#congressional-oversight

#congressional-oversight

The killing of a second U.S. citizen by federal agents in Minneapolis is sharply complicating efforts to avert another government shutdown in Washington as Democrats - and some Republicans - view the episode as a tipping point in the debate over the Trump administration's immigration enforcement policies. Senate Democrats have pledged to block funding for the Department of Homeland Security unless changes are made to rein in the federal agency's operations following the killing of Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care unit nurse.

A growing number of Republicans are pressing for a deeper investigation into federal immigration tactics in Minnesota after a U.S. Border Patrol agent fatally shot a man in Minneapolis, a sign that the Trump administration's accounting of events may face bipartisan scrutiny. House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Andrew Garbarino sought testimony from leaders at Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, saying "my top priority remains keeping Americans safe."

Congressional leaders are pushing back against the Trump administration's account of the killing of Alex Pretti, the 37-year-old U.S. citizen shot dead by federal officers during an immigration enforcement protest in Minneapolis Saturday. Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., accused the administration of a "cover up" Sunday and said the federal government is ignoring a court order that allows state investigators to access evidence in Pretti's killing.

The Trump administration secretly reimposed a policy limiting Congress members' access to immigration detention facilities a day after a federal immigration officer fatally shot a woman in Minneapolis, attorneys for several congressional Democrats said Monday in asking a federal judge to intervene. Three Democratic members of Congress from Minnesota were blocked from visiting an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility near Minneapolis on Saturday, three days after an ICE officer shot and killed U.S. citizen Renee Good in the city.

"This is an attack on another country. And that's an act of war," said John Garamendi, a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee. Garamendi said the administration did not seek congressional authorization before moving forward, with his committee receiving "zero" indication of what was being planned. "Congress is rolling over," he said. "Congress has to, must assert its authority and put a stop to this."

A man holds a placard showing President Donald Trump drinking from a barrel of oil. People gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in Madrid, Spain, on January 4, 2026, to protest against the U.S.'s abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.Marcos del Mazo / LightRocket via Getty Images President Donald Trump on Sunday told reporters that the heads of American oil companies were informed of the U.S. military's attack on Venezuela - described as "brazenly illegal" by scholars and experts - even before it took place.

Hours later, during a congratulatory press conference, Trump said that during a period of transition in Venezuela, "we're going to run the country right." But he gave only limited details of how the process would proceed, aside from saying, "We're not afraid of boots on the ground." Trump dwelt more on talk of prosecuting Maduro and his wife in a New York City courtroom.

Democratic lawmakers have largely condemned US President Donald Trump's actions on Saturday against the South American country and its leader, saying they violate international law and lack necessary Congressional approval. list of 3 itemsend of list Members of Trump's Republican Party, meanwhile, have defended the attacks as part of the administration's push to stem drug trafficking into the US. Here's a look at some of the reactions from US lawmakers.

It's not quite a new year resolution, and it's certainly not a prediction. Think of it instead as a hope or even a plea for the next 12 months. May the coming year see those leaders who have done so much damage to their own countries, and far beyond, at last be called to account. Let 2026 be a year of reckoning.

Driving the news: The Associated Press, CBS and other outlets reported that more than a dozen files that were previously available in the documents released Friday were no longer accessible Saturday. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said on "Meet the Press" Sunday that speculation that a photo was removed because Trump was in it was "laughable." He told NBC's Kristen Welker that the DOJ removed the photo because of the women who were also included in it.

U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb, who was nominated to the bench by Democratic President Joe Biden, concluded that the seven-day notice requirement likely exceeds the Department of Homeland Security's statutory authority. Plaintiffs have an interest in facts about whether facilities are overcrowded or unsanitary, whether the staff is engaging in abuse, or the location of constituents or their family members, the judge wrote.

More than 20 members of Congress are demanding answers from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and homeland security officials after the Guardian revealed the VA is compiling a report on all non-US citizens employed by or affiliated with the government agency that will then be shared with other federal agencies, including immigration authorities. The lawmakers, led by Illinois congresswoman Delia Ramirez along with congressman Mark Takano of California

In an interview Saturdayon the sidelines of the 2025 Reagan National Defense Forum in Simi Valley, Calif., House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith offered new details about lawmakers' compromise on the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act just ahead of the bill's Sundayrelease.

Trump Cabinet members have also started to draw a skeptical eye from some Republicans. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) called for Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth to testify under oath over the operation that killed alleged drug smugglers, while Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio) said that members on the of the House Armed Services Committee were "very concerned" by the strikes. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), who has at times been more skeptical of Hegseth than other Republicans, called his tenure "bumpy" this week.

The US House speaker, Mike Johnson, has developed a go-to response when asked about something controversial Donald Trump or members of his administration said or did. It's some version of I don't know anything about that. When pressed about the latest scandal from the Trump administration, Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, frequently says he is not aware of that news including last week to reports about a US military strike on an alleged drug boat that has roiled Washington politics.

The Navy admiral who reportedly issued orders for the U.S. military to fire upon survivors of an attack on an alleged drug boat is expected Thursday on Capitol Hill to provide a classified briefing to top congressional lawmakers overseeing national security. The information from Adm. Frank "Mitch" Bradley, who is now the commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, comes at a potentially crucial moment in the unfolding congressional investigation into how Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth handled the military operation in international waters near Venezuela.

That strike, just one of more than 20 that have to date killed at least 80 people in the Trump administration's posturing against the regime of Nicolás Maduro, now balanced on the edge of conventional war, recently reignited a firestorm of controversy when fresh reporting at the end of November revealed that a second strike had allegedly been ordered to kill several survivors of the wrecked boat.

President Donald Trump called his Cabinet to meet Tuesday morning as the administration insists that it was lawful for the U.S. military to launch a secondary strike on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean Sea in September. Experts in the military code say this was clearly illegal, but The White House said Monday that Navy Vice Adm. Frank "Mitch" Bradley ordered the second strike and was "within his authority and the law."

The call, announced Monday by the office of Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine, occurred after The Washington Post reported Friday that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave a spoken order to kill the entire crew of a vessel thought to be ferrying narcotics in the Caribbean Sea, the first of more than 20 such strikes directed by the Trump administration since early September.

I know for a fact that Zelensky has said many times that he's been grateful. The people of Ukraine are grateful for our help. But he tends to blame Ukraine for Russia's invasion. I don't get it. And so I do not have confidence. The president has periodically said the right things, but more often that seems to waver back into the Russian camp, the invader camp. That's why I think the House and the Senate need to take the lead here.