U.S. Senate

WASHINGTON -- The Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday approved the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court, nearly guaranteeing she will be confirmed by a vote of the full Republican-controlled Senate. “How could anybody in their right... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Senate's escalating partisan tug-of-war over judicial confirmations has frayed relationships in the chamber for decades, but Thursday's committee vote on Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett threatens to sever the rope. The vote is expected to unfold as it did for previous judicial nominees... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Senate will put in a long work session this weekend in a bid to confirm Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court by next Monday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday. McConnell has repeatedly said... Read More

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Senate is scheduled to vote October 22 on whether to confirm Amy Coney Barrett as a member of the U.S. Supreme Court. The Senate Judiciary Committee set the date Thursday on the fourth day of contentious... Read More

WASHINGTON – A national survey by the Small Business for America’s Future coalition found that roughly 8 in ten respondents identified something other than the Supreme Court nomination when asked about Congressional priorities. The survey, conducted from Oct. 2 through... Read More

WASHINGTON -- The Republican chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee predicted the outcome of confirmation hearings to the U.S. Supreme Court of Amy Coney Barrett shortly after the first session started Monday morning. “All the Republicans will vote yes, all... Read More

WASHINGTON — Jamie Harrison, the Democrat challenging Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham in South Carolina, raised more money in the third quarter — $57 million — than any other Senate candidate in history. The record fundraising haul is an indicator of... Read More

Although Republicans appear to have the votes and the unity to confirm Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court — with the potential to move U.S. law in a conservative direction for decades — her Senate confirmation hearings still provide... Read More

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Days before the second debate between Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham and his Democratic challenger Jaime Harrison on Friday, one political prognosticator has shifted the race to a toss-up. The ratings change away from “Lean Republican,” from the... Read More

WASHINGTON — As President Donald Trump emerged from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Monday evening, Senate Republicans were continuing to operate on a timeline that would allow them to confirm Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court —... Read More

PHILADELPHIA — Sen. Pat Toomey has decided not to run for reelection or for governor of Pennsylvania in 2022, according to two people familiar with his plans, a surprise decision by the Republican with significant implications for the next elections... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Senate easily cleared a stopgap funding measure Wednesday that would avoid a partial government shutdown in the weeks leading up to the Nov. 3 elections. On an 84-10 vote, the Senate sent to President Donald Trump’s desk... Read More

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Monday he is likely to name a replacement for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Saturday, as Senate Republicans continued to discuss whether to push for a vote before the election, despite furious... Read More

Senate Republicans hope to vote next week on a so-called “skinny” coronavirus stimulus package even as the gap between the White House and Democrats remains as wide as ever. Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., a close ally of Majority Leader Mitch... Read More

WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans are planning to roll out a “skinny” version of their eight-bill COVID-19 aid package with $10 billion added for the U.S. Postal Service as early as this week. The legislation will be composed of provisions that... Read More

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign eagerly capitalized on Russia’s efforts to meddle in the U.S. election four years ago, according to a bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee report that raises new concerns about connections between his top aides and... Read More

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Republicans on Tuesday nominated Rep. Roger Marshall for the Senate over polarizing conservative Kris Kobach, heeding the party establishment’s advice as it tries to keep a normally safe seat out of play in what could... Read More

WASHINGTON - Thirty-four members of the U.S. Senate have signed a letter to Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue requesting an extension of various waivers that allow low-income students access through the upcoming school year to school-provided meals. One-in-seven children... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday canceled at the last minute the nomination hearing for Anthony J. Tata, President Donald Trump’s controversial pick to be the Pentagon’s policy chief. Tata, a retired Army brigadier general and regular... Read More

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate Thursday passed with a veto-proof majority a Defense spending bill that includes a provision to remove the names of Confederate officers from 10 military bases. All four senators from Kansas and Missouri backed National Defense... Read More

WASHINGTON — Lingering differences among Senate Republicans and the White House stalled the rollout of their proposal for another pandemic relief package, and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the $1 trillion GOP plan won’t be ready until Monday. Lawmakers had... Read More

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Senate tried to figure out a response Wednesday to a trade war with China that is taking on new urgency during the coronavirus pandemic. Republican and Democratic senators identified Chinese computer hackers and patent thieves as... Read More

WASHINGTON -- Scammers who cheat desperate consumers out of money during the coronavirus pandemic prompted calls for federal legislation to crack down on them during a Senate hearing Tuesday. The proposals would set new standards for data privacy, penalize price-gougers... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Senate Democratic caucus has sent a letter to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, urging him to bring the bipartisan American Dream and Promise Act, which grants citizenship to so-called dreamers and certain other classes of immigrants, to the... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Senate passed a major bipartisan public lands bill Wednesday authorizing the spending of nearly $3 billion a year on conservation projects, outdoor recreation and maintenance of national parks and other public lands. The Great American Outdoors Act,... Read More

WASHINGTON — Greater disclosure of police use of force and no-knock warrants, and financial incentives for local law enforcement departments to ban chokeholds, are the centerpieces of a Senate GOP policing reform bill announced Wednesday. The Senate bill and a... Read More

WASHINGTON — A ghost from the old Senate that haunts the chamber’s judicial confirmation fights seems to be disappearing from the floor this year — and might be fading away for good. At about this time during presidential election years,... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Senate impasse over a widely backed bill to designate lynching as a federal hate crime boiled over on Thursday in an emotional debate cast against a backdrop of widespread protests over police treatment of African Americans.... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Senate on Thursday confirmed Texas Rep. John Ratcliffe as director of national intelligence, placing him at the head of several agencies from which President Donald Trump jettisoned official after official. The last Senate-confirmed director of national intelligence,... Read More

WASHINGTON - Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., has been tapped to be the acting chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, taking the place of Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., who stepped down last week amid an investigation into his stock transactions. Burr... Read More