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U.S. House GOP backs rules plan without disclosing deals made with hard-right members
WASHINGTON – The U.S. House adopted rules for the 118th Congress on Monday, though several of the concessions Speaker Kevin McCarthy made with more conservative members of the Republican Party to secure the gavel weren’t included in the document, or publicly circulated ahead of the vote. The 55-page rules package the House voted nearly party-line […]
U.S. House GOP backs McCarthy as speaker after tense and chaotic late-night session
WASHINGTON – The U.S. House elected Kevin McCarthy speaker early Saturday after most of the chamber’s Republicans finally gathered behind him, ending a four-day stalemate that led to the most rounds of voting for a speaker since before the Civil War. The California Republican was able to clinch the gavel on the 15th ballot by […]
McCarthy flips GOP holdouts as his campaign for U.S. House speaker gathers speed
WASHINGTON – Kevin McCarthy’s campaign to become speaker of the U.S. House will stretch into at least Friday night, as the California Republican inched ahead in his struggle to unite his divided party around his candidacy and an overhaul of rules under which the chamber will operate. “We’ll come back tonight, and I believe at […]
U.S. House stuck for a third day as Republicans struggle to unite around a speaker
WASHINGTON – The U.S. House slogged through more votes for speaker Thursday, with Republicans unable to reach consensus about whether Kevin McCarthy should lead them during the 118th Congress, or if another lawmaker should win the gavel. Twenty-one Republicans voted against McCarthy during the third day, signaling that ongoing closed-door negotiations and talks on the […]
U.S. House paralyzed following second day of GOP failure to elect a speaker
This story was updated on Jan. 4 at 5:45 p.m. and again at 9:45 p.m. WASHINGTON — The U.S. House adjourned without a speaker for the second day in a row Wednesday as Republicans’ stalemate over who should lead the chamber for the next two years dragged on, with Kevin McCarthy failing to get the […]
Conservatives in U.S. House tank McCarthy bid to be speaker on multiple ballots
This story was updated on Jan. 3 at 3:50 p.m. and again at 6:15 p.m. WASHINGTON – Republican control of the U.S. House got off to a rocky start Tuesday when the party was unable to decide who should become speaker amid a sharp disagreement within the party’s more conservative faction. California Rep. Kevin McCarthy […]
U.S. House approves $1.7 trillion funding package and sends it to Biden
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House voted Friday to approve a sweeping $1.7 trillion government spending package that carries along with it dozens of new initiatives, including an update to how Congress certifies electoral votes for president and new protections for pregnant workers. The 225-201 bipartisan vote, with one member voting present, sends the 4,126-page measure […]
Congress rolls out $1.7 trillion spending deal in race to Friday deadline
WASHINGTON — Congress unveiled a $1.7 trillion spending package early Tuesday that would fund the federal government for the rest of the fiscal year, completing the annual process that began this spring when President Joe Biden sent lawmakers his budget request. Biden’s chief budget official in a statement urged Congress to speedily pass the massive […]
U.S. Supreme Court temporarily keeps Title 42 immigration program in effect
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court is keeping Title 42 in place until the justices can review whether the pandemic-era program should be lifted or continue. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts in an order on Monday stayed a lower court’s ruling that would have allowed the program, which was put in place by the […]
Congress clears one-week bill to fund the government, but many hurdles remain
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate sent President Joe Biden a one-week government funding bill late Thursday, giving negotiators a few more days to wrap up talks on what is expected to be a $1.7 trillion package to keep the federal government up and running through September. The short-term bill is the second time Congress has […]
White House resumes handing out free COVID-19 rapid test kits
WASHINGTON – The Biden administration is once again offering Americans the opportunity to order free at-home COVID-19 rapid tests from the federal government, a program that it had shuttered amid an ongoing stalemate with Congress over additional funding to address the virus. The program will allow each household to order four free COVID-19 tests as […]
U.S. House and Senate GOP at odds over massive government spending deal
WASHINGTON – Congress is trying to wrap up its remaining must-pass bills before leaving for the holidays – but a split between Senate Republican and House GOP leaders could hamstring the all-important task of funding government operations and averting a partial shutdown. Senate Republicans are working with Democrats in both chambers to negotiate a major […]