Eye on Congress

CQ Roll Call brings you the latest roundup of coronavirus policy news to start your day. First up, the coronavirus stimulus bill passed the House, again, late Monday and heads to the Senate today. Plus, what will the virus mean for election 2020? We'll be back later today with more policy news — stay tuned. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode of Coronavirus Special Report rounds up all the policy news of the day including President Donald Trump's latest remarks, the stimulus package and what the nation's hospitals and health care workers say they need. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

CQ Roll Call brings you the latest roundup of policy news on coronavirus to start your day. First up, the stimulus: A House revote and Senate expectations. Plus, more on the interest rates and travel restrictions. We'll be back later today with more policy news — stay tuned. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we're launching a special report with the latest policy news on coronavirus. This episode delves into the stimulus package headed for the Senate next week, the president's declaration of a national emergency and more news from Capitol Hill. We'll be back with more reports on Monday — stay tuned. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The coronavirus is officially a pandemic. In this episode of CQ on Congress, Shawn Zeller explores the role and responsibility that lawmakers and the institution of Congress must take in this turbulent moment. Zeller speaks to Rep. Julia Brownley, a California Democrat who self quarantined after being exposed to someone with the virus, and Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, vice dean for public health practice and community engagement at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A CQ Roll Call investigation has found that people appointed to federal judgeships gave thousands of individual contributions over the last decade to lawmakers before — and in some cases after — their confirmations. An outsized proportion of the money went to members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, the panel that must approve all nominees before they get a vote on the Senate floor. This practice could contribute to further politicization of the courts and raise questions about judges' conflicts of interest. CQ Roll Call's investigative team comes on the show to discuss their latest project.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Senator Bernie Sanders is the Democratic front-runner, leading the crowded field in both delegates and national polls. His populist message is resonating with voters, but does his legislative record in Congress indicate that he can make good on his lofty promises, such as "Medicare for All" and free college tuition? Plus, Congress’ response to the growing threat of coronavirus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Trump focused on getting the Senate to confirm his judges in 2019, taking few positions on policy votes in either the House or the Senate, CQ Roll Call found in its annual review of voting in Congress. Meanwhile, votes on judicial nominees -- all 105 of which were confirmed -- were more partisan than ever before. CQ on Congress host Shawn Zeller, and CQ Magazine editors Jonathan Miller and Mike Magner discuss the findings in the the latest installment of CQ Roll Call's 66-year-old vote studies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week CQ on Congress delves deep into whether the government is ready to manage a pandemic. Shawn Zeller speaks first to Rep. Anna G. Eshoo, the California Democrat who wrote a law last year to improve pandemic preparedness, then to Nikki Clowers, managing director of the health care team for the Government Accountability Office. She points out some of the shortcomings in U.S. preparedness that need to be shored up.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

CQ on Congress host Shawn Zeller builds a case of how the acquittal of President Trump is yet another notch in this administration's move toward an imperial presidency leaving a sagging Congress and judiciary that will have implications for 21st century policies and policy making. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Senate voted 51-49 on Jan. 31 against calling witnesses in President Trump's impeachment trial and will now move to closing arguments and votes, on Feb. 5, on the two articles of impeachment, accusing Trump of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. CQ Roll Call White House reporter Niels Lesniewski explains why Republicans objected to witnesses and why they will vote to acquit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

CQ Roll Call takes listeners inside Congress to where the impeachment trial is happening and shares its insightful observations from reporters. Also, we compare and contrast the impeachment of President Clinton to President Trump. How have times changed? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With elections looming, how politically perilous is the impeachment trial for senators — on both sides of the aisle — who are up for re-election in November? We turn to CQ Roll Call's elections analyst Nathan Gonzales to look at some key races and how impeachment will — or will not — play into them. Plus, congressional reporter Katherine Tully-McManus offers a view from inside the Senate chambers from day one of the impeachment proceedings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

CQ on Congress begins 2020 by examining what's next after the targeted killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad. Host Shawn Zeller talks to two Iraq War veterans, Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., and Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., to get their takes on a House resolution that has reignited the debate over Congress' authority over acts of war, and policy towards Iraq and Iran. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Elissa Slotkin is one of 31 House Democrats who represents a district Trump won in 2016. Nearly all of them voted to impeach Trump this week. But Slotkin’s decision is not sitting well with some of her constituents, which republicans hope will hurt her in the next election. CQ Roll Call reporter Simone Pathe reports from Slotkin's district. Then, CQ Roll Call reporter Bridget Bowman, who covered the impeachment vote, joins the podcast to explain what comes next.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many Americans have been to the hospital in an emergency, or for a procedure, only to get a huge bill after because a doctor treating them doesn’t take their insurance. Republicans and Democrats have reached agreement on legislation to ban so-called surprise billing. CQ Roll Call reporter Mary Ellen McIntire joins the podcast to explain the likely outcome of this bill. Claire McAndrew, Director of Campaigns and Partnerships at FamiliesUSA, which advocates for health care consumers, also joins the show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Those pesky robocalls may be the one thing that this deeply divided Congress can agree on. A bill passed by the House this week by New Jersey Democrat Frank Pallone aims to combat the billions of automated phone calls that flood this country's phone lines each month. A companion bill in the Senate by South Dakota Republican John Thune appears headed for passage. CQ Roll Call reporter Katherine Tully-McManus joins the podcast this week, along with lawyer Kevin Rupy who represents phone companies.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump won Wisconsin in 2016 by just 27,000 votes. Now, to beat him in 2020, it is crucial that Democrats win the state. A new poll from Marquette University Law School finds that Democrats face an uphill battle and, it seems, the impeachment hearings in Washington aren’t helping them. Charles Franklin, who runs the Marquette poll, joins the podcast today to talk about why Wisconsinites believe that the president pressured Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden, but they also don't think it was an impeachable offense. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

House Democrats made the case for impeachment public this week. Three witnesses, Foreign Service officers in charge of U.S. relations with Ukraine, confirmed that President Trump pressured that country to investigate his political rival, Joe Biden. Republicans pushed back to discredit the testimony as hearsay, while painting Trump as a crusader against corruption who has increased the amount of aid Ukraine is receiving from the U.S. CQ legal affairs reporter Todd Ruger joins the podcast to fill us in on the highlights of what happened this week.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The defense authorization bill sets the nation’s defense priorities, spending limits for Pentagon programs and gives soldiers a pay raise. Despite differences in the past, Congress has always been able to pass the bill. This yearmay be different. Disagreements over the source of border wall funding has stalled the process. CQ Roll Call defense reporter Andrew Clevenger has been following the process and joins the podcast to explain what the hurdles are and what could happen if the bill fails to pass.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices