with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Majority Whip John Cornyn after his State of the Union address Tuesday night. McConnell has said he would like to have an open debate on immigration legislation on the floor. But it would still bypass the committee process. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

DACA Debate the Latest to Bypass Senate Committee Process

By Joe Williams
Posted February 1, 2018 at 5:04am
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Karen Pence, Vice President Mike Pence and Speaker Paul D. Ryan to members during the GOP retreat in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va., on Wednesday. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Pence: Republicans Will Maintain Majorities in House, Senate After 2018

By Joe Williams
Posted January 31, 2018 at 9:05pm
House Majority Whip Steve Scalise and his Republican colleagues will have plenty to discuss at this year’s retreat in White Sulphur Springs, W.Va. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

No Shortage of Agenda Items for GOP Retreat

By Lindsey McPherson and Joe Williams
Posted January 31, 2018 at 5:04am
President Donald Trump speaks during a ceremony last Wednesday for former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Republicans Weigh Ways to Block Trump on Trade Actions

By John T. Bennett and Joe Williams
Posted January 23, 2018 at 3:28pm
Dreamers protest outside of the Capitol calling for passage of the Dream Act as Congress works to find a way to end the government shutdown on Sunday evening, Jan. 21, 2018. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

Republican Senators Look to Get Out Front on Immigration

By Joe Williams
Posted January 22, 2018 at 3:01pm
Hill staffers and others wait in a long line to enter the Dirksen Building on Monday. Only certain doors to office buildings were open while Congress worked to end the government shutdown. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Senate Breaks Shutdown Logjam and Advances Three-Week CR

By Joe Williams
Posted January 22, 2018 at 12:56pm
From left, Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., and Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., leave a meeting in Sen. Susan Collins’s office with other Senate moderates as they try to find a way to end the government shutdown on Sunday, Jan. 21, 2018. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

Bipartisan Group of Senators Hoping for Breakthrough on Shutdown

By Joe Williams and Kellie Mejdrich
Posted January 21, 2018 at 4:02pm
President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell talk to reporters in the Rose Garden on Oct. 16.(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

White House Swivels Back to GOP Leaders Amid Shutdown

By John T. Bennett and Joe Williams and Lindsey McPherson
Posted January 20, 2018 at 11:31am
UNITED STATES - JANUARY 17: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., speaks to reporters in the Ohio Clock Corridor after the Senate Republicans' policy lunch on Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2018. (Photo By Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

Government Shuts Down as Senate Fails to Advance Spending Measure

By Joe Williams and Jennifer Shutt
Posted January 20, 2018 at 12:18am
From left, Speaker Paul D. Ryan, R-Wis., Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., are staring at a government shutdown threat. ( Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Senate Schedules 10 p.m. Vote on CR; House Asked to be Flexible

By Joe Williams and Paul M. Krawzak
Posted January 19, 2018 at 7:26pm
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, leaves a meeting on the continuing resolution in House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s office in the Capitol on Thursday. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

Senate Democrats, a Few Republicans, Have Votes to Block Spending Bill

By Joe Williams
Posted January 18, 2018 at 4:30pm
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., is one of two Senate Republicans who have announced they will not vote for the next continuing resolution in its current form. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

McConnell Appears Short of Votes Needed to Pass CR

By Joe Williams
Posted January 18, 2018 at 9:12am
Demonstrators with United We Dream and others rally in the atrium of Hart Building on January 16, 2018, to call on congress to pass the Dream Act, that protects young immigrants from deportation. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Bipartisan Immigration Bill Greeted by Big GOP Meh

By Joe Williams
Posted January 17, 2018 at 4:28pm
South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, right, and former Massachusetts Sen. Scott P. Brown, now the U.S. ambassador to New Zealand, talk after running into each other by chance in the Russell Building on Jan. 11. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

Graham’s DACA, Military Plan at Odds With Leadership

By Joe Williams
Posted January 17, 2018 at 10:29am
Senate Minority Whip Richard J. Durbin is shown on a television monitor questioning Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen during the Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

Top DHS Official Says She ‘Did Not Hear’ Trump’s ‘Shithole Countries’ Comment

By Joe Williams
Posted January 16, 2018 at 11:39am