Gregory Svirnovskiy
06/04/2026, 9:13am ET
President Donald Trump lashed out at the four Republicans who lent their votes to a war powers resolution against the Iran war this week, calling them grandstanders and questioning their patriotism.
Wednesday’s vote represents the latest blow for a president increasingly at odds with his own party in Congress.
“Yesterday, in a meaningless vote, the House voted, 4 bad Republicans and all of the Dumocrats, to limit my War Powers, right in the middle of my final negotiations to end the War with the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Trump wrote on Truth Social Thursday morning. “Who would do such an unpatriotic thing. They know where the negotiations stand.”
The Republicans — Reps. Thomas Massie (Ky.), Tom Barrett (Mich.), Warren Davidson (Ohio) and Brian Fitzpatrick (Penn.) joined House Democrats on a largely symbolic resolution to bring the war to an end, absent congressional approval. They come from diametrically different ends of the party, but united on Wednesday to rebuke the Middle East war, now well into its fourth month.
Their offices did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
It comes as the White House looks for a diplomatic breakthrough in peace talks with Tehran. Negotiations have sputtered since an April ceasefire brought hostilities between the two sides to a temporary halt.
“The Democrats are fueled by Trump Derangement Syndrome,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “They would rather have our Country fail than give me another, of many, victories. The four Republicans, that’s a whole other story - They’re GRANDSTANDERS! They should be ashamed of themselves.”
At least one of the Republicans won’t be in office for long.
Massie, long a thorn in the side of the president, lost his primary election last month to former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein, a little-known Trump-backed challenger.
Lead Art: President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House on June 3, 2026, in Washington. | Alex Brandon/AP
1 hour ago
Massie, long a thorn in the side of the president, lost his primary election last month to former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein, a little-known Trump-backed challenger.
Lead Art: President Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House on June 3, 2026, in Washington. | Alex Brandon/AP
Latest updates
1 hour ago
Scalise: House Republicans will ultimately be able to pass any package
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said in an interview that the House could have a procedural vote as soon as Thursday night, setting up final passage of the GOP immigration enforcement bill Friday morning. But he acknowledged the uncertain timing of Senate action could affect those plans.
The Senate has launched a marathon series of amendment votes on the party-line bill, but things are stuck at the moment. A vote dealing with the Trump administration’s “Anti-Weaponization Fund” has been held open for nearly two hours as Republicans wrangle with how to address the matter.
Scalise said he believes House Republicans will ultimately be able to pass any package that reaches their chamber. “If the Senate’s going to pass it, that means they’ve addressed the same issues we’ve had in the House,” he said.
Meredith Lee Hill
1 hour ago
House panel demands more information on military firings
The move comes after the dismissal of multiple uniformed military leaders since President Donald Trump took office.
By Leo Shane III and Connor O'Brien
06/04/2026, 12:23pm ET
Pentagon officials would have five days to tell Congress why senior uniformed military leaders had been dismissed or fired under a provision adopted by a House panel Thursday.
The move comes after the sudden firing of multiple top officers under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s tenure that have stoked bipartisan concerns that the Pentagon is forcing out experienced officers with little to no explanation.
Most recently, the firing of the widely popular Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George stoked outrage from Republicans and Democrats alike.
But numerous top officers have been abruptly dismissed since President Donald Trump’s return to office — including former Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. C.Q. Brown and top officers in the Navy and Coast Guard, as well as the heads of U.S. Southern and Cyber Commands, among other top posts.
Committee action: The new requirement, included in the House Armed Services Committee’s draft of the annual National Defense Authorization Act, was introduced by Rep. Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.) and would mandate a report “that describes the performance concerns, actions, or inactions of that officer that are cause for such removal, transfer, or relief of duty.’’
The committee approved the provision by a bipartisan voice vote without objections.
Look ahead: Committee members were expected to debate additional amendments to the policy bill throughout Thursday, including other measures from Democrats that needle Hegseth’s leadership.
The provision still faces a long path before becoming law. Both the full House and Senate will have to pass the language before it heads to the president for signature, a process that is expected to take until sometime this fall at the earliest.
Pentagon silence: But its inclusion among uncontroversial amendments to the sweeping authorization bill represents a rebuke of Hegseth’s personnel moves and the lack of information provided to Congress about the rationale for them.
During an appearance before the committee in April, Hegseth declined to give reasons for George’s departure “out of respect to these officers.” He added that “we don’t talk about the nature of that, and we all serve at the pleasure of the president.”
1 hour ago
Van Hollen blasts AIPAC, crypto spending for Hoyer’s chosen successor
The progressive potential 2028er warned against the millions of dollars in special-interest spending to boost Rep. Steny Hoyer’s former aide.
Lisa Kashinsky
06/04/2026, 12:12pm ET
Sen. Chris Van Hollen is slamming the pro-Israel lobby and crypto industry for pouring millions of dollars into the race to replace retiring Rep. Steny Hoyer, accusing the special interest groups of trying to “buy this congressional seat” in their state.
“Voters need to understand that these groups are not investing in this race out of charity,” the Maryland Democratic senator said in a virtual press conference Thursday. “They are spending because they believe the beneficiary of their spending — in this case, one candidate, Adrian Boafo — will be a dependable vote in support of their special interests.”
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s super PAC, United Democracy Project, has spent over $1 million on ads and mailers boosting state Del. Adrian Boafo, a former Hoyer aide who the retiring member has endorsed, in Maryland’s 5th District. A pro-crypto super PAC, Protect Progress, has spent over $3 million, per federal campaign finance filings.
Both groups have run ads promoting Boafo’s roster of high profile endorsements, including Hoyer, Gov. Wes Moore and Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), along with his legislative efforts around immigration and affordability. None of the ads mention Israel or crypto.
Van Hollen, who is considered a potential 2028 presidential candidate, criticized those omissions. He said that he has “nothing against” Boafo but that “voters need to be aware of the fact that these outside groups do not have the voters’ interests at heart.” And he called on candidates benefiting from outside spending to release any “questionnaires or other communications they’ve had with these groups.”
Candidates cannot coordinate with super PACs. Boafo, in a statement, said he agrees with Van Hollen that “big money has no place in politics. It’s why I’ll work with him in Congress to end Citizens United once and for all.”
Patrick Dorton, a spokesperson for United Democracy Project, said in a statement that Van Hollen is “deliberately misrepresenting our views and discriminating against millions of pro-Israel Democrats who are members of AIPAC.”
Van Hollen has not endorsed in the Democratic primary for Hoyer’s seat, which also includes Nancy Pelosi-backed former Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn. But he has become critical of dark money in Democratic primaries. He has also been an outspoken critic of the Israeli government and has pushed his party to condition arms sales to the country.
AIPAC has spent heavily in Maryland before. Asked specifically why AIPAC’s interventions have become such a lightning rod in Democratic politics, Van Hollen, who has close ties to rival organization J Street, said that while AIPAC remains a “formidable force” on Capitol Hill, its pro-Israel positions have become “discredited” with voters.
“It’s no secret that AIPAC’s position of providing unconditional American taxpayer support for the government of Israel is not a popular position,” he said.
2 hours ago
Lawmakers urge DOJ to investigate 2 men tied to Jeffrey Epstein
It comes after the late convicted sex offender’s former assistant implicated the individuals.
Hailey Fuchs
06/04/2026, 11:32am ET
Several House Republicans are now calling on the Justice Department to investigate two men tied to Jeffrey Epstein after being accused of sexual misconduct by Epstein’s former assistant, Sarah Kellen.
Kellen sat for a transcribed interview with the Oversight and Government Reform Committee last month as part of its Epstein probe, where she told lawmakers she was abused as part of the convicted sex offender’s criminal enterprise.
She also told the committee she had been abused by celebrity hair stylist Frédéric Fekkai, who she alleged introduced her to Epstein under the auspices that he was a Victoria’s Secret model scout, and Philip Levine, the former Miami Beach mayor.
“[T]he Committee requests that the DOJ use all available tools, including immunity for certain witnesses, to investigate the allegations against, and any other criminal conduct committed by, Philip Levine and Frédéric Fekkai,” wrote Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) and several panel Republicans in a letter Thursday to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.
The DOJ did immediately return a request for comment about the letter. A press contact for Fekkai’s haircare company also did not immediately return a request for comment about the allegations.
A spokesperson for Levine in a statement denied Kellen’s account of their interaction: “Nearly a quarter century ago, our client had a brief intimate encounter with another consenting adult. Any allegation suggesting otherwise is not true.”
Levine previously told WLRN Public Media that he “met Epstein only a few times.”
In their letter, the House Republicans noted that Levine’s name appears hundreds of times in the so-called Epstein files released by the Justice Department, and Fekkai “routinely [provided] salon services to women at Mr. Epstein’s instruction.”
Lawmakers also noted that Kellen only spoke to authorities in the Southern District of New York around Epstein’s 2019 criminal case. She had not been contacted by law enforcement before then.
“As part of its investigation into the alleged mismanagement of the federal government’s handling of the Epstein and Maxwell matters, the Committee seeks to understand why Ms. Kellen was not interviewed or otherwise contacted during that period,” the House Republicans wrote.
In wake of arrests abroad for some individuals who associated with Epstein, pressure has been mounting on U.S. authorities to also pursue additional criminal accountability in the case. But lawmakers have struggled to build new evidence that could lead to other prosecutions. Only one person so far has been convicted as part of Epstein’s sex trafficking scheme: Ghislaine Maxwell, who is now serving 20 years in prison.
Lead Art: Audrey Strauss, acting U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, points to a photo of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, during a news conference in New York on July 2, 2020. | John Minchillo/AP
3 hours ago
The Senate has kicked off another marathon session of amendment votes on Republicans’ massive $70 billion immigration enforcement bill.
Katherine Tully-McManus
“I suspect there will be a lot of amendments today on a lot of topics,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune warned in a floor speech, but one topic will have an outsized focus.
A flurry of amendments from both parties are expected to attempt to put into law guardrails or an outright prohibition on President Donald Trump’s “Anti-Weaponization Fund.” That’s despite acting Attorney General Todd Blanche telling House appropriators Tuesday that the administration would scrap plans for the fund, which could have offered payouts to Trump supporters who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
5 hours ago
Capitol agenda: Trump fund drama comes to vote-a-rama
Some Republicans plan to use a marathon vote series to formally nix or place guardrails on Trump’s “Anti-Weaponization Fund.”
By Jordain Carney and Calen Razor
06/04/2026, 8:00am ET
Republicans are on the verge of finally passing their massive $70 billion immigration enforcement bill — but first they’ll need to stick together through an obstacle course of tricky votes meant to squeeze their most vulnerable incumbents.
The Senate is expected to kick off an hourslong marathon vote series, known as vote-a-rama, around 10 a.m. Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters the House could vote on the package as early as Friday morning.
GOP leaders are feeling fairly confident they’ll ultimately be able to pass the bill, but they are facing efforts by some in their own party to use the vote series to formally nix or place guardrails on Trump’s “Anti-Weaponization Fund.”
Retiring Sens. Thom Tillis and Bill Cassidy have both filed amendments on the fund, which set off a firestorm last month when Trump officials said those who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 could apply to receive payouts.
“We have a third of our members up for reelection this year … I’m trying to fend off some headwinds our members will have,” Tillis said. “There’s no way to explain the fund [to voters], so the only way to explain it is to explain that you got rid of it. It’s that simple.”
Several more of their GOP colleagues told us they may support trying to get language related to the fund into the bill, which GOP leaders believe could threaten the legislation’s prospects.
Tillis’ proposal would reallocate the $1.8 billion that would have gone toward the fund to fraud prevention instead.
Meanwhile, Cassidy has filed amendments to prohibit payments from the pot of money and to create a “Capitol defenders fund” for law enforcement officers involved in Jan. 6. Another Cassidy measure would prevent prohibitions of tax audits of the president, which targets a Justice Department agreement last month ending any IRS scrutiny of Trump.
“You want to make sure it’s really dead, and I think we can make it really dead,” Cassidy said of the fund.
Democrats have several amendments of their own related to the funding, including a proposal from Sen. Chris Coons to prevent taxpayer money from being used to make payments through the fund and one from Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto to require Trump to pay taxes on the settlement.
Democrats also have proposals to redirect the immigration enforcement funding toward health care, child care and other cost-of-living concerns as they try to hammer home an affordability message heading into midterms.
And wait, there’s more.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren filed an amendment seeking to force the government to release more information on Jeffrey Epstein and a Sen. Mark Warner measure would prevent the director of national intelligence from getting a salary “if the individual does not have extensive national security expertise” — a knock at Bill Pulte, who Trump named to be the acting DNI this week.
What else we’re watching:
— BLANCHE’S POSSIBLE NOMINATION SPLITS SENATE GOP: Trump is imminently expected to nominate Todd Blanche as attorney general, the position he’s held on an acting basis since April. Tillis, as a member of Senate Judiciary, could single-handedly block the panel from approving his nomination, and this week was already signaling hesitation given the role Blanche played in defending Trump’s “Anti-Weaponization Fund.”— REPUBLICANS COMPILE RECONCILIATION 3.0: House GOP leaders are looking to have a blueprint for their next party-line reconciliation bill ready within the next few weeks as some Republicans are antsy about making progress. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz was on Capitol Hill Wednesday discussing with senior House Republicans ways to crack down on Medicaid and hospice “fraud,” according to four people granted anonymity to discuss the private meeting.
Dasha Burns, Myah Ward, Aaron Pellish and Josh Gerstein contributed to this report.
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