The Biden administration is ducking accountability by refusing to publicly answer key questions about the disastrous U.S. and allied military withdrawal from Afghanistan, top Republicans charged Wednesday after a closed-door hearing that offered lawmakers the rare chance to grill senior U.S. officials about the events and policies behind last summer’s deadly pullout.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken spent more than three hours before a joint hearing of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees, though much of what was discussed will remain secret over the loud objections of GOP leaders, who argued there was no reason Wednesday’s event couldn’t have been public. Read Full Story

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Congress is facing a looming deadline to pass a spending bill and keep the government open past mid-February, but serious gaps exist between Democrats and Republicans over how to move forward.

Lawmakers have to pass a spending bill by Feb. 18 or risk shutting down the federal government. While Republicans and Democrats say a shutdown is unlikely, most lawmakers are unsure if a bipartisan budget deal is possible. If it isn’t, they would have to rely on another short-gap funding measure.

“If we could cut a deal, and it’s something we could live with, that’s what this place is about,” said Sen. Richard Shelby, Alabama Republican. “But it has to be something that would be palatable to our caucus and theirs too — maybe not everything [that] everybody wants.” Read Full Story

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Two Republican lawmakers are calling on Democrats on the committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol to release staff reports, saying the disclosures are required by House rules.

Reps. Jim Banks of Indiana and Rodney Davis of Illinois accused the committee of “operating as a rogue body” in a letter to Rep. Zoe Lofgren, California Democrat, who chairs the Committee on House Administration. Lofgren is also a member of the panel investigating the Capitol riot.

“The J6 committee has abused its subpoena power, its deposition power, its contempt power, and its power to unilaterally release documents,” the Republican lawmakers wrote. “These actions represent a gross misuse of taxpayer dollars and deserve aggressive internal oversight.” Read Full Story

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