U.S. Congress

The U.S. Capitol (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

U.S. Senate spending panel sets funding levels for annual bills

BY: - June 22, 2023

WASHINGTON — A group of U.S. Senate Democrats on Thursday approved funding levels for dozens of federal departments for the fiscal year that starts Oct. 1 — setting up a likely clash with House Republicans as a deadline approaches later this year. The move to advance the spending plan was essential if Congress is going […]

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer at the U.S. Capitol following a meeting on the debt limit with President Joe Biden and other congressional leaders at the White House on May 9, 2023. (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)

U.S. risks debt default in early June, congressional budget office agrees

BY: - May 12, 2023

WASHINGTON — The federal government could default on its debt during the first two weeks of June without action on bipartisan legislation, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The nonpartisan budget scorekeeper issued an updated report Friday, warning that “if the debt limit remains unchanged, there is a significant risk that at some point in the first […]

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) listens as U.S. Senate Minority Whip Sen. John Thune (R-SD) speaks to reporters following a weekly Republican policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on Oct. 19, 2021, in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

McConnell re-elected U.S. Senate GOP leader, fending off bid by Florida’s Rick Scott

BY: - November 16, 2022

WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans overwhelmingly re-elected Mitch McConnell on Wednesday as their leader for the next Congress, though nearly a dozen members backed Florida Sen. Rick Scott’s attempt to usurp McConnell. Scott’s bid, which he launched Tuesday during an hours-long discussion among Senate Republicans about the future of their party amid disappointing results in the […]

With the victory of U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, Democrats are projected to keep the majority in the U.S. Senate.

Democrats projected to retain U.S. Senate control after winning Nevada seat

BY: - November 13, 2022

Democratic U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada will win reelection, according to Associated Press projections late Saturday, ensuring Democrats will remain in the majority next year no matter what happens in a runoff election in Georgia next month. After days of vote counting, U.S. Sens. Mark Kelly of Arizona and Cortez Masto were both […]

Voters wait in line at a Mesa polling location on Nov. 8, 2022.

U.S. Senate control too close to call as multiple states grapple with tight vote counts

BY: , and - November 9, 2022

WASHINGTON —  Control of the U.S. Senate remained unclear early Wednesday as races in a handful of swing states in the midterm elections were still too close to call, and it appeared it might be days — or even weeks — before a final result was known. Among the tightest contests: In Pennsylvania, Lt. Gov. […]

The U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. (Getty Images)

Control of U.S. Senate still a guess ahead of midterm elections

BY: - November 1, 2022

WASHINGTON — Democrats and Republicans have just a handful of frantic days left to convince voters who should control Congress before voting in the Nov. 8 midterm elections ends. The two political parties are spending millions on campaign ads and mailers in the dozens of toss-up races that will determine control of Congress, while President […]