Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., who is now facing an additional charge of acting as a foreign agent in an indictment released Thursday, has a history of opposing Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) reforms, according to Senate records. In 2020, Menendez blocked Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley’s bipartisan-led effort to create stricter …
Read More »Biden nominee for Israel ambassador Jack Lew advances in Senate committee, headed to floor vote
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee advanced President Biden’s nominee pick for ambassador to Israel, Jack Lew, on Wednesday, despite mounting Republican opposition. In a 12-9 vote, committee members voted to advance Lew during a closed business meeting. His nomination now heads to a full floor vote. Sen. Majority Leader, Chuck …
Read More »White House move to cancel $4.9B foreign aid with 'pocket rescission' blasted as illegal
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle panned the White House’s move to cancel billions in foreign aid funding as illegal and warned that it could have dire consequences on the fast-approaching deadline to fund the government. The White House on Thursday notified Congress of the administration’s intent to cancel …
Read More »Reporter's Notebook: Democrats' shutdown gamble reveals party divisions, Schumer's weak spot with the left
It’s often hard to separate the noise from the signal in politics. The noise is that congressional Democrats are fighting President Donald Trump and Republicans over a prospective government shutdown and healthcare spending. The signal is scratchy. But if you turn the squelch knob, you may detect the signal. We …
Read More »Trump-approved plan to avert government shutdown scuttled by Senate
Senate Republicans’ bid to pass a short-term government funding extension was foiled by Senate Democrats as the deadline to fund the government fast approaches. While the proposal easily glided through the House with little drama, it hit a brick wall in the Senate and failed 44-48. Only one lawmaker, Sen. …
Read More »Government limps deeper into shutdown crisis with no deal in sight
The Senate remains deadlocked on a path to end the shutdown as it nears its second week, and Republicans’ meager support across the aisle to reopen the government may be crumbling. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., needs at least eight Senate Democratic caucus members to join Republicans to reopen …
Read More »Senate Republicans confirm more than 100 Trump nominees as government shutdown continues
Senate Republicans confirmed a staggering tranche of President Donald Trump’s nominees on Tuesday as the government shutdown continues. Lawmakers voted along party lines to confirm the batch of 107 of Trump’s nominees, a move that whittled down the remaining pending nominees on the Senate’s calendar to double digits. It also …
Read More »Trump’s week in review: President secures historic peace deal to bring hostages home as shutdown continues
President Donald Trump secured a historic peace deal between Israel and Hamas this week that will end the war in Gaza and return hostages two years after the terrorist network attacked Israel Oct. 7, 2023 — all while the U.S. government remains in a shutdown due to a stalemate in …
Read More »Kennedy says Schumer 'nervous as a pregnant nun' as socialist wing tightens grip amid government shutdown
Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., accused Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., of engineering what he called a “political shutdown” to appease the far-left wing of the Democratic Party — a claim Schumer has denied. “His relationship with the truth is very casual,” Kennedy told “Fox & Friends” on Wednesday. “He’s …
Read More »Pam Bondi accuses Sen. Blumenthal of lying about military service during heated hearing
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi got into a heated exchange Tuesday with Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., accusing him of lying about his military record after he questioned her about the lobbying activities of her former law firm. The confrontation took place during a Senate Judiciary Committee oversight hearing when Blumenthal …
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