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.

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, speaks to reporters as House Republicans hold a caucus meeting at the Longworth House Office Building on Oct. 13, 2023 in Washington, D.C. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Ohio’s Jordan the latest U.S. House GOP nominee for speaker after days of turmoil

By: , and - October 14, 2023

WASHINGTON — U.S. House Republicans on Friday put forward their second nominee this week for speaker, though lawmakers departed Capitol Hill for the weekend without unifying enough to hold a floor vote and with a highly uncertain outcome when they return. Ohio Republican Rep. Jim Jordan won the conference nomination in a closed meeting, defeating […]

U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., arrives to a House Republican Conference meeting at the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 12, 2023 in Washington, DC. The House Republicans continue to debate their pick for speaker after their initial candidate, Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., appeared to lack the majority of the needed votes on the floor. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

There’s still no speaker of the U.S. House. Could Patrick McHenry be the solution?

By: , and - October 13, 2023

WASHINGTON — Louisiana Republican Rep. Steve Scalise stepped into a closed-door meeting at the U.S. Capitol Thursday to negotiate with more than a dozen holdout Republicans in his quest to become the next speaker of the House, though dissent only seemed to grow following the three-hour session. On Thursday night, Scalise announced he was dropping […]

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 at the U.S. Capitol. (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

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

By: , and - October 11, 2023

WASHINGTON — Uncertainty and party infighting over the next U.S. House speaker prevailed at the Capitol Wednesday evening, despite a majority of Republicans picking Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise as their nominee behind closed doors earlier in the day. The chamber adjourned and was scheduled to return at noon Thursday to again try to elect a […]

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 at the U.S. Capitol. (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

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

By: and - October 11, 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 10, 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 […]

U.S. House votes to remove Kevin McCarthy as speaker

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 […]

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)

Ditching Ukraine aid, U.S. House in bipartisan vote passes bill to avert shutdown

By: - September 30, 2023

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House approved a bill Saturday 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 335-91 vote to send the bill to the Senate took place with less than 10 hours until funding expired. Senators […]

The U.S. Capitol on Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023, as congressional leaders faced a government shutdown by midnight Saturday unless they pass a stopgap spending bill. (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

With two days until shutdown, border security package eyed by U.S. Senate GOP

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, […]

Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., speaks during a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Border Security and Immigration hearing on Capitol Hill on Dec. 16, 2020 in Washington, D.C. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

Menendez steps down temporarily as U.S. Senate committee chairman amid federal charges  

By: - September 22, 2023

WASHINGTON — New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez will temporarily step aside as chairman of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee following a federal indictment for conspiracy to commit bribery and other charges. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer made the announcement Friday afternoon, saying in a written statement that “Senator Menendez has rightly decided to […]

CAPTION: U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer speaks to reporters in the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 14, 2023, as action in the chamber on spending bills got sidetracked ahead of a Sept. 30 deadline to avoid a partial government shutdown. (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

With two weeks until the money runs out, Congress grinds to halt on spending bills 

By: - September 16, 2023

WASHINGTON — Amid rising tensions and an approaching hard deadline, the U.S. House and Senate ended their work week on Thursday without a deal to fund the federal government past the end of the month. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who has been struggling to build consensus among the members of his Republican Conference, pledged that […]

A vaccination clinic at Casa Azafran in Nashville, March 28, 2021. (Photo: John Partipilo)

Updated COVID-19 vaccines expected to be available in September, federal officials say

By: - August 28, 2023

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is gearing up for a fall vaccination campaign that not only includes updated COVID-19 boosters, but the annual flu shot and the newly approved RSV vaccine. “We’re going to be encouraging Americans to get their COVID-19 vaccine in addition to their annual flu shot, as well as the immunizations for […]