Mike DeBonis
Washington Post
Washington, DC, United States
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Recent articles by Mike:
All eyes on Manchin as Republicans prepare to again block voting rights legislation
Democrats’ options for advancing voting rights continue to dwindle as lawmakers and advocates push Sen. Joe Manchin III to revisit his opposition to eliminating the Senate filibuster. → Read More
Why the Senate blinked — and stepped back from the brink of a federal default
Like most deals on Capitol Hill, the agreement to punt the debt-limit fight into December reflects a convergence of interests. → Read More
The expectations game hounds Democrats as they try to deliver their vast agenda
Throughout 2020 and into this year, Democratic leaders dreamed big despite warning signs that they would not be able to ultimately deliver on their promises. They are now facing a long-delayed reckoning. → Read More
Democrats promised to slash drug prices. Now internal clashes are standing in the way.
The internal fight over prescription drugs has become a microcosm of the challenge the party faces on multiple fronts as President Biden and congressional leaders seek to enact their massive domestic policy bill. → Read More
Congress is hurtling toward a debt showdown despite the public’s waning interest in the government’s red ink
Capitol Hill is headed for a reprise of the 2013 debt-ceiling crisis even though the fiscal and political landscape have shifted dramatically, and no one appears quite certain who will benefit from the clash. → Read More
Joe Manchin gets all the attention. But Kyrsten Sinema could be an even bigger obstacle for Democrats’ spending plans.
After objecting to the price tag of President Biden’s Build Back Better plan in late July, the Arizonan has remained almost entirely mum. But behind the scenes she has been peppering her colleagues with questions and concerns. → Read More
Revised Democratic voting bill drops controversial provisions, tweaks others as pressure for action mounts
The Freedom to Vote Act discards significant pieces of the earlier For the People Act and tweaks others, largely in an effort to placate Sen. Joe Manchin III and indulge his hopes of building enough Republican support to pass the bill. → Read More
Texas abortion law abruptly reshapes the political landscape
Both parties are thrust into new positions as Democrats fear a long-standing principle is at risk and Republicans see their aspirations closer to reality. Will Democrats be mobilized by the threat, or Republicans by their gains? → Read More
White House joins push to beef up pandemic prevention funding amid worries Congress will shortchange the effort
The Biden administration wants Congress to provide at least $15 billion in pandemic prevention funding in the pending economic bill — dollars that might have to be diverted from other administration priorities. → Read More
Bernie Sanders lost his fight to be president. But now he’s written a budget that could secure his legacy.
The leftist icon, 79, is on the cusp of leaving an indelible mark on U.S. government after facing years of criticism about his legislative record. “Obviously, this bill would be many levels above anything that I’ve ever been involved with before,” he said. → Read More
Senate adjourns until September without advancing voting rights legislation
A marathon session ended Wednesday morning with the issue in a continued stalemate: Republicans blocking new federal voting standards, and Democrats unwilling to change Senate rules to override them. → Read More
How Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans learned to stop worrying about a Biden victory and love the infrastructure bill
A careful alignment of interests — including a GOP belief that handing Democrats a win would forestall the filibuster’s demise — produced Tuesday’s 69-30 bipartisan vote. “I’ve never felt that we ought to be perceived as being opposed to everything,” Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said. → Read More
Senate Democrats eye new vote on voting rights before summer break as party faces pressure to act
Democrats’ quest for voting rights legislation has been eclipsed on Capitol Hill in recent weeks by the push for a bipartisan infrastructure deal but key senators have continued to work behind the scenes. → Read More
Congressional Gold Medal is awarded to Capitol Police and others who battled rioters on Jan. 6
Final passage of the honor came Tuesday after a months-long debate on how to best honor those who defended the Capitol from an attack by a pro-Trump mob. → Read More
As many Republicans try to rewrite history of Jan. 6 attack, Sen. Ron Johnson suggests FBI knew more than it has said
The comments from the Wisconsin Republican, made after a political event, reflect the spread of an unfounded claim that has traveled from far-right commentators to Tucker Carlson’s Fox News show to the highest levels of the GOP. → Read More
Senate passes $2.1 billion in emergency funding for Capitol security and Afghan resettlement
Leaders of the Capitol Police and National Guard units warned of imminent cuts if Congress did not act to backfill expenditures made in the wake of the Capitol attack. → Read More
Democrats craft revised voting rights bill, seeking to keep hopes alive in the Senate
Several key senators huddled inside Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer’s office on Wednesday to hash out the details of the new bill. → Read More
New Jersey Democrats want ‘fairness’ in Biden’s trillion-dollar agenda. They’re in for a fight.
N.J. lawmakers say their state was targeted by Trump as an affluent Democratic stronghold, and now they want payback. That is starting to conflict with the party’s broader agenda. → Read More
North Carolina Democratic voters yearn for a new type of Senate candidate after years of defeats. Now they have two.
Cheri Beasley, a former North Carolina Supreme Court chief justice, would be her state’s first Black senator. State Sen. Jeff Jackson, meanwhile, is trying to re-create Beto O’Rourke’s 2018 Texas magic. → Read More
Police reform negotiations bog down on Capitol Hill as crime rises and midterms loom
Negotiators struck a positive tone about the talks late Thursday, but conceded that an accord on actual legislation remained elusive after nearly four months of intensive talks. → Read More