Seth McLaughlin
Articles by Seth McLaughlin
Chris Coons, Susan Collins urge preservation of legislative filibuster in the Senate
Sens. Chris Coons of Delaware and Susan Collins of Maine are calling Senate leaders to leave the legislative filibuster intact following a drawn-out partisan fight over the rules of the chamber that culminated this week in Republicans ending the filibuster for Supreme Court nominees. Published April 7, 2017
Putin slams airstrikes, calls it an ‘aggression against a sovereign government’
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday condemned the U.S. missile strikes against the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad, calling it a violation of international law. Published April 7, 2017
Jim Himes ‘accepts’ Donald Trump’s military strike in Syria
Rep. Jim Himes, a Democratic member of the House Intelligence committee, said Friday that he "accepts" the airstrikes that President Trump ordered to be delivered against a Syrian airbase, but he has concerns about what this means for U.S. foreign policy going forward. Published April 7, 2017
Mike Rogers, ex-House intel chairman: Strikes in Syria underscore helpful foreign policy shift
The former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee said Friday that President Trump's decision to launch airstrikes in Syria sends a powerful message that "when we say we are going to do something, we are going to do something." Published April 7, 2017
Thomas Massie wanted congressional approval before Syria strike
Responding the airstrikes in Syria, Rep. Thomas Massie unearthed a tweet from Donald Trump in which he demanded that then-President Obama receive congressional approval before green-lighting an attack on the war torn nation. Published April 6, 2017
House conservatives prepare for upcoming fiscal fights
House conservatives say they want to see money for President Trump's border wall, a crack down on sanctuary cities and more cash for the Pentagon all tucked into an emergency spending bill Congress must pass later this month. Published April 6, 2017
Revised Obamacare repeal bill aims to unite more Republicans
House Republican leaders revived their Obamacare repeal bill Thursday, modifying the plan to earn the support of wary conservatives and setting the table for a showdown when Congress returns from a two-week spring break. Published April 6, 2017
Donald Trump must press China to do more to stop North Korea nuclear threat, lawmakers say
Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are hoping that President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping can find some common on preventing North Korea from becoming a nuclear superpower when the two leaders come together Thursday for a U.S.-China summit. Published April 6, 2017
Nancy Pelosi: Donald Trump’s defense of Bill O’Reilly is ‘sickening’
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said it is "sickening" that President Trump has come to the defense of Bill O'Reilly following news reports that Fox News has paid five women millions to settle sexual harassment allegations leveled against their star commentator. Published April 6, 2017
Devin Nunes steps aside from Russia investigation
The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee announced Thursday that he is stepping aside from the investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election until he can clear himself of "baseless" ethics complaints filed against him by "left-wing activist groups." Published April 6, 2017
Justin Amash not worried about primary threat from Trump staffer
Rep. Justin Amash on Thursday brushed off a primary threat from a Trump administration staffer, saying "I am not worried about it." Published April 6, 2017
Adam Kinzinger urges Donald Trump to approve airstrikes and no-fly zone in Syria
Rep. Adam Kinzinger said President Trump should approve airstrikes against Syrian President Bashar Assad's government and create a no-fly zone over the war-torn nation to provide cover for ground troops from Middle Eastern countries. Published April 6, 2017
Gary Peters: Donald Trump must move to oust Syrian President Bashar Assad
Sen. Gary Peters on the Senate Armed Services Committee is calling on President Trump to take a "very strong stand" against Syrian President Bashar Assad and pressure Russia to condemn the chemical attacks against government rebels in the ongoing civil war. Published April 6, 2017
Ron Johnson: Border Wall is a ‘metaphor’ for border security
Sen. Ron Johnson dismissed the notion Thursday that President Trump would be breaking a campaign promise if he doesn't build a border wall along the entire U.S. border, saying he never took that pledge literally. Published April 6, 2017
Tom Garrett: Somebody probably needs to be imprisoned over ‘unmasking’
Rep. Tom Garrett, a Virginia Republican, said someone "probably needs to go to prison" over the unmasking of Americans who were picked up in intelligence intercepts. Published April 6, 2017
‘Nuclear option’ views opposite for senators after 4 years
When Sen. Jeff Merkley arrived in Congress in 2009, one of his first crusades was to curtail the power of the filibuster, which he thought was halting much of Democrats' wish list under President Obama. Fast-forward to this year and Mr. Merkley is again on a crusade -- this time to save the filibuster from Republicans, who are looking to finish what Democrats started and eviscerate the 60-vote blockade of Supreme Court nominees. Published April 5, 2017
Jeff Merkley ends filibuster, hopes GOP rethinks its ‘nuclear’ plans on Neil Gorsuch
Fresh off his 15-plus hour "filibuster," Sen. Jeff Merkley said he hopes that his marathon protest of Judge Neil Gorsuch's nomination to the Supreme Court will convince Republicans to rethink their plans to ram through his confirmation. Published April 5, 2017
Joe Crowley, House Democratic Caucus chairman, warns against border wall funding
The chairman of the House Democratic Caucus said Tuesday he hopes the Trump administration abandons its plans to build a border wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, arguing it is misguided and too costly. Published April 4, 2017
Paul Ryan: Revived health care talks still in ‘conceptual stage’
House Speaker Paul D. Ryan said Tuesday his GOP troops are having constructive talks on reviving the stalled effort to repeal and replace Obamacare, though cautioned they were still in the "conceptual" stage and hadn't reached an agreement on the thorny issue. Published April 4, 2017
Ex-Rep. Tom Perriello touts Sanders endorsement in Virginia governor’s race
Sen. Bernard Sanders endorsed a liberal former congressman in Virginia's governor's race Monday, marking the first major foray for Democrats' 2016 upstart presidential candidate as he seeks to extend his political reach, testing his clout in one of the country's newest blue states. Published April 4, 2017