House Democrats

The deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia has become a political flashpoint that Democrats are struggling to navigate, with the party split over how loudly to protest his detention in a Salvadoran megaprison.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) became the first Democratic senator to travel to El Salvador this week to visit Abrego Garcia, who lived in Maryland. Other Democrats are planning trips as they accuse the administration of violating Abrego Garcia’s due process rights.

House Democrats are sending an early warning shot as the government’s borrowing window inches to a close: winning Democratic support for a debt-ceiling hike will come at a cost for Republicans.

The minority-party Democrats have little power to dictate the debate, but a number of conservative Republicans have long opposed debt limit increases to protest deficit spending. The dynamics could give Democrats leverage in the fight — and they say they intend to use it.

House Democrats are livid. The progressive grassroots is aghast. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), after taking a victory lap after the first cloture vote on the House GOP’s continuing resolution, which would fund the government for another six months, totally caved yesterday. He’s going to vote to keep the government open. Republicans needed a handful of Democratic votes to get to 60. They didn’t have it on Tuesday. They will soon, with Schumer and now Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) announcing they’d support keeping the government open.

Hakeem Jeffries and House Democrats are ready to seize on the first big leverage point of President Donald Trump’s second term, lining up against a bill to avert a government shutdown this week.

But the party’s position is far murkier in the Senate, showcasing stark divisions within the party over how far Democrats are willing to go against Trump.

The close relationship between congressional Democrats and immigration advocacy groups has grown strained since last year’s election as lawmakers shift rightward on border issues.

Now those groups are asserting themselves as Republicans prepare to pursue a crackdown on so-called sanctuary cities.

Failing to rally together in opposition to planned GOP legislation, they say, would risk a more profound break between the Democratic Party and its progressive base while threatening resources in communities across the country.

The Democratic Party has been criticized for maintaining a gerontocracy—being ruled by the elderly—instead of shifting direction with a new generation of voices.

The bulk of the criticism came after 74-year-old Virginia Representative Gerry Connolly defeated 35-year-old New York progressive Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for the role of ranking member of the House Oversight Committee. Connolly had the backing of several veteran lawmakers, most notably influential 84-year-old former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.