Senate

WASHINGTON — Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., confirmed one of California politics’ most poorly kept secrets, announcing Thursday that he is running in 2024 for Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s Senate seat. Schiff is the second candidate to formally enter what is... Read More

WASHINGTON — Former Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts was sworn in as the U.S. Senate’s 100th senator on Monday, taking the place of former Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., who retired to take a position at the University of Florida. Ricketts, a... Read More

RICHMOND, Va. — U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., ended weeks of suspense Friday morning when he announced he intends to seek a third term in 2024. “I am happy to announce that I will seek reelection in 2024 to keep... Read More

WASHINGTON — Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., fresh off a successful bid to be elected to represent California’s newly redistricted 47th Congressional District, announced Tuesday she is a candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2024, seeking the seat currently held by... Read More

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Democratic Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania said Thursday that he will undergo surgery for prostate cancer but is expected to make a full recovery. Casey, 62, revealed his diagnosis via Twitter Thursday morning. “While this news came... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Senate passed a sweeping $1.7 trillion spending package Thursday, overcoming last minute objections related to the future of Title 42, and sending the measure on to the House in time to avert a partial government shutdown. The... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Senate voted 71-19 on Thursday to clear a one-week continuing resolution to keep the government funded as lawmakers finish work on the omnibus spending package. Lawmakers now have through Dec. 23 to get the massive spending plan... Read More

WASHINGTON — A bill introduced in the Senate on Wednesday would establish a first-of-its kind $30 million pilot grant program to provide funding to community-based mental wellness and resilience programs in communities bearing the brunt of the climate crisis. Introduced... Read More

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden moved quickly Friday morning to sign H.J. Res. 100 into law and thereby avert a nationwide rail shutdown that many have said would have caused a devastating $2 billion-per-day hit to the U.S. economy. The... Read More

WASHINGTON — A Senate committee on Thursday nearly eliminated uncertainties about whether the government will regulate the cryptocurrency industry soon as lawmakers reviewed the collapse of digital financial firm FTX. FTX’s cryptocurrency exchange held assets of more than 1 million... Read More

WASHINGTON — A Senate committee tried to tweak the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure law Wednesday to make sure the government is getting a good deal with its record investment to boost the economy. The five-year program won wide approval during... Read More

WASHINGTON – The Senate passed a bill to codify federal recognition of same-sex marriage on Tuesday night, adding religious liberty protections to ensure its bipartisan support. The 61-36 vote in the chamber now sends the measure to the House, where... Read More

WASHINGTON — A Senate panel showed a cynical attitude toward a proposed $24.6 billion merger of major grocery chains Kroger Co. and Albertsons Cos. during a hearing Tuesday. The chief executive officers promised consumers would benefit if the Federal Trade... Read More

WASHINGTON — A bill that would protect same-sex and interracial marriages cleared a major hurdle in the Senate on Wednesday after 12 Republicans joined every Democrat in the chamber in voting to proceed with consideration of enshrining those unions under... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Senate Judiciary Committee last week advanced a bill intended to rein in the power of OPEC+ after the oil producer group led by Saudi Arabia and Russia agreed to dramatically cut their output.  That means if Senate... Read More

WASHINGTON — A bipartisan group of senators on Friday urged the Environmental Protection Agency to use its upcoming decision on the Renewable Fuel Standard to “chart a new course for biofuels” to meet the nation’s “diverse energy demands.” In a... Read More

WASHINGTON — A Senate panel tried to unravel questions Tuesday about how to gather evidence for investigations despite what one senator called “the information blockade” by the presidency. “In recent years, it has been harder and harder to get meaningful... Read More

WASHINGTON — The lead Senate sponsors of the PFAS Free Military Purchasing Act this week lauded the Department of Defense’s recent decision to make its own stand against the proliferation of so-called “forever chemicals.” Late last month, the Defense Department... Read More

WASHINGTON — A Senate panel raised the possibility Wednesday of extending U.S. jurisdiction against Russian military personnel to hold them personally accountable for war crimes in Ukraine. Current federal law allows the Justice Department to prosecute war criminals only if... Read More

WASHINGTON — A bipartisan resolution introduced late last week would authorize the placement of a national memorial commemorating fallen journalists on Independence Avenue, between the Voice of America building and the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. The effort... Read More

WASHINGTON — A Senate committee on Tuesday voted to send a proposal to a final vote that seeks to avoid the kind of disputes that led to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. The rioters were trying... Read More

WASHINGTON — Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said on Tuesday that he supports the Electoral Count Reform Act, which aims to protect future elections from attempts at disruption like those that transpired at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.... Read More

WASHINGTON — The lack of a national plan for getting internet to every native tribe in the country was on full display Wednesday as the Senate Indian Affairs Committee held a roundtable discussion with federal agencies and tribal leaders working... Read More

WASHINGTON — Senators are urging the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to shut down its “Orwellian data-gathering efforts,” according to a letter sent by Sens. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Tuesday. The senators reference multiple reports, including one... Read More

WASHINGTON — It was smoke and more smoke that consumed a Senate hearing Wednesday on how to prepare for wildfires and whether to grant limited exceptions to the Clean Air Act. The four bills discussed at the Senate Environment and... Read More

WASHINGTON — The House on Friday afternoon gave its approval to the Inflation Reduction Act, delivering a significant victory to President Joe Biden. The final vote was 220-207, along party lines. Four Republicans did not vote. In a tweet from... Read More

WASHINGTON — A proposed $35 monthly cap on the price of insulin failed to win approval in the huge economic tax and spending package the Senate passed Sunday. Republicans succeeded in removing the cap by inserting an amendment into the... Read More

WASHINGTON — Scientists revived suspicions Wednesday that COVID-19 escaped from a Chinese lab during a Senate hearing where lawmakers discussed methods for preventing additional pandemics. Their main concern was “gain-of-function” methods that biochemists discovered about 20 years ago. Gain-of-function refers... Read More

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate, in a broadly bipartisan 86-11 vote on Tuesday night, approved a measure to provide health care and benefits for millions of veterans injured by exposure to toxins, from Agent Orange in Vietnam to burn pits... Read More

WASHINGTON — Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., on Thursday rejected assertions he somehow reversed course in coming to terms with Democratic leaders on a reconciliation package now called the Inflation Reduction Act. “A reversal to me is going backwards, and I've... Read More