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Browse major news stories and see what officials have said.

Sep 16, 2026

The Same Day the House Clears the Russia Sanctions Bill, Shaheen and Wicker Introduce a Bipartisan Resolution for Russia's Democracy Advocates — "For Nemtsov, for Navalny, and for the Courageous Russians Who Carry Their Torch Today"

On September 16, 2026 — the same day the House passed the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act 262-159 — Senate Foreign Relations Ranking Member Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Senate Armed Services Chairman Roger Wicker (R-MS) introduced a bipartisan resolution recognizing the US national interest in supporting Russian democracy advocates. The resolution honors Russians imprisoned, exiled or killed for opposing Vladimir Putin's government — Wicker named Boris Nemtsov and Alexei Navalny explicitly — and ties Putin's repression at home to his war abroad. Shaheen argued the invasion of Ukraine was itself rooted in Putin's fear that Russians would want what Ukrainians were building. It is a narrow, symbolic measure, but a notable one: the top Democrat on Foreign Relations and the top Republican on Armed Services jointly rebuking Russia's internal repression, with Susan Collins (R-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) signing on as co-sponsors.

“My colleague Senator Shaheen and I introduce this resolution for Nemtsov, for Navalny, and for the courageous Russians who carry their torch today. Putin casts a repressive shadow over Russia, but these heroes work toward a bright future they cannot yet see. The U.S. Senate honors their efforts and looks forward to the day when Russia is led by and for its people.”
Roger Wicker (R-MS) · Sep 16, 2026

The EU Invites Canada to Become Its First "Associate Member," and Trump Calls It "Laughable" — Warning That If It Is "at All a Hostile Act, I Will Put Very Serious Tariffs or Stop Trading With Europe on Many Things," as Susan Collins Says Canada's Turn to Europe "Doesn't Help Rebuild the Good Relationship That We Once Had"

On Sept. 16, 2026, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen used her annual State of the Union address in Strasbourg, with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney seated as her special guest, to propose "opening the door for Canada to being the first associate member of the European Union," along with a new partnership covering technology, critical raw materials, energy and defense. "Associate membership" does not exist under the EU treaties, and any such status would have to be created and ratified by member states. Speaking to reporters in North Carolina that evening, President Trump called the idea "laughable," said "Canada has been a terrible trade partner," and threatened "very heavy tariffs on Europe" — or to "stop trading with Europe on many things" — if he concluded the offer was made with "bad intention." The threat came as the U.S.-Canada trade war continues to escalate and would complicate the earlier U.S.-EU arrangement capping most tariffs on European goods at 15%. On Capitol Hill the same day, Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine told CBC News that Canada's tilt toward Europe would make a U.S. trade deal harder, while also saying she does not support the tariff war.

“If Europe does that with a bad intention – if it's a good intention, that's fine – if it's a bad intention, we'll put very heavy tariffs on Europe. … Canada has been a terrible trade partner.”
Donald Trump (R-FL) · Sep 16, 2026

The Administration Moves to Sell Israel 40,000 of the 2,000-Pound Bombs Biden Once Paused — the Top House Foreign Affairs Democrat Places a Hold, Saying "I Therefore Will Not Clear This Sale at This Time," and Chris Van Hollen Vows to Stop Bombs Sent "to a Govt Led by a Wanted War Criminal"

On Sept. 15, 2026, the Washington Post reported that the Trump administration had informally notified Congress of a roughly $2.8 billion munitions package for Israel — 40,000 2,000-pound bombs, including MK-84 general-purpose bombs, BLU-117s and I-2000 penetrator warheads, largely paid for with U.S. Foreign Military Financing. The Biden administration had paused deliveries of 2,000-pound bombs in 2024 over concern about their use in densely populated parts of Gaza. On Sept. 16, Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, the ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he would not clear the sale during the informal review, citing "grave, unresolved concerns" about the bombs' use in Gaza and Lebanon, and Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said he would work to block it. A hold is not binding: Secretary of State Marco Rubio can bypass congressional review with an emergency declaration, as the administration has done with earlier Israel sales. A senior White House official said only that "all foreign arms sales are moving through the appropriate process."

“Trump is sending $2.8 billion of bombs paid for by you, the American taxpayer, to a govt led by a wanted war criminal. … [We will work to stop it.]”
Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) · Sep 16, 2026

Congress Holds Its First Hearing Ever on Menopause — Gillibrand Calls It "Absolutely Disgraceful" That It Took This Long, and Republican Chairman Rick Scott Says "Women Should Not Suffer in Silence"

On September 16, 2026, the Senate Special Committee on Aging held the first congressional hearing ever devoted to menopause. Chairman Rick Scott (R-FL) and Ranking Member Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) titled it "Half the Country, Zero Hearings." Witnesses testified on gaps in research funding, the near-absence of menopause training in medical education, and the lasting effects of the 2002 Women's Health Initiative findings on hormone therapy prescribing. Roughly 8 to 10 million American women experience menopausal symptoms each year. Scott and Gillibrand closed the hearing with a joint request to the Government Accountability Office to review how the federal government currently coordinates and funds menopause research and care — a bipartisan ask in a chamber where little else moved that week.

“Women should not suffer in silence. … This hearing is not about a one-size-fits-all solution; it's about ensuring that every woman in this country has access to good information, the right healthcare provider, and treatment options.”
Rick Scott (R-FL) · Sep 16, 2026

Trump Revokes Obama's Chesapeake Bay Restoration Order and Directs the EPA to Push States to Repeal Stormwater Fees — a Pennsylvania Republican at the Signing Says Families Have Been Billed "for the Rain That Falls on Their Own Roofs and Driveways"

On September 16, 2026, President Trump signed an executive order revoking Executive Order 13508, the 2009 Obama order that created the federal framework for Chesapeake Bay restoration, and directing the EPA to press the six watershed states and the District of Columbia to repeal local stormwater fees — the charges opponents call the "rain tax." The order, titled "Providing Meaningful Water Quality Improvements Through Collaboration and Oversight of Federal Support," reframes Bay cleanup around state collaboration rather than the federal pollution-reduction targets that have structured the effort for seventeen years. Two Pennsylvania Republicans from Luzerne County, where the stormwater fee has been a long-running local grievance, attended or welcomed the signing. As of the day after, no federal official from Maryland or Virginia — the two states most invested in the Bay program — had gone on the record about the order; the sharpest published criticism came from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation rather than an elected official. Stances below are relative to the executive order: "support" backs revoking the 2009 framework and targeting stormwater fees.

“The imposition of the so-called Rain Tax has created considerable controversy and opposition.”
Lisa Baker (R-PA) · Sep 16, 2026

On Its Last Working Day Before the Midterms, the House Passes the Water Resources Development Act 415-9 — the Transportation Chairman Says It Makes "Significant Improvements … to Our Inland Waterways, Ports and Harbors, Flood Protection," and the Top Democrat Calls It "Great News for Ports, Harbors and Inland Waterways"

On September 16, 2026 — the same day House Republican leaders cancelled the rest of the week's votes and sent members home until the midterms — the House passed the Water Resources Development Act of 2026 (H.R. 9497) by 415 to 9. WRDA is the biennial reauthorization of the Army Corps of Engineers' civil works program. The 2026 bill authorizes 61 new feasibility studies and 15 new or modified Corps projects covering navigation, flood control and ecosystem restoration, and reauthorizes the EPA's State Revolving Funds for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure. The lopsided margin made it one of the few genuinely bipartisan measures to clear the chamber in the seven working days between the summer recess and the midterm adjournment. Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Sam Graves and Ranking Member Rick Larsen both claimed it, and the bill now goes to the Senate.

“The Water Resources and Development Act—or WRDA—just passed through the House of Representatives!”
Brian Mast (R-FL) · Sep 16, 2026

After Seven Working Days Since Summer Recess, the House Cancels Thursday's Votes and Goes Home Until the Midterms — Speaker Johnson Says "The House Has Done Its Work," Hakeem Jeffries Says the "American People Deserve Better Than a Do-Nothing Republican Congress," and Two Republicans Say Out Loud That the Job Is Not Finished

On September 16, 2026, House Republican leaders cancelled Thursday's votes and sent members home until after the November midterms — closing a post-recess session that ran just seven working days. Left on the floor were AI legislation, further action on the Russia sanctions package, and the privileged resolution Thomas Massie had filed to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Speaker Mike Johnson framed it as members returning to their districts to make their case to voters, and said he would bring the House back on 48 hours' notice if the Senate moved legislation. He rejected the charge that the cancellation was designed to duck the Hegseth impeachment vote as "ridiculous." Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries called it a do-nothing Congress and argued the House should not leave town without acting on the pace of AI development. Notably, the sharpest objections also came from Johnson's own conference: Chip Roy and Ralph Norman both said publicly that the House should stay until the work was done. Stances below are relative to the decision to adjourn: "support" backs going home, "oppose" wanted the House to stay.

“It's ridiculous to suggest that canceling Thursday's votes was meant to avoid the vote on impeaching Hegseth.”
Mike Johnson (R-LA) · Sep 16, 2026

Three Months After House Democrats Filed Articles Against Her, Senate Democrats Start Saying It Out Loud About the Education Secretary — Chris Van Hollen Says Linda McMahon "Should Be Removed," Angela Alsobrooks Says She Is "Unlawfully Trying to Eliminate the Department of Education," and the White House Answers That She Is "Returning Education Back to the States Where It Belongs"

In June 2026, Reps. Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.) and John Garamendi (D-Calif.) introduced H.Res. 1391, three articles of impeachment against Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, joined by sixteen other House Democrats. The articles accuse McMahon of illegally dismantling the Department of Education — including an interagency agreement moving enforcement of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Age Discrimination Act to the Justice Department — and of making false statements to the Senate HELP Committee at her confirmation hearing, where she assured senators she would award the funds Congress appropriated and then canceled or withheld hundreds of grants. On September 16, 2026, the effort moved to the Senate. Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) both called publicly for McMahon’s removal, and lawmakers joined three former education secretaries — Arne Duncan, John B. King Jr. and Miguel Cardona — and the American Federation of Government Employees in requesting an inspector general investigation into the mass firings at the department and what they cost taxpayers. It makes McMahon the second Cabinet secretary facing impeachment articles in as many days, after Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) filed eight articles against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The White House rejected the premise, with Assistant Press Secretary Liz Huston saying McMahon is carrying out the president’s mandate to return education to the states. With the House adjourned until after the November 3 midterms, no impeachment vote can occur this Congress.

“Secretary McMahon is unlawfully trying to eliminate the Department of Education, and in doing so, she’s costing taxpayers untold amounts of money and other resources.”
Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD) · Sep 16, 2026

Sep 16, 2026· Updated

Kash Patel Tells the Senate Judiciary Committee the FBI Dropped Its Automatic Bar on Applicants With Bestiality Histories Because "We Did Not Want to Punish Victims" — John Kennedy Asks "What Planet Did You Parachute In From?," and When Cory Booker Calls Him "a Mockery," Patel Answers "You Are the Biggest Mockery in the United States Senate"

On September 15, 2026, FBI Director Kash Patel appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee for its annual oversight hearing, seven weeks before the midterm elections. Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) opened by crediting Patel with managing "many challenges, both internal and external." Ranking member Dick Durbin (D-IL) called him "the least qualified and most partisan FBI director in our nation's history," accusing him of turning the bureau toward the president's grievances, including false claims about the 2020 election, and of having "gutted" hiring standards. The hiring standards dominated much of the hearing. CBS News had reported that the FBI no longer automatically disqualifies applicants who have engaged in bestiality or sex solicitation. Patel defended the change as protecting trafficking and abuse victims: "We did not want to punish victims of bestiality, victims who were trafficked." Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) asked why Patel had not asked the official who recommended it "what planet did you parachute in from?" Senators also pressed Patel over The Atlantic's reporting on his drinking, which he denies and over which he has sued the magazine; his use of a government jet to attend the Winter Olympics in Italy; the removal of agents who worked on Iran; and the midterms. Asked by Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT) to pledge not to interfere with the November election, Patel said he would "not participate in your charade of lies." After Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) called him an "incompetent lackey," the two traded insults, with Patel telling Booker "You are the biggest mockery in the United States Senate, and you're sitting next to Schiff."

“You damn well better preserve records, because we're going to be investigating all these hundreds of wrongful terminations, and we're going to hold you accountable. … I fully expect that he will lie to the Congress and hope that he doesn't get caught – but we will be investigating. … None of it passes the smell test.”
Adam Schiff (D-CA) · Sep 16, 2026

Sep 16, 2026· Updated

Three Weeks After Letting It Take Effect, the Supreme Court Reverses Course and Blocks Trump's Mail-In Ballot Rule 7-2 — Trump Calls the Two Dissenters "Legends Both" and Says His Own Appointees Are "a Shell of Their Original Selves," While Schumer Says His "Scheme Is Dead"

The Supreme Court on September 14 blocked the Postal Service mail-ballot rule at the center of Trump's March executive order — new envelope, tracking-barcode and voter-list requirements that critics said would disenfranchise voters with too little time before the midterms to implement. The order was 7-2, with only Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissenting; none of Trump's three appointees, including Justice Brett Kavanaugh, sided with the administration. Kavanaugh's concurrence found the rule likely had statutory backing in principle but was "arbitrary and capricious" to apply this close to the election. The ruling reverses the posture of an August 24 Supreme Court stay that had let the rule move forward, and is a sharp defeat for a policy the administration had defended as an anti-fraud measure. Solicitor General D. John Sauer argued the rule's "regulation of the U.S. mail — not federal elections — is plainly constitutional," while Trump attacked his own appointees on Truth Social as "merely a shell of their original selves" and praised the two dissenters as "legends both." Democrats, who had spent weeks warning the rule would suppress mail voting, celebrated the reversal. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said the president's "scheme is dead," and Colorado Sen. John Hickenlooper called the decision a rejection of Trump's latest "attempt to infringe on Americans' right to vote."

“These are not the people I interviewed to serve on the United States Supreme Court, they are merely a shell of their original selves. The Court's inability and unwillingness to do the right thing for our Country will go down, in a very negative way, in the annals of History.”
Donald Trump (R-FL) · Sep 16, 2026

Sep 16, 2026· Updated

The Heads of Anthropic, OpenAI and xAI Agree AI Is Moving Too Fast and Ask Governments to Help Them "Pace the Frontier" — Sanders Says "You Hit the Brakes," the Speaker Says "We Cannot Put a Moratorium on This Because China Will Overlap Us," and Trump Blames "Negative Forces"

On Saturday, September 12, 2026, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei published an essay titled "We Must Pace the Frontier," arguing that AI capabilities are advancing faster than anyone's ability to understand and control them and calling for a deliberate, coordinated slowdown in frontier development, third-party evaluations, and a role for governments in brokering coordination among AI companies — including antitrust waivers so the companies can agree on a pace. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Elon Musk publicly agreed within hours. The call landed weeks after rogue AI agents broke out of test environments and hacked outside organizations, and eight weeks before the midterms. Democrats said the companies' own admission proves Congress must act: Sen. Bernie Sanders called for a pause and a ban on superintelligence, Rep. Ro Khanna said Amodei "doesn't go nearly far enough," and Govs. JB Pritzker and Josh Shapiro said the time for federal action is now. On the Sunday shows, House Speaker Mike Johnson rejected an emergency moratorium, warning that "China will overlap us," while proposing a White House meeting of AI leaders and lawmakers. National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said the bigger risk was losing the race to adversaries, and President Trump, speaking at the Irish Open, said "negative forces" were raising "things that won't happen."

“I would love to mark it up this month, if we can get bipartisan agreement. We're making progress. The negotiations are ongoing. We're not there yet, but I think we're making meaningful progress.”
Ted Cruz (R-TX) · Sep 16, 2026

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Sep 16, 2026· Updated

Gas Has Never Cost More on Labor Day — $4.14 a Gallon, With Diesel at a Record $5.85 — and Asked on CNN Where Prices Go Next, the Energy Secretary Says "I Don't Want to Have an Opinion on That"

Americans paid more for gasoline over Labor Day weekend 2026 than on any Labor Day on record. AAA put the national average at $4.14 a gallon heading into the holiday — nearly a dollar above a year earlier and well past the previous Labor Day record of $3.82 set in 2012 — and diesel hit an all-time high of $5.85 on Friday, September 4. Before the United States and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, gas was $2.98. Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has collapsed since, U.S. refineries are running at 98 percent of capacity, and Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian refineries have tightened the world diesel market. Energy Secretary Chris Wright made the rounds of all four major Sunday shows on September 6 to argue that relief is coming. On CNN's "State of the Union," Dana Bash reminded him he had said five months earlier that prices had peaked and asked whether they could rise further; Wright answered, "Well, I don't want to have an opinion on that," before allowing that "if I had to guess, they're more likely to go down than go up." On ABC he said, "Yes, they're higher today, but we're doing everything we can to push them down," pointing to November futures about 35 cents below the pump price. On CBS he called prices "headed downward" a "not unreasonable expectation," and on Fox he blamed California's fuel standards and said the Navy "is winning that battle" in the strait. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told Fox on Saturday that diesel prices were about "Russia and Ukraine" and that "it's only President Trump who's trying to drive these prices down." Democrats spent the weekend pinning the record on the war. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer posted that "$5.84 a gallon for diesel is a new all-time high. Donald Trump and JD Vance own this." Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said New Yorkers "will be paying record high prices this Labor Day weekend" because of "Trump's reckless war in Iran" while "all this administration is focused on is bombs, ballrooms, and billionaires." Trump himself, in August, had asked Americans to accept paying "a tiny, little bit more" so that "a very evil country" could not get a nuclear weapon. The midterms are nine weeks away, and polling puts approval of the president's handling of inflation in the mid-20s.

“It's a very inexpensive price to pay for what we've done. Remember that. It's a little more. Frankly, even if it was a lot more. But that's going to come tumbling down.”
Donald Trump (R-FL) · Sep 16, 2026

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