Government briefly shuts down, Harvey funding secured
The federal government shut down briefly Thursday night, over U.S. Sen. Rand Paul's procedural objections over increased spending. Full Story
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Abby Livingston joined The Texas Tribune in 2014 as the publication's first Washington bureau chief, and departed August 2022. In this role, she covered members in the Texas congressional delegation and campaigns back in the home state. A seventh-generation Texan, Abby grew up in Fort Worth and graduated from the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to the Tribune, Abby worked for NBC, CNN, National Journal and Roll Call. At the Tribune, she won the 2017 National Press Club Award for Washington regional reporting and the Society of Professional Journalists' 2018 Sigma Delta Chi Award for Washington correspondence. Abby is a contributing writer to the Almanac of American Politics and frequently appears on MSNBC, CNN and Sirius XM radio. She also had a role on an episode of "The Bold and The Beautiful." In keeping with the Trib’s great history of hiring softball stars, Abby is a three-time MVP (the most in game history) for The Bad News Babes, the women’s press softball team that takes on female members of Congress in the annual Congressional Women’s Softball breast cancer charity game.
The federal government shut down briefly Thursday night, over U.S. Sen. Rand Paul's procedural objections over increased spending. Full Story
The U.S. House and Senate are on track to secure $90 billion in disaster aid for storm-ravaged states like Texas — and to fund the government for two years. Full Story
Three Texans voted on the U.S. House committee that paved the way for President Donald Trump's release Friday of a a high-profile GOP memo alleging surveillance abuses by the FBI. The committee's deliberations shed light on their thinking on the divisive issue. Full Story
Just a few weeks ago, Houston political observers were predicting state Sen. Sylvia Garcia would easily win the Democratic primary to replace U.S. Rep. Gene Green. Then Tahir Javed pledged to “spend whatever it takes" to come out on top. Full Story
From El Paso to Austin, dozens of candidates are running in competitive primaries for U.S. House seats. The latest fundraising reports give hints to which ones are drawing significant support and which remain long shots. Full Story
In his first State of the Union address, President Donald Trump touted a "new tide of optimism" sweeping the country in the wake of his administration's "righteous mission" to address immigration reform and unemployment, among other issues. Full Story
A New Jersey congressman's announcement Monday that he was retiring immediately set off speculation as to who might replace him as chair of the powerful House Appropriations Committee. One contender: U.S. Rep. Kay Granger. Full Story
U.S. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, one of the most visible Democrats in Congress, is coming to Houston for a fundraiser this weekend. Both the location and the host sparked tension among Texas political players on Friday. Full Story
The federal government shutdown ended Monday after the U.S. Senate and House passed a previously stalled funding measure. Full Story
A short-term funding bill died on the Senate floor late Friday night. Full Story