Tag: U.S. House

Pelosi warns of ‘existential’ climate threat, vows bold action

The Hill logoDemocrats on Friday warned of the “existential threat” posed by climate change, hammering President Trump‘s inaction on the topic while vowing to move aggressively next year on legislation designed to tackle the global issue.

“The reality of the crisis has to be met with the actuality of action that we take,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told reporters in the Capitol, calling it “the existential threat to this generation.”

Pelosi was joined by a group of Democrats who also participated this week in a climate summit in Madrid, where world leaders, scientists, businesses and environmental activists gathered for talks aimed at boosting the 2015 Paris climate accord, the Obama-era pact forged to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions.

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Never mind impeachment, this bipartisan committee is going forward

House modernization panel prepares for its second year

Amid the partisan polarization of impeachment, the House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress began examining possible changes Thursday to the chamber’s rules and procedures, seeking out ideas to make the legislative branch function better.

The panel, a temporary and bipartisan project to revamp Congress for the modern era, is tasked with offering recommendations about how to update technological savvy on Capitol Hill and how to improve the quality of work for lawmakers and staff. It began earlier this year as a one-year effort but will now carry on through next year with a fresh infusion of funds, and through the divisive 2020 elections.

Perhaps as a tangible example of some lawmakers’ job dissatisfaction, the hearing came just hours after the committee’s top Republican, Tom Graves of Georgia, announced he would not seek re-election in 2020.

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Democrats could introduce articles of impeachment next week

The Hill logoHouse Democrats could introduce articles of impeachment against President Trump next week, four Democratic sources told The Hill on Thursday.

“I expect articles will be introduced next week,” one of the Democratic sources said, adding that the Judiciary Committee could also begin marking up those articles next week as well.

The sources signaled that the accelerated timeline is part of an effort to wrap up the historic inquiry into Trump’s dealings with Ukraine before Christmas. In doing so, however, Democrats don’t want impeachment to be the last vote Congress takes before heading into the religious holidays, preferring instead to end on a more bipartisan note like funding the government.

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House Intelligence report says Trump abused power

The Hill logoDemocrats on the House Intelligence Committee on Tuesday unveiled the much-awaited findings of their weeks-long impeachment investigation, laying out in blow-by-blow detail the basis for their allegations that President Trump abused the power of his office.

The 300-page report does not recommend specific articles of impeachment — leaving those decisions to the Judiciary Committee — but it paints a damning portrait of Trump’s dealings with Ukraine and all but asserts that those actions warrant his removal from office.

Most of the narrative outlined in the report was previously known, revealed during weeks of interviews with more than a dozen administration officials with a window into Trump’s dealings with Kyiv.

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House Intelligence Committee to review impeachment investigation report Monday

The Hill logoThe House Intelligence Committee will begin reviewing a report Monday on its investigation into President Trump’s dealings with Ukraine, a committee official confirmed to The Hill.

The committee is then expected to consider and adopt the report Tuesday evening. The report and any minority views will be sent to the House Judiciary Committee, which could draft articles of impeachment against the president in the next few weeks, according to Politico.

This is a major event, moving impeachment proceedings one step closer to a possible impeachment trial in the Senate.

View the complete November 30 article by Marina Pitofsky and Olivia Beavers on The Hill website here.

Judge temporarily stays McGahn subpoena

The Hill logoA federal district judge on Wednesday issued a temporary stay of her order that former White House counsel Don McGahn comply with House Democrats’ subpoena for testimony.

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, an Obama appointee on the district court in D.C., granted McGahn’s request for a temporary stay while she deliberates on whether to issue a lengthier one to allow him to appeal her decision.

The House Judiciary Committee, which had asked the court to enforce its subpoena for President Trump‘s former legal adviser, said it would not oppose a temporary stay.

View the complete November 27 article by Harper Neidig on The Hill website here.

Democrats eye taking fight over McGahn testimony to impeachment trial

The Hill logoLegal experts say the fight over whether White House counsel Don McGahn must testify under subpoena before Congress could be settled at the Senate impeachment trial before it finishes its path through the courts.

A federal judge on Monday ruled against the Trump administration, deciding that McGahn must comply with a House Judiciary Committee subpoena seeking his testimony.

The ruling is being appealed, but Democrats could look to secure testimony from McGahn and other key witnesses directly at the Senate trial, where Chief Justice John Roberts would preside, experts said. There, Roberts would have a key role in deciding questions about admitting evidence before the case even gets to the Supreme Court.

View the complete November 27 article by John Kruzel on The Hill website here.

Supreme Court stays House subpoena for Trump financial records

The Hill logoThe Supreme Court on Monday granted President Trump’s request to temporarily stay a subpoena for his financial records from the House Oversight and Reform Committee while the court considers whether to take up his appeal in the case.

Trump filed an emergency request on Nov. 15 to the Supreme Court asking the justices to block a subpoena from House Democrats after a lower court said his accounting firm must turn over his financial documents.

The justices gave Trump until noon on Dec. 5 to file a formal petition to the court.

View the complete November 25 article by John Kruzel on The Hill website here.