U.S. Senate

WASHINGTON - A Senate committee left little doubt Tuesday that changes are coming to social media giants Facebook and Twitter for their policies on controlling content posted on their websites. Democrats and Republicans at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing accused... Read More

WASHINGTON — Amid indications President Donald Trump will move to slash the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq before he leaves office, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell attacked the idea in a blistering Senate floor speech Monday. McConnell has been almost unfailingly loyal to Trump, but the Kentucky Republican has openly pushed back... Read More

ATLANTA — Georgia Republicans still aren't acknowledging President-elect Joe Biden's victory. But they are raising the specter of his incoming administration's agenda to rally conservatives ahead of the high-stakes Jan. 5 runoffs. At a joint event Friday, U.S. Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue promoted the same message about the battle for control... Read More

ATLANTA — Georgia has unexpectedly become host to a one-state referendum on a national question — Which party should control the U.S. Senate? — and the outcome will likely shape the ambitions of Joe Biden's presidency as well as his party's future. Money, media and political... Read More

WASHINGTON -- The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee implied Tuesday that government officials will be fired or prosecuted soon for investigating whether Trump administration officials sought Russian assistance to influence the 2016 election. He called the Crossfire Hurricane investigation... Read More

WASHINGTON — Georgia, the state on track to produce the closest finish of the 2020 presidential election, is about to endure an unprecedented political encore that will decide control of the U.S. Senate. The runoff campaigns for both the state's Senate seats are set... Read More

WASHINGTON — Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Democratic Sen. Charles E. Schumer of New York were reelected Tuesday to lead their parties in the Senate during the next Congress. The leadership elections, which occurred behind closed doors Tuesday morning, were held even though it's still unclear which party will hold... Read More

WASHINGTON - Speaking out on the presidential election for the first time since the race was called in Democrat Joe Biden's favor, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said President Donald Trump is "100% within his rights" to challenge the... Read More

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- California Gov. Gavin Newsom has said he's been lobbied for months about who would fill Kamala Harris' Senate seat should she be elected vice president, and he admitted it hasn't been fun. "It's not something I'd wish... Read More

WASHINGTON — Republicans brushed back challengers in some of the most competitive Senate contests, bolstering the party's hopes of retaining control of the chamber and erecting a powerful firewall against a potential Joe Biden administration. As of early Wednesday evening, the Senate map stood at 48 Republicans and 47 Democrats, with five... Read More

WASHINGTON — Democrats' hopes of sweeping to a Senate majority faded as marquee contests stretched into overtime early Wednesday and some of the most vulnerable Republican incumbents remained in contention while the vote counts dragged on. Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Susan Collins of Maine, whose defeats had been considered... Read More

WASHINGTON — Three Interior Department divisions have gone without Senate-confirmed leaders during the entire Trump administration, endangering department policies and decisions over violations of laws that govern presidential appointments and nominations. Through a series of appointments that appear to have bypassed the Appointments Clause... Read More

WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Senate confirmed Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court Monday evening, marking the first time in 151 years that a justice was confirmed without the support of a single member of the minority party. Shortly afterward,... Read More

WASHINGTON - The GOP-led Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday voted to advance the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the full Senate, despite a Democratic boycott on the hearing. The 12-0 vote by the committee virtually assures... 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 - Amid ongoing COVID-19 economic aid negotiations and the approaching election, the Senate shot down on Tuesday a standalone measure authorizing a second round of forgivable loans to small businesses. Republicans were unified in their attempt to push forward the bill while nearly... 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 -- 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 — If Democrats win control of the Senate and White House in November, many progressives want to get rid of a long-standing Senate rule — the legislative filibuster — to ensure that their agenda in a Joe Biden presidency... Read More

WASHINGTON - "What you're about to witness will be a kind of a Kabuki theatre," Ron Bonjean said the other day. The communications Sherpa during Justice Neil Gorsuch's confirmation to the U.S. Supreme Court, he was reflecting on that experience... 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 nominated U.S. Circuit Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court Saturday afternoon, capping a dramatic first-term reshaping of the federal judiciary that he hopes will provide a needed boost to his re-election effort. Barrett,... Read More

SAN JOSE, Calif. — If it seemed like the most pivotal point in Kamala Harris’ quest to help Democrats win the White House was a looming debate with Vice President Mike Pence, that may all have changed Friday evening. Now... Read More

WASHINGTON - Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is refusing to back down from what is sure to be an intense fight over who will fill the Supreme Court seat now vacant after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.... Read More

WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans plan to vote later this week on another economic relief package for Americans dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, but the slimmed-down plan — which does not include new checks for individuals — is already a deal-breaker... Read More

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell expressed doubts about whether Congress can get a deal on another pandemic relief package when lawmakers return to Washington after a monthlong recess, despite the Trump administration’s push for a quick, targeted stimulus. “I don’t... 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 -- The U.S. postmaster tried to convince a sometimes skeptical Senate committee Friday that recent interruptions in mail service represented only an effort to cut costs amid a tight budget. The Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee called the... Read More

MISSOULA, Mont. — Bradshaw Sumners watched throughout February as COVID-19 hot spots developed in major American cities, waiting to see when the coronavirus pandemic would manifest in Montana. When it finally did, life for the Livingston resident and father of... Read More