Just have to say, if you read my week ahead story a week ago ... rollcall.com/2025/11/03/t...

It's actually cloture on the motion to proceed.

I don't usually ask this directly, but if you're a reader of my Monday CQ Senate newsletter, please reach out. Would be great to hear from you all with the Senate being in session every week!

I don't usually ask this directly, but if you're a reader of my Monday CQ Senate newsletter, please reach out. Would be great to hear from you all with the Senate being in session every week!

Live look at my desk. Yes, the Senate's still in session.

Shutdown continues, so I'm back on the front page.

So I needed to start using this platform again now, too?

My father was one of those small town New England characters that everybody knew, and we were reminded of that when people got together to remember him this weekend.

Ironically, if FBOP were to reopen Alcatraz as a working prison, who's to say it wouldn't be a minimum security camp for white collar/Silicon Valley fraud offenders.

Peering into the future: senators may get to vote on terminating an international film production national emergency.

Yes, I am a member of the WHCA. No, I don't have strong views on the dinner. As I have said publicly, privately, everywhere: I do think there should be more transparency about the costs associated with covering the White House (and how that may vary between types of outlets).

Happy Easter!

I just now got around to watching Sen. Warren on Squawk on the Street. Yeah, Congress could stop those national emergencies. May be not likely, would need a big majority. But ... they could.

Folks, at 9:20 pm ET on Sunday, it is way way too early to know what the White House guidance will be regarding tariffs as of the opening bell on Monday. (And yes, that might be part of the problem)

Meanwhile, on Facebook ...

Fun week for the expedited procedures crowd* rollcall.com/2025/03/31/t... *I use the term "crowd" loosely

The situations are completely different, but that's two administrations in a row with rather wild "wait, what?" SecDef stories.

After midnight ET, the President of the United States is purporting to void the pardons of his predecessor.

I'm old enough to remember when one approach on votes like this one might be just to not filibuster. Is there any further debate? Hearing none, then the question occurs on passage of the bill.

Education Secretary McMahon is not hiding what she's trying to do. rollcall.com/2025/03/12/e...

Fox's Peter Doocy's question today at the White House about whether folks are shorting the Dow, reminds me of the old Kodak Pharmaceuticals story. rollcall.com/2020/08/04/w...

President Trump, in a late night Truth post, says "I’m going to buy a brand new Tesla tomorrow morning as a show of confidence and support for Elon Musk, a truly great American."

Our transcript of President Trump's speech tonight is here: rollcall.com/factbase/tru...

Been a long week or so, but I wanted to share father's obituary www.legacy.com/us/obituarie...

Anyway, a budget resolution is still not a bill. And it still doesn't actually "do" the things that the eventual reconciliation bill might do.

Reading the latest OMB and OPM guidance on RIFs, mark your calendar for March 13, the day before the current CR expires. Some sense of timing.

Oh, yeah, friendly reminder that you don't "pass a budget"

Oh no.

On that "five things" email, OPM now says: "At Counsel’s direction, in order to comport with the Presidential Records Act, the Executive Office of the President is exempted from this exercise."

I welcome tips and reader feedback, especially for the Monday newsletter, in a variety of places. That includes Signal.

I guess a Democrat could offer an amendment creating a POO against a reconciliation bill if Finance does anything other than what Chairman Crapo says Finance is going to do.

Just realized ... the hockey game is going to be on in the cloakrooms and the press galleries during the vote-a-rama probably, right?

President Trump on Air Force One, per pool: "I think we should take over Washington, D.C. We could save people from getting killed. They have a great police department there. Somehow they’re not utilized properly. We should govern D.C. The federal government should take over the governance of D.C."

At the risk of crowdsourcing a question: is there a good way to try to confirm whether the family stories about combat service in World War II are accurate? I have the draft card and enlistment records but not much beyond that.

I would be remiss if I didn't share here that my father, Paul, passed away this weekend. I'm sure I'll have more thoughts. But he raced offshore powerboats many years ago, so I find that it's fitting that the news spread quickly in that community.

If anyone happens to be looking for me over at Signal, yes I'm there too. Bonus points for understanding the sequence of numbers.

Fascinating weekend in the mountains at Zhangjiajie.

Fascinating weekend in the mountains at Zhangjiajie.

NEW: Dozens of CFPB Workers Terminated in After-Hours Firing Blitz w/ @dmehro.bsky.social www.wired.com/story/dozens...

By executive order, enforcement of the FCPA is now paused except by individual directive of the attorney general.

Great (crazy) stat via Ian Eagle just now: Hurts has more rushing yards than KC has total yards.

Sometimes, you just have to laugh at the poorly constructed AI facebook posts.

“Just for the record, Sen. Schatz, it’s Diet Mountain Dew." All-night Senate sessions, often a little weird. But the topic's important. rollcall.com/2025/02/06/d...

The Senate being in session all night has led us to: Henry Clay and the Spoils System!

Here's the current USAID website:

Oh yes, we do have a repository of social media statements by President Trump, in one place. rollcall.com/factbase/tru...

Now getting ads on the other site for a toilet museum. So there's that.

Been off for the last couple days on long-scheduled PTO that included watching a monkey drink Boba tea with a straw.

Been off for the last couple days on long-scheduled PTO that included watching a monkey drink Boba tea with a straw.

My own take on the White House briefing room seats is a little different probably, given my years working for a very mainstream outlet with wide distribution ... in the cheap seats in the back.