Supreme Court will hear challenge to limits on political party spending
The Supreme Court will hear a significant campaign finance case next term that will examine whether it violates the Constitution to restrict the amount of money that political parties can spend in coordination with individual candidates.
The national Republican senatorial and congressional committees, then-Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) and then-Rep. Steve Chabot (R-Ohio) filed suit over the limits in 2022, saying they conflict with the free speech rights guaranteed by the First Amendment.
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UPI
3 minutes ago
- UPI
Democrat Dwight Evans won't seek re-election in U.S. House
U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans of Pennsylvania speaks during a news conference the U.S. Capitol building in February 2022. On Monday, the Democrat said he would not run for another term. File Photo by Leigh Vogel/UPI | License Photo June 30 (UPI) -- Democratic U.S. House member Dwight Evans said Monday he won't run for election again in 2026 after representing Philadelphia in the chamber since 2016. Evans, 71, suffered a stroke last year and has missed several months of votes. Until his announcement, he said he intended to run again in Pennsylvania's heavy Democratic Third Congressional District in Philadelphia. "Serving the people of Philadelphia has been the honor of my life," Evans said in a statement. "And I remain in good health and fully capable of continuing to serve. After some discussions this weekend and thoughtful reflection, I have decided that the time is right to announce that I will not be seeking re-election in 2026. I will serve out the full term that ends Jan. 3, 2027." He succeeded Chaka Fattah, who resigned after being indicted on federal corruption charges. "I am deeply proud of what I have been able to accomplish over my 45 years in elected office -- from revitalizing neighborhoods block by block to fighting for justice, economic opportunity, investments in infrastructure and education," he said. "I cannot express the gratitude that I have for the trust that voters put in me as their voice in both state and federal office. It has been a privilege of a lifetime to serve as their advocate in government." Evans was elected as the Democratic chairman of the House Appropriations Committee in 1990, serving 20 years. Evans said he has remained "rooted in his neighborhood" throughout his career, and lived just blocks from where he grew up in the city. He was a public school teacher and community organizer with the Urban League until he began working in government at 26 in 1980. He was elected to the state's House of Representatives. State Sen. Sharif Street on Monday posted on X his intention to run for Evans' seat, writing "I'm in." Two state representatives, Chris Raab and Morgan Cephas, told WCAU-TV they are considering seeking the seat. The U.S. House currently has a breakdown of 220 Republicans and 212 Democrats with three vacancies after the death of three Democrats. Longtime Rep. Jan Schakowsky, an 81-year-old Democrat from Illinois, said earlier this year she wouldn't run again. Republican Mark Green of Tennessee said he will retire after the budget policy bill goes through Congress. Another Republican, Don Bacon of Nebraska, plans to retire at the end of the 119th Congress.
Newsweek
7 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Did Republicans Just Kill the Filibuster?
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Republicans are relying on rarely employed accounting methods to push Donald Trump's "one, big beautiful bill" through the Senate, and in doing so could upend established Congressional procedures surrounding the reconciliation process and the filibuster. Why It Matters The filibuster—a procedural move allowing senators to extend debates on bills indefinitely without a 60-vote majority—has long been viewed as a move to encourage bipartisanship in Congress and as a bulwark against political dominance by slim majorities in the upper chamber. Experts told Newsweek that recent moves by Republicans while trying to pass Trump's tax legislation could create new precedent surrounding the filibuster for years to come, including past the period of GOP control. Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham looks out from the upper chamber, June 11, 2025. Senate Budget Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham looks out from the upper chamber, June 11, 2025. J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo What To Know Republicans are employing the reconciliation process to pass Trump's tax bill, the centerpiece of his second-term domestic agenda, allowing them to eventually advance the bill with only a majority vote rather than the 60 votes normally needed to do away with the threat of a filibuster. A central element of the bill, which the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates would add $4.2 trillion to the nation's deficit through 2034, is the extension of the tax cuts enacted during Trump's first term. Sweeping fiscal moves of this kind are traditionally restricted by the Byrd Rule, adopted in 1985, which limits the sort of policies that can be folded into bills passed through reconciliation, and forbids legislation from adding to the nation's deficit beyond 10 years. However, as reported by AP, Congressional Budget Office Director Phillip Swagel recently notified Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley of the Senate Budget Committee that elements of the Big, Beautiful Bill would increase the deficit "in years after 2034." Going by this assessment, the Republican bill would violate the rule that determines what legislation can clear the Senate with a simple majority, which could force Republicans to amend significant portions of the legislation. In response to these concerns, and Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough advising that certain provisions in the bill were not budget-related and therefore in violation of Senate rules, Republicans have now argued that Trump's 2017 tax cuts should be treated as part of the fiscal "baseline" forecast, even though these have not yet been extended. Republicans have also cited Section 312 of Congressional Budget Act to argue that the final authority for determining baseline spending figures, and whether the tax portion of the bill violates Byrd, lies with Republican Senate Budget Committee Chair Lindsey Graham. When approached by Newsweek for comment, a spokesperson for Senator Graham said: "Republicans do not want a $4 trillion tax hike—which is what would happen if the Democrats had their way and the 2017 tax cuts expired." They also referenced past support from Democrats for the notion that the Senate Budget Committee Chairman has the power to establish the baseline, citing former Chairman Bernie Sanders' 2022 remark that "the Budget Committee, through its Chair, makes the call on questions of numbers." Sanders is an independent who caucuses with the Democrats. Experts have said that this new "Byrd Bath"—as it has been referred to by some on Capitol Hill—could establish a new precedent regarding budget reconciliation and the avoidance of filibusters by those in power in the future. "The budget process established in 1974 and reinforced by rules and precedents since then was intended to allow a simple majority to pass a budget as long as the contents of a budget measure were limited to budget-related spending and tax provisions," Steve Smith, professor of politics at Arizona State University, told Newsweek. "Playing partisan games with the budget process to set aside the 10-year budget period or use it for nonbudget purposes is contrary to the plain language of the Budget Act and the Byrd rules adopted by the Senate," he added. "It is a precedent that will get repeated over and over again." Michael Ettlinger, a political adviser who previously worked with the Biden-Harris campaign, said, "If the Republican's new accounting method becomes the norm, it will be far easier to pass deficit increasing legislation in the Senate with a simple majority vote—limiting the impact of the filibuster." Ettlinger, who is currently a senior fellow at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), noted that nothing would then stop Democrats from employing the same precedents to bypass the filibuster in future bills. "If the Democrats reclaim the Senate they will have the opportunity to undermine the filibuster as the Republicans have done," he told Newsweek. "It's their choice." Democratic Senator Rubén Gallego, reiterated this argument, posting to X: "There is no filibuster if the Senate [Republicans] do this and when Dems take power there is no reason why we should not use reconciliation to pass immigration reform." What People Are Saying Democratic Senator Ron Wyden, ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, in a statement released Sunday, said: "The only way for Republicans to pass this horribly destructive bill, which is based on budget math as fake as Donald Trump's tan, was to go nuclear and hide it behind a bunch of procedural jargon. We're now operating in a world where the filibuster applies to Democrats but not to Republicans, and that's simply unsustainable given the triage that'll be required whenever the Trump era finally ends." Steve Smith, professor of politics at Arizona State University, told Newsweek: "If a small Senate majority can put anything in a budget measure or ignore the ten-year budget window, then nothing is left for regular legislation that is subject to a filibuster. It represents a "get-it-while-you-can" partisanship that Republicans have adopted since [Mitch] McConnell became leader that, step-by-step, has undermined longstanding Senate norms." Republican Senator and Senate Budget Committee Chair Lindsey Graham, speaking on the Senate floor on Monday, said: "I'm not the first chairman to change a baseline for different reasons." "The budget Chairman, under [Section] 312, sets the baseline," Graham continued. "This has been acknowledged by Republicans and Democrats." What Happens Next? Debate over President Trump's megabill has now reached the final stages. A "vote-a-rama" on the bill—a marathon session during which lawmakers may introduce amendments to a reconciliation package—kicked off in the Senate on Monday morning. Should the bill pass a Senate vote, expected this week, it will then be sent back down to the House for approval. On Friday, Trump said that his preferred deadline of July 4 was not the "end all," but later said via Truth Social that the House of Representatives "must be ready" to send the bill to his desk by this date.
Fox News
8 minutes ago
- Fox News
Trump may look to his daughter-in-law to defend Senate seat in key battleground
President Donald Trump calls Sen. Thom Tillis' announcement that the two-term Republican senator won't see re-election next year in battleground North Carolina "Great News." And with Tillis — who Trump torched this past weekend for not supporting his so-called "big, beautiful" spending and tax cut bill in a key test vote — now out of the picture in the midterms, it's likely the president and his political team will be the kingmakers in the selection of the 2026 GOP nominee in North Carolina. "It's the president's choice. The president and his team will have those conversations," a Republican operative, pointing to Trump's immense sway over the GOP, told Fox News. "Does he have great choices? Absolutely," said the strategist, who asked to remain anonymous to speak more freely. Likely at the top of the list is Lara Trump, the president's daughter-in-law who served last year, amid the 2024 presidential campaign, as co-chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC). Lara Trump, who grew up in Wilmington, North Carolina, and attended undergraduate studies at North Carolina State University, is married to the president's son, Eric. She stepped down from her post at the RNC late last year and currently hosts "My View with Lara Trump" on the Fox News Channel. The Republican strategist highlighted that Lara Trump "has the name, but beyond that she is a fundraising powerhouse, and she has the discipline to be an incredible candidate and senator if she chooses to." "She's probably the only person who should have 'considering' in the same sentence because she is the president's daughter-in-law and that will be a consideration," the operative added. Four years ago, Lara Trump considered making a bid for an open Senate seat in North Carolina in the 2022 midterm elections. "It would be an incredible thing. It's my home state, a state I love so much, and look, I think we need some strong Republicans in Washington, D.C.," she told Fox News at the time. She ultimately decided against launching a campaign, citing her two young children as the main reason for her decision. But she did leave open the possibility of a future run for office in her home state. Lara and Eric Trump own a home in Florida, and Lara Trump's name was briefly mentioned late last year as a potential successor to Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, who was nominated by Trump to serve as Secretary of State in his second administration. "After an incredible amount of thought, contemplation, and encouragement from so many, I have decided to remove my name from consideration for the United States Senate, she said in a statement near the end of December. Another name being floated in North Carolina is RNC Chair Michael Whatley. Whatley served five years as chair of the North Carolina GOP before Trump early last year picked him to succeed Ronna McDaniel as RNC chair. "Chairman Whatley is honored to have been asked by President Trump to serve as Chair of the Republican National Committee following a hugely successful 2025, and is focused on grown Republican majorities in Congress," an RNC adviser told Fox News when asked about the North Carolina Senate race. Another name that comes up is Rep. Richard Hudson, who for a second straight cycle is chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee. Along with Whatley, Hudson, who for over a decade has represented a congressional district in the central section of North Carolina, is a strong Trump ally. A source familiar told Fox News that Hudson "is tight with Trump world, and if they really wanted him to run, he wouldn't tell them no." A trio of first-term Republican congressmen in North Carolina may also have interest in the race to succeed Tillis. Sources confirmed to Fox News that Rep. Pat Harrigan is eyeing a bid. Reps. Tim Moore and Brad Knott may also have interest. And four-term GOP Rep. Murphy may consider a run. Some national Republicans are relieved that Tillis isn't seeking re-election. Tillis, who has long been an independent thinker who crossed the political aisle to seek compromise, doesn't poll well with the MAGA base. Some Republican operatives familiar with Senate races suggested that the GOP would have an easier time energizing base voters in a smaller midterm electorate with a more conservative candidate than Tillis on the 2026 ballot as the GOP's nominee in North Carolina. And Trump loyalists saw the Tillis announcement as further proof of the president's immense hold over the GOP. Tillis, in a statement, noted that "in Washington over the last few years, it's become increasingly evident that leaders who are willing to embrace bipartisanship, compromise, and demonstrate independent thinking are becoming an endangered species." In the race for the Democratic Senate nomination, former Rep. Wiley Nickel, a trial lawyer and former state senator, launched a bid earlier this year. But all eyes are on former two-term Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, who is mulling a run. Cooper is viewed as the most formidable and prominent potential Democratic candidate for a seat his party is aiming to flip from red to blue. But no Democrat has won a Senate race in North Carolina since 2008. Hours after Tillis' announcement on Sunday, a top non-partisan political handicapper shifted their rating on the North Carolina Senate race from Lean Republican to Toss Up. "The surprise move from Tillis moves this race into the Toss Up category and officially makes the Tar Heel State Democrats' top pickup opportunity," the Cook Report's Jessica Walter said.
