Seth McLaughlin
Articles by Seth McLaughlin
Biden closes federal government for Jimmy Carter’s funeral
President Biden signed an executive order on Monday to close the federal government on Jan. 9 to honor the late President Jimmy Carter, whose funeral will be that day. Published December 30, 2024
Death row inmate whom Biden reprieved now seeks to be freed from prison
President Biden spared Brandon Council's life, and the former death row inmate is asking for more -- a get-out-of-jail-free card. Published December 30, 2024
Trump urges Republicans to rally behind Mike Johnson as speaker
President-elect Donald Trump on Monday gave his full-throated support for House Speaker Mike Johnson keeping his job in the new Congress. Published December 30, 2024
Mitch McConnell protege Scott Jennings shines as the Trump Republicans’ voice on CNN
President-elect Donald Trump keeps tabs on him. So does Elon Musk. And GOP-friendly media regularly circulates videos of him roasting his Democratic counterparts and the "woke" mob on live television. Published December 27, 2024
Federal watchdogs give DOGE a North Star in quest to slash wasteful federal spending
Dozens of inspectors general toil away in federal agencies every day, spotting waste, mismanagement and just plain bad decision-making, all of which ends up in dry reports that collect dust in government archives. They may now provide a blueprint for President-elect Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency. Published December 26, 2024
Ways and Means chairman: Family farmers will suffer if Trump tax cuts expire in late 2025
The House Ways and Means Committee chairman is warning his colleagues that there will be dire consequences for farmers if Congress allows the Trump tax cuts to expire. Published December 23, 2024
‘Tis the season for Rand Paul’s ‘Festivus Report’ on the government’s wild spending
For Sen. Rand Paul, the holiday season is the most wonderful time of the year -- to air his grievances about wasteful government spending. Published December 23, 2024
2024 election breaks spending record on House campaign ads
The 2024 election saw $1.7 billion spent on TV ads in House races, the most money ever dumped into congressional marketing. Published December 20, 2024
Congress grapples with calls for more federal regulations on sports betting
The head of the NCAA on Tuesday urged Congress to pass a ban on player-specific prop bets in college athletics, saying it would help protect student-athletes from harassment and the pressure of fixing games. Published December 17, 2024
Sen. Kennedy grills NCAA president on transgender athletes, urges him to buy a spine on Amazon
Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana took the president of the NCAA to task on Tuesday for not taking a firm stand against biological men participating in women's sports. Published December 17, 2024
Joni Ernst says federal spending on monkey studies is bananas
In recognition of National Monkey Day, Sen. Joni Ernst shines a light on how Uncle Sam spends taxpayer dollars on seemingly bizarre experiments on furry primates. Published December 14, 2024
Leftists hit for embrace of accused CEO killer; new merchandise glorifies message
The political left is giving Luigi Mangione the Che Guevera treatment. Images of the man accused of killing the CEO of the nation's largest health insurance company are splashed across T-shirts, coffee cups and other merchandise being hawked online and on the streets of New York City. Published December 11, 2024
Sen. Ernst encouraged with Hegseth, cites his pledge to audit Pentagon, fight sex assault in ranks
Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa signaled Monday she is finding common policy ground with Pete Hegseth after holding an "encouraging" meeting with President-elect Donald Trump's embattled nominee to lead the Department of Defense. Published December 9, 2024
Elon Musk sees ‘Volunteer IT Consultant’ in the DOGE mirror
The world's richest man has given himself a new job title: Volunteer IT Consultant. Published December 9, 2024
Musk-led DOGE sparks ‘new day in America’ energy on Capitol Hill
President-elect Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency was all the buzz Thursday on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers got their first taste of how the Elon Musk-led cost-cutting committee plans to shake up Washington. Published December 5, 2024
House speaker welcomes DOGE leaders to Capitol Hill, declares it a ‘new day in America’
President-elect Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency was all the buzz Thursday on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers were given an early sense of how the cost-cutting committee co-led by Elon Musk plans to shake up Washington. Published December 5, 2024
DOGE sets sights first on ‘low-hanging fruit’ of government waste, fraud and abuse
Vivek Ramaswamy said Wednesday that the Department of Government Efficiency's initial focus will be weeding out the "low-hanging fruit" of waste, fraud and abuse across the federal government -- not recommending ways to overhaul entitlement programs, the biggest drivers of federal spending and the national debt. Published December 4, 2024
Ben Wikler’s run for DNC chair gains support of center-left think tank
Ben Wikler's bid to lead the Democratic Party out of the rubble of a disappointing election is gaining momentum. Published December 4, 2024
Social media raises profile of mission to cut bureaucracy
The commission President-elect Donald Trump has tasked with eliminating government inefficiency has something previous waste-cutting committees lacked: the social media bullhorn. Published December 3, 2024
Skoufis offers generational change in his underdog DNC bid
James Skoufis is claiming the outsider mantle in his long-shot bid to become the next chair of the Democratic National Committee. Published December 2, 2024
