Congress: The Senate & The House

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US House Democrats call for Kristi Noem’s firing in rally outside ICE headquarters

WASHINGTON — Dozens of U.S. House Democrats and leaders of several caucuses rallied on a chilly Tuesday morning outside U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement headquarters in the nation’s capital, demanding the resignation, firing or impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/02/03/repub/us-house-democrats-call-for-kristi-noems-firing-in-rally-outside-ice-headquarters/?

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🪄 Fake shutdown

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is opening the door to a shutdown in which the only agency that's defunded already has billions in cash.

Why it matters: Schumer insists his side is ready to withhold votes on a funding deal if Republicans won't agree to reforms to DHS. But he's also signaling that he doesn't have a high pain tolerance.

• Just two days after the House separated DHS from five other funding bills, Schumer said he's open to separating ICE funding from the rest of DHS to spare TSA, FEMA, and the Coast Guard.
• "TSA is very important," Schumer told reporters this afternoon.

Zoom in: ICE has a roughly $10 billion annual budget, but it got more than $75 billion (to spend over four years) from the "Big, Beautiful Bill" to hire agents and build more detention capacity.

• "The minority leader might think that he has leverage to defund law enforcement," Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) said today.
• "He is wrong. Border Patrol is funded. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is funded," Barrasso said.

Driving the news: DHS funding — without ICE — has gained traction among Democrats since it was first floated Tuesday.

• Sen. Jackie Rosen (D-Nev.), one of eight Democrats who voted to reopen the government in November, called it a common-sense strategy. "Don't stop everything because you have an argument over something," she told us.
• Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) also appeared on board. "I would certainly be interested in separating ICE out from the rest," she told reporters. "It's a version of what we did last week — we isolated DHS."
• 🏠 Over in the House, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, also backed a carveout today. She said in a statement that she'd support DHS funding without ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) while the two sides keep negotiating.

Zoom out: Congress has until Feb. 13 to fund DHS, a short timeframe that Republicans have long argued is too compressed to find a bipartisan compromise on reforming ICE.

• Earlier in the day, Senate Majority Leader John Thune raised the prospect of keeping senators in town next weekend, which would effectively cancel CODELs, including an annual favorite: the Munich Security Conference.

The bottom line: At least one Democrat, Sen. John Fetterman (D-Penn.), appears to agree with Barrasso.

• "We all know DHS has more than enough funding right now, after the Big Beautiful Bill," he said.
• The debate is "feeling more and more like what's on Bravo."

— Hans Nichols and Justin Green

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☢️ AOC warns Schumer

"It could be a huge failure" for Senate Democrats, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) told us yesterday, if they fail to secure the reforms the party is demanding.

• Democrats released a list of 10 demands last night for ICE reform.

Why it matters: Ocasio-Cortez would be Schumer's most dangerous potential primary challenger in 2028 if she decides to run for Senate instead of president.

• "I don't think Republicans want a DHS shutdown," Ocasio-Cortez told us.
• She added: "If Donald Trump wants to … issue the State of the Union with the entire Department of Homeland Security shut down, I think that is a terrible indictment of his leadership. And I do think they care."

The bottom line: Rep. Primila Jayapal (D-Calif.) and Rep. Chuy García (D-Ill.) both argued that public opinion against ICE is another piece of leverage for Democrats.

— Andrew Solender

• 🏛️ House Democrats found themselves in the familiar position this week of seething at Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) for negotiating a deal with Republicans to keep the government funded. "Schumer needs to get the hell out," Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.) told Axios' Andrew Solender. Go deeper.

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🥷🏻 Kentucky family feud

House Speaker Mike Johnson's "incumbent protection program" had a rough day, as Republicans piled on Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.).

• 🤲 This morning, Trump called Massie a "moron" during the National Prayer Breakfast.
• 🐎 This afternoon, Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky.), who is running to succeed retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), became the first member of the state's delegation to endorse Massie's primary opponent Ed Gallrein.

Why it matters: Massie told us this week that "the speaker of the House should say something," referring to Trump's attack on his wife.

• On Monday, Trump attacked Massie's wife on Truth Social, claiming she had made the congressman "a Liberal."

The bottom line: Johnson was able to broker a Trump-Massie truce last summer, we previously reported.

• Days later, Massie ramped up his public criticism of the administration's handling of the Epstein files.

— Kate Santaliz

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Slotkin rejects Justice Department request for interview on Democrats’ video about ‘illegal orders’

Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan is refusing to voluntarily comply with a Justice Department investigation into a video she organized urging U.S. military members to resist "illegal orders" — escalating a dispute that President Donald Trump has publicly pushed. The refusal marks a potential turning point in the standoff, shifting the burden onto the Justice Department. Read more.

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GOP suddenly sweats Senate

Illustration: Lazaro Gamio/Axios Top Republicans are increasingly worried about private polls that paint a dire picture of the midterms, Axios' Alex Isenstadt reports. 🏛️ It's not just the House they're afraid of losing — that's expected, based on history. Now, it's also the Senate, which looked safe. A Democratic takeover of the Senate would be a political earthquake — and neuter President Trump's last two years in office. For the first time, GOP strategists are telling Axios that losing the Senate, where Republicans have a 53-47 majority, is a real possibility, and that they'll have to fight harder than expected to keep it. 🐎 Internal polling shows the GOP facing competitive Senate races not just in traditional battlegrounds (Michigan, Maine, North Carolina), but also in conservative states (Alaska, Iowa, Ohio). 💵 Top GOP strategists acknowledge that immigration and the economy — the two issues that drove Trump's win in 2024 — are now liabilities. One Republican operative tells Axios: "A year ago, I would have told you we were almost guaranteed to win the Senate. ... Today, I would have to tell you it's far less certain." Three key issues are setting off Republicans' alarm bells: 🗺️ 1. The map problem. Republicans privately concede that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has done a good job of recruiting Senate candidates in conservative states once seen as out of Democrats' reach. 👢 2. The Texas problem. If incumbent Texas Sen. John Cornyn loses the upcoming GOP primary to state Attorney General Ken Paxton, polls suggest it could open the door to a Democrat winning Cornyn's seat in November. 🍑 3. The Georgia problem. The GOP's failure to recruit popular Gov. Brian Kemp for a Senate run has been a major setback in the party's efforts to pick off the most vulnerable Senate Democrat up for reelection: Georgia's Jon Ossoff. 🔮 Reality check: It's far too early to make predictions about 2026 Senate races. Primary season has barely begun, and Democrats could nominate weak contenders in states such as Iowa, Maine and Michigan. 💰 The GOP will also benefit from the pro-Trump MAGA Inc. super PAC, which has a staggering $304 million in cash. Go deeper.

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🔮 Dems' magic number

Data: The Downballot and Sabato's Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia Center for Politics; Map: Kavya Beheraj/Axios House Democrats will need to overperform Vice President Harris by roughly three percentage points in swing districts to capture the majority in 2026, according to our analysis of presidential margins in congressional districts. Why it matters: In special elections over the last year, Democrats have been surpassing Harris' 2024 margins by double digits, putting the majority clearly in reach. 🌌 But the universe of competitive House seats is historically small. Even an unambiguous national move toward the Democrats will result in a relatively narrow Democratic majority. Flashback: The 2018 midterms saw a 6.5 percentage point swing in Democrats' favor compared to President Trump's 2016 margins, giving them 41 new seats for a 235 -199 majority, according to the Cook Political Report. A similar shift in 2026 would translate into 12 additional Democratic seats, giving them a 227-208 majority, according to the data, which includes redistricted maps, according to The Downballot and Sabato's Crystal Ball. But House Speaker Mike Johnson could add another 12 seats to his majority if GOP candidates fare just 1% better than Trump did last cycle. That'd put Johnson at a comfortable 232-204 margin. Zoom out: Democrats are banking that the electorate will look a lot less Trumpy when the president's name is not on the ballot. Their voters, Democrats argue, are highly motivated and engaged when Trump is in office. 😱 Republicans haven't hit the panic button, but they are starting to look for it, with private chatter about the possibility of losing the Senate. A recent shock upset in a conservative Texas state Senate contest sent shockwaves throughout the party. It prompted a memo from the NRSC to raise alarms about their contested primary. Still, GOP strategists are smiling at their sizable cash advantage and take comfort in the strength of their incumbents. Zoom in: Presidential performance in a congressional district doesn't guarantee a predetermined outcome, but in the Trump era, the number of crossover districts is at a historic low. Thirteen House Democrats prevailed in seats that Trump carried in 2024. A total of three Republicans held on in Harris districts. In 2008, after President Obama's first election, there were 83 crossover districts. What we're watching: After tit-for-tat redistricting in six states, Republicans appear to have drawn themselves another eight seats. Democrats yesterday proposed adding another four in Virginia (pending judicial review), but Republicans are plotting to equalize in Florida. — Hans Nichols and Kavya Beheraj

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🚨 Jeffries unloads over racist post: "F*** Donald Trump"

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries tore into Trump today after his Truth Social account posted a racist video of the Obamas, saying in a clip posted to social media:

• "F*** Donald Trump and his vile, racist, malignant behavior. This guy is an unhinged bottom feeder."

Why it matters: It's a drastic escalation of the rhetoric between the House Democratic leader and the White House amid delicate negotiations on immigration enforcement.

• Trump and Jeffries clashed last autumn over AI-generated videos Trump posted of Jeffries wearing a sombrero.
• This time, however, Trump deleted a post that depicted Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama as apes after it drew harsh criticism from lawmakers in both parties.

What they're saying: "This disgusting video, posted by the so-called president, was done intentionally," Jeffries said in the clip, contradicting the White House's claim that it was an erroneous post by a staffer.

• The Obamas, Jeffries continued, represent "the best of this country."
• Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also blasted Trump earlier in the day: "Racist. Vile. Abhorrent. This is dangerous and degrades our country — where are Senate Republicans?"

The bottom line: Jeffries called for Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Speaker Johnson and other Republicans to "denounce this serial fraudster who's sitting at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue pretending to be the president."

• Spokespeople for Thune, Johnson and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

— Andrew Solender

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👀 Left smells blood after New Jersey shocker

Progressives are feeling newly emboldened by the stronger-than-expected showing of the left-wing outsider in a New Jersey congressional primary.

Why it matters: There are dozens of House races like this across the country in which at least one left-wing insurgent is vying either to win an open seat or topple an establishment House Democratic incumbent.

• Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) said the New Jersey result "shows that the progressive wing ... is ascendant and consistent with the base of the party."

Driving the news: Yesterday's 13-candidate Democratic primary to replace now-Gov. Mikie Sherrill in New Jersey's 11th Congressional District is in a dead heat between progressive organizer Analilia Mejia and former Rep. Tom Malinowski.

• Mejia leads Malinowski by 500 votes, 28.75% to 27.97%, with several thousand provisional and late mail-in ballots still to be counted as of today, according to AP.
• Mejia trailed many of her opponents in fundraising, bringing in just $420,000 compared to Malinowski's $1.2 million.
• The winner will advance to face the Republican primary winner on April 16.

The intrigue: AIPAC spent over $2 million against Malinowski — a mainstream Democrat who had the group's support in the past — for his willingness to condition aid to Israel.

• The group reportedly favored former Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way, who had support from parts of the Democratic Party establishment.
• Observers say that created an opening for Mejia, the most prominent progressive in the race, who was endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and the Progressive Caucus.

What we're hearing: A senior House Democrat, asked if members were freaking out about their own primaries after the shock result, told us, simply, "Yes."

• "I definitely think this points to progressive anti-establishment energy," acknowledged another House Democrat, a moderate in a swing district.
• That lawmaker argued that too many moderate candidates split votes and endorsements that and "if [the] establishment and money all got behind one candidate like what normally happens," Mejia may not have won.

— Andrew Solender

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Clintons call for their Epstein testimony to be held publicly

Former US president Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary are calling for their congressional testimony on ties to convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein to be held publicly, to prevent Republicans from politicising the issue.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/07/clintons-call-for-their-epstein-testimony-to-be-held-publicly?

ps:Good for them! Lets have it out in the open!!

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U.S. Reps. Maxwell Frost & Darren Soto tell Kristi Noem not to open ICE facility in Central Florida

Two Democratic U.S. Reps. from Central Florida — Maxwell Frost and Darren Soto — have written a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Todd Lyons regarding speculation they will soon open an ICE detention center in Orlando.

https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/02/06/u-s-reps-maxwell-frost-darren-soto-tell-kristi-noem-not-to-open-ice-facility-in-central-florida/?

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Ghislaine Maxwell appeals for clemency from Trump as she declines to answer questions from lawmakers

WASHINGTON (AP) — Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein, declined to answer questions from House lawmakers in a deposition Monday, but indicated that if President Donald Trump ended her prison sentence, she was willing to testify that neither he nor former President Bill Clinton had done anything wrong in their connections with Epstein.

https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-ghislaine-maxwell-congress-f1e947bb9128aaa626390f0987f322e9?

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🚨 House's Epstein twist

Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) are threatening to use the House floor to expose the names of six men who are "likely incriminated" by their inclusion in the Epstein files.

• "There are six men, some of them with their photographs, that have been redacted, and there's no explanation why those people were redacted," Khanna told reporters today.
• One of the men is "pretty high up" in a foreign government, and another is a prominent individual, Massie told reporters.

Why it matters: Massie and Khanna led the discharge petition that forced Speaker Johnson's hand on legislation requiring the release of the files involving the late Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender.

• The lawmakers said they want to allow the Justice Department time to further un-redact those files. But they said they're open to using the House's speech and debate clause as a liability shield to read names on the floor.

Zoom in: Congress was supposed to get access to the un-redacted files this week in a reading room at the Justice Department building in D.C.

• However, many of the files they viewed were still redacted, Massie and Khanna said.
• Democrats and some Republicans have argued the DOJ is skirting its statutory requirements under the Epstein Transparency Act by withholding millions of documents and heavily redacting some of the files it has released.
• House members must give at least 24 hours' notice to view the files and may not bring electronic devices, though they may take notes.

The bottom line: Epstein co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell declined to answer questions during a closed-door, virtual deposition today with the House Oversight Committee.

• "I just think it's unconscionable that she's pleading the Fifth or trying to make deals. She needs to tell the truth," Johnson said.

— Kate Santaliz

🔎 Lawmakers flag 6 Epstein names

Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) said yesterday the Justice Department redacted the names of at least six men who are "likely incriminated" by their inclusion in the Jeffrey Epstein files, Axios' Kate Santaliz writes.

• The lawmakers — who viewed unredacted versions of the documents — said they want to allow DOJ time to further unredact files.

They have also floated sharing the names on the House floor, which would provide them with immunity from civil or criminal liability.

• Massie told reporters that one of the men is "pretty high up" in a foreign government and another is a prominent individual.

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💰 Thune buying time

Senate Majority Leader John Thune is preparing to start the process of voting on a continuing resolution for the Department of Homeland Security as soon as tomorrow, ahead of Friday's deadline, he said tonight.

• "If Democrats are serious about finding a solution here, they may need to find more time to bring these efforts to a productive conclusion," Thune told reporters today.

Between the lines: Republicans have long argued that the two-week window to negotiate ICE reforms to unlock DHS funding was too compressed.

• "I originally argued that we should have three to four weeks to get the work done, but that's not what was chosen," Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said tonight.

What we're watching: As they headed to votes this evening, Democratic senators were eager to read and digest the White House counterproposal.

• "I'm aware of it, but I know I have not read it," Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) said.

The other side: Republicans are urging the White House not to give in to too many Democratic demands and are calling for any reforms to also make it more difficult for so-called sanctuary cities to defy federal immigration laws.

— Hans Nichols

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👎 Dems' skeptical dealmakers

Senate Democrats plan to discuss the White House counterproposal to reform ICE at their caucus lunch tomorrow, with the goal of arriving at a unified position to maximize their negotiating power.

Why it matters: Minor differences are emerging over whether to support another short-term spending bill for the DHS to buy more time for negotiations.

• "The effort has been to try to keep Democrats — not only in our caucus, but in the House and Senate — basically in the same place on the kinds of reforms that would be necessary," said Kaine.
• "I can't vote for a DHS budget unless there are serious reforms to ICE — simple as that," Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) said. "There's no reason it can't be resolved in the next four days."
• Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) seemed open to another short-term DHS spending stopgap. "It depends on whether we're making progress or not," she said. "Right now, it's not clear to me what kind of progress is being made or what negotiations are happening."

The bottom line: Any deal likely runs through them. Kaine, King and Shaheen all voted to reopen the government in November after the longest shutdown in history.

— Stephen Neukam

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👢 Texas Dems stumble over identity politics

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

The Texas Democratic Senate primary between Rep. Jasmine Crockett and state Rep. James Talarico has turned ugly over race and credibility — foreshadowing tensions for Democrats nationwide, Axios' Russell Contreras writes. Why it matters: The primary's rapid escalation in identity-based attacks reveals unsettled fault lines that Democrats worry could derail them, again. Back in December, Crockett had to defend comments she made a year earlier to Vanity Fair, when she said the way Latinos talk about immigration reminded her of the "slave mentality." Then a TikTok post last week claimed that Talarico, a white man, called former Senate candidate (and former U.S. Rep.) Colin Allred a "mediocre Black man." 🔭 Zoom out: The contest highlights the minefield Democrats face with their diverse coalition. Talarico has cultivated a racially diverse following on social media by pairing progressive policies with a faith-centered message. Crockett gained national prominence as a House member by becoming one of the Democrats' most viral interrogators in congressional hearings. Keep reading.

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Democrats say White House offer on ICE is ‘insufficient’ as Homeland Security funding set to expire Democratic congressional leaders said in a statement late Monday that a White House counterproposal to the list of demands they transmitted over the weekend “included neither details nor legislative text” and does not address “the concerns Americans have about ICE’s lawless conduct.” Read more.

Why this matters: The Democrats’ statement comes as time is running short, with another partial government shutdown threatening to begin Saturday. Their demands include judicial warrants, better identification of DHS officers, new use-of-force standards and a stop to racial profiling. Many Democrats who are furious about Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s aggressive crackdown have said they won’t vote for another penny of Homeland Security funding until enforcement is radically scaled back.   Republicans have balked at the Democrats’ requests and some have demands of their own, including the addition of legislation that would require proof of citizenship before Americans register to vote and restrictions on cities that they say do not do enough to crack down on illegal immigration.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Judge blocks California’s ban on federal agents wearing masks but requires badges be clearly seen   US immigration court blocks deportation of Tufts graduate student from Turkey, her attorneys say

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Gabbard’s office warns attorney against sharing classified complaint with Congress The general counsel for Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard on Monday warned the attorney for an anonymous government employee not to directly share a top-secret complaint about Gabbard’s handling of classified material with members of Congress. Read more.

Why this matters: The letter to attorney Andrew Bakaj is the latest escalation in the back-and-forth accusations over the complaint. It alleges that Gabbard withheld top-secret material for political reasons. Two inspectors general for the intelligence community reviewed the claim and found that particular allegation did not appear to be credible. Gabbard has denied any wrongdoing and said she did all she could to ensure the report reached Congress.   Democrats on the House and Senate intelligence committees have blasted Gabbard’s office over the handling of the complaint, questioning why it took eight months for it to be sent to select members of Congress as required by law.