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On Politics

Wed Feb 4 2026

Zachary Schermele | Congress and Campaigns Reporter

@zachschermele

Hello readers and welcome to another On Politics. Zachary Schermele , USA TODAY's congressional reporter, here, in for Kathryn Palmer. Here's the latest news in politics for today.

Alabama Republican takes lead on DHS reform talks in Congress

Katie Britt, an increasingly influential Republican senator from Alabama, will be leading the congressional GOP's negotiations with Democrats over reforming the Department of Homeland Security after Alex Pretti's killing last month.

Lawmakers have just over a week to come up with a compromise before a short-term funding extension for the 9/11-era Cabinet agency expires on Feb. 13.

In hopes of quickly placing more guardrails around ICE and Border Patrol , Democrats initially pushed for a tight turnaround on talks with the GOP and the Trump administration. But Republicans are casting doubt on whether fast-tracking the negotiations is feasible.

In the halls of the Capitol on Wednesday, a day after the four-day partial government shutdown ended, Britt acknowledged the timeline may be too tight. She said she was already pushing for another short-term funding extension for DHS to give negotiations more time.

The talks may largely come down to what changes President Donald Trump is willing to stomach.

"Katie Britt will lead that on our side," Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, told reporters on Tuesday. "But ultimately, that's going to be a conversation between the president of the United States and the Democrats here in the Senate."

Sen. Karie Britt (R-AL) listens at a Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing on June 18, 2025.

Anna Moneymaker, Getty Images

A politics roundup:

•	"Completely surreal." Renee Nicole Good's siblings speak out at congressional forum
•	Sen. Mitch McConnell hospitalized after experiencing "flu-like" symptoms
•	President Trump scolds CNN reporter after Epstein question
•	Trump weighs in on Savannah Guthrie's missing mother, calls it "terrible"

Gallery: See Trump's White House ballroom vision in rendering photos

Washington Post sees sweeping layoffs gutting multiple desks

Sweeping layoffs hit The Washington Post newsroom on Wednesday, causing hundreds of job cuts and the shuttering of multiple desks, including its sports and books teams. The layoffs were announced by Executive Editor Matt Murray on a morning Zoom call with employees, multiple outlets reported. In a statement posted on social media platform X, the Washington Post Guild wrote the layoffs were not inevitable and that it "vehemently opposes any more staff reductions." "Now is the time to stand in solidarity with our laid-off colleagues and with those who remain, who will now be asked to do more with less," the union wrote in its statement. "There is still time to save The Post."

Supreme Court lets California use congressional map that favors Dems

California can use a congressional map drawn to give Democrats an advantage in this year's midterm elections, the Supreme Court said Wednesday in a decision that will make it harder for Republicans to keep control of Congress. The court declined a request from California Republicans – which was backed by the Trump administration – to block the map adopted by California voters in November at the initiative of Gov. Gavin Newsom. Republicans have a razor-thin majority in the U.S. House. If Democrats seize control, they can thwart Trump's legislative agenda and launch investigations into his administration.

Thanks for reading! Scroll down for more politics stories. You can reach me at zschermele@usatoday.com . Follow me on X at @ZachSchermele and Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social .