Niels Lesniewski
Bio:
Niels Lesniewski covers the Senate for Roll Call. He joined what is now CQ Roll Call in September 2007, hired by Roll Call for the GalleryWatch legislative tracking service that was integrated into CQ in 2009. He is known for his expertise on the peculiarities of Senate procedure.
Niels began covering the Senate for CQ in January 2010, taking the title of CQ SenateWatch editor in the summer of 2011. He has contributed to coverage of all the biggest policy stories on Capitol Hill in recent years, including the response to the 2008 financial collapse, the health care overhaul and several budget standoffs.
A Connecticut native, Niels graduated from Hamilton College in New York with a dual degree in theatre and government. Before joining CQ Roll Call, he worked for theater productions in D.C. and New England. While in college, he interned for ABC's "This Week with George Stephanopoulos." Outside of work, Niels is an avid sports fan. He started attending Nationals games back when the team was among the worst in the National League and still playing at RFK Stadium.
Stories by Niels Lesniewski:
March 13, 2013
Republican Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Tom Coburn of Oklahoma found no shortage of programs to disagree with in the stopgap appropriations bill being debated on the Senate floor that would fund the government for the remainder of the 2013 fiscal year.
March 12, 2013
Appropriators in the Senate are trying to stave off attempts from budget hawks and proponents of more special exceptions that threaten to slow down work on the continuing resolution needed to fund the government through the rest of the fiscal year.
March 9, 2013
Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Budget Committee say they hope to keep the focus during this week’s expected marathon markup on setting a sound course for the country’s fiscal future.
March 7, 2013
Sen. Rand Paul finally has his answer. “The answer to that question is no.”
March 7, 2013
Sen. Rand Paul’s almost 13-hour filibuster generated a massive amount of attention from conservative activists Wednesday, and many were asking why Minority Leader Mitch McConnell wasn’t on the floor cheering him on.
March 7, 2013
Republican Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham offered a pointed rebuttal Thursday morning to the nearly 13-hour filibuster Wednesday by Sen. Rand Paul about the Obama administration’s use of drones.
March 7, 2013
Sen. Rand Paul’s nearly 13-hour “talking filibuster” of John O. Brennan’s nomination to head the CIA featured weighty constitutional questions about the power of the government to use drones to kill Americans on U.S. soil. But it also had its moments of levity. Here are the best moments CQ Roll Call saw.
March 6, 2013
Sen. Rand Paul has a good chance, in the short term, of succeeding in his filibuster of John O. Brennan to be CIA director.
March 6, 2013
“I will speak until I can no longer speak.”
March 6, 2013
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, offered his colleague Sen. Rand Paul a brief respite on the Senate floor after the Kentucky Republican spoke for more than three hours in a talking filibuster of President Barack Obama’s nominee to head the CIA.
March 6, 2013
As one Republican senator launched a “talking filibuster” Wednesday, the No. 2 Democratic leader in the Senate signaled it may already be time to reopen debate about the chamber’s rules.
March 5, 2013
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., reiterated his personal support for Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., on Tuesday, the day after reports cast further doubt on allegations that Menendez had hired prostitutes while traveling in the Dominican Republic.
March 4, 2013
Proving once again that Congress is still about relationships, appropriators have at least found something on which they can agree: naming a warship after a late colleague.
March 1, 2013
Even the actual House majority whip has thoughts about his fictional counterpart in the Netflix TV series “House of Cards.”
March 1, 2013
The Senate Appropriations Committee announced Friday that its staff director is retiring, but his successor has no shortage of experience.
Feb. 25, 2013
The top Republican on the Senate panel that oversees the federal workforce is calling for leaving lower-level executive branch jobs unfilled to help offset the spending cuts required by the looming budget sequester.
Feb. 24, 2013
The White House is aiming its latest warnings about the dire consequences of deep across-the-board spending cuts at an audience beyond the Beltway, issuing a new report Sunday that breaks down the effects on every state.
Feb. 24, 2013
Four senators working on legislation to expand background checks for firearm purchases are not anywhere near an agreement, Sen. Tom Coburn said Sunday.
Feb. 24, 2013
The nine-letter word “sequester” was treated as a four-letter expletive on the Sunday morning talk shows this week.
Feb. 21, 2013
Senate Republican Conference Chairman John Thune told some elementary school students Thursday that he does not plan to seek the presidency.
Feb. 21, 2013
Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., is suggesting the Obama administration use a scalpel instead of ax to implement spending cuts under the budget sequester.
Feb. 21, 2013
Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and other Democratic elected officials used a conference in Connecticut on Thursday to press for new state and federal laws to curb gun violence.
Feb. 20, 2013
“This successful sting operation is sure to be a buzzkill for would-be honey smugglers,” saidSen. Charles E. Schumer, who may have exceeded all allowable standards by squeezing four puns into a three-sentence statement about an illegal dumping case against two U.S. honey processors.
Feb. 19, 2013
Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. said Tuesday that parents interested in having firearms for protection should purchase shotguns instead of assault weapons.
Feb. 15, 2013
Nothing unites lawmakers like sports.
