Author

Jennifer Shutt

Jennifer Shutt

Jennifer covers the nation’s capital as a senior reporter for States Newsroom. Her coverage areas include congressional policy, politics and legal challenges with a focus on health care, unemployment, housing and aid to families.

Louisiana Republican Rep. Steve Scalise, who is running to become speaker of the U.S. House, talks with reporters on Tuesday, Oct. 10 following a closed-door candidate forum. (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

Scalise nominated by U.S. House GOP as speaker in closed-door meeting

By: , and - October 11, 2023

WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans elected Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise as their nominee for speaker Wednesday following a secret ballot vote in a closed-door conference, according to Republicans leaving the meeting. “We need to make sure we’re sending a message to people all throughout the world, and that the House is open and doing the […]

Louisiana Republican Rep. Steve Scalise, who is running to become speaker of the U.S. House, talks with reporters on Tuesday, Oct. 10 following a closed-door candidate forum. (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

Race for U.S. House speaker moves toward a vote as Scalise, Jordan make their pitches

By: and - October 10, 2023

WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans gathered behind closed doors for several hours Tuesday evening to debate who the party should elect as the next speaker amid divided views about the path forward. The two-hour forum featured House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan making their cases and answering questions from their […]

Former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., talks about the Hamas attack on Israel during a news conference in the Rayburn Room at the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 9, 2023 in Washington, D.C. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

McCarthy may jump into U.S. House speaker race, as crises overseas mount

By: , , and - October 9, 2023

WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans will gather behind closed doors beginning Monday night in an attempt to decide who should become the chamber’s next speaker, a race with a renewed sense of urgency with ally Israel now at war and the House in paralysis. Louisiana’s Steve Scalise and Ohio’s Jim Jordan are the only candidates […]

House Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., is pursued by reporters as he returns to the offices of former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., at the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 4, 2023, in Washington, D.C. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

How does a ‘frozen’ U.S. House function without a speaker? Everyone’s got an opinion.

By: and - October 4, 2023

WASHINGTON — The stunning ouster of U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday — the first time a speaker has been removed in Congress’ 234-year history — created a leadership vacuum in the chamber and left multiple questions about how legislative business would proceed. North Carolina Republican Patrick McHenry ascended to the role of speaker pro tempore […]

Former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., is surrounded by staff, security and journalists as he walks to the House chamber ahead of a vote at the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 03, 2023 in Washington, D.C., in which he would be removed from his post. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

McCarthy abandons another bid for U.S. House speaker, votes on spending bills canceled

By: - October 3, 2023

WASHINGTON — California Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy announced Tuesday evening he will not try to become speaker for a second time, ending his tenure holding the gavel after eight GOP lawmakers and Democrats voted to remove him from leadership. “I will not run for speaker again. I’ll have the conference pick somebody else,” McCarthy said. […]

U.S. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., speaks to reporters after a House Republican conference meeting at the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 19, 2023 in Washington, D.C. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

U.S. House votes to remove McCarthy as speaker; SD’s Johnson calls move a ‘huge error’

By: , and - October 3, 2023

WASHINGTON — Dissident Republicans in the U.S. House voted with Democrats on Tuesday to oust Kevin McCarthy as speaker, a historic move that came just nine months after he secured the gavel following days of negotiating with the GOP’s right flank and 15 rounds of voting. It wasn’t immediately clear after the vote how the […]

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., speaks with members of the media in the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 30, 2023 in Washington, D.C. (Nathan Howard/Getty Images)

Next battle in Congress over Ukraine aid, as Biden presses House speaker for vote

By: - October 2, 2023

WASHINGTON — Republican and Democratic lawmakers are searching for a way to clear more aid for Ukraine, after Congress approved a short-term spending bill that didn’t include any additional money for the country. President Joe Biden on Sunday said that U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy agreed to find the votes needed to pass a supplemental […]

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, speaks with reporters about a stopgap government funding bill inside the U.S. Capitol on Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023. (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

Congress clears bill to avert shutdown, with vote promised later on Ukraine aid

By: - September 30, 2023

UPDATED 10 a.m. Central, 10/1/23 WASHINGTON — Congress approved a bill Saturday night that would stave off a government shutdown until at least mid-November, though the measure doesn’t include Ukraine aid backed by both Republicans and Democrats. The bipartisan 88-9 vote in the U.S. Senate, just hours before a midnight deadline, took place after the […]

U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy takes questions from reporters on Friday, Sept. 29, 2023 at the U.S. Capitol. (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

Government shutdown nears: U.S. House GOP fails to pass one-month spending plan

By: , , and - September 29, 2023

WASHINGTON — A sweeping government shutdown appeared inevitable on Friday, with the U.S. Senate stuck in a procedural holding pattern on its bipartisan stopgap bill and divided U.S. House Republicans unable to pass their short-term spending bill. Both chambers of Congress must approve and President Joe Biden must sign government funding legislation before midnight on […]

Sen. John Thune, R-South Dakota, talks to members of the media as he leaves the Senate Chambers at the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 28, 2023, in Washington, D.C. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

With two days until shutdown, Thune and GOP leaders eye border security package

By: - September 28, 2023

WASHINGTON — Republican U.S. senators huddled behind closed doors Thursday, attempting to draft an amendment to the short-term government funding bill that would increase spending on border security and make policy changes. The provision could help nudge U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to put the broadly bipartisan measure up for a vote in that chamber, […]

U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-California, center, speaks to reporters on Sept. 26, 2023, at the U.S. Capitol. (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

U.S. Senate moves on short-term spending bill in struggle to avoid shutdown days away

By: - September 27, 2023

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate is on track to clear a short-term government funding bill in the days ahead, but it wasn’t clear Tuesday if that would happen before the Saturday midnight deadline to avert a shutdown, or if House GOP leaders would put the bill up for a vote in that chamber. U.S. House […]

Fireplaces inside the U.S. Capitol send smoke into the sky on Jan. 6, 2023. (Photo by Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

Shutdown inches closer as U.S. House GOP fails to pass defense bill, lawmakers exit D.C.

By: - September 21, 2023

WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans were unable for a third time Thursday to begin debate on the Defense funding bill, throwing another wrench into Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s leadership tenure. The 212-216 vote that rejected the rule for the $826 billion Defense spending measure was unexpected, coming less than a day after House GOP lawmakers gathered […]