Bill Cassidy

Republican senators are gearing up for the possibility of primary challenges ahead of the 2026 midterms as they seek to navigate the new political environment of a second Trump administration. Taking out a sitting senator in a primary would be no easy task, but some in the right flank of the party have flirted with [...]

Senate Democrats failed in their bid to confirm a Democratic member of the National Labor Relations Board after the Senate rejected a razor-thin vote that hinged on the pivotal rejections of independent Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten...

The meeting with Collins was closely watched as she is seen as more likely than most of her Republican Senate colleagues to vote against some of Trump’s Cabinet picks.

Lauren McFerran's confirmation to another term could have kept a Democratic majority at the federal labor board well into Trump’s presidency.

Republicans called foul on Schumer and Democrats for trying to push through a nominee that would have cemented the NLRB as Democrat-controlled for the next two years, keeping Trump from putting his own choice on it.

While most of Washington is obsessed with either the reality show that is President-elect Donald Trump's transition or the hand-wringing and blame-gaming over Democrats' election loss, a potentially critical political storyline is brewing in Michigan.

'Democrats will have a majority on the five-person NRLB'

Six GOP lawmakers have issued a letter to the director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) inquiring into the results of a study into puberty-blockers that began in 2015, whose full results have not yet been made public. The senators are pressing Monica M. Bertagnolli to release the full results of “The Impact of [...]

In the month since the presidential election, some things are starting to become clearer though many questions remain.What Can Be Expected on Day 1President-elect Donald Trump has made it clear that on Day 1 he plans to immediately reverse pauses on all liquified natural gas (LNG) export permits to accelerate oil and gas production and “lower energy prices.” Trump will push for more oil drilling on federal land and we also expect that the administration and Congress to move quickly on revamping DOE’s role in LNG export licenses under the Natural Gas Act. Trump also repeatedly promised on his campaign trail to withdraw the US from the Paris Agreement on climate change once again, meaning the US would not have to abide by any “nationally determined contribution,” the non-binding 10-year national climate plan that the US is supposed to submit by a February 2025 deadline.Trump’s next likely targets include the recently finalized Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) methane fee on... Read the complete article here...©1994-2024 Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C. All Rights Reserved.

Matt Gaetz has withdrawn, but will other Trump Cabinet nominees have trouble with confirmation?

President-elect Donald Trump‘s pick for attorney general in his second administration, former U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, withdrew his name from consideration on Thursday. The Florida Republican who was poised to be nominated as the nation’s top cop has previously been in the legal crosshairs himself in multiple sex trafficking investigations.Gaetz Bows Out: Gaetz announced the decision in a Thursday post on X.“I had excellent meetings with Senators yesterday. I appreciate their thoughtful feedback – and the incredible support of so many. While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition,” Gaetz posted.“There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle, thus I’ll be withdrawing my name from consideration to serve as ...Full story available on Benzinga.com

The Senate overwhelmingly rejected three efforts led by progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders that would have blocked certain offensive weapons sales to Israel.

North Carolina Republican legislators have given final approval to a series of political power moves that would weaken the incoming governor and other Democratic elected officials

'These children are not lost'

Republican senators have some concerns about Trump's choice of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.

Trump named Dr. Oz to lead the agency overseeing Medicare and Medicaid—as his team reportedly eyes cuts to Medicaid.

WASHINGTON – The post office in the northeast Louisiana community of Rayville will be named after Luke Letlow, the late husband of U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow.

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) called Wednesday for President-elect Trump's health administration appointees to face "extensive committee investigations" as part of the Senate's confirmation process.Why it matters: Collins' comments echo concerns from some on Capitol Hill that Trump may forgo the traditional confirmation process in favor of recess appointments, and skip several vetting steps for appointed candidates. What she's saying: Opting to allow recess appointments without congressional approval, would "avoid and evade the Senate's constitutional duty to do advice and consent," Collins said at an Axios event on the future of cognitive care.To her, "that means a background check, it means extensive committee investigations and questionnaires and public hearings," she told Axios' Peter Sullivan.Collins, who called for additional federal funding for Alzheimer's and other cognitive care research, said there "could be" an upheaval at the NIH, FDA and other key divisions due to Trump's health agency administration picks.The big picture: Trump has tapped ex-Independent presidential nominee Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vaccine skeptic, to lead the Department of Health and Human Services — an agency he could dramatically reshape.He also selected TV personality Mehmet Oz to run the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Oz has no experience running a large government bureaucracy.While the Senate Finance Committee ultimately confirms the HHS secretary, the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP), on which Collins serves, will also hold a hearing, she told Axios.The HELP committee will handle Oz's confirmation hearings.State of play: Incoming HELP chair Bill Cassidy (R-La.) has applauded Oz's appointment and said he will "look forward" to learning more about Kennedy's policy positions. He also lauded him for having "championed issues like healthy foods and the need for greater transparency in our public health infrastructure."Collins told Axios earlier this month she has not taken a position on Kennedy's nomination.When asked about Kennedy's pending promotion, Cassidy told Axios, "You need to speak to the person who you're considering before you make up your mind."Zoom out: The conversation over Trump's request for recess appointments threatens to bubble into a battle between the next commander-in-chief and Senate Republicans who do not wish to shirk their advice-and-consent role.Incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has signaled an openness to the idea — but not all of his Republican colleagues in the chamber agree, including outgoing Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).Go deeper: Meet the GOP's Senate resistance

Taxpayer-funded vouchers for private education or homeschooling is expected to remain a divisive issue.

“Hegseth is undoubtedly the least qualified nominee for SecDef in American history," the leader of a veterans group said.

Some Republican senators expressed surprise and little knowledge about who exactly President-elect Donald Trump's pick for secretary of Defense is.

The next Congress will include two House Republicans who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump after the Jan.

President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday announced William McGinley will serve as White House counsel in his administration.

Illinois Democrats returned to the statehouse this week with an eye toward shoring up progressive policies they fear would be targeted by President-elect Donald Trump's administration.

Illinois Democrats returned to the statehouse this week with an eye toward shoring up progressive policies they fear would be targeted by President-elect Donald Trump's administration.

President-elect Trump is testing the loyalty of Senate Republicans, calling on them to allow him to make recess appointments to the executive and judicial branches without the advice and consent of the Senate. Republicans are also bracing for Trump to pardon many of the people convicted of Jan. 6, 2021-related crimes, a step that a [...]

The election of Donald Trump returns an ally of school choice to the White House, this time with a Republican-controlled Senate — and potentially House — that could be more supportive of the kind of initiatives that fizzled during his first term

THIS WEEK’S DOSERepublicans Win Control of White House and Senate, Seem Poised to Maintain Control of House. Former President Donald Trump will return to the White House, and Republicans also gained control of the Senate. Some toss-up House races have not been called yet, but Republicans appear to have won enough races to likely maintain House control.Senate Democrats Release Report on Prior Authorization Practices in MA. The report from Democrats on the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations analyzes prior authorization practices for post-acute care services in Medicare Advantage (MA).Senate Judiciary Committee Holds Field Hearing on Reducing Drug Prices Through Competition. The Chicago hearing featured testimony from Members of Congress, experts, and beneficiaries who voiced their concerns about anticompetitive practices and their desire to lower drug costs.Senators Release Medicare Site Neutral Payment Framework. The framework from Senators Cassidy (R-LA) and Hassan... Read the complete article here...© 2024 McDermott Will & Emery

Education choice is the biggest civil rights issue of our time, and Tuesday night's election results in Idaho and many states across the nation show broad support.

Election Day arrives with record numbers of ballots already cast in battleground states like Georgia and North Carolina.

During Kamala Harris' Vote For Freedom rally in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania she was joined by a star-studded celebrity guest list for one final push ahead of election day

The Republican Party is now more primed to back former President Trump if he contests the results of the 2024 election than it was four years ago, when his efforts to overturn Joe Biden’s victory fell flat in courts and Congress. Trump’s unwavering claims about the nation’s election system being “rigged” have steadily gained more acceptance [...]

The nation’s deep partisan divisions extend to trust in the vote tallies for this year’s election. A new poll finds that Republicans are much more skeptical than Democrats that ballots will be counted accurately. The AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs...

“The capitalist system also doesn't care if we die,” says author Sarah Jaffe.

In a biography set to publish a week before the election, Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell backed special counsel Jack Smith and said he hopes former President Trump will "pay a price" for his role in Jan. 6th.Why it matters: McConnell has long been a Trump critic, but a new book throws his weight behind some of the most serious federal charges against Trump."If he hasn't committed indictable offenses, I don't know what one is," the longest-serving Republican leader told journalist Michael Tackett in an interview for "The Price of Power," weeks after Smith brought the charges against Trump in August 2023."From the start, McConnell thought the charges brought by federal prosecutors against Trump had merit," Tackett writes.McConnell told him "there's no doubt who inspired it, and I just hope that he'll have to pay a price for it," referencing Jan. 6.Between the lines: Tackett's book reveals just how seriously McConnell considered voting to convict Trump of related impeachment charges in 2021.Conviction could have led to the Senate blocking Trump from running for office again.McConnell explicitly considered the idea, according to one of his oral history interviews done a week after the insurrection.Zoom in: "I'm not at all conflicted about whether what the president did is an impeachable offense. I think it is," McConnell said in the oral history interview, provided to Tackett.Urging an insurrection and people attacking the Capitol "is about as close to an impeachable offense as you can imagine," McConnell added.George Will, a writer close to McConnell, even wrote a column suggesting McConnell would vote "yea."Will sent the early draft to some conservatives — including Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), but then changed the text the next morning. The columnist told Tackett he did not remember writing the earlier version.McConnell ultimately voted to acquit, arguing on the Senate floor that Trump was not eligible for conviction because he was no longer in office."We have a criminal justice system in this country. We have civil litigation. And former presidents are not immune from being accountable by either one," McConnell said after the vote.The intrigue: McConnell went so far as to ask former House Speaker Paul Ryan to set up a secret meeting in 2022 for McConnell to share some of his concerns with Fox founder Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan."I don't think Murdoch has been in love with Trump for a long time," McConnell told Tackett.The bottom line: If Trump manages to evade federal consequences, it will be at least in part thanks to one of McConnell's proudest accomplishments — confirming a conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court bench.The court ruled in July that presidents have some immunity from prosecution when it involves "official actions."Smith has made his case for what he believes to be prosecutable, and the case is ongoing.

'Lobbyists will often leverage relationships'

From Kannapolis to Durham, college students, and retirees are talking prices and values.

Recently obtained text messages reveal Cheney "apparently defied her ethical responsibilities" while serving as vice chair on the Jan. 6 select committee.

Government spending on Medicare Advantage, which is dominated by big health insurance companies, is expected to hit $462 billion this year.

Child care is often described as a “broken market” for good reason.

'I am reaching the point of total outrage'

Election officials have been targets of harassment and even death threats since the 2020 presidential election, primarily by people acting on Trump’s lies that the election was stolen from him.

Social media posts by Musk are raising concerns that he will use his immense platform to question the legitimacy of the vote in the U.S. presidential election.

Republican senators are calling on Secret Service to increase security for former President Donald Trump in the wake of a second assassination attempt.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy on Monday asked President Joe Biden to start the process for approving an emergency declaration in anticipation of Tropical Storm Francine coming ashore in Louisiana — likely as a hurricane — later this week.

Some songs have become intertwined with campaigns, from Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the U.S.A.," to Beyoncé's "Freedom." But sometimes artists don't want their songs to be used by a particular candidate – and sometimes they sue!

California's AB 1780, banning legacy admissions at private colleges, passed the Assembly and Senate and now awaits Gov. Gavin Newsom's approval.

When Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris picked her running mate earlier this month, she chose a politician many undecided voters are used to seeing: a white-haired, Midwestern man with typical American values.

U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy speak in Broussard, LA on August 22, 2024