Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., announced Tuesday that he will not seek re-election in 2024, shocking many of his colleagues. McHenry has served in Congress since 2005 and is the longest-serving Republican from North Carolina, recently gaining national attention when he became the first House Speaker pro tempore in history to be removed in a no-confidence vote. His retirement will further thin the ranks of Republican institutionalists in Congress, leaving many of his colleagues unsure of who will take his place and fill the role of chair of the House Financial Services Committee.
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Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania has enlisted the help of recently ousted Republican Representative George Santos to troll indicted colleague Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey. The Fetterman campaign paid Santos to record a video on the Cameo app, which has sparked debate about the current state of politics in Congress. The implications of the expulsion of Santos remain to be seen, as the Fetterman campaign has not yet commented on the video or its purpose.
The White House has warned Congress that the United States is running out of resources to provide aid to Ukraine in its war against Russia. Without additional funding, the aid package will be depleted by the end of the year, leaving Ukraine vulnerable to further Russian aggression. Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young urged Congress to act quickly to provide additional funding for the aid package.
Former U.S. Olympic swimmer Klete Keller was sentenced to three years probation and six months of home detention for his involvement in the mob that attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Keller had pleaded guilty to obstruction of an official proceeding and faced a possible sentence of 10 months in federal prison, but prosecutors asked for a sentence below the guideline range due to his cooperation and the "unconscionable" nature of his actions. The Department of Justice has charged more than 400 people in connection with the attack, with more charges expected.
On Friday, the House of Representatives will decide the fate of Representative George Santos of New York, who has been accused of repeatedly breaking the law. The House Ethics Committee released a report finding "substantial evidence" of his wrongdoing, and Santos held a press conference outside the Capitol, declaring that he will continue to fight to keep himself from being expelled. If the House votes to expel Santos, he would be just the sixth House member in U.S. history to be expelled and the first in more than 20 years.
Government employees have expressed unprecedented levels of dissent in response to the conflict in the Gaza Strip, with Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) calling for new conditions on a package of billions of dollars in aid for Israel. Aaron David Miller of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace has commented on the remarkable scope of the dissent, and it remains to be seen how Congress will respond.
The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Wednesday in the case of SEC v. Jarkesy, which could have sweeping consequences for the power of federal agencies to enforce the law. The case centers around the Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) ability to take enforcement actions outside of the court system. During the oral arguments, the justices questioned the government lawyer about stripping the SEC of some of its enforcement discretion. The outcome of the case could have a major impact on the power of federal agencies to enforce the law, and a ruling is expected in the coming months.
The House of Representatives will vote on a resolution to expel embattled New York Republican Rep. George Santos this week, after a damning report from the House Ethics Committee found substantial evidence of criminal activity. The resolution, introduced by California Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia, requires a two-thirds majority vote to pass and would be the first time in more than two decades that a member of Congress has been expelled. If passed, it would be the first time in history that a member of Congress has been expelled due to criminal charges.