Paul Kane

Washington, D.C.

Senior congressional correspondent and columnist

Education: University of Delaware, BA

Paul Kane has covered Congress since 2000, when he started at Roll Call with a beat focused on the Senate. He started with The Washington Post in 2007, covering the 2008 financial crisis and the Obama-Republican fiscal wars. He began writing a regular column, @PKCapitol, on Congress and its interactions with the Trump administration in 2017. He's covered Washington's response to the global pandemic, the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, two impeachments and now writes about the Biden administration's legislative agenda on Capitol Hill.
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Latest from Paul Kane

McConnell phones Senate Republicans, who say he’s ‘eager’ to be back

The conversations mark the first time McConnell has spoken directly with anyone on his leadership team — apart from exchanging text messages — since his fall.

March 21, 2023

Today’s Congress might be incapable of compromise to save banking system

Lawmakers so far have not had to confront the type of meltdown Congress faced nearly 15 years ago, which some say is a good thing because of polarization.

March 18, 2023

For senators’ health updates, full transparency is case by case

Another prominent senator, this time Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), has gone onto medical leave, with no certain timeline for returning.

March 15, 2023

In deeply partisan and polarized House, every day feels like Jan. 7

The House remains deeply focused on the 2021 Capitol attack, with each side trying to settle past grievances through investigations. The Senate? It's moved on.

March 11, 2023

‘Just a lie’: Senate Republicans blast Tucker Carlson’s Jan. 6 narrative

Republican senators largely rejected Tucker Carlson’s vision of the deadly attempted insurrection as a mostly peaceful protest that involved little violence.

March 7, 2023

Nancy Pelosi untethered: The former speaker revels in newfound freedom

The former House speaker has bowed out of leadership yet has not receded from the spotlight entirely. In her childhood hometown, she was available on demand for new members looking for insight on how to get ahead.

March 3, 2023

Tennessee senator gloms onto D.C. crime to force a vote

Bill Hagerty, a former ambassador to Japan with a private equity background, is just two years into life in the Senate but the Tennessee Republican has found a unique national issue: taking aim at the District's new crime bill.

February 25, 2023

United front in Congress on Ukraine, at least in Munich

U.S. lawmakers seek to drown out the vocal right-wing conservatives who are critical of American support for Ukraine against Russian aggression.

February 18, 2023

Senators balk at White House runs, defying history and ego

Presidential primaries used to epitomize the adage that all 100 senators wake up in the morning and see a future president in the mirror — until now.

February 15, 2023

Glacial pace: Despite promises of accountability, Congress is off to yawning start

The House wrapped up its last vote of the week before noon Thursday, then took off for an 18-day break. The Senate is off to an even slower start.

February 11, 2023