Inside Romney's Trump strategy

Inside Romney's Trump strategy-politico:  Romney has voted this year against Trump more than most other Senate Republicans, torpedoed Herman Cain’s chances on the Federal Reserve and even defended former President Barack Obama. Yet he still broadly supports Trump’s agenda and is with him far more often than not.

Conservatives spark threat of bloody GOP primaries

Conservatives spark threat of bloody GOP primaries-thehill: Senate Republicans are facing a potential intraparty brawl as they fight to hold on to the chamber next year. Republicans are defending 22 seats in 2020, mostly in deep-red states, limiting Democrats’ pickup opportunities and increasing the odds of the GOP keeping the Senate.

Huge Democratic field boosts Biden

Huge Democratic field boosts Biden-thehill: Democratic front-runner Joe Biden has an unusual advantage in the 2020 race: the sheer size of the field. The former vice president has leapt out to a wider lead than many pundits expected since launching his bid in late April.

To-do list piles up for Congress

To-do list piles up for Congress-thehill: Congress' to-do list is getting longer and longer amid high-profile skirmishes between President Trump and congressional Democrats. With the first half of 2019 off to a slow legislative start, both chambers are facing a potential logjam of crucial deadlines and competing priorities heading into the back half of the year.

President Trump playing into the hands of Democrats will cost him

President Trump playing into the hands of Democrats will cost him-thehill: Earlier this week, tensions escalated between President Trump and the Democratic leadership when he stormed out of a meeting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, a meeting which was supposed to be about infrastructure, and said that he would not work with Democrats until they ended all their investigations into his administration.

Frustration boils over with Senate's “legislative graveyard”

Frustration boils over with Senate's “legislative graveyard” - Senators are growing increasingly frustrated as legislative activity has slowed to a crawl during the first half of the year. The Senate voted on two bills Thursday, breaking a nearly two-month drought during which Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has focused instead on judicial nominations, his top priority.

Senate passes massive disaster aid package

Senate passes massive disaster aid package-politico: The Senate passed a long-awaited bipartisan disaster aid package on Thursday after reaching a last-minute deal with President Trump. In an 85-8 vote, the Senate approved a multi-billion dollar disaster aid bill, which will assist states devastated by wildfires, hurricanes and flooding, comes after months of roadblocks.

Threat of impeachment takes oxygen out of 2019 agenda

Threat of impeachment takes oxygen out of 2019 agenda-thehill: House investigations of the Trump administration and the prospect of impeachment are crowding out hopes for legislative progress on Capitol Hill, creating a poisonous atmosphere that makes it all but impossible for the White House and Democrats to work together.

No miracle deal on budget as talks continue

No miracle deal on budget as talks continue-politico: Congressional leaders and the Trump administration finished a round of breakneck budget talks on Tuesday with no resolution but a commitment to keep negotiating and try to clinch a debt and spending agreement that would avoid fiscal catastrophe.

GOP presses Trump to make a deal on spending

GOP presses Trump to make a deal on spending-thehill: Congressional leaders face an uphill battle in selling President Trump on a two-year spending deal when they meet with his top advisers at a meeting scheduled in the Capitol on Tuesday. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) are eager to strike a deal to avoid the prospect of another government shutdown, even if it means giving Democrats an increase in domestic nondefense spending, which most Republicans would otherwise oppose.

Warren policy ideas show signs of paying off

Warren policy ideas show signs of paying off-thehill: Aides and allies to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) say her policy proposals are showing signs of paying off in the Democratic primary race. Warren has offered a steady series of proposals on a number of issues, from creating a wealth tax to improving housing for military families, that have won media attention and positive nods from liberals looking for substance in the crowded field of Democratic contenders.

Eye-popping number of Dems: I can beat Trump

Eye-popping number of Dems: I can beat Trump-thehill: Two dozen Democrats have entered the primary to take on President Trump, a historically high number that will create unique challenges for the party, the media and the candidates themselves.

De Blasio launches presidential campaign

De Blasio launches presidential campaign-thehill: New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) launched his presidential campaign on Thursday, joining a crowded field of Democratic contenders. Polices de Blasio enacted in New York, including an expansion of health care and free pre-Kindergarten, are highlighted in his launch video.

Dems eye big infrastructure package, with or without Trump

Dems eye big infrastructure package, with or without Trump-thehill: If Nancy Pelosi and Donald Trump can’t strike an infrastructure deal, key Democrats say they should push their own partisan bill through the House ahead of the 2020 elections.  That strategy, backers argue, would demonstrate to voters that they are making good on the campaign promises that won them the lower chamber last year, and remain focused on those issues looking ahead.

Montana Gov. Bullock enters presidential race

Montana Gov. Bullock enters presidential race-thehill: Montana Gov. Steve Bullock (D) said Tuesday he will join the already crowded race for the White House with an overt appeal to voters who are most desperate to kick President Trump out of office. In a video posted online Tuesday morning, Bullock painted himself as the most electable candidate in the field, and the only one who had won statewide office three times at the same time Republican presidential nominees carried his state.

Road ahead: House health care week again, as Senate tackles contentious nominations

Road ahead: House health care week again, as Senate tackles contentious nominations-rollcall: It’s health care week, part two, in the House as the chamber will vote on a package of seven bills designed to strengthen the 2010 law and lower prescription drug prices, after passing a measure last week that Democrats said would protect people with pre-existing conditions.

Senators sound alarm over looming budget, shutdown battles

Senators sound alarm over looming budget, shutdown battles-thehill: Alarm bells are starting to go off on Capitol Hill over a looming fight to fund the government and prevent a shutdown later this year. Though Congress has until the end of September to pass legislation preventing another funding lapse, lawmakers are sending up warning signs to their colleagues and the White House that they are heading toward a fall train wreck, with deadlines for raising the debt ceiling and preventing across-the-board budget cuts and the second shutdown of the year all in the same month.

Iowans prep for fierce 2020 fight, and not just for the White House

Iowans prep for fierce 2020 fight, and not just for the White House-rollcall: Iowans are used to the spotlight in presidential election years, and with the number of Democrats eyeing the nomination approaching two dozen, it may be difficult this year to travel in the state without running into a candidate or the media entourage that comes with them. But for Iowa voters, the more intense political battles in 2020 might actually be further down the ballot. All four House districts will be contested, in addition to competitive Senate race.

Female candidates for president still face bias in 2020

Female candidates for president still face bias in 2020-rollcall: The six women vying for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination in 2020 start the race with more than 1 in 10 Americans saying they’re less suited to politics, merely because of their gender.

Sen. Mike Enzi announces he will retire rather than seek a fifth term

Sen. Mike Enzi announces he will retire rather than seek a fifth term-rollcall: Wyoming Republican Michael B. Enzi announced Saturday that he will not run for re-election in 2020 after more than two decades in the Senate. Enzi’s decision, which he announced at a press conference in Wyoming, according to the Casper Star-Tribune, opens up a seat in the strongly Republican state.

Warren shows signs of momentum after slow start

Warren shows signs of momentum after slow start-thehill: Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s (D-Mass.) almost single-minded focus on policy and her ambitious field organizing may be starting to pay off. A handful of national polls released this week show the Massachusetts senator gaining on her competition, even placing second to former Vice President Joe Biden in one survey.

Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet announces presidential run

Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet announces presidential run-rollcall: Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet announced Thursday that he will join the crowded field for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. He is the 21st major Democrat to announce a presidential run.

First women to lead spending panel have a mission: keep the lights on

First women to lead spending panel have a mission: keep the lights on-rollcall: House Appropriations Chairwoman Nita M. Lowey and ranking member Kay Granger, the first all-female duo leading the Committee since its Civil War-era creation, are setting out to avoid the mess they walked into on Day One of their new roles, a government shutdown.