CQ Morning Briefing

Senate Republican leaders will again push a procedural vote on stopgap spending, this time with a potential package of three full-year bills. A key House lawmaker says a compromise NDAA likely won't include the topline bump the Senate has suggested. And as former Speaker Nancy Pelosi is set to retire, she leaves a historic legacy as a vote-counter and tactician. David Higgins has your CQ Morning B...

It's Day 37 of the record-breaking partial government shutdown, and the endgame is still unclear. Tuesday's elections have a ripple effect on members of key congressional panels. And the Senate weighs in on Trump's military strikes in Venezuela. David Higgins has your CQ Morning Briefing for Thursday, Nov. 6, 2025.

It's Day 36 of what's now the longest-ever partial government shutdown. Both parties have internal disagreements on next steps. SNAP beneficiaries face delays while some Head Start programs close. And the Supreme Court takes up Trump's tariffs. David Higgins has your CQ Morning Briefing for Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025.

It's Day 35 of the partial shutdown, tying the longest ever. Senate Republicans are mulling a longer stopgap. Three defense nominees go before the Senate Armed Services Committee. And voters elect new governors in Virginia and New Jersey. David Higgins has your CQ Morning Briefing for Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025.

It's Day 34 of the shutdown. This could be a critical week for finding a way to end the funding lapse. Angst over boat strikes is bipartisan. And advocates and a senior lawmaker are pushing to restore military housing funding that was tapped to pay troops during the shutdown. David Higgins has your CQ Morning Briefing for Monday, Nov. 3, 2025.

It's Day 30 of the partial shutdown. Dialogue ramps up among senators on somehow ending the funding lapse. Both parties broaden their shutdown-related messaging. And whenever the House returns to legislative session, it'll have a lot to catch up on. David Higgins has your CQ Morning Briefing for Thursday, Oct. 30, 2025.

Open enrollment is likely to begin with questions still surrounding expiring enhanced health insurance subsidies. More votes On tariffs, including a measure to end a 35 percent levy against Canada, are on tap this week. And another vote related to strikes on alleged drug-running boats is likely as soon as next week. David Higgins has your CQ Morning Briefing for Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025.

Hopes fade for a compromise on federal employees' pay. A move by a federal employee union illuminates Democrats' competing priorities. And Trump asks the Supreme Court to allow for removing the register of copyrights while her firing is in court. David Higgins has your CQ Morning Briefing for Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025.

The Agriculture Department says it lacks authority to fund food stamps while appropriations are lapsed. Senators focused on sanctioning Russia are on the same page as the EU. And the Energy Department wants to see speedier approvals for data centers. David Higgins has your CQ Morning Briefing for Monday, Oct. 27, 2025.

It's Day 24 of the partial government shutdown. The Senate could compromise on a bill to pay federal workers during the shutdown. But a deal on health care subsidies is looking less likely. And the top House appropriator is looking to quickly get a three-bill spending package moving when the government reopens. David Higgins has your CQ Morning Briefing for Friday, Oct. 24, 2025.

With the shutdown now in a fourth week, the Senate holds a procedural vote on a bill to pay troops and certain civilian federal workers. The future for additional bipartisan Russia-related bills is unclear. And capital formation bills could be on tap in the Capitol once the House returns. David Higgins has your CQ Morning Briefing for Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025.

The shutdown has now dragged long enough for Republicans to contemplate a longer stopgap funding measure. A dispute over hemp reemerges on the Agriculture spending bill. And defense authorizers want to have compromise text of their annual defense policy bill ready by early December. David Higgins has your CQ Morning Briefing for Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025.

It's Day 21 of the partial government shutdown. Senate Majority Leader John Thune ponders a potential longer-term stopgap. A Russia sanctions bill is on hold ahead of the Trump-Putin meeting. And the Supreme Court now has two major gun cases on this term's agenda. David Higgins has your CQ Morning Briefing for Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025.

It's Day 20 of the partial government shutdown. Furloughs are coming for judiciary and nuclear security staff. A federal judge expands her temporary block on shutdown layoffs. And action on the next cryptocurrency bill is being held up by language in...the previous cryptocurrency bill. David Higgins has your CQ Morning Briefing for Monday, Oct. 20, 2025.

It's Day 17 of the partial government shutdown. Zelenskyy visits Trump. Democrats pan Thune's latest offer on a health care vote. And SNAP funding could run out soon. David Higgins has your CQ Morning Briefing for Friday, Oct. 17, 2025.

It's Day 16 of the partial government shutdown. The Senate plans a procedural vote on a Defense spending bill. Appropriators are asking questions about how the Trump administration is paying the troops. And Sen. Lindsey Graham wants a vote on Russia sanctions. David Higgins has your CQ Morning Briefing for Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025.

It's Day 15 of the partial government shutdown, and the parties remain dug in. Laid off federal workers want Congress to get more details about their firings. And the Supreme Court hears a potentially landmark case on redistricting. David Higgins has your CQ Morning Briefing for Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025.

Senators are continuing to weigh paths out of a shutdown amid pressure related to military pay. The House and Senate are ready to hash out a final fiscal 2026 NDAA. And foreign countries are looking to take advantage of Trump’s fee hike on applications for H-1B visas and attract foreign talent. David Higgins has your CQ Morning Briefing for Friday, Oct. 10, 2025.

Though an exit route seems distant, Democrats are optimistic about an eventual deal on health care tax credits. A Defense and Labor-HHS-Education bundle is on Senate appropriators' radar for after the government reopens. Trump's nominee to be Air Force chief of staff gets a Senate confirmation hearing. Jacob Fulton has your CQ Morning Briefing for Thursday, Oct. 8, 2025.

Democrats and Republicans remain at odds as the Trump administration threatens the back pay of furloughed employees. That pay could need additional legislative action to be released. Democrats push against Trump's recent military use. Jacob Fulton has your CQ Morning Briefing for Wednesday, Oct. 8, 2025.

Trump signals that he's open to health care subsidy negotiations. Bondi appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee. And a Senate joint resolution related to U.S. strikes in the Caribbean Sea could see a vote as soon as this week. David Higgins has your CQ Morning Briefing for Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025.

Some Republicans suggest there's a deal to be had to potentially end the shutdown, but Democrats aren't yet convinced. The Supreme Court kicks off its new term today. And the impact of a rollback of EV and renewable energy tax credits is beginning to be felt. David Higgins has your CQ Morning Briefing for Monday, Oct. 6, 2025.

It's Day 3 of a partial government shutdown. Both sides are dug in, and no weekend Senate votes are currently expected. The administration raises the stakes in its rhetoric on efforts to combat drug cartels. And a key senator's AI framework is getting backing from Big Tech, but privacy and consumer advocates still have concerns. David Higgins has your CQ Morning Briefing for Friday, October 3, 202...

Bipartisan talks to try to find a way out of the shutdown take shape. As courts navigate the shutdown, dozens of challenges to Trump administration policies are on pause. Hill staffers are bracing for the shutdown's impact. Jacob Fulton has your CQ Morning Briefing for Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025.