The hottest Congress Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways

‘It’s Not Safe for Anyone’: A TSA Officer on Working Without Pay

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 370 implied HN points • 22 Mar 26

🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Congress

About 50,000 TSA officers have been forced to work without pay during a DHS funding standoff, creating financial strain and low morale.
High absenteeism and hundreds of resignations have left many airports short-staffed, causing long security lines and increased reliance on other agencies to fill gaps.
Frontline officers warn the staffing crisis makes airports less safe and urge Congress to fund the Department of Homeland Security quickly to avoid a security failure.

BOOM: Senate Votes to Block Private Equity from Buying Homes

BIG by Matt Stoller • 60391 implied HN points • 13 Mar 26

🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Congress

The Senate voted 89-10 to ban large institutional investors from owning big portfolios of single-family homes, setting ownership caps and limits on build-to-rent holdings. It aims to keep homes available to ordinary buyers rather than Wall Street landlords.
Institutional investors have grown their share of single-family housing since 2008, turning homes into an asset class and contributing to higher rents, fee abuses, and reduced homebuying opportunities. Regulators and researchers have documented rent hikes and consumer harms tied to corporate landlords.
The measure now goes to the House where powerful lawmakers, industry lobbyists, and political maneuvering could weaken or block it, so final passage is uncertain. Political alliances are split and influence campaigns are expected as the bill moves forward.

Robert Mueller’s Tarnished Legacy

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 129 implied HN points • 23 Mar 26

🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Congress

He was widely respected for long public service and praised for helping protect the country after 9/11 and for his commitment to the rule of law.
The president’s blunt posthumous insult shows how extreme, routine vitriol has become in the current political era.
He missed the chance to decisively debunk the Trump-Russia claims, and that failure let the scandal fester and helped fuel the rancorous MAGA politics, tarnishing his legacy.

Last Rights

Astral Codex Ten • 32279 implied HN points • 11 Mar 26

🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Congress

Congress is deeply unpopular and its members have little incentive to pass reforms that would reduce their power, so fixes that require Congressional approval are unlikely to happen.
Ratifying the old Congressional Apportionment Amendment would expand the House to thousands of representatives without Congress’s help, which would make gerrymandering harder, reduce the influence of big money, and make representatives more locally accountable.
The amendment contains a long-noted typo that could prompt a legal showdown over textualism versus originalism, but most expect courts to uphold the amendment’s intended meaning; to become law it still needs 27 more states to ratify.

March 22, 2026

Letters from an American • 4 implied HN points • 23 Mar 26

🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Congress

The president has been making increasingly erratic and inflammatory public statements, including inappropriate historical references and threats toward opponents and foreign targets.
Military action against Iran has backfired, contributing to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, and the administration lifted long-standing oil sanctions to try to lower prices—moves critics say could send billions to Iran and worsen global security risks.
The Department of Homeland Security is shadowed by allegations of crony contracts and excessive influence from political allies, while ICE has been expanded and threatened to be used as a political tool, with funding tied to controversial voting restrictions.

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Will Evicting Blackstone Help Young People Buy Homes?

TK News by Matt Taibbi • 2437 implied HN points • 16 Mar 26

🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Congress

Most people in Washington agree there's an epic housing crisis, and many blame mega institutional investors who buy up starter homes.
Lawmakers from both parties are pushing limits on those firms — for example, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act would stop companies that own 350 or more homes from buying more and it passed the Senate by a large margin.
But the housing market has many problems beyond big investors, and simply blocking firms like Blackstone won't by itself solve affordability or supply issues.

The Filibuster Saves the Senate from Itself

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 426 implied HN points • 19 Mar 26

🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Congress

The filibuster acts as a brake on narrow majorities, stopping them from pushing through sweeping or unpopular changes like nationalizing voting rules.
Majorities often threaten to eliminate the filibuster to get their way. Yet when the other party later controls the Senate, it usually chooses not to abolish the rule either.
Moderates and senators who value institutional stability prefer keeping the filibuster, so it survives repeated attempts to end it.

1924 Rathbone hearings, US Congress.

Bailiwick News • 1803 implied HN points • 25 Oct 24

🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Congress

In 1924, Congress held hearings to improve regulations on the sale of viruses and serums, aiming to prevent misleading claims about their effectiveness.
Before 1924, some biological products didn't have clear standards showing their potency or effectiveness, which created confusion.
The discussions back then highlighted the need for better protection for people using these products, similar to what was already in place for animals.

How Powerful People Became Obsessed w/ Section 230

Taylor Lorenz's Newsletter • 1731 implied HN points • 18 Mar 26

🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Congress

Independent creators are stuck on a publishing hamster wheel where taking breaks risks losing subscribers, which leads to burnout and constant work.
There’s almost no funding for long investigative projects, so creators rely on paid subscriptions to subsidize important but unprofitable coverage; without steady support those projects can’t happen.
Section 230 has become a political lightning rod full of misconceptions, and repealing it would likely make big platforms more powerful, so myth-busting and clear public education are crucial.

BOOM: Congress Imposes Public Utility Rules on UnitedHealth, CVS, and Cigna

BIG by Matt Stoller • 41024 implied HN points • 21 Jan 26

🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Congress

Congress moved to treat big pharmacy benefit managers like public utilities by banning unfair network exclusions, forcing full price disclosure, and stopping PBMs from keeping rebates except for real service fees, though those rules mostly take effect in 2028–29 and depend on regulators.
A few giant, vertically integrated PBMs owned by CVS, UnitedHealth, and Cigna dominate the market and use rebates and network steering to push higher‑cost drugs and favor their own pharmacies, which has driven independent pharmacy closures and higher patient costs.
State public PBM models and recent regulator actions show reform can cut costs and improve access, but the federal law still leaves conflicts of interest, weak penalties, and enforcement risks that could limit its impact.

Nasty, Brutish, and Long.

Breaking the News • 2103 implied HN points • 26 Feb 26

🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Congress

The speech will probably be old news quickly but still matters as a sign that the Republican Party is deeply servile to the president and as a moment future historians will point to.
It combined awkward, poorly delivered scripted passages with long, recycled rally riffs — the prepared parts sounded wooden and the rest was narcissistic blame-gaming that drew rapturous GOP applause.
The act is losing its novelty and energy; what used to be unpredictable and compelling now felt boring and low‑energy, weakening its ability to hold or grow a broad audience.

THE SWAMP LOG - The March To War, A President Deposed, Bigger in Texas

TK News by Matt Taibbi • 2367 implied HN points • 02 Mar 26

🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Congress

The newsletter spotlights big political storylines — a march to war, a president being deposed, and major developments in Texas.
It bills itself as a weekly dispatch pushing back against Washington’s “Blob” and aiming to demystify D.C. by using public resources and plain language instead of insider chatter.
It’s published on Racket as paid newsletter content with subscription options, while occasionally offering free posts or promotional free access.

What The Longest State Of The Union In History Didn't Clarify

TK News by Matt Taibbi • 2800 implied HN points • 25 Feb 26

🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Congress

The State of the Union was the longest in history and full of soaring rhetoric, but it did little to ease fears that a new Middle East quagmire may be coming.
The speech emphasized themes of war and peace and highlighted claims like the capture of Nicolas Maduro and an end to eight wars, yet offered few concrete policy details.
Iran loomed largest in the debate, with leaders stressing its nuclear and ballistic missile programs as a national security threat, signaling pressure for measures that could heighten the risk of conflict.

The lifeline election (part two)

Comment is Freed • 146 implied HN points • 19 Mar 26

🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Congress

Trump is likely to try to influence the midterms because losing would weaken his presidency, but elections are run by states and the constitution limits what a president can legally do.
His main options are inserting the federal government into voting, pushing laws like the SAVE America Act, or encouraging voter intimidation, yet each path is legally dubious and risky.
Those tactics are more likely to backfire than succeed, potentially hurting Republican prospects and helping Democrats win Congress, which would greatly curb his power.

THE SWAMP LOG: The Peace Hawk, Homeland Shutdown, An Extraordinary Assertion of Power

TK News by Matt Taibbi • 2884 implied HN points • 23 Feb 26

🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Congress

It aims to demystify Washington and push back against insider, elite-driven coverage so regular readers can understand how power works.
This edition centers on high-stakes themes — a "peace hawk" stance, a homeland shutdown, and an extraordinary assertion of power — highlighting tensions in foreign policy and domestic authority.
The publication is reader-supported and mixes paid subscriptions with sponsor-backed free posts so some content can be accessed without a paywall.

March 20, 2026

Letters from an American • 27 implied HN points • 21 Mar 26

🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Congress

Attacks have escalated to hit major Gulf energy infrastructure like the South Pars gas field, disrupting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and forcing countries to declare force majeure on oil exports.
The U.S. appears to have coordinated strikes and is preparing to send thousands of troops and possibly seize key oil facilities, while congressional Republicans are largely avoiding public oversight and the White House is packaging the war with entertainment-style messaging.
The war is driving up oil prices and inflation, hurting markets and adding huge economic costs, and most Americans disapprove of the military action, especially if it raises gas prices.

Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Bondi

TK News by Matt Taibbi • 4490 implied HN points • 12 Feb 26

🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Congress

The hearing was dominated by Jeffrey Epstein disclosures, which pushed aside other important Department of Justice topics like the 2016 election and phone surveillance.
The session was chaotic and loud, with repeated shouting matches and heated exchanges that stretched past four hours.
Lawmakers accused the attorney general of partisan behavior, saying she was conciliatory with Republicans but combative with Democrats — a 'Jekyll and Hyde' routine.

THE SWAMP LOG: National Non-Emergency, AOC's Munich Mumbling, Longevity Cultist's Untimely End

TK News by Matt Taibbi • 3407 implied HN points • 16 Feb 26

🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Congress

A weekly Washington dispatch covers varied political stories — a "national non-emergency," AOC's awkward Munich remarks, and the unexpected death linked to a longevity movement.
The newsletter aims to demystify Washington by explaining politics in plain language and rejecting insider jargon or elite gatekeeping.
It’s a paid newsletter that also offers some free posts (one noted as courtesy of Matt Taibbi) and encourages readers to subscribe for full access.

THE SWAMP LOG

TK News by Matt Taibbi • 4001 implied HN points • 09 Feb 26

🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Congress

The newsletter aims to make Washington reporting interesting and easy to understand instead of dry insider chatter.
It will highlight real stories like officials fighting the managerial state, intraparty power struggles, and corruption, pushing back against conventional DC narratives.
Published as a regular Monday newsletter, it positions itself as an accessible alternative to mainstream morning coverage.

Democrats Aren't Resisting Trump's Iran War Because They Secretly Support It

Caitlin’s Newsletter • 2277 implied HN points • 20 Feb 26

🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Congress

The U.S. seems headed toward military action against Iran, and top Democratic leaders have been largely quiet or only mildly critical.
Democrats are accused of tacitly supporting aggressive foreign policy while letting Trump play the ‘bad cop,’ offering performative objections but avoiding real resistance.
Both parties are portrayed as two wings of the same pro‑war establishment — a polite wing and a rude wing — which blocks genuine pro‑peace politics.

March 19, 2026

Letters from an American • 33 implied HN points • 20 Mar 26

🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Congress

Top Justice Department officials refused to testify under oath and held closed briefings about the Epstein files. Lawmakers say this behavior looks like a cover-up of ties between powerful figures and Jeffrey Epstein.
Senior intelligence and law enforcement leaders evaded direct questions about Iran and whether the intelligence community warned of an imminent threat before strikes. The FBI also acknowledged buying commercially available location data, raising alarms that agencies are sidestepping Fourth Amendment protections.
Whistleblowers claim employees stole Social Security records with detailed personal data on hundreds of millions of people and may have shared that data for political ends. The SSA inspector general is investigating and lawmakers are pushing for prosecutions and stronger privacy safeguards.

‘Blind Into Caracas.’

Breaking the News • 8721 implied HN points • 03 Jan 26

🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Congress

The president looked physically and mentally unsteady at the press conference, stumbling through prepared remarks and making alarming off-script statements that contradicted his aides.
Senior officials tried to call the Venezuela operation a routine law-enforcement action while also saying the U.S. would run and occupy the country and refusing to brief Congress, which amounts to secrecy and misinformation from the team.
The team celebrated a tactical victory without any clear plan for the day-after governance, regional fallout, or long-term costs, and they openly talked about taking Venezuelan oil, repeating the mistakes of past interventions.

Anthropic v DoW

ChinaTalk • 741 implied HN points • 27 Feb 26

🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Congress

Anthropic is in a tense standoff with the Department of Defense over how its Claude AI can be used, with the company saying the models aren’t reliable for fully autonomous lethal systems or domestic surveillance while the Pentagon pressures for access and even threatens DPA or supply-chain labels.
There’s worry that legal and oversight guardrails inside defense and intelligence are weakening — from messy FISA/NSA practices to an underpowered Office of General Counsel — which both raises privacy risks and could push companies away or force heavy-handed government control.
Global military strains—from Iran and risky raids in the Caribbean to a four-year war in Ukraine—are stretching forces and alliances, increasing the chance of operational mistakes, escalation, and hard choices about rearmament and who leads negotiations.

March 18, 2026

Letters from an American • 50 implied HN points • 19 Mar 26

🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Congress

A DEA memorandum reveals a long-running investigation called "Operation Chain Reaction" into Jeffrey Epstein and 14 associates for drug trafficking, prostitution, and money laundering. The probe appears to have been closed without charges even though the document suggested indictments were near.
Senator Ron Wyden is demanding an unredacted copy of the memo and related bank records, arguing the Department of Justice and Treasury are withholding key evidence. He specifically accuses Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche of intervening to block the DEA from releasing the document.
Critics frame this as part of a broader pattern of officials protecting powerful allies and obstructing investigations, drawing parallels to past controversies over withheld information that led to major political fights. Those concerns have renewed calls for accountability and fuller disclosure.

The lifeline election (part one)

Comment is Freed • 126 implied HN points • 17 Mar 26

🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Congress

If Democrats win both the House and Senate they could seriously constrain the President by blocking appointments, subpoenaing officials, stalling budgets, and launching investigations, though they still couldn’t remove him or stop all presidential powers.
The House is likely to flip to the Democrats — Republicans hold a narrow four-seat majority, polls favor Democrats, and competing gerrymanders in different states largely cancel each other out.
The Senate is far more competitive and could go either way: Democrats need multiple pickups, nine key Senate contests will decide control, and rising concerns about Trump’s approval and candidate choices have made control roughly a 50/50 outcome while raising worries he might try to undermine fair contests.

More thoughts on the investor ban and on homebuilders

Erdmann Housing Tracker • 295 implied HN points • 13 Mar 26

🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Congress

The investor ban is driven more by moral prejudice than by strong evidence, and it risks destroying an industry based on misleading interpretations of a few studies.
Large investors have not been the primary cause of rising home prices — owner-occupiers and small buyers largely drive demand and investor share has fluctuated without large macro effects.
Banning big investors would likely shrink housing supply, cost many jobs, and help land speculators and existing landlords, while making it harder to build the millions of rental homes the country needs.

Congress Forces NIH to Reverse Policy, Continue Funding Fauci’s “Unsafe” Infectious Disease Centers

The DisInformation Chronicle • 485 implied HN points • 25 Feb 26

🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Congress

Congress forced NIH to reverse its prior decision and allocate $18.2 million to restart the Centers for Research in Emerging Infectious Diseases (CREID), despite earlier NIH findings that the program was unsafe and not a good use of taxpayer funds.
The CREID awards involve controversial researchers, including Kristian Andersen and Peter Daszak; their work has been criticized over the 'Proximal Origin' paper, and Daszak has previously been debarred from receiving federal funds.
HHS officials say they are alarmed that university lobbyists and Congress intervened in funding decisions, and the White House is finalizing a risk-based policy to limit funding for dangerous gain-of-function research and penalize nondisclosure of risky studies.

Will Trump Call Time on the Iran War?

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 268 implied HN points • 10 Mar 26

🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Congress

Trump says the military campaign is largely complete and is running ahead of the original timeline.
Israeli leaders fear he may cut the campaign short again, repeating a past pattern of limited patience.
Israel wants a longer operation—roughly four to five weeks—to exhaust its list of targets because the current 11-day window is seen as too short.

How Far Can Trump Go in Iran? Here’s What the Law Says.

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 510 implied HN points • 01 Mar 26

🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Congress

The Constitution gives Congress the sole power to declare war, so a president cannot unilaterally start a war without congressional authorization.
Even though the president is commander in chief, the scope of presidential war-making power has been disputed for over 200 years and remains unsettled.
A large military strike described as "war" can be argued to cross a constitutional red line under precedents like the Prize Cases and therefore may be unconstitutional.

The Constitution is not a bargaining chip for a budget negotiation

The Watch • 1199 implied HN points • 16 Feb 26

🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Congress

The Democrats’ ten demands mostly restate basic constitutional protections and long-standing policing norms—things like judicial warrants for home entries, no racial profiling, and limits on use of force—rather than brand-new reforms.
Treating those basic rights as bargaining chips in a budget fight is dangerous because political negotiations and partisan opposition risk normalizing the idea that constitutional safeguards are negotiable.
The administration is already flouting laws and norms—warrantless raids, masked and anonymous officers, racial profiling, and terrible detention conditions—and without real oversight, enforcement, and consequences any new rules will likely be ignored.

The Rhetoric of Leaders: Meeting the Moment.

Breaking the News • 2578 implied HN points • 17 Jan 26

🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Congress

The country is facing an unusually severe threat to democracy and the rule of law as political power is being used to subvert institutions and intimidate opponents.
A wide range of leaders—religious figures, foreign heads of state, judges, governors, university presidents, and prosecutors—have publicly and boldly spoken out against those abuses.
Those public stands and institutional defenses matter because they set examples, protect vulnerable people, and enable legal and political pushback that others can join.

Cooking Cowgirl Kristi

Slack Tide by Matt Labash • 395 implied HN points • 07 Mar 26

🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Congress

Kristi Noem was an unusually flashy and controversial DHS secretary whose self-promotion and ethical missteps made her an easy target and led to her firing.
MAGA supporters and leaders often turn on their own underlings, using them as scapegoats while avoiding direct criticism of the top leadership.
The real problem is the leader’s corruption setting the tone for the movement, which fuels policy failures, internal infighting, and ongoing chaos.

Kristi Noem Bites the Dust

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 259 implied HN points • 06 Mar 26

🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Congress

Her short tenure as DHS secretary was marked by repeated self-inflicted embarrassments and insults, and she ultimately lost the job after failing to defend her record.
She called two people killed by federal agents "domestic terrorism," refused to apologize when challenged, and blamed the chaotic scene despite evidence contradicting her claim.
Her appointment highlighted a preference for loyalty over competence, and her mistakes damaged the administration's standing on immigration, prompting her replacement by Sen. Markwayne Mullin once confirmed.

CROSSPOST: JOSH MARSHALL: Don’t Be Fooled By the Corrupt Court’s Tariff Decision

Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality • 576 implied HN points • 21 Feb 26

🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Congress

The Supreme Court’s conservative majority is corrupt and acts out of partisan self-interest rather than consistently applying clear legal principles.
Undoing Trump’s tariffs isn’t a vindication — the tariffs were transparently illegal but were allowed to remain in effect for almost a year, causing massive economic harm because the Court delayed and stayed relief.
The Court’s passivity and willingness to enable executive overreach show the constitutional system is failing and demand thorough reform to protect the republic.

March 17, 2026

Letters from an American • 30 implied HN points • 18 Mar 26

🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Congress

A U.S. military campaign has helped close the Strait of Hormuz and driven oil prices sharply higher, disrupting global supplies of oil, gas, fertilizer, helium, and aluminum; meanwhile Russia is aiding Iran and the U.S. appears poorly prepared after cutting energy-diplomacy staff and decommissioning minesweeper capabilities.
The war is fracturing the president’s coalition, with allies and officials resigning or distancing themselves and warning that the administration may no longer control how or when the conflict ends.
The president is using the crisis to push domestic political goals—attacking the Supreme Court and pushing a voter ID/proof-of-citizenship law that could remove millions from the rolls while urging filibuster changes—just as rising gas prices threaten his working-class support.

The War in Iran Is Illegal. Here’s Why That Matters.

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 106 implied HN points • 12 Mar 26

🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Congress

The U.S. strikes on Iran lack a clear public legal justification and may be illegal because the administration hasn’t produced evidence of an imminent threat.
Officials gave vague, conflicting explanations—such as preempting attacks tied to Israeli actions—which sparked political backlash and undermined the administration’s credibility.
Launching military action without Congress breaks constitutional norms and is especially dangerous now when public trust in the Constitution is eroding.

Trump's weak justifications for attacking Iran

Can We Still Govern? • 314 implied HN points • 01 Mar 26

🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Congress

The stated reasons for attacking Iran are inconsistent and often exaggerated, with claims about imminent nuclear or missile threats and election meddling not clearly backed by public intelligence.
The administration bypassed a clear congressional case and offered multiple conflicting rationales—regime change, protecting Americans, and ending a decades‑long rivalry—which weakens legal and political legitimacy.
Because the justifications are weak, public support is low and the action risks becoming a costly, prolonged conflict that may not bring democracy or stability to Iranians or the region.

Is the White House’s AI Policy Coherent?

Marcus on AI • 5493 implied HN points • 09 Dec 25

🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Congress

The administration is moving to block state AI rules and largely deregulate the industry while also allowing sales of powerful AI chips to China, a contradictory stance that would leave few legal protections for citizens.
There is strong bipartisan and public opposition to these moves, so the policy risks significant political backlash and could fracture the president’s political coalition.
The combination of deregulation and chip exports creates real risks to national security and the economy by empowering competitors, hurting U.S. firms, and increasing the chance of costly or dangerous AI failures.

The State of Trump’s Presidency. Plus. . .

Common Sense with Bari Weiss • 449 implied HN points • 24 Feb 26

🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Congress

The State of the Union is being treated as a high-stakes moment, but its actual impact on Trump’s standing may be limited and will likely try to win back Republicans who have cooled on him, especially over immigration.
The newsletter spotlights heated cultural debates, from a provocative defense of fraternity hazing to worries about screen-driven anxiety and how to handle stress after unplugging.
Major policy and legal developments are unfolding: a U.S. lawsuit over payments tied to Palestinian terror, military warnings about striking Iran, and a Supreme Court case that could reshape climate litigation.

Five Craziest Things About the Epstein Case, Vol. 1

TK News by Matt Taibbi • 4134 implied HN points • 19 Dec 25

🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Congress

The word "pedophile" has been thrown around so freely in coverage of Epstein that it functions like a rhetorical bomb, shutting down careful thinking.
The Epstein story has been weaponized by politicians and media as partisan ammunition, fueling moral panic and reflexive accusations instead of sober inquiry.
The actual legal record is often ignored: Epstein's sole conviction was a 2008 plea to two state charges, yet many people make broad, evidence-free claims without checking the facts.