Senate

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GOP Senator Says She Lacks Energy for Another Term

Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming says it's been 'difficult, exhausting' session

(Newser) - Sen. Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming has announced that she's leaving the Senate after one term, opening a rare GOP primary fight in one of the nation's most reliably Republican states. Lummis, 69, said Friday that she will not run in 2026, timing the decision with the Senate's adjournment...

Johnson Blocks Vote on Health Subsidies; Was 'Not to Be'

Dismisses GOP moderates who wanted an extension; subsidies will now almost surely expire Dec. 31

(Newser) - House Speaker Mike Johnson has shut down a push for a vote to keep expanded Affordable Care Act subsidies in place, leaving millions facing higher premiums when the aid ends on Dec. 31. After days of mixed signals, Johnson told Republicans in a closed-door meeting on Tuesday that the House...

Musk Is Back to Bankrolling GOP Campaigns

So much for the billionaire's 'American Party'

(Newser) - Elon Musk is quietly reemerging as a heavyweight Republican donor, this time with a focus on the 2026 battle for Congress. According to Axios , Musk has begun pouring money into GOP House and Senate campaigns, marking a notable shift from his supposed launch of a third " American Party "...

Bid to Save ObamaCare Subsidies Fails in Senate

Vote means they are all but certain to expire at the end of the year

(Newser) - The Senate on Thursday rejected legislation to extend Affordable Care Act tax credits, essentially guaranteeing that millions of Americans will see a steep rise in costs at the beginning of the year, per the AP . Senators rejected a Democratic bill to extend the subsidies for three years and a Republican...

Rising Dem Star Shakes Up Texas Senate Race

Jasmine Crockett looks to unseat GOP's John Cornyn, amid a crowded field

(Newser) - Texas Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett, widely seen as a rising star in her party, has formally launched a campaign for the US Senate, aiming to unseat Republican Sen. John Cornyn. Crockett made her announcement at a campaign event on Monday and released a video using audio of President Trump criticizing...

Competing Plans on Subsidies Tie Up Congress

Democrats are united on extending ACA aid, but Republicans have no consensus

(Newser) - With enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies expiring soon, members of Congress—especially Republicans—are split on what to do. GOP leaders in the House and Senate are considering holding votes next week on the party's health care priorities, Axios reports, though there's no consensus yet on what the...

Hegseth Wears Thin on Congressional Republicans

Lawmakers express frustration with Pentagon secrecy over strikes

(Newser) - Republican lawmakers are expressing exasperation with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and his management of the Pentagon—with some suggesting he may not be able to keep the job even if their investigations clear him in the fatal attack on apparent survivors of a US strike in the Caribbean. Their frustration...

Mike Johnson Backs Trump on Sedition Attacks Against Dems

Speaker claims Trump was 'defining' sedition, not calling for executions

(Newser) - House Speaker Mike Johnson came to the defense of President Trump after the president's latest incendiary comments, in which Trump accused congressional Democrats of "sedition"—a crime the POTUS noted is "punishable by death." Trump, who suggested that six Democrats who encouraged US troops to...

A Rare Unanimous Vote in House Kills Big Senator Payouts

It's a 426-0 nay for $500K in damages sought over seized records in Trump probe

(Newser) - The House of Representatives cast a unanimous 426-0 vote on Wednesday to remove a Senate-added provision that could have allowed certain senators to claim at least $500,000 each in taxpayer-funded damages. The provision, which drew bipartisan criticism, was inserted into the legislation that ended the recent government shutdown and...

Senate Agrees to Pass Bill on Epstein Files

Legislation could reach Trump's desk tonight

(Newser) - A bill to force the Justice Department to release its files on Jeffrey Epstein is set to reach President Trump's desk after passing the House with near-unanimous consen t. Hours after the House vote, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer offered a motion that secured unanimous consent to deem the...

Massie Wants Vote to Rule Out Veto of Epstein Files Release

Republican said there could be a 'deluge' of GOP support

(Newser) - As many as 100 House Republicans may support a measure to force the release of files related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Rep. Thomas Massie said Sunday. Speaking on ABC News ' This Week, Massie said the House is expected to vote on the matter this week and suggested there...

Trump's Redistricting Hits a Wall in Indiana

White House immediately summons state lawmakers to Washington

(Newser) - President Trump's plan to redistrict Indiana to try to deliver more congressional seats to Republicans in the 2026 midterms does not have the votes to pass the state Senate, its leader announced Friday. So the GOP-run Senate will not convene for a redistricting session, President Pro Tem Rodric Bray...

Senate Votes to End Government Shutdown

House must still reconvene to vote on the legislation

(Newser) - The Senate passed legislation Monday to reopen the government, bringing the longest shutdown in history closer to an end as a small group of Democrats ratified a deal with Republicans despite searing criticism from within their party, the AP reports. The 41-day shutdown could last a few more days as...

Senate Takes Step to End Shutdown as 8 Dems Vote Yes

8 Democrats voted with GOP to move forward with new deal

(Newser) - The Senate took the first step to end the government shutdown on Sunday after a group of moderate Democrats agreed to proceed without a guaranteed extension of health care subsidies, angering many in their caucus who say Americans want them to continue the fight, the AP reports. In a test...

GOP Has New Offer to End the Shutdown

But Democrats are expected to reject it in Friday vote

(Newser) - Senate Republicans are making another attempt to end the government shutdown, now the longest in history, but Democrats are apparently unswayed. Senate Majority Leader John Thune is preparing a new vote to reopen the government on Friday, the 38th day of the shutdown. His latest offer swaps the stopgap funding...

Senate Narrowly Rejects Putting Check on Attacking Venezuela

Just two Republicans break ranks in vote, though several fall short of endorsing Trump taking military action

(Newser) - The Senate narrowly voted down a proposal Thursday that would have required congressional approval before President Trump could launch military operations against Venezuela. The measure, backed largely by Democrats and two Republicans, failed 49-51, marking the second time in a month that lawmakers have tried unsuccessfully to limit the administration'...

Thune: Scrapping Filibuster Is Not Going to Happen

But other GOP senators are wavering

(Newser) - President Trump urged Republican senators to scrap the filibuster at a White House breakfast Wednesday, but Senate Majority leader John Thune made it clear that there aren't enough votes. "We have to get the country open. And the way we're going to do it this afternoon is...

GOP, Thune Stand Up to Trump on Filibuster Rule

Senate Republicans insists it's a safeguard for minority power, shutdown or no

(Newser) - Republican senators brushed aside President Trump's latest demand to eliminate the Senate filibuster on Friday, even as their party tries to exert pressure on Democrats to end the government shutdown. Trump's call to remove the 60-vote threshold to pass most legislation, delivered on Truth Social, injected new uncertainty...

State Senator Charged in Alleged Blackmail Plot

Maryland lawmaker allegedly conspired to record a former consultant in bed with married man

(Newser) - Maryland state Sen. Dalya Attar faces federal charges after allegedly conspiring to secretly record a former political consultant in bed with a married man and threaten to release the footage, according to an indictment unsealed Thursday. Attar, a Democrat from Baltimore and the first Orthodox Jewish woman to serve in...

Trump Has a Solution to End Government Shutdown

Just scrap the filibuster, he suggests to the Senate

(Newser) - President Trump is calling on the Senate to scrap the filibuster, so that the Republican majority can bypass Democrats and reopen the federal government, the AP reports. "THE CHOICE IS CLEAR—INITIATE THE 'NUCLEAR OPTION,' GET RID OF THE FILIBUSTER," Trump posted Thursday night on his...

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