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.
Abby Livingston
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.
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Congress
How U.S. Reps. Mike Conaway and Will Hurd explained their votes to release secret memo
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.
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Congress
Wealthy self-funder could upend open race to replace Houston U.S. Rep. Gene Green
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.
Posted in
Texas Elections 2018
Here’s how much Texas candidates raised in the state’s hottest U.S. House primaries
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.
Posted in
Congress
In first State of the Union address, Trump tells natural disaster victims: “We are with you”
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.
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Congress
U.S. Rep. Kay Granger of Texas seen as contender to chair powerful Appropriations Committee
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.
Posted in
Texas Elections 2018
Houston fundraiser with New York Democrat Chuck Schumer rankles some Texans
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.
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Congress
Federal government shutdown ends after Congress breaks logjam
The federal government shutdown ended Monday after the U.S. Senate and House passed a previously stalled funding measure.
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Congress
U.S. government shuts down amid Senate stalemate over DACA
A short-term funding bill died on the Senate floor late Friday night.
Posted inState Government
As the federal government nears a shutdown, some fear Harvey aid for Texas could fall to the wayside
Federal lawmakers were negotiating Thursday in a last-ditch effort to avoid a government shutdown, but disaster funding for Hurricane Harvey seemed like it might be left out of a deal.
