Senate Republicans are facing crunch time on a long-overdue budget resolution, which has divided their conference over the possibility of cutting Medicaid and adding language to increase the debt ceiling by as much as $5 trillion.
Whether they move on the bill this week could depend largely on a key ruling from Senate parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has told colleagues that he wanted to get the budget to the floor this...
Senate
Thune, Johnson seek breakthrough on stalled Trump agenda
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and key committee chairs from the Senate and House will meet Tuesday in hope of reaching a breakthrough on President Trump’s stalled agenda, including border security, energy and tax reform.
Thune told reporters he is hoping the Senate will act on a budget resolution in the next three weeks that would lay the groundwork for moving a package later this year to secure the border, expand domestic oil and gas...
Rising anger among Democrats fuels talk of Tea Party-style backlash
Democrats are seeing signs of growing energy on the grassroots level, raising questions about the possibility of a Tea Party-style movement from the party’s progressive flank.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) drew tens of thousands on stops for their “Fighting Oligarchy Tour” over the weekend, illustrating what progressives say is their message’s resonance among voters.
Meanwhile, progressive lawmakers are signaling the need for ...
Oz dodges questions about Medicaid cuts in confirmation hearing
Dr. Mehmet Oz, President Trump’s pick to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), dodged questions from Democrats on Friday about whether he supported potential cuts to Medicaid.
Instead, the heart-surgeon-turned-celebrity-physician focused much of his testimony before the Senate Finance Committee about how he wants to make Americans healthier and improve the efficiency of the health system.
Oz, who ran unsuccessfully for Senate in 2022, spoke in ...
The looming budget question: Will Medicaid cuts fund tax cuts?
The challenge of restoring fiscal responsibility will be on full display in the months ahead following the passage of the House of Representatives budget resolution for the 2025 fiscal year on Feb. 25.
It set the stage for legislation that can circumvent the Senate’s 60-vote threshold and pass with a simple majority. While it does not include specific changes to spending and taxes, it specifies which House committees should finance deficits in reconci...
Senate Republicans seek major changes to House-passed Trump budget bill
Senate Republicans are staring down a major fight to overhaul the House's budget resolution as lawmakers eye big changes.
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), with the help of President Trump’s muscle, was able to get the House's plan to enact Trump's sweeping legislative agenda past a key hurdle on Tuesday.
But even as Senate Republicans say they're relieved the House was able to advance the measure, they're also crying foul that it wouldn't make the 2017 Trump tax cuts pe...
Senate adopts budget resolution after marathon overnight vote-a-rama
The Senate on Friday adopted a budget resolution intended to serve as a blueprint to deliver the first part of President Trump’s agenda.
Senators voted 52-48 along party lines on the resolution after a marathon overnight voting session. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) voted against the measure.
The so-called vote-a-rama lasted about 10 hours, as Democrats sought to dial up the heat on Republicans with dozens of amendments needling the party on taxes and Medicaid. <...
Booker outlines multipart plan to push back on Trump, Musk
Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) on Sunday outlined Democrats’ strategy to push back on President Trump’s and tech billionaire Elon Musk’s efforts to reshape much of the federal government through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and other means of executive authority.
In an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Booker said Democrats are fighting back through the courts, in Congress and through public and media engagement with constituents.
"I think the pla...
GOP senators introduce bill to ban taxpayer funding for abortions
Republican lawmakers reintroduced a piece of legislation that would ban the use of federal funds for abortions or health coverage that includes abortion this week.
If passed, the bill would essentially codify a decades-old policy called the Hyde Amendment which has banned the use of any federal dollars on abortions since 1977.
There are two caveats, however. The Hyde Amendment does allow for federal funds to be spent on abortions if continuing a pregnancy en...
RFK Jr. faces mounting bipartisan criticism
Pressure is mounting on Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as critics squeeze senators from both sides of the aisle to oppose President Trump’s pick to be the nation’s top health official.
Kennedy’s bipartisan opponents, including liberal advocates and an organization founded by former Vice President Pence, argue the nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services secretary isn't fit to serve.
Liberals point to Kennedy's longtime advocacy against vaccines and ...