POPVOX

BREAKING: Trump gets green light from both houses of Congress to continue Iran war bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

Congress hasn’t officially declared war since World War II, but presidents have used a string of legal loopholes (and expanding legal opinions citing Article II authority) for military action without going to Congress. Our look at how we got here:

🚨NEWS — The Trump administration will hold briefings for the House and Senate TUESDAY on the war in Iran. Senate briefing is 3:30p. House is 5p BRIEFERS will include RUBIO, HEGSETH, RATCLIFFE and CAINE.

Everything you ever wanted to know about State of the Union, ranging from who are the designated survivors to how the speech evolved into a major media events. My breakdown youtube.com/live/PsWz9KpPV…

In light of the Rep. Tony Gonzales resignation demands....re-upping this story from last month...what happens if events find Speaker Johnson's slight GOP majority suddenly a minority? Hint from experts: expect a quick and prolonged adjournment. newsday.com/long-island/po…

Things getting very interesting in Congress as Speaker Johnson struggles to keep the procedural vote on ending the government shutdown alive. Follow live updates here: 2 Republicans vote against House rule to end shutdown; Leaders huddle as vote held open thehill.com/homenews/admin…

JOHNSON on MTP on govt funding "Well, let's say I'm confident that we'll do it at least by Tuesday. We have a logistical challenge of getting everyone in town and because of the conversation I had with Hakeem Jeffries, I know that we've got to pass a rule and probably do this mostly on our own."

ALERT: Senate has approves resolution to (finally) hang Jan 6th plaque honoring police It'll hang in US Senate (w/ approval of GOP Leader John Thune) until Architect of Capitol finds permanent location It could hang in 3rd floor visitor area, where rioters marauded on Jan 6

The House failed to override the President's veto of H.R. 131 by a vote of 248-177 with 1 voting present (2/3rd req. for veto override, veto is sustained).

221-205, House passes the “motion to discharge” the @RepJeffries 3-year ACA funding extension. NINE (!) Republicans join unanimous Democrats in voting to advance it. This tees up a final House vote tomorrow; it’s poised to sail through.

The House is slated to vote Thursday on overturning the first two vetoes of President Donald Trump’s second term, according to a House GOP aide. news.bgov.com/bloomberg-gove…

NEW: Congress is back and faces a growing list of agenda items in early 2026 • Venezuela clash • Government funding deadline 1/30 • ACA funding fight + House vote • Stock trading ban gains steam • AI and kids online safety debate nbcnews.com/politics/congr…

From colleague Kelly Phares. House approves rule to tee up defense bill after lengthy discussions. Vote was 215-211. GOP Reps Luna, Greene (GA), Burchett & Boebert flipped their voted to yes. Massie was the lone nay. Passage of defense bill likely comes later today

House has been voting on this rule since 2:04PM for six bills scheduled for debate this week including final version of the 2026 defense programs & policy bill. 5 Republicans have voted No: Boebert Burchett MTG Luna Massie Vote is still open

LaLota and Lawler vote YES on NDAA rule after speaking with Johnson

30 mins later, just one more vote in favor of moving forward with debate on the NDAA. Speaker Johnson can hold the vote open as long as he wants to try to twist arms and find votes for this. Not much progress happening for now, though.

As it stands, five Republicans voting against the rule to get NDAA on the floor: Boebert Burchett MTG Luna Massie Another nine Republicans haven’t voted, including centrists Lawler, Lalota and Fitzpatrick.

Here we go: House is voting now on the rule to debate the final version of the NDAA. Mike Johnson can only lose a couple Republicans and still advance the defense bill.

The House will swear-in Rep.-elect Matt Van Epps (R-TN) today after he defeated Democrat Aftyn Behn in a Tennesee special election to succeed former Rep. Mark Green (R-TN) who resigned.  It’s about the math.  This will be the new breakdown when Van Epps is sworn-in: House:  433 members  220 Republicans. 213 Democrats Two vacancies: Late Reps. Sylvester Turner (D-TX) died. Former Rep. Mike Sherrill (D-NJ) resigned. The GOP majority dips to 219-213 in early January when Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) resigns. It then further slips to 218-213 in late January when Texas holds a runoff between two Democrats to succeed Turner.

So, it’s about the math. But the math is always in motion.   Former Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), who is Governor-elect of New Jersey, formally resigned today. It was announced by the Reading Clerk on the House floor.   So, without Sherrill, but WITH Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) for the time being, the House breakdown is this:   House: 432 members 219 Republicans. 213 Democrats Three vacancies: Late Reps. Sylvester Turner (D-TX) died. Former Reps. Mark Green (R-TN) and Mike Sherrill (D-NJ) resigned