U.S. Senate

Congress returns to Washington today after a district work period. Monday is especially noteworthy for marking the return of Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., coming back to the Hill after extended absences. McConnell was... Read More

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Millionaire candidates and billionaire investors are harnessing their considerable personal wealth to try to win competitive Republican primaries for open U.S. Senate seats in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Mike Gibbons, an Ohio investment banker, leads the pack... Read More

WASHINGTON — The campaign committee for Senate Democrats has asked the Federal Election Commission to appraise the value of a “research book” it wants to provide to two Democratic candidates to aid in their bids to unseat an incumbent Republican... Read More

DES MOINES, Iowa — In a unanimous ruling, the Iowa Supreme Court on Friday restored Senate candidate Abby Finkenauer’s name to the Democratic primary ballot, once again making her the presumptive frontrunner to face longtime Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley. "This... Read More

WASHINGTON — Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., made what had been a badly kept secret official on Friday — he’s retiring at the end of the year. Because his announcement came before March 1, a special election for the pending vacancy... Read More

WASHINGTON — An effort by congressional staffers to launch a new employee union on Capitol Hill appears to be gaining momentum just days after they announced their intention via Twitter. Already a number of prominent Democrat lawmakers have lined up... Read More

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — After months of wooing by senior Republican party officials, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced Tuesday that he’s decided not to run for the U.S. Senate this year. “I sincerely appreciate all the people who have been encouraging... Read More

WASHINGTON — Members of the Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety and Data Security met on Tuesday to discuss the rise in COVID-19 claims to federal agencies that involve price gouging, sales of fake products, email phishing schemes and... Read More

WASHINGTON — Claire Rhyneer, a mental health youth advocate from Anchorage, Alaska, was a student in middle school when she began to experience a difficult and dark period of depression and self-harm.  “I’m more than an anecdote … I need... Read More

WASHINGTON — Sens. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., and Bill Cassidy, R-La., are leading an effort to convince the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service to provide penalty relief for taxpayers amid what they describe as the “extensive”... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — Voting legislation that Democrats and civil rights leaders say is vital to protecting democracy collapsed when two senators refused to join their own party in changing Senate rules to overcome a Republican filibuster after a raw, emotional debate. The... Read More

WASHINGTON — Dr. Oz, the Emmy award-winning television personality and heart surgeon, is joining the race to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey. “Today, America’s heartbeat is in a code red in need of a defibrillator to shock it back... Read More

WASHINGTON — House Democrats succeeded in including a proposed fee on methane emissions in the Build Back Better Act, but the measure will have to endure scrutiny from centrist Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., before it becomes law. The Democrats' framework... Read More

WASHINGTON —Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., will not seek election to a ninth term in Congress, instead choosing to retire after 48 years on Capitol Hill. “It's time to put down the gavel,” Leahy said from the Vermont state house in... Read More

ATLANTA — Max Cleland, who lost three limbs to a Vietnam War hand grenade blast and later served as a U.S. senator from Georgia, died on Tuesday.  Cleland, who was 79, died at his home in Atlanta. The cause was... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — To get around Republican obstruction, President Joe Biden said Tuesday that Democrats are considering a change to the Senate's filibuster rules in order to quickly approve lifting the nation's debt limit  and avoid what would be a... Read More

WASHINGTON -- Congress is trying to figure out how to confront the evolving threat of domestic terrorism that increasingly uses the internet to recruit sympathizers. The government doesn’t want to squelch free speech but it does want to halt disinformation... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is pressuring lawmakers to reach agreement by next week on a pair of massive domestic spending measures, signaling Democrats' desire to push ahead aggressively on President Joe Biden's multitrillion-dollar agenda. Schumer, D-N.Y.,... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congressional Democrats and immigration advocates are staring at their best chance in years to overcome Republican opposition and give millions of people in the U.S. without legal authorization a way to become citizens. Their goal is to... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — A bipartisan deal to invest nearly $1 trillion in the nation's infrastructure appeared to be back on track Sunday after a stark walk-back by President Joe Biden to his earlier insistence that the bill be coupled with... Read More

Senate Republicans have blocked debate of a sweeping overhaul of how elections are run in the U.S. The bill was pushed by congressional Democrats who argued it was needed to counter a spate of new GOP laws this year tightening... Read More

WASHIINGTON - Senate Republicans filibustered their Democraticcolleague's signature voting rights bill Tuesday night, denying it the 60 votes needed to advance the bill and start debate. Thought the outcome was a foregone conclusion, it was nevertheless a blow to Democrats'... Read More

Rep. John Katko, R-N.Y. recently went into a couple of Lincoln car dealerships in Syracuse, New York, but “neither one of them had any cars.”  “And they’re not going to have any cars for several weeks because of the chip... Read More

WASHINGTON - Rep. Val Demings, D-Fla., made it official this morning, formally launching her Senate campaign to unseat incumbent Republican Sen. Marco Rubio. “Unlike some in Washington, I never tire of standing up for what I believe is right, because... Read More

Rep. Stephanie Murphy has decided not to run for U.S. Senate, a decision that appears to clear the path for another prominent Florida Democrat, Rep. Val Demings, to do so. In a video statement released Monday , Murphy said “The... Read More

WASHINGTON - Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer urged his colleagues to swiftly pass the sweeping water infrastructure bill that came before the chamber Tuesday, calling it a potential starting point for Democrats and Republicans to collaborate on infrastructure, "when and... Read More

MIDDLETOWN, Ohio (AP) — Rodney Muterspaw figures J.D. Vance has already shown he's got what it takes to be a U.S. senator.  Vance, the "Hillbilly Elegy" author and a fellow Middletown native, broke out of poverty and family chaos and... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — With the Senate split 50-50, leaders of the Democratic majority are looking for ways to advance their priorities and President Joe Biden's agenda  around the typical 60-vote threshold needed to overcome a filibuster  by opponents. This week,... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Senate voted 92-7 Thursday to extend the Paycheck Protection Program to the end of May after rejecting Republican efforts to reshape the program and stymie the vote altogether.  The popular program was scheduled to expire on March 31.... Read More

WASHINGTON-  The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing Tuesday on common sense gun prevention after two mass shootings occurred in Atlanta and Boulder this past week.  Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., started the hearing with a moment of silence and a... Read More