Search the Roll Call archive by keyword, date, Congress, section, or tags.
 The fiscal 2019 deficit was up 26 percent over the 2018 level. Paul M. Krawzak unpacks what accounts for the rising red ink. Show Notes: $960B deficit expected this year, more than $1 trillion next Bipartisan cooperation put to the test in Senate Power struggle begins atop the House Appropriations Committee Subscribe to this […]
 The memorials for the late Maryland Democratic Rep. Elijah E. Cummings illustrate the unique way the nation remembers figures like him, a tradition of grieving both in public and private in places important to the deceased. Longstanding rituals in the Capitol, and in also in his hometown of Baltimore, give his family, friends, colleagues and […]
 Updated 7:33 p.m. | The House Judiciary Committee had planned to return early from Congress’ summer break next week to mark up gun safety legislation. After this podcast previewing the proceedings was recorded, the committee announced it was postponing the markup until the week of Sept. 9 due to Hurricane Dorian, which is expected to hit Florida. Five of […]
 The House passed a continuing resolution last week to extend current funding through Nov. 21, giving Congress an extra eight weeks to get its work done. The Senate is scheduled to vote on a measure later this week. But there’s more in this resolution than just a simple funding extension. Show Notes: House passes temporary […]
Donald Trump has challenged the idea, pioneered in George W. Bush’s administration, that the best, and most cost-effective way to end homelessness is to offer people living on the streets homes, no strings attached, and to service their needs in a home setting. A new report from the president’s Council of Economic Advisers says that […]
RollCall Poor allocation of airwaves and the absence of a domestic telecom supplier could delay U.S. mobile carriers from deploying 5G as effectively as some other countries and thus cede leadership to China, says CQ Roll Call’s senior technology reporter Gopal Ratnam. He explains how the U.S. is hoping to respond and why the trade […]
 Political Theater is heading to the Iowa State Fair to check out how the 2020 races for president and Senate and four competitive House contests are shaping up in this bellwether state. Why Iowa? Because that’s where the candidates are. Bridget Bowman, our senior political writer, and Leah Askarinam of Inside Elections lay it all […]
roll call Iowa plays a big role in presidential politics because of its first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses. Even by that standard, though, the Hawkeye State this time feels busier, more significant. There are more than 20 Democrats running for president, and unlike in previous years, no one is writing the state off. There are also several […]
 Fintech Beat’s Chris Brummer sits down with Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chairman Christopher Giancarlo — where they talk about financial technology innovation, breaking down barriers and what keeps him up at night.  More in video Â
 The new film "Mike Wallace Is Here" shows how legendary journalist Mike Wallace pioneered holding the powerful accountable, be they politicians, celebrities or real estate developers. But today’s world is one where journalists are in danger and the credibility of its practitioners is constantly called into question. What happened? On the latest Political Theater podcast, […]
RollCall The continuing damage to businesses and farmers from the trade stand off between China and the U.S. is a sign that Congress needs to reinsert itself into the trade policy-making process again, argues Clark Packard, a trade policy counsel at the R Street Institute, a center-right think tank. He warns that boosting tariffs on […]
rollcall Lawmakers are struggling to find agreement on an aid package to help states recover from natural disasters, says CQ Roll Call’s budget and appropriations reporter Kellie Mejdrich. She lays out the issues preventing Congress from passing a disaster aid package. Show Notes: House passes plus-upped disaster aid package Trump’s $4.5 billion border demand slows […]
rollcall A documentary about the late Notre Dame president Fr. Theodore Hesburgh, a real life "Forrest Gump" who challenged presidents and popes in the last half-century, resonates in today’s turbulent times, the director of the film tells CQ Magazine managing editor Mike Magner, who grew up hearing about Father Ted’s work and causes. The film, directed […]
 House appropriators this week will take up the biggest of the 12 annual spending bills, the $690 billion Pentagon measure that includes some prickly issues such as funding for Taliban expenses for peace talks with the U.S. and money to give the Pentagon more F-35 fighter jets than it requested, says CQ Roll Call’s […]
RollCall For pure Political Theater, it will be hard to beat Pennsylvania during the 2020 campaign. The Keystone State will be, well, key to an Electoral College victory. President Donald Trump knows it. That may be why he has visited it six times since taking office, including to Montoursville in the north central part of […]
RollCall CQ Roll Call’s appropriations reporter Kellie Mejdrich unpacks the demands — and their possible consequences — of the Democratic Party’s progressives, who last week derailed plans to vote on raising the spending caps to prevent across-the-board spending cuts next fiscal year. Subscribe to this podcast below Â
 The House Budget Committee may punt on a fiscal 2020 budget resolution to avoid exposing Democratic caucus fissures over tax and spending policy. But an effort to reach a deal to raise spending limits for the coming fiscal year could prove just as dicey, as Lindsey McPherson explains. Watch: Why presidential budget requests are […]
RollCall Democratic presidential candidates and most House Democrats want to raise the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 an hour by 2024, a proposal David Cooper of the Economic Policy Institute says makes sense. But CQ Roll Call’s Lindsey McPherson explains why some Democrats representing rural areas are holding up the bill. Show Notes: Democrats close but […]
RollCall Jonathan Miller talks about his new CQ Magazine cover story on the Republicans’ decision, thus far, to ignore policy proposals in their 2020 planning. Miller found this worries some lawmakers, like Wisconsin Rep. Mike Gallagher, who’d like to see the party offer new ideas.  Show Notes: Republicans have a post-Trump identity crisis on […]
RollCall Sure, as one cable news talking head says, Michael Cohen’s congressional testimony on Wednesday is "very, very explosive" and spread out over "several, several hours" but does it change the political parties’ 2020 strategy? Roll Call political reporters Simone Pathé and Bridget Bowman discuss. What you missed from Michael Cohen’s congressional testimony Subscribe to […]