No apology
President Trump’s defiance following his racist meme targeting the Obamas leaves Hill Republicans returning to Washington to once again answer for his sins.
Today in Congress
👋🏾 Hi, hey, hello! Congrats to the Seattle Seahawks, the 2026 Super Bowl champions. And shout out to Bad Bunny for putting on the performance that everyone familiar with him and his work outside the MAGAsphere knew that he would. So much joy, community and culture.
Republican lawmakers will return to the Capitol this evening to face questions for the first time since President Donald Trump shared a racist meme early last Friday morning on Truth Social depicting former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as apes—imagery with a long, ugly history in American racism. The post remained up for hours, drew immediate backlash, and was later removed. The White House blamed a staffer for the post, but Trump refused to apologize, saying he “didn’t make a mistake.”
The episode reinforced a familiar pattern: Trump has repeatedly used racist language or imagery, then either doubled down or deflected blame. Critics argue this wasn’t a one-off slip, but another example of racism being treated as acceptable behavior from the president. It also pulled national politics back into culture-war territory at a moment when Congress is already locked in high-stakes fights over funding, immigration enforcement, and elections. Democratic leaders seized on the post to argue that Trump is unserious about governing and more focused on grievance politics than lowering costs or keeping the government running.
Additionally, it’s deepened concerns about norms and presidential conduct. Even for voters who tune out daily political drama, the image itself—and Trump’s refusal to apologize—landed as a step too far. Civil rights groups and Black lawmakers framed it not just as offensive, but as dehumanizing rhetoric coming from the highest office in the country—during Black History Month, no less.
The meme—and Trump’s unwillingness to take responsibility for it—puts pressure on Republicans, who are expected to fall on swords for the president but can almost never count on him to provide them political cover. A handful publicly criticized the post, but most remained silent, which Democrats are now citing as tacit approval. Who decides to speak up or choose this week will add another layer to the story.
Happenings
All times Eastern.
The House is in at noon and will vote at 6:30 p.m. on suspension bills, ranging from commemorative measures tied to the nation’s 250th anniversary to financial system tweaks, housing policy updates, central bank transparency reforms, and foreign policy legislation focused on Taiwan and Burma.
The House Rules Committee will meet at 4 p.m. to prepare the Law-Enforcement Innovate to De-Escalate Act, Securing America’s Critical Minerals Supply Act and Undersea Cable Protection Act for floor consideration.
The Senate is in at 3 p.m. and will vote at 5:30 p.m. to end debate on the nomination of Daniel Burrows to be an Assistant Attorney General.
President Trump will participate in a TV interview at 3 p.m in the Roosevelt Room. and participate in a policy meeting at 5:30 p.m. in the Oval Office.
In the Know
— Democrats across the House and Senate are turning up the heat on Kristi Noem, accusing the Department of Homeland Security of endangering public health, abusing force, and undermining oversight. Arizona lawmakers led by Sen. Mark Kelly and Reps. Greg Stanton, Yassamin Ansari, and Adelita Grijalva are demanding answers about a measles outbreak at ICE detention facilities near Florence after confirmed cases among detainees. At the same time, House Homeland Security Democrats led by Ranking Member Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) are probing DHS’s use of so-called “less-lethal” weapons following court findings that chemical agents were used against civilians and protesters. Separately, Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) is accusing Noem of intimidating the DHS inspector general to block independent investigations into fatal use-of-force incidents, warning that unprecedented threats to shut down oversight could cripple accountability inside the department.
— Senate Banking Committee Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) pressed President Trump to clarify his role in Justice Department investigations involving the Federal Reserve after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told her that decisions to investigate or sue a Fed chair would be “up to the President.” In a letter sent on Friday, Warren points to Bessent’s testimony before the committee last week and Trump’s repeated threats to fire or sue Fed Chair Jerome Powell over interest rate policy, noting that the DOJ opened a criminal investigation into Powell earlier this year. Warren also raises questions about a separate investigation involving Fed Governor Lisa Cook and asks Trump to explain whether he personally authorized those probes—or whether Bessent’s remarks signal future presidential control over DOJ actions tied to Fed policy decisions.
— Warren also warned ahead of the Super Bowl that Americans placing sports bets may be getting hit with steep, undisclosed credit card “junk fees” and has demanded answers from major betting platforms. In letters sent to companies including DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Caesars, and others, Warren says credit card-funded bets are often treated as cash advances—triggering fees that can run $10 or 3–5% per transaction—meaning a $20 wager could come with an extra $10 fee. She argues that many bettors don’t realize these charges apply until after the fact, potentially pushing users into financial trouble, and is requesting detailed data on how often credit cards are used on sports betting platforms and what fees and disclosures accompany those transactions.
— House Oversight Democrats, led by Ranking Member Robert Garcia (Calif.), demanded answers from Attorney General Pam Bondi after the Department of Justice released documents that exposed the identities and sensitive personal information of dozens of survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse. In a letter sent Friday, Democrats cite multiple failures to properly redact records—including documents naming minor victims repeatedly and revealing details such as dates of birth, bank information, and home addresses—calling the disclosures “retraumatizing” and accusing the DOJ of placing the burden on survivors to protect themselves after the fact. Garcia said the episode represents a profound betrayal by the government and raised questions about whether the disclosures resulted from negligence or an intentional effort tied to a broader White House cover-up.
— Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.) reintroduced the PrEP Assistance Program Act, legislation aimed at making the HIV prevention drug PrEP more affordable and accessible for underserved and high-risk communities. The bill would create a federal grant program to help cover the cost of PrEP medication, clinic and lab fees, doctor visits, and community outreach, targeting persistent gaps despite years of medical advances. Watson Coleman called the push both a public health and social justice issue, noting that Black and Latino communities face disproportionate HIV rates while often lacking access to PrEP. The bill is backed by advocates including PrEP4All and NMAC, and is cosponsored by more than a dozen House Democrats.
— House Energy and Commerce Democrats want answers from the Trump administration after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention awarded funding to a controversial study that would withhold hepatitis B immunization from newborns in Guinea-Bissau, a country where nearly one in five adults lives with the disease. In a letter to CDC Acting Director Jim O’Neill, Ranking Member Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), Health Subcommittee Ranking Member Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), and Oversight and Investigations Ranking Member Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.) slammed the five-year, $1.6 million grant as “scientifically meritless and ethically appalling,” noting that most infants exposed to hepatitis B at birth develop chronic infection and face a high risk of death later in life. Democrats also raised alarms about the lack of transparency in the award process and potential ties to associates of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., warning the study amounts to a politicization of CDC resources that experts have likened to a modern-day Tuskegee experiment.
— House Foreign Affairs Committee Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) slammed the Trump administration’s response to Sudan’s humanitarian crisis following a Sudan Humanitarian Fund event at the U.S. Institute of Peace last week. Citing United Nations estimates that humanitarian needs in Sudan reached $6 billion last year—with 33.7 million people requiring assistance—Meeks called the U.S. pledge of $200 million “shamefully little,” arguing it reflects a moral failure and an abdication of American leadership. While the president has urged the international community to do more, Meeks said the administration’s foreign aid cuts have worsened conditions on the ground and urged immediate action to increase U.S. support.
— The Congressional Hispanic Caucus marked Black History Month by hosting its inaugural Afro-Latino Roundtable, bringing together lawmakers, advocates, and scholars to center Afro-Latino identity and examine how race, immigration policy, and data gaps shape the lives of Black diaspora communities. Led by CHC Chair Adriano Espaillat in partnership with the Garifuna Caucus, chaired by Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.), the discussion highlighted the disproportionate impact of immigration enforcement on Black immigrants and the persistent erasure of Afro-Latinos in federal data, including the census. Speakers emphasized that visibility and accurate racial and ethnic data are prerequisites for equitable policymaking, funding, and civil rights enforcement, framing the convening as a step toward confronting anti-Blackness and advancing more inclusive immigration and data policies.
Read All About It
“The evangelicals who see Trump’s viciousness as a virtue” by Peter Wehner: “At the National Prayer Breakfast, the president rested his audience’s commitment to Christian ethics.”
“One Generation runs the country. The next cashed in on crypto” by Angus Berwick and Eliot Brown: “Sons of top Trump administration officials made billions for their families, but their investors didn’t always fare so well.”
“The quiet revolution that made your home, car, and wallet a lot safer.” by Bryan Walsh: “The decline of burglary and robbery explained.”