The Tea Party

Seven Tests That Can Keep Republicans from Screwing Up

By Edward Morrissey

It didn’t take long for Republicans to make their first tin-eared mistake after winning a broad victory in November. In fact, they had barely opened the new session of Congress before performing a...
One Place the Trump Train Isn’t Stopping: Paul Ryan’s Backyard

By Martin Matishak

In a year in which an outsider candidate seized the reins of one of the country’s two major political parties, there’s one place where folks haven’t gotten the anti-establishment message: House...
Two-Thirds of the US Government Basically Won’t Work for the Next Year

By Rob Garver

With a deadlocked Supreme Court and a compromise-averse Congress, 2016 promises to be a year in which simply keeping the lights on will be a major accomplishment.
House Freedom Caucus Prepares to Challenge Ryan on 2016 Agenda

By Eric Pianin

House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) has gotten off to a strong start with the far-right conservatives in his conference who drove former Speaker John Boehner from office and blocked Boehner’s heir...
Ted Cruz Gets a Boost from Powerful Conservative Insiders

By Rob Garver

An influential political action group in Washington, Heritage Action for America, all but endorsed the presidential candidacy of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz on Monday, with the release of an analysis of the...

Boehner Ready to Exit a Historically Feeble Congress

By Rob Garver

As he heads into what appears to be the final week his leadership of the House of Representatives, House Speaker John Boehner will be the subject of no end of retrospective profiles of his career...
Did Paul Ryan Outsmart the Freedom Caucus?

By Rob Garver

The news that Wisconsin Representative Paul Ryan had persuaded a large majority of the House of Representatives’ most conservative element to support his bid for Speaker of the House left the...
Paul Ryan Has Probably Already Lost His Shot at the Presidency

By Rob Garver

Regardless of whether Rep. Paul Ryan decides to declare himself a candidate for Speaker of the House sometime this week, his political future will likely sustain some real damage – and there is...
Meet the Freedom Caucus, the Group Inflaming Washington

By Martin Matishak

If you don’t know much about a group of congressional lawmakers called the House Freedom Caucus, don’t worry; you’ll hear about them plenty in the weeks and month ahead.
Why You – Yes, You – Could Be the Next Speaker of the House

By Martin Matishak

Spoiler alert: The race to be the next Speaker of the House is pretty much over.

GOP Leadership Getting an Overhaul, but Its Policies Sound Familiar

By Martin Matishak

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) on Monday signaled that just because GOP leadership is undergoing an overhaul, its policies likely are not.
As Government Shutdown Looms, Federal Workers Prepare for Furloughs

By Jacqueline Leo

Federal agencies are dusting off their overused shutdown plans in anticipation of another forced work stoppage. Once again, if Congress and the White House fail to agree on either a temporary...
Obama to GOP: Don't Kill the Economy This Fall

By Eric Pianin

With ominous political clouds gathering as lawmakers prepare to return to Washington early next month, President Obama on Thursday warned Congress not to “kill” the economy with another government...
Congress’s Favorite Gimmicks for Disguising Spending

By Rob Garver

Even most members of Congress will tell you that they are outraged by how Congress spends taxpayer money. But among the policy analysts who follow budget and appropriations battles, what produces...
Found! 6,400 New Lois Lerner Emails on the IRS Targeting Scandal

By Rob Garver

In the scandal that never ends, the Inspector General that oversees the Internal Revenue Service said that it has uncovered 6,400 emails from Lois Lerner, the central figure in the agency’s alleged...

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