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Is the end of appropriations season in sight? CQ Roll Call budget editor David Lerman and budget reporter Aris Folley join this episode of CQ&A to talk about the final piece of fiscal 2026 appropriations and game out how it will play in the Senate

White House reporter John T. Bennett and political reporter Mary Ellen McIntire predict the top campaign issues as we head into the 2026 midterm season — as well as what President Donald Trump's focus is.

A discussion on the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2026.

CQ Roll Call Staff Writers Ariel Cohen and Lia DeGroot explain the state of play on the expiring Affordable Care Act premium subsidies and other potential year-end health care legislation. Managing editor Peter Cohn hosts. Website: http://www.rollcall.com Follow us:   / rollcall   Like us:   / rollcall   Instagram: RollCall

Managing editor Jessica Wehrman talks with budget editor David Lerman and appropriations reporter Aris Folley about the scars left by the government shutdown as well as the likelihood Congress will move forward with the remaining fiscal 2026 spending bills.

In this episode, managing editor Peter Cohn and reporters John M. Donnelly and Rebecca Kheel break down the state of defense policy and budgets as Congress heads into year-end negotiations on appropriations and the National Defense Authorization Act.

CQ editors and reporters answer readers' questions about the most important congressional news.

CQ Managing Editor for Policy and Legislation Peter Cohn and CQ staff writers Aidan Quigley and Sandhya Raman take questions from listeners about the government shutdown and Affordable Care Act subsidies. 

It has been a little more than a year since we launched CQ Future. At the time, the pandemic was in full swing, as was the Black Lives Matter movement. It was a moment of great uncertainty and we set out to explore what the future would look like for many policies that would shape our lives coming out of all this change. While there are still a lot of open questions, we believe it is the right moment to end this podcast as the country stabilizes. So for the last episode, CQ Roll Call's Shawn Zeller speaks with political experts on where the politics of our nation are headed. Thanks for listening.

Ransomware attacks, in which hackers shut down computer systems and demand payment to undo the damage, are growing more brazen. The attacks have hit local governments as well as companies. Will the U.S. be able to get a handle on the growing problem? CQ Roll Call's Shawn Zeller talks with Rep. Jim Langevin, a Rhode Island Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee’s cybersecurity panel, who two years ago co-chaired a congressional commission seeking collaboration between the public and private sectors in fighting the hackers.

Amazon is at the center of a firestorm from employee activists and shareholders who want the company to pay more attention to environmental justice — a social movement that focuses on equality in the distribution of environmental benefits and burdens. Environmental justice is emerging as the latest corporate sustainability issue and CQ Roll Call's Laura Weiss sits down with Shawn Zeller to discuss how its impacting companies, Congress and the country.

Amtrak, the nation's rail system, has been on the brink for years. It went on life support during the pandemic and survived thanks to a $2 billion infusion from the government. But things may change. "Amtrak Joe," as the president was affectionately called during his three decades of commuting from Washington DC to Wilmington, has asked for $80 billion to fix long standing maintenance issues and expand service. We take a look at America's rail line and what the future may hold -- first with a report from CQ Roll Call's Thomas McKinless, and then a conversation between Shawn Zeller and transportation reporter Jessica Wehrman. 

Is “Big Tech” too big to dismantle? That is the question on our minds. It appears to be the one industry that has galvanized both Democrats and the GOP as they try to dismantle these behemoths, albeit for different reasons. CQ Roll Call’s Shawn Zeller speaks with Diana Moss, the president of the American Antitrust Institute, about what will come next for the tech giants.

"It is deeply broken." That is the overall assessment of the process and policy to let refugees into the country from the former head of the agency in charge of immigration. Both sides of the aisle likely agree with Doris Meissner, a senior fellow with the Migration Policy Institute. CQ Roll Call's Shawn Zeller takes a deep dive into the current policies on refugees and what needs to come next. 

The political money game is changing. Small donor fundraising is at an all-time high, while corporations are holding off on donating in the wake of the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol. What do these changes mean for political contributions, and how will they change campaigning going forward? Sheila Krumholz joins us this week to discuss the long view. She's the director of the Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks political money and advocates for curtailing its influence.