Government Reform

WASHINGTON — They're two of the most prominent women in the Senate and the Democratic Party. They both were born and made their careers in California, specifically the Bay Area. Nine times out of 10, they vote the same way.

But they also exemplify a growing divide among Democrats over the direction the party should take.

Mark Meadows, the chair of the conservative Freedom Caucus, wants to end Super PACs.

Meadows voted against House Democrats' sweeping ethics and reform bill, which passed the chamber Friday morning on a party-line vote. But there were parts of it he agreed with, the North Carolina Republican told The Intercept.

Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., told the Powerhouse Politics Podcast on Wednesday that President Donald Trump "violated probably 10 different laws in many ways."

The House Judiciary Committee this week requested information from 81 individuals and entities related to Trump and his affiliates. These requests came a week after Michael Cohen, the president's former personal lawyer, testified for hours in front of Khanna and his colleagues on the House Oversight Committee.

The information Cohen provided led some members of Congress to call for further scrutiny.

Michael Cohen, President Trump's former fixer and personal lawyer, concluded a day of testimony on Capitol Hill on Wednesday in front of the House Oversight Committee. Some highlights of his testimony:

●Cohen alleged that Trump knew in advance that the anti-secrecy organization WikiLeaks planned to publish hacked Democratic National Committee emails.

●He sparred aggressively with GOP lawmakers, who questioned his credibility and motives for coming forward.

Second-term U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., who represents the Silicon Valley area of the West Coast state, Jan. 24 announced the committees and subcommittees he has been named to in the 116th Congress.

Khanna will serve on the Oversight and Reform, Armed Services, and Budget Committees.

He also joins the House Armed Services Subcommittees on Intelligence and Emerging Threats, and Strategic Forces, as well as the Oversight Subcommittees of Government Operations and Economic Policy.

The California Democrat has been named to several key congressional committees, including Armed Services and Budget.

Rep. Ro Khanna, D-California, has come up with a plan to open the federal government and end the ongoing crisis. The congressman has urged President Trump and both chambers of Congress to appoint outside negotiators in order to reach a budget agreement to end the impasse.

The U.S. House of Representatives now contains two democratic socialists – and both will now sit on the House Oversight Committee. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Representative Rashida Tlaib of Michigan will join the committee, alongside progressives Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Ro Khanna of California. All but Khanna are freshman Democrats.

Progressive Congressman Ro Khanna, D-California, is proposing a solution to try to end the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. He says the White House and congressional leaders could appoint outside negotiators to broker a budget agreement and end the gridlock.

Khanna's proposal would involve President Trump appointing two representatives to hold talks with four congressional negotiators, two appointed by the Democratic-controlled House and two appointed by the Republican-controlled Senate. Then they'd look for common ground all six could agree on.