Congress returned to a changed Washington on Monday as lawmakers face a packed six-week lame-duck sprint following a historic midterm election sweep by Democrats.
Senate Democrats returned to Washington with a commanding new majority, but the path to leadership is already facing internal friction. Sen. Elissa Slotkin signaled Monday that she could oppose Sen. Chuck Schumer’s election as leader of the upper chamber, arguing that it is time for a new generation of leadership
following the midterm results.
I think the country made clear that they want a new generation of leadership with big and bold ideas,
Slotkin said during an impromptu news conference with reporters, as reported by Huffpost. At a minimum, anyone who wants to be majority leader should lay out what their plan is to help the American people, especially in the first 100 days.
COLLINS: Will you stand by Pete Hegseth if he's impeached? TRUMP: Yeah, I'll stand by him. He won two wars. Massie is a lower. Just like you're a loser at CNN. pic.twitter.com/U2ivXE3Izw
Slotkin stated she spoke with Sen. Chris Van Hollen, who has emerged as a possible contender to replace Schumer. Van Hollen told reporters he was in listening mode and had not closed the door
on a leadership bid, according to Yahoo News New Zealand. Slotkin added that she would withhold her vote from any candidate who fails to lay out a concrete strategy for the Democratic majority.
Schumer has waved away the prospect of an intra-party challenge ahead of the secret ballot to select the new majority leader. He expressed confidence in his election and insisted his priority remains focused on the American people and what they want,
as noted by Yahoo News New Zealand.
Rep. Massie on why he is attempting to impeach Pete Hegseth and not Trump over Iran war: “It’s true that the president is culpable by asking Hegseth to carry out illegal orders. But Hegseth should not carry out illegal orders — and that’s why we’re impeaching him.” pic.twitter.com/F7UXXOnAXE
As lawmakers settled into orientation sessions and Capitol Hill preparations, the new congressional majority is eyeing possible Trump administration impeachments, starting with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Chair of the House Democratic Caucus Rep. Pete Aguilar discussed the caucus’s priorities during an appearance on NBC News.
Facing an expected impeachment resolution, Hegseth announced plans to hold a press conference on Tuesday to defend policy choices made in Iran and Venezuela. Meanwhile, Stephen Miller formally became President Donald Trump’s new chief of staff on Monday, as the White House doubled down on the president’s political stance despite the landmark GOP losses, according to reporting cited by WKTV.
High-flying technology shares took a hit on Wall Street, with Nvidia down 5% after the chipmaker opened an internal investigation into CEO Jensen Huang. The move follows Huang’s acknowledgment that he had been intimate with a business executive whom U.S. officials accuse of acting as the target of a foreign intelligence effort,
as reported by WKTV.
China’s Foreign Ministry dismissed the spy allegations on Monday as unsubstantiated. The controversy centers on whether Huang’s interactions influenced advanced computer chip sales to China in the face of existing U.S. technology restrictions.
Jeffries: "Stephen Miller is a stone cold racist. His track record speaks for itself. And I've got zero interest in working with that kind of individual." pic.twitter.com/E9HEd9CMkc
In sports developments on Monday, college leaders announced that the College Football Playoff will expand to 24 teams starting next season. The format change follows an agreement by ESPN to rework its contract to add 11 new games, a deal valued at $1.7 billion for five years.
Earlier coverage: Trump Defiant After Republican Midterm Losses
“Stephen Miller should lawyer up,” — Ranking Member of the House Oversight Committee Robert Garcia. "Just days after the American people rejected his corrupt and lawless presidency, Donald Trump is doubling down. Stephen Miller is the architect of the unconstitutional ICE raids… pic.twitter.com/g2bEtZ54of
More on Elissa Slotkin
NEW POLL 🚨 The progressive base wants new Democratic leadership. Of 4,308 respondents to our member survey, 72% want new Senate leadership and 52% want new House leadership. We organized for change. Now we demand an open leadership contest—and leaders ready to deliver. pic.twitter.com/lEAfO32tIo
I’ve seen some of my colleagues say @SecWar Hegseth has been effective and they agree with the war, so they’ll vote not to impeach. That’s not the question though. The question is whether he committed impeachable acts, and the answer is yes, eight times:https://t.co/JnrtWL15Sb
Hegseth on his possible impeachment: "If you want to litigate our success, I'm happy to do it all day long" pic.twitter.com/6yN7n2VaW3
🚨BREAKING: House Freedom Caucus leadership just dropped a lame-duck roadmap for @SpeakerJohnson and @LeaderJohnThune. Strip Democrat leverage. Deliver real wins. Do it before the clock runs out. No leaving town until it’s done — let’s finish the job! pic.twitter.com/oHGnZwWi8A
Today I accepted the resignation of Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate of the Civil Division. Under his leadership, the Division pursued important affirmative litigation to challenge sanctuary policies and delivered key wins in lawsuits against local policies that…
President Trump responds to the report that Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang had an affair with an alleged Chinese spy, and he's not rushing to judgment. ⠀ "I think he's an honorable guy," Trump tells reporters, saying he hasn't spoken to Huang about the matter and wants to hear his… pic.twitter.com/p3xV41ydpv
