Senate

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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...

Senate Votes to Repeal 'Liberation Day' Tariffs

Like similar measures this week, resolution has no chance of passing the House

(Newser) - The Senate has voted to roll back President Trump's sweeping "Liberation Day" tariffs, with four Republicans joining Democrats to approve a resolution aimed at ending the global trade measures. The bipartisan move, led by GOP Sen. Rand Paul, saw fellow Republican Sens. Mitch McConnell, Susan Collins, and Lisa...

Shutdown Talks May Be Finally Starting to Thaw

Hopes emerge of a deal next week

(Newser) - Is a thaw underway in shutdown talks? The Hill reports that Senate Republicans and Democrats are quietly searching for a way out as early as next week. Semafor similarly reports on an "unmistakable shift" below the leadership level, and the outlet also sees next week as a distinct possibility....

Senators Clash Over Owl-Killing Plan

Republican senator accuses administration of planning 'DEI for owls"

(Newser) - A Senate debate over a plan to protect an endangered owl species by killing other owls turned heated on Wednesday, though the Biden administration's controversial proposal survived. GOP Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana forced a vote on a resolution to block the Fish and Wildlife Service's plan , which...

Senate Votes to Nullify Trump's Canada Tariffs

4 GOP senators voted with Democrats on measure, but it has no chance in the House

(Newser) - The Senate passed legislation Wednesday that would nullify US tariffs on Canada. The move comes just as President Trump is engaged in trade talks in Asia as well as an increasingly bitter trade spat with Canada, one of America's largest economic partners, the AP reports. The 50-46 tally was...

5 GOP Senators Join Dems to Block Trump Tariffs

Senate passes resolution rebuking Trump, though it's widely seen as symbolic

(Newser) - The Senate on Tuesday voted to approve a resolution to block President Trump's tariffs on Brazil, with five Republicans siding with Democrats in a move widely seen as a rebuke to the president's trade policies. The 52-48 vote, led by Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, aims to...

13th Time Wasn't Lucky for Bill to End Shutdown

GOP-backed stopgap spending bill voted down yet again on day 28 of shutdown

(Newser) - The second-longest government shutdown in US history dragged into its 28th day Tuesday, with the Senate again unable to break a deadlock over funding. For the 13th time, Senate Democrats blocked a GOP spending bill, insisting on protections for health care funding, the Guardian reports. The latest defeat for the...

Senator Wraps Up Speech After More Than 22 Hours

'I am standing here to ring the alarm bells,' Merkley said during marathon speech

(Newser) - Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon launched a marathon speech on the Senate floor Tuesday night, warning that President Trump's actions pose "grave threats" to American democracy. The Democrat began speaking at 6:21pm Eastern and wrapped it up almost 23 hours later at around 5pm Wednesday. He used...

This Now the Third-Longest Shutdown in History

Nov. 1 might be a pivotal day

(Newser) - The government shutdown entered its 20th day on Monday, making it the third-longest in US history, reports NBC News . Only the shutdowns of 2018-2019 (35 days) and 1995-96 (21 days) lasted longer, and Punchbowl News notes that those were partial shutdowns in comparison to the current full shutdown. It's...

Senate Is Now 0 for 10 on Shutdown Votes

There's no end in sight after Thursday's 51-45 vote

(Newser) - Senate Democrats rejected for the 10th time Thursday a stopgap spending bill that would reopen the government, insisting they won't back away from demands that Congress take up health care benefits. The vote failed Thursday morning on a 51-45 vote, well short of the 60 needed to advance with...

Senate Votes Down Funding Bills for a 6th Time

Party leaders are digging in as shutdown stalemate drags on

(Newser) - Efforts to resolve the ongoing government shutdown stalled again on Wednesday, with the Senate rejecting both Democratic and Republican proposals to restore funding. Both parties remain firm in their demands, extending the deadlock that began eight days ago, the Guardian reports. The vote on a stopgap funding bill already...

'SharpieGate' Figure Will Lead NOAA
'SharpieGate' Figure
Will Lead NOAA
Oct 8, 2025 10:55 AM CDT

'SharpieGate' Figure Will Lead NOAA

Neil Jacobs takes helm years after ethics controversy

(Newser) - The Senate has approved Neil Jacobs as the new head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a move that brings back a familiar face from the " SharpieGate " hurricane forecast controversy. The atmospheric scientist who previously served as the NOAA's acting director was confirmed as part...

White House Making Good on Threat of Shutdown Layoffs

Federal workers and key programs face immediate risk as impasse continues

(Newser) - As threatened by the Trump administration ahead of the government shutdown, federal employees could soon face layoffs as the shutdown continues with no end yet in sight . Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought told House Republicans in a conference call Wednesday, the first day of the shutdown,...

Senate Rejects 2 Bills to End Shutdown

Bills failed by same margins as Tuesday night

(Newser) - In what may become a daily occurrence while the government shutdown continues, rival stopgap spending bills were voted down in the Senate on Wednesday. A Democratic proposal to fund the government until Oct. 31 failed in a 53-47 vote, with Republicans united in opposition, the BBC reports. A House-passed Republican...

Fetterman Heaps Criticism on Democrats

But senator, standing by Israel and pushing back on party extremes, says he won't switch to GOP

(Newser) - Sen. John Fetterman is making it clear he's staying put in the Democratic Party, even as he voices discomfort with some of its tactics and rhetoric. On Fox Business Network's Sunday Morning Futures, Fetterman told host Maria Bartiromo that he won't be joining the GOP, though...

Senate Rejects Bills That Would Prevent Shutdown

Republicans said Democrats were making demands that would ramp up spending

(Newser) - The Senate rejected competing measures on Friday to fund federal agencies for a few weeks when the new budget year begins on Oct. 1, increasing prospects for a partial government shutdown on that date. Leaders of the two parties sought to blame the other side for the standoff, reports the...

Ousted CDC Director Shares Her Take on What Transpired

Susan Monarez says RFK Jr. wanted 'blanket approval' of vaccine changes

(Newser) - Former CDC Director Susan Monarez appeared before the Senate on Wednesday, detailing the circumstances of her unexpected firing less than a month after her Senate confirmation. Monarez testified that she was removed for refusing to follow directives from Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., specifically his...

Trump's Fed Pick Confirmed Just Ahead of Meeting

Miran becomes first sitting White House official on central bank's board

(Newser) - The Senate on Monday confirmed Stephen Miran, President Trump's senior economic adviser , to the Federal Reserve board in a tight 48-47 vote that came just two weeks after the legislative body received the nomination—the second-quickest Fed confirmation in more than 25 years, the Wall Street Journal reports....

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