Page 2 - Us Senate

Republican leaders reject Trump's demands to scrap Senate filibuster

Back from a week abroad, President Donald Trump threw himself into the shutdown debate, calling on the Senate to scrap the filibuster and reopen the government, an idea swiftly rejected Friday by Republican leaders who have long opposed such a move. Trump pushed his Republican Party to get rid of the Senate rule that requires 60 votes to overcome objections and gives the minority Democrats a check on GOP power. In the chamber that's currently split, 53-47, Democrats have had enough votes to keep the government closed while they demand an extension of health care subsidies. Neither party has seriously wanted to nuke the rule. THE CHOICE IS CLEAR INITIATE THE NUCLEAR OPTION,' GET RID OF THE FILIBUSTER, Trump said in a late night social media post Thursday. Trump's sudden decision to assert himself into the shutdown now in its 31st day bringing the highly charged demand to end the filibuster is certain to set the Senate on edge. It could spur senators toward their own compromise or

US senators seek answers on use of full-body restraints during deportations

A near-total secrecy surrounding deportation flights and the use of full-body restraints onboard is raising serious human rights concerns, a group of 11 Democratic US senators wrote in a letter Thursday to top immigration officials. US Sen Chris Van Hollen of Maryland called upon US Immigration and Customs Enforcement to provide a full accounting of its air operations and to stop using the black and yellow restraints known as the WRAP until the agency explains its policies for the device and resolves other questions about its use on immigration detainees. I think it's very problematic, Van Hollen told The Associated Press. They want to keep the public in the dark. The senators' letter cites an AP investigation this month that revealed several examples of ICE using the device on people sometimes for hours on deportation flights dating to 2020. Van Hollen was joined by US Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Cory Booker of New Jersey, Alex Padilla of California, Tammy Duckwo

4 Republicans back US Senate's resolution to undo Trump's global tariffs

The Senate passed a resolution Thursday that would undo many of President Donald Trump's tariffs around the globe, the latest note of displeasure at his trade tactics in Washington that came just as the president celebrated his negotiations with China as a success. After a meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea, Trump said he would cut tariffs on the Asian economic giant and China would, in turn, purchase 25 million metric tons of US soybeans annually for the next three years. The Republican president claimed his trade negotiations would secure prosperity and security to millions of Americans. But back in Washington, senators several from Trump's Republican Party have demonstrated their dissent with Trump's tariff tactics by passing a series of resolutions this week that would nullify the national emergencies that Trump has declared to justify the import taxes. Already this week, the Senate approved resolutions to end tariffs imposed on Brazil and Canada. While the .

Indian Envoy to US discusses trade deal, energy security with US Senator

India's Ambassador to the United States, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, on Sunday discussed a mutually beneficial trade agreement, energy security and oil and gas trade with Jeanne Shaheen, Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Had a productive meeting with @SenatorShaheen, Ranking Member, Senate Foreign Relations Committee @SFRCdems. Our discussions focused on our work to arrive at a mutually beneficial trade arrangement, India's energy security and increasing oil and gas trade with the US, and shared geopolitical challenges in our region, Kwatra posted on social media. The Indian Ambassador also shared Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Also reiterated our PM's stance for peaceful resolution of conflict in Ukraine through constructive dialogue and diplomacy, Kwatra added. The meeting came in the backdrop of the proposed bilateral trade deal between India and the US, which, according to an official, is "very near" to concluding.

US Congressmen introduce resolution to recognise Diwali's significance

According to a press release, the resolution honours Diwali's cultural, spiritual, and historical significance to over three million Indian-Americans

Trump hosts Senate Republicans at renovated WH as shutdown drags on

Head Start programmes for preschoolers nationwide are scrambling for federal funds. The federal agency tasked with overseeing the US nuclear stockpile has begun furloughing its 1,400 employees. Thousands more federal workers are going without paychecks. But as President Donald Trump welcomed Republican senators for lunch in the newly renovated Rose Garden Club -- with the boom-boom of construction underway on the new White House ballroom -- he portrayed a different vision of America as a unified GOP refuses to yield to Democratic demands for health care funds, and the government shutdown drags on. We have the hottest country anywhere in the world, which tells you about leadership, Trump said in opening remarks, extolling the renovations underway as senators took their seats in the newly paved-over garden turned patio. It was a festive atmosphere under crisp, but sunny autumn skies as senators settled in for cheeseburgers, fries and chocolates, and Trump's favoured songs -- YMCA and

Senate Republicans head to White House amid stalemate on shutdown

As the government shutdown enters its fourth week, Senate Republicans are headed to the White House on Tuesday not for urgent talks on how to end it, but for a display of unity with President Donald Trump as they refuse to negotiate on any Democratic demands. Senate Democrats, too, are confident in their strategy to keep voting against a House-passed bill that would reopen the government until Republicans, including Trump, engage them on extending health care subsidies that expire at the end of the year. With both sides showing no signs of movement, it's unclear how long the stalemate will last even as hundreds of thousands of federal workers will miss another paycheck in the coming days and states are sounding warnings that key federal programmes will soon lapse completely. And the meeting at the White House appears unlikely, for now, to lead to a bipartisan resolution as Senate Republicans are dug in and Trump has followed their lead. I think the president's ready to get involv

US Senate unanimously endorses repeal of 2002 Iraq war resolution

More than two decades later, Congress is on the verge of writing a closing chapter to the war in Iraq. The Senate voted Thursday to repeal the resolution that authorised the 2003 US invasion, following a House vote last month that would return the basic war power to Congress. The amendment by Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, a Democrat, and Indiana Sen. Todd Young, a Republican, was approved by voice vote to an annual defence authorisation bill that passed the Senate late Thursday a unanimous endorsement for ending the war that many now view as a mistake. Iraqi deaths were estimated in the hundreds of thousands, and nearly 5,000 US troops were killed in the war after President George W. Bush's administration falsely claimed that then-President Saddam Hussein was stockpiling weapons of mass destruction. That's the way the war ends, not with a bang but a whimper, Kaine said after the vote, which lasted only a few seconds with no debate and no objections. Still, he said, America is forever .

Senate GOP blocks bid to curb Trump's military strikes on drug cartels

Senate Republicans voted down legislation Wednesday that would have put a check on President Donald Trump's ability to use deadly military force against drug cartels after Democrats tried to counter the administration's extraordinary assertion of presidential war powers to destroy vessels in the Caribbean. The vote fell mostly along party lines, 48-51, with two Republicans voting in favour and one Democrat voting against. It was the first vote in Congress on Trump's military campaign, which according to the White House has so far destroyed four vessels, killed at least 21 people and stopped narcotics from reaching the US. The war powers resolution would have required the president to seek authorisation from Congress before further military strikes on the cartels. The Trump administration has asserted that drug traffickers are armed combatants threatening the United States, creating justification to use military force. But that assertion has been met with some unease on Capitol ...

Trump confidant Sergio Gor appointed as next US ambassador to India

Gor, 38, a close aide of US President Donald Trump, was among 107 nominees approved in a single en bloc vote on Tuesday, with 51 senators in favour and 47 against

US govt shutdown drags on as Senate funding vote fails to break deadlock

Hopes for a quick end to the government shutdown faded Friday as Democrats refused to budge in a Senate vote and President Donald Trump readied plans to unleash layoffs and cuts across the federal government. On the third day of the shutdown, a Senate vote to advance a Republican bill that would reopen the government fell well short of the 60 needed to end a filibuster and pass the legislation. Senators were expected to depart for the weekend, and there have been few signs of any real progress towards ending the congressional standoff. Democrats are demanding that Congress extend healthcare benefits, while Republicans are trying to wear them down with day after day of voting on the House-passed bill that would reopen the government temporarily, mostly at current spending levels. I don't know how many times you're going to give them a chance to vote no, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said at a news conference Friday. He added that he would give Democratic senators the weekend to

TCS questioned by US lawmakers over H-1B hires, layoffs, wage practices

US lawmakers have sought clarifications from Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) regarding its continued filing of H-1B visa petitions, even as the company carries out layoffs of American tech workers

Senate vote fails to end shutdown as Democrats push for healthcare funding

A vote to end the government shutdown hours after it began failed on Wednesday, as Democrats in the Senate held firm to the party's demands to fund health care subsidies that President Donald Trump and Republicans refuse to provide. The tally showed cracks in the Democrats' resolve but offered no breakthrough. Blame was being cast on all sides on the first day of the shutdown. The White House and Congress failed to strike an agreement to keep programs and services open, throwing the country into a new cycle of uncertainty. Roughly 750,000 federal workers were expected to be furloughed, with some potentially fired by Trump's Republican administration. Many offices will be shuttered, perhaps permanently, as the president vows to "do things that are irreversible" to punish Democrats. Trump's deportation agenda is expected to run full speed ahead, while education, environmental and other services sputter. The economic fallout is expected to ripple nationwide. I certainly pray they will

US govt shutdown draws closer as congressional leaders head to White House

Democratic and Republican congressional leaders are heading to the White House for a meeting with President Donald Trump on Monday in a late effort to avoid a government shutdown, but both sides have shown hardly any willingness to budge from their entrenched positions. If government funding legislation is not passed by Congress and signed by Trump on Tuesday night, many government offices across the nation will be temporarily shuttered and non-exempt federal employees will be furloughed, adding to the strain on workers and the nation's economy. Republicans are daring Democrats to vote against legislation that would keep government funding mostly at current levels, but Democrats so far have held firm. They are using one of their few points of leverage to demand that Congress take up legislation to extend health care benefits. The meeting is a first step, but only a first step. We need a serious negotiation, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said in an interview Sunday on NBC's

US Senate confirms Mike Waltz as Trump's ambassador to UN after delays

The Senate on Friday confirmed Mike Waltz to be the next US ambassador to the United Nations, filling the last vacancy in President Donald Trump's Cabinet after eight months of delays and the withdrawal of a previous nominee. The bipartisan vote for Waltz came after a recent procedural hurdle sent his nomination back to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where it had to be voted on again on Wednesday. The Senate did not vote on a separate matter that would formally designate Waltz as a representative at the General Assembly, due to objections from Democrats, according to a person familiar with the Senate deliberations. It is unclear how or whether Waltz would be able to participate at the annual gathering in New York next week. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for clarification.

Trump predicts US govt could shut down on Oct 1 amid funding stalemate

Democrats are demanding a boost to health care spending while Republicans refuse to go along and instead back a simple bill to keep the lights on through Nov 21

Judge rules Trump admin illegally fired thousands of probationary workers

The Trump administration's central human resources office acted illegally when it directed the mass firings of probationary workers as part of President Donald Trump's efforts to downsize the federal workforce, a judge has ruled. US District Judge William Alsup of San Francisco said Friday in awarding judgment to a coalition of labour unions and nonprofits that the US Office of Personnel Management "unlawfully exceeded its own powers and usurped and exercised powers reserved by Congress to each individual" federal agency to hire and fire its own workers. He said the government "disagrees but does not persuade" in its defence that the office did not direct employment decisions, but merely offered guidance to other agencies. "Judge Alsup's decision makes clear that thousands of probationary workers were wrongfully fired, exposes the sham record the government relied upon, and requires the government to tell the wrongly terminated employees that OPM's reasoning for firing them was ...

Trump downplays his letter to Epstein released by Dems; calls it 'nonsense'

The document, shared on House Democrats' X account, reignited an uproar against the Trump administration for its handling of the Epstein case

Kennedy Jr grilled in Senate on vaccine policies; Trump says he means well

US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, facing pointed bipartisan questioning at a rancorous three-hour Senate committee hearing on Thursday, tried to defend his efforts to pull back Covid-19 vaccine recommendations and explain the turmoil he has created at federal health agencies. Kennedy said the fired CDC director was untrustworthy, stood by his past anti-vaccine rhetoric, and disputed reports of people saying they have had difficulty getting Covid-19 shots. A longtime leader in the anti-vaccine movement, Kennedy has made sweeping changes to agencies tasked with public health policy and scientific research by laying off thousands of workers, firing science advisers and remaking vaccine guidelines. The moves -- some of which contradict assurances he made during his confirmation hearings -- have rattled medical groups and officials in several Democratic-led states, which have responded with their own vaccine advice. Medical groups and several Democrats in Congress have called for

Trump removes Billy Long as IRS commissioner in less than 2 months

President Donald Trump has removed former US Rep Billy Long as IRS commissioner less than two months after his confirmation, a White House official said Friday. The official, who was not authorised to speak publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, did not give a reason for the dismissal. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will serve as acting commissioner, the official said. The Senate confirmed Long on a 53-44 vote despite Democrats' concerns about the Republican's past work for a firm that pitched a fraud-ridden coronavirus pandemic-era tax break and about campaign contributions he received after Trump nominated him. While in Congress, where he served from 2011 to 2023, Long sponsored legislation to get rid of the IRS. A former auctioneer, Long has no background in tax administration.