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U.S. Senate advances $95.3 billion bill that includes emergency funding for Ukraine, Israel
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate moved past a procedural hurdle Thursday to begin work on a $95 billion emergency spending bill that would provide military and humanitarian assistance for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. The strong 67-32 vote, which could predict eventual approval, came after a tense week on Capitol Hill that began Sunday evening when […]
U.S. Senate kills immigration overhaul, hits stalemate on Israel, Ukraine aid
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate was stuck over whether to begin debate on an emergency spending bill Wednesday night that would provide $95.3 billion in assistance to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan — after senators blocked a sweeping larger package that would have overhauled immigration law for the first time in decades. Republicans said last year […]
Bleak future for immigration action after U.S. Senate GOP abandons border security deal
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Republicans on Tuesday walked away from the bipartisan border security and immigration deal clinched after months of painstaking negotiations, siding with their House colleagues and presidential front-runner Donald Trump. The decision to block the bill released just two days ago not only leaves laws in place that GOP lawmakers say have […]
Dozens of ‘friend of the court’ briefs backing abortion pill access arrive at Supreme Court
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court has been inundated with dozens of organizations seeking to weigh in on the future of the abortion pill by filing “friend of the court” briefs. The groups include governors, attorneys general, state lawmakers and members of Congress as well as medical organizations, civil rights groups and pharmaceutical companies — […]
National Prayer Breakfast brings Biden, GOP together for brief reprieve from sniping
WASHINGTON — Italian opera singer Andrea Bocelli performed inside the U.S. Capitol’s cathedral-like Statuary Hall on Thursday morning for the National Prayer Breakfast, an annual event attended by members of Congress and the president. The ceremony featured numerous prayers, including one that Tennessee Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn and New York Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand delivered […]
Child tax credit expanded, business tax breaks get new life in bill passed by U.S. House
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to approve a $78 billion tax package that would expand the child tax credit and reinstate some tax incentives for businesses. The 357-70 vote sends the bill, dubbed the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024, to the U.S. Senate, where lawmakers are expected […]
Biden, not Congress, responsible for action on immigration, U.S. House speaker asserts
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday used his first floor speech since taking hold of the gavel more than three months ago to call for immediate action to address undocumented immigration and border security, saying it’s a “moral” responsibility. The Louisiana Republican, however, argued the task should fall to the White House, […]
Missouri Rep. Cori Bush denies using tax dollars for personal security as DOJ investigates
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating how Missouri Democratic Rep. Cori Bush spends campaign funds, according to a statement the congresswoman released Tuesday. “Since before I was sworn into office, I have endured relentless threats to my physical safety and life,” Bush said. “As a rank-and-file member of Congress I am not […]
U.S. Supreme Court schedules March 26 oral arguments in abortion pill access case
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on March 26 in the case that could significantly curtail access to a prescription drug used for both abortions and miscarriage care. The case centers on when and how patients can access mifepristone, a pharmaceutical the U.S. Food and Drug Administration originally approved in 2000. […]
Biden, Yellen tout their administration’s ‘invest in America’ economic gains
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden highlighted the differences between his economic policies and those of the last Republican administration during a trip to a Wisconsin brewery on Thursday, the same day new data showed the U.S. economy grew by 3.1% last year. Biden, who appears likely to face former President Donald Trump in the November […]
Major changes in federal flood insurance program urged by U.S. Senate panel
WASHINGTON — Congress has spent more than six years avoiding its responsibility to reauthorize the National Flood Insurance Program, using a series of stopgap bills to extend the life of the program that has issued nearly 5 million policies. The lackadaisical approach to brokering a five-year reauthorization of the program was one of several topics […]
On to November: Trump win in New Hampshire sets up 2024 rematch with Biden
WASHINGTON —?Leading Republicans —?and the Biden presidential campaign — on Wednesday rushed to identify former President Donald Trump as the presumptive GOP nominee after he won decisively in New Hampshire’s Republican presidential primary. Trump bested Nikki Haley, his former United Nations ambassador, by more than 10 percentage points in a moderate state with an open […]