Author

Jennifer Shutt

Jennifer Shutt

Jennifer covers the nation’s capital as a senior reporter for States Newsroom. Her coverage areas include congressional policy, politics and legal challenges with a focus on health care, unemployment, housing and aid to families.

Race for U.S. House speaker moves toward a vote as Scalise, Jordan make their pitches

By: and - October 11, 2023

WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans gathered behind closed doors for several hours Tuesday evening to debate who the party should elect as the next speaker amid divided views about the path forward. The two-hour forum featured House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan making their cases and answering questions from their […]

Former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., talks about the Hamas attack on Israel during a news conference in the Rayburn Room at the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 9, 2023 in Washington, D.C. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

McCarthy may jump into U.S. House speaker race, as crises overseas mount

By: , , and - October 9, 2023

WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans will gather behind closed doors beginning Monday night in an attempt to decide who should become the chamber’s next speaker, a race with a renewed sense of urgency with ally Israel now at war and the House in paralysis. Louisiana’s Steve Scalise and Ohio’s Jim Jordan are the only candidates […]

Ukrainian Soldier

A murky outlook for Ukraine aid with U.S. House leadership in turmoil

By: - October 5, 2023

WASHINGTON — Additional military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine was on shaky ground earlier this week, before U.S. House Republicans evicted Kevin McCarthy from the speaker’s office. The revolt by eight members of the House GOP Conference, largely spurred by bipartisan deals McCarthy struck on the debt limit and a short-term government funding bill, complicated […]

How does a ‘frozen’ U.S. House function without a speaker? Everyone’s got an opinion.

By: and - October 5, 2023

WASHINGTON — The stunning ouster of U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday — the first time a speaker has been removed in Congress’ 234-year history — created a leadership vacuum in the chamber and left multiple questions about how legislative business would proceed. North Carolina Republican Patrick McHenry ascended to the role of speaker pro tempore […]

Kevin McCarthy

McCarthy abandons another bid for U.S. House speaker, votes on spending bills canceled

By: - October 3, 2023

WASHINGTON — California Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy announced Tuesday evening he will not try to become speaker for a second time, ending his tenure holding the gavel after eight GOP lawmakers and Democrats voted to remove him from leadership. “I will not run for speaker again. I’ll have the conference pick somebody else,” McCarthy said. […]

U.S. House votes to remove Kevin McCarthy as speaker

By: , and - October 3, 2023

WASHINGTON — Dissident Republicans in the U.S. House voted with Democrats on Tuesday to oust Kevin McCarthy as speaker, a historic move that came just nine months after he secured the gavel following days of negotiating with the GOP’s right flank and 15 rounds of voting. It wasn’t immediately clear after the vote how the […]

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., speaks with members of the media in the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 30, 2023 in Washington, D.C. (Nathan Howard/Getty Images)

Next battle in Congress over Ukraine aid, as Biden presses House speaker for vote

By: - October 3, 2023

WASHINGTON — Republican and Democratic lawmakers are searching for a way to clear more aid for Ukraine, after Congress approved a short-term spending bill that didn’t include any additional money for the country. President Joe Biden on Sunday said that U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy agreed to find the votes needed to pass a supplemental […]

U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz is photographed inside the Rayburn House Office Building Feb. 27, 2019. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz files motion to oust McCarthy as U.S. House speaker

By: - October 2, 2023

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House likely faces a decision this week on whether Kevin McCarthy should keep the role of speaker, after Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz on Monday night offered a motion to remove the California Republican. The so-called motion to vacate gives House GOP leaders up to two days to hold a vote […]

Congress clears bill to avert shutdown, with vote promised later on Ukraine aid

By: - September 30, 2023

First posted 9/30/2023, 5:01 p.m.; updated 8:19 p.m. and 10/1/2023, 8:30 a.m. WASHINGTON — Congress approved a bill Saturday night that would stave off a government shutdown until at least mid-November, though the measure doesn’t include Ukraine aid backed by both Republicans and Democrats. The bipartisan 88-9 vote in the U.S. Senate, just hours before […]

House speaker Kevin McCarthy

Government shutdown nears: U.S. House GOP fails to pass one-month spending plan

By: , , and - September 29, 2023

WASHINGTON — A sweeping government shutdown appeared inevitable on Friday, with the U.S. Senate stuck in a procedural holding pattern on its bipartisan stopgap bill and divided U.S. House Republicans unable to pass their short-term spending bill. Both chambers of Congress must approve and President Joe Biden must sign government funding legislation before midnight on […]

With two days until shutdown, border security package eyed by U.S. Senate GOP

By: - September 28, 2023

WASHINGTON — Republican U.S. senators huddled behind closed doors Thursday, attempting to draft an amendment to the short-term government funding bill that would increase spending on border security and make policy changes. The provision could help nudge U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to put the broadly bipartisan measure up for a vote in that chamber, […]

Pennsylvania’s Fetterman may pursue expulsion of ‘defiant’ Menendez from U.S. Senate

By: - September 28, 2023

WASHINGTON — Pennsylvania Democratic U.S. Sen. John Fetterman said Thursday he would be open to expelling New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez from the Senate. “Now that it’s confirmed that he’s not going to go the honorable way. You know, I would like to pursue whatever avenues are available,” Fetterman told reporters. Menendez spoke privately […]