Hakeem Jeffries

“The American people are hungry for change," said Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), one of a handful of next-generation Democrats gunning for top committee posts.

House Speaker Mike Johnson on Sunday left the door open to adjourning Congress so President-elect Donald Trump can appoint his Cabinet nominees outside of the usual Senate confirmation process if necessary.“We’re in a time of very divided government and a very partisan atmosphere in Washington. I wish it were not. I wish the Senate would simply do its job of advise and consent and allow the president to put the persons in his Cabinet of his choosing. But if this thing bogs down, it would be a great detriment to the country, to the American people,” Johnson, R-La., told “Fox News Sunday” in response to a question about whether he’d be willing to let Trump use the recess appointment process, rather than the traditional Senate confirmation process for certain nominees.A recess appointment occurs when a president unilaterally bypasses the Senate’s responsibility to confirm Cabinet nominees and appoints them to the job during a period when both the House and Senate are not in session for at least 10 days.Johnson said Sunday, “We’ll evaluate all that at the appropriate time, and we’ll make the appropriate decision. There may be a function for that. We’ll have to see how it plays out.”He added, “I’m sympathetic to all these arguments. As I said, we’ll have to see how this develops. I am very hopeful, very hopeful, that the Senate will do its job, and that is, provide its advice and consent and move these nominees along.”To allow the recess appointment process to take place, the House and Senate would have to both vote to adjourn for a period of at least 10 days, which would either require them to agree unanimously to do so, or would require both chambers to vote on a concurrent resolution to adjourn for a specific amount of time.Both chambers usually gavel in for pro forma sessions even during times of recess specifically to prevent the president from making recess appointments and bypassing congressional approval.President Barack Obama once tried to use recess appointments and was rebuked by the Supreme Court, which said in 2014 that recesses needed to be 10 days or longer for recess appointments to be legal.Johnson isn’t the only Trump ally who has left the door open to using a recess appointment to confirm Trump’s Cabinet picks.Also on Sunday, Oklahoma GOP Sen. Markwayne Mullin told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” that confirming some of Trump’s picks would be a “very difficult” process, and thus recess appointments would be a “last resort.”“It’d be the absolute last resort,” Mullin said. “But if that’s what we have to do to get the confirmation through, then absolutely, let’s do it. But I would say that would be last option.”House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said Sunday that Democrats would try to push against GOP efforts to make recess appointments, telling NBC News’ “Meet the Press” that if Republicans try to bypass the usual Senate confirmation process, “we will work very closely with our Senate Democratic colleagues. I have great trust and respect in [Senate Majority] Leader Chuck Schumer and [Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman] Dick Durbin to make sure that no end runs can be done.”On Sunday, Johnson also spoke about Trump’s pick for attorney general, GOP former Rep. Matt Gaetz.Gaetz is under scrutiny after he resigned from the House last week in the wake of his nomination to Trump’s Cabinet.While serving in Congress, he was the subject of an investigation by the House Ethics Committee into allegations that he had sex with a 17-year-old girl. Gaetz has repeatedly denied the allegations, but senators on both sides of the aisle have called for the committee’s report to be released publicly or shared with them privately ahead of his confirmation vote.Johnson had previously advocated against the release of the report and on Sunday told CNN, “What I have said with regard to the report is that it should not come out, and why, because Matt Gaetz resigned from Congress. He is no longer a member. There’s a very important protocol and tradition and rule that we maintain that the House Ethics Committee’s jurisdiction does not extend to nonmembers of Congress.”He added that senators will “have a rigorous review and vetting process in the Senate, but they don’t need to rely upon a report or a draft report, a rough draft report that was prepared by the Ethics Committee for its very limited purposes.”Johnson also said that he has not spoken to the president-elect about the ethics report.“I have literally not discussed one word about the ethics report, not once, and I’ve been with him quite a bit this week,” Johnson said.This story first appeared on NBCNews.com. More from NBC News:Woman testifies to House Ethics Committee saying Gaetz had sex with minorTop House Foreign Affairs Democrat: Tulsi Gabbard is a ‘risk to national security’Senator-elect Gallego discusses Latino base, border security and latest Trump picks

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) reacts to Democrats’ losses in the 2024 election and discusses President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks.

Republicans will maintain control of the House of Representatives by the thinnest of margins, NBC News projected Wednesday, handing President-elect Donald Trump and his party all the levers of power in Washington.A Republican-controlled Congress will allow Trump to quickly fill out his Cabinet and other top administration roles and advance his agenda for at least the next two years. Last week, Republicans flipped three Democratic Senate seats to win control of the upper chamber.House Republicans’ razor-thin victory was propelled by Trump’s decisive win over Vice President Kamala Harris in both the Electoral College and the popular vote. It represents a stinging blow to Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and the Democrats, who now will have virtually no check on Trump, a man they warned on the campaign trail is a threat to democracy, an extremist and a fascist.“It is a beautiful morning in Washington. It is a new day in America,” a celebratory Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said on the steps of the Capitol, flanked by his leadership team, as the House returned to Washington on Tuesday. “The sun is shining, and that is a reflection about how we all feel.”How Republicans wonDemocrats had believed they were in a good position to win back the majority they lost just two years ago. They needed a net gain of only four seats to flip control of the House given that Republicans now hold 220 seats to the Democrats’ 212 — one of the smallest majorities in modern history.But the two parties basically have fought to a draw in the House, preserving a status quo that favored Republicans.In New York, Democrats were able to knock off a trio of vulnerable freshman GOP incumbents: Rep. Brandon Williams in the Syracuse region, Rep. Anthony D’Esposito on Long Island, and Rep. Marc Molinaro, whose district includes parts of the Hudson Valley and the Catskills. They were among the 18 GOP House districts that President Joe Biden carried in 2020.Democratic challenger George Whitesides also ousted vulnerable GOP Rep. Mike Garcia in Southern California.But Trump’s triumph — including wins in battlegrounds like Pennsylvania and Michigan where there were key House races — helped buoy GOP incumbents and new candidates in the places that mattered.Two of the biggest GOP prizes came in the Keystone State. Republicans unseated two vulnerable, veteran Democrats in neighboring districts in eastern Pennsylvania. GOP businessman Rob Bresnahan ousted six-term Rep. Matt Cartwright, a former member of leadership, in the 8th District, which Trump carried in 2020. In the neighboring 7th District based in Allentown, GOP state Rep. Ryan Mackenzie upset Democratic Rep. Susan Wild, the top Democrat on the House Ethics Committee.Meanwhile, In the capital of Harrisburg, Democrats believed they had a good chance to knock off former Freedom Caucus Chairman Scott Perry, a Trump ally who played a role in the effort to overturn the 2020 election. But the six-term incumbent beat back a strong challenge from former local TV anchor Janelle Stelson, who attacked Perry on everything from the Jan. 6 Capitol attack and abortion rights to his votes on veterans issues.Republicans also captured a Michigan seat that had been held by Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin, who successfully ran for an open Senate seat. And GOP challenger Gabe Evans narrowly defeated freshman Rep. Yadira Caraveo, D-Colo., by less than 1 percentage point in a heavily Hispanic district north of Denver.The task of governingThe tiny House victory is hugely consequential as Republicans turn to the task of governing. When Trump and his congressional allies take the reins in January, they will have another rare opportunity to push through major policy initiatives through “reconciliation” — an arcane process that would allow the GOP to fast-track legislation without Democratic support.Discussions about what reforms to pursue began even before the election, with some Republicans pushing to use reconciliation to renew expiring Trump tax cuts and others like Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a Trump ally, calling for Republicans to take up border security legislation. It’s not yet clear what would be in that border bill, but Trump has said repeatedly that he will “seal” the southern border on day one as president and launch “the largest deportation program in American history.”In the closing days of the campaign, Johnson told supporters a “massive” reform of the Affordable Care Act would be part of the GOP’s first 100-day agenda, though he has since denied that Republicans would try to repeal Obamacare as they failed to do in 2017.With very little wiggle room, Republicans are sure to run into challenges. And Trump has already selected two members of the new majority to serve in his administration, Reps. Elise Stefanik of New York and Mike Waltz of Florida. Both are in solidly Republican districts the party will likely carry in special elections to replace them, but vacancies following their departures could be an issue for Johnson.Decision 20243 hours agoTrump returns to White House, thanks Biden for ‘smooth transition'Donald Trump4 hours agoSpecial counsel Jack Smith and team to resign before Trump takes officeThe GOP had a minuscule majority in this Congress, and it struggled to push its agenda forward. Instead, the past two years were defined by a successful conservative coup against Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California, the expulsion of a New York Republican congressman and intraparty squabbling over GOP spending bills.Johnson and Republicans will now have partners in a Senate majority and the White House, which they hope will allow them to rally behind Trump and put some of that infighting behind them. Johnson and his top lieutenants — Majority Leader Steve Scalise, a fellow Louisiana Republican, and Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn. — are all running unopposed for re-election in their top jobs on Wednesday.Johnson will still need to secure 218 votes on the House floor on the first day of the new Congress, in early January, to win his first full term as speaker.“If there’s unified government ... if we have a bicameral approach — Republicans in both chambers working together to develop that agenda and implement it, and President Trump is guiding the way — I think you will certainly have a lot less dissension in the ranks on our side,” Johnson said in an interview with NBC News at a Pennsylvania campaign stop before the election.“I think everybody’s going to want to be a part of that majority that is solving the problems of the country,” the speaker added. “And I think governing is going to be a whole lot easier come January.”This story first appeared on NBCNews.com. More from NBC News:Senate Republicans choose John Thune as their new leaderElon Musk may already be overstaying his welcome in Trump’s orbitHouse Democrat to introduce resolution reiterating that Trump can only serve two terms as president

Democrat Kamala Harris urged unity in a concession speech at Howard University following her defeat to Republican Donald Trump. The election results prompted foreign leaders and President Joe Biden to congratulate Trump and left Democrats downtrodden after the former president...

The races for control of Congress are at a stalemate

Welcome to At the Races! Each week we bring you news and analysis from the CQ Roll Call campaign team. Know someone who’d like to get this newsletter? They can subscribe here. By Daniela Altimari, Mary Ellen McIntire and Niels Lesniewski Liz Cheney is the top GOP surrogate for Kamala Harris, while Fred Upton disclosed Thursday [...]The post At the Races: And then there were two appeared first on Roll Call.

Now, lawmakers from one of the most chaotic and unproductive legislative sessions in modern times are trying to persuade voters to keep them on the job.

Thirteen service members killed in the 2021 Kabul bombing posthumously received Congressional Gold Medals in a ceremony.

538's politics chat discusses how the DNC has gone down so far, with Democrats leaning into themes of "joy" and "freedom" throughout the week.

(NEXSTAR) – Kamala Harris is set to accept her party’s nomination for president at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday night, capping a four-day event that included ringing endorsements from President Biden and former Presidents Obama and Clinton — and even a few figures from her Republican opponent’s former administration. The theme of the fourth [...]

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz delivers his acceptance speech during day three of the 2024 Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Wednesday. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

The Democratic presidential ticket's online fundraising has skyrocketed since Kamala Harris replaced Joe Biden as the party's nominee.

Trump had secured his GOP presidential nomination and had been directing most of his criticism towards Biden rather than Harris.

President Joe Biden’s announcement Sunday he won’t seek the nomination that he won this year in primaries and caucuses in every state puts the Democratic Party in uncharted territory.

Donald Trump’s estranged niece threw an epic burn at her uncle as she gave her support to Kamala Harris for president.“I finally agree with Donald,” she wrote on X Sunday night. “It would be a huge mistake to elect the older candidate in American history.”She was referring to multiple attacks Trump has made on “Sleepy Joe” Biden’s age, claiming the 81-year-old was too old to effectively do the job.After Biden dropped out Sunday, Trump, 78, becomes the oldest candidate to stand for president of the U.S.In 2020, when Biden was 77 — a year younger than Trump is now — many Republicans expressed concern that he was too old to do the job.ALSO READ: Heritage Foundation eyes multi-million dollar legal fight against Biden replacementBiden dropped out of the campaign after multiple senior Democrats expressed concern about his ability to win. It followed a debate performance last month that ignited worries about his cognitive ability.Mary Trump, a highly vocal opponent of her uncle, said after the debate that Trump was, "The worst, weakest, most traitorous candidate for the presidency in this country's history."

President Biden hesitated to drop his re-election campaign in part because he and his senior advisers worried that Vice President Kamala Harris wasn't up to taking on Donald Trump, according to three Biden aides familiar with recent talks about his plans.Why it matters: Biden, 81, ultimately decided to withdraw under pressure from the party and endorsed Harris, but his private anxieties reflect broader questions among some Democratic leaders about Harris as their nominee this November.Driving the news: This next week will be critical for Harris, 59, to prove doubters wrong as she moves quickly to try to clear the field of potential challengers for the Democratic nomination.Biden, Bill and Hillary Clinton and many Democratic lawmakers quickly endorsed Harris, but others — including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and former President Barack Obama — did not immediately do so."We will be navigating uncharted waters in the days ahead," Obama said in a statement. "But I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges."Zoom in: Harris' time as vice president has been occasionally rocky, defined in part by large staff turnover, retreating from politically risky responsibilities, and mocking from some Beltway insiders.Much of Harris' staff has turned over in the past 31⁄2 years.About half of the vice president's staff is paid by the Senate, which requires regular disclosures. Of the 47 Harris staffers listed in 2021, only five still worked for her as of this spring, according to the disclosures. Her full staff list is not publicly disclosed.During Obama's first term, then-Vice President Biden had far more staff stability, as 17 of 38 of his aides stayed with him over a similar period, according to the disclosures for staff paid by the Senate.Former Harris aides told Axios the high turnover is partly because of how the vice president treats her staff.Some former aides said Harris had high standards that some did not want to keep up with, but others felt that she frequently grilled them the way she grilled Trump officials, such as then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions, when she represented California in the U.S. Senate. Former aides often refer to it as Harris' "prosecuting the staff."During the 2020 campaign, Biden aides recall watching Harris interrogate her then-chief of staff Karine Jean-Pierre to the point that it made others uncomfortable.After the election, Jean-Pierre moved to the White House's press team.A person familiar with the matter said Biden told Jean-Pierre that she was only "on loan" during the campaign and that her move to the White House was always part of the plan.The intrigue: The relationship between the vice president's office and the West Wing has often been tense.White House aides sometimes felt Harris wasn't a team player and stayed away from any task with risk.But some Harris aides felt that the White House, particularly top aide Anita Dunn, wasn't helpful to the vice president.At times, Harris aides suspected Biden's team didn't want to give Harris opportunities to shine to avoid her being seen as a viable alternative to Biden ahead of his re-election bid.Even so, Dunn worked to elevate Harris during Biden's campaign, particularly with Harris' work in pushing to defend abortion rights.In response to questions for this article, Harris' chief of staff Lorraine Voles said in a statement: "Anita is a supportive colleague who works closely every day with the Office of the Vice President."The tensions between the Biden and Harris staffs could get personal, however.Some Harris senior aides told others they resented how Biden's team got frustrated with the optics of Meena Harris, the vice president's niece, publishing a children's book just before Biden's inauguration — but then celebrated when Hunter Biden published his book months later.Voles added that Biden and Harris' many achievements in the president's term were "possible in part due to the hard work of the White House staff who view themselves as one team."But some Democrats found the Biden team's quiet trashing of Harris ironic, given that they had complained for the past decade about how Obama aides had done the same thing to Biden when he was vice president.Zoom out: Some of the tensions between the Biden and Harris teams are because the principals are very different people, aides to both told Axios. Biden is a white Irish Catholic man who learned politics by trying to shake every hand in the small state of Delaware.Harris, 22 years younger, is a multiracial woman who worked her way up in the much larger state of California, where political races often are won by how much money you can raise. There are personality differences as well: Harris is much more attuned to the pop culture of movies and music, while Biden rarely engages with pop culture in that way. Between the lines: Harris has been cautious and reluctant to participate in events that weren't tightly controlled, Harris and Biden aides said.In 2022, the White House internally pushed Harris to be the headliner for D.C.'s traditional Gridiron Dinner, but she resisted. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo did it instead.Harris has faced race-baiting from some conservatives, and at times has focused on critical coverage of her in ways aides have found unhelpful — like when she has watched Fox News' "The Five."In April 2022, Harris was the guest for a dinner at D.C. news mogul David Bradley's home — a salon-style event Bradley hosts with Washington journalists and newsmakers.Harris' anxiety about the dinner was such that her staff held a mock dinner beforehand, with staffers playing participants, according to two people familiar with the event.Harris aides even considered including wine in the mock prep so Harris could practice with a glass or two.They ultimately decided against it.The other side: In endorsing Harris, Biden said that "my very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my vice president. And it's been the best decision I've made."White House communications director Ben LaBolt added that Harris "has been incredibly loyal and dedicated."Rachel Palermo, Harris' former deputy communications director, told Axios that Harris "has high standards because she is well prepared" and that "she is an incredible legal mind."Carmel Martin, Harris' former domestic policy adviser, added: "I never felt grilled by the vice president. I think she holds high standards for her staff but she is also a great boss and mentor."

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden's campaign is insisting anew that he is not stepping aside as he faces the stark reality that many Democrats at the highest levels want him to bow out of the 2024 election to make way for a new nominee and try to prevent widespread party losses in November.

Democrats intend to make abortion a key issue in the 2024 election — it is important to set the record straight.