Senate clears stopgap spending bill, averts shutdown

Senate clears stopgap spending bill, averts shutdown-politco: The Senate today passed stopgap spending legislation that would ward off a looming government shutdown and keep federal funding on autopilot through November 21. The upper chamber easily cleared the bill, H.R. 4378, in an 81-16 vote. President Trump is expected to sign it. Current federal funding runs out Monday.

Trump insiders see reasons to worry about Warren

Trump insiders see reasons to worry about Warren-thehill: President Trump’s allies see reasons to worry about the rise of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who is gaining steadily in Democratic primary polls and attracting huge crowds of supporters to her campaign rallies. The Hill interviewed more than a half-dozen current or former advisers to Trump, and about half viewed Warren as the most formidable nominee in a head-to-head match-up against Trump, while the other half described former Vice President Joe Biden as the tougher general election foe.

Warren's rise shakes up Democratic field

Warren's rise shakes up Democratic field-thehill: A new poll showing Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) leading former Vice President Joe Biden in Iowa has shaken up the Democratic nomination battle, and insiders across the party are gaming out what it all means. Warren currently has 22 percent support to Biden’s 20 percent, according to the well-respected Des Moines Register–CNN–Mediacom poll, released Saturday night. The two are well clear of the rest of the field, with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) in third place with 11 percent support.

Consequential GOP class of 1994 all but disappears

Consequential GOP class of 1994 all but disappears-thehill: Twenty-five years ago Friday, 367 Republicans running for Congress lined up on the Capitol steps on a clear September day weeks before the midterm elections to sign the Contract with America. Seventy-three were sworn in a few months later as part of the first Republican House majority in 40 years, and one of the most consequential groups of newcomers in modern political history. Only three of those Republicans remain in Congress.

Hoyer: House to take up stopgap funding the week of September 16

Hoyer: House to take up stopgap funding the week of September 16-rollcall: The House will vote on a continuing resolution the week of September 16, according to a letter Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer released Thursday. The stopgap spending bill, needed to keep the government funded when the new fiscal year begins October 1, will likely last until late November, according to a House Democratic aide. That could mean an end date of November 21, the last day the House is scheduled to be in session before leaving for Thanksgiving break.

The 10 counties that will decide the 2020 election

The 10 counties that will decide the 2020 election-thehill: Three years after a presidential election that came down to 77,000 votes in three Midwestern battlegrounds, Democrats and Republicans are eyeing a much larger battlefield ahead of the 2020 contests, one that stretches from the picturesque coastline of rural Maine to the high desert of Arizona.

California Democrat Susan Davis won't seek another term

California Democrat Susan Davis won't seek another term-politico: California Rep. Susan Davis has opted against another term after nearly two decades in the House, a move that should set off a scramble among Democrats but is unlikely to affect the House majority. In an email to her constituents, the San Diego Democrat said she was stepping down out of a “a desire to live and work ‘at home’ in San Diego.”

Rep. Flores becomes latest Texas Republican to retire

Rep. Flores becomes latest Texas Republican to retire-thehill: Rep. Bill Flores (R-TX) on Wednesday announced he will not seek reelection to a sixth term in Congress, adding to the rush of Texas Republican lawmakers heading for the exit. Flores, the first Republican to represent the Waco area since Reconstruction, won his seat in the Tea Party wave of 2010. He beat then-Rep. Chet Edwards (D) by a wider margin than any other challenger who ousted a sitting Democrat that year.

Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner won't seek reelection next year

Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner won't seek reelection next year-politico: Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI), the second-longest serving member of the House, announced Wednesday he won’t seek reelection next year. Sensenbrenner, who was first elected in the 1978 midterms, joins more than a dozen other House Republicans who have already announced their retirements. He was the third member from either party on Wednesday alone to say they wouldn’t run again in 2020, joining Reps. Bill Flores (R-TX) and Susan Davis (D-CA).

Former intern for Rep. Chris Smith to run against him

Former intern for Rep. Chris Smith to run against him-rollcall: A former intern for GOP Rep. Christopher H. Smith is seeking the Democratic nomination to challenge him next fall. Smith is the only Republican left in the 12-seat New Jersey congressional delegation after Democrats flipped four seats in the 2018 midterm elections. Stephanie Schmid, 39, a human rights activist who interned for Smith's congressional office when she was in high school 23 years ago, is preparing to join three other Democrats seeking the nomination to face Smith in the general election in New Jersey’s 4th District in 2020.

Congress set for chaotic fall sprint

Congress set for chaotic fall sprint-thehill: Lawmakers are preparing to return to a chaotic fall in Washington, paving the way for an end-of-year legislative sprint. In addition to hot-button issues like background checks, Congress has several must pass bills on its agenda, including spending legislation to prevent a government shutdown on October 1.