RICHARD SHELBY

The Senate Appropriations Committee, under Patrick Leahy and Richard Shelby, released its 5,000-page omnibus spending bill, to the chagrin of conservatives and many House Republicans

Some of the same lawmakers pushing hardest to pass the $1.7T spending bill are also honored in the legislation, which names federal buildings and programs after them.

Senate Republicans forced Democrats and the White House to cut more than $275 million from the IRS during negotiations over President Biden's $1.7 trillion budget.

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema may have left the Democratic Party, but she still will associate with the left as an independent in the Democrat-controlled Senate

The Democratic-led House has passed a short-term spending bill to keep government agencies funded at current levels through Dec. 23.

The results of the midterm election are raising questions about the future of American support for Ukraine.

Republican Katie Britt could become the first woman elected to the U

Native American groups in Alabama and North Carolina are hoping that two outgoing U.S. senators can help them achieve something that's been elusive so far: federal recognition as tribes.

House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy warns that Republicans will not write a “blank check” for Ukraine if they win back the House majority.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell says he will “proudly support” legislation to overhaul rules for certifying presidential elections, bolstering a bipartisan effort to revise a 19th century law and avoid another Jan. 6 insurrection.

Sen. Joe Manchin has abandoned his push to speed up the permitting process for energy projects.

More than halfway through a tumultuous primary season, voters have rendered verdicts in a number of contests, many of which featured candidates arguing they best represented a continuation of policies favored by former President Donald Trump.

Donald Trump extended his losing record in Georgia on Tuesday after two Trump-backed U.S. House candidates lost in landslides.

Katie Britt has secured the GOP nomination for an Alabama U.S. Senate seat, ousting U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks in a runoff, according to a race call by The Associated Press.

Katie Britt has won the Republican nomination for Senate in Alabama, defeating six-term Congressman Mo Brooks in a primary runoff after former President Donald Trump endorsed and then un-endorsed him.

The two Republican candidates in Alabama’s U.S. Senate primary runoff on Tuesday can each boast that at one point they had Donald Trump’s endorsement in the race.

Former President Donald Trump has endorsed Katie Britt in the Republican primary for an Alabama U.S. Senate seat.

A June runoff will be held after Katie Britt and U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks edged out Mike Durant but neither captured more than 50% of the vote.

A June runoff will be held after Katie Britt and U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks edged out Mike Durant but neither captured more than 50% of the vote.

Voting concludes Tuesday in the Alabama primary elections. Notable primaries include governor, U.S. Senate and House district races.

Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia has easily dispatched Donald Trump’s hand-picked challenger in a Republican primary that demonstrated the limits of the former president and his conspiracy-fueled politics in a critical swing state.

Alabama’s Republican primary for U.S. Senate is going to a June runoff between Katie Britt and U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks.

Republican Senate hopefuls in Alabama are making last-minute pitches to primary voters in the tight race for the GOP nomination for the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Richard Shelby.

Georgia takes center stage in Tuesday’s primary elections as Gov. Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger try to fight back challengers endorsed by Donald Trump.

Alabama’s Republican primary for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by retiring U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby is a bitter high-dollar fight between three candidates.

Home-district projects for members of Congress are back, sprinkled across the government-wide $1.5 trillion bill that President Joe Biden signed recently.

Former President Donald Trump has rescinded his endorsement of U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks in Alabama’s Republican primary for Senate, dealing a major blow to the congressman’s campaign.

Former President Donald Trump has told a news outlet that Rep. Mo Brooks, his endorsed candidate in Alabama’s U.S. Senate race, has been disappointing.

The House has approved a massive spending bill anchored by $13.6 billion for battered Ukraine and its European allies.

The huge overall bill was stocked with victories for both parties.

Congressional leaders have reached a bipartisan deal to provide $13.6 billion to help Ukraine fend off its invasion by Russia and assist European allies coping with the continent's worst refugee crisis since World War II.

In a story published March 4, 2022 about federal COVID-19 funding, The Associated Press erroneously described AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 prophylactic for immunocompromised individuals as a pill, when in fact it is delivered by injection.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell warned that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has already driven up oil prices, will likely further magnify the high inflation that has engulfed the U.S. economy.

The government will now be fully funded through March 11.

A rift over the Republican National Committee's symbolic vote to censure former President Donald Trump’s House GOP critics has exposed the competing forces fighting to control the party.

Top lawmakers say Democrats and Republicans have finally agreed on a framework for overall defense and domestic spending for this year.

Former President Donald Trump says Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell “does not speak for the Republican Party.”.

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) offered a forceful warning to Republican colleagues during a private lunch on Wednesday, saying former President Trump will come down hard on any GOP senators who vote for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) deal to set up a special pathway to raise the debt limit.

The bill funds the government through February 18, and includes $7 billion to help resettle Afghan refugees.

The bill funds the government through February 18, and includes $7 billion to held resettle Afghan refugees.

A nomination hearing for President Joe Biden's pick to be comptroller of the currency, Saule Omarova, turned fiery on Thursday.

The Keep Innovation in America Act would lay out a definition for crypto brokers, newly bound to the tax reporting rules.

Mike Durant, best known as the helicopter pilot shot down and held prisoner in the 1993 “Black Hawk Down” incident, is joining the U.S. Senate race in Alabama. Durant, now the founder and president of an aerospace company in Huntsville, announced his campaign Tuesday. Like other Republicans in the race, Durant expressed his admiration for former President Donald Trump.

The midterm elections are approaching, and the Republican Party is heading into them with the former President as its leader.

Get ready for a lot more Chuck Grassleys.

Congress has overwhelmingly passed emergency legislation that will bolster security at the Capitol, repay outstanding debts from the violent Jan. 6 insurrection and increase the number of visas for allies who worked alongside Americans in the Afghanistan war.

President Joe Biden has signed emergency legislation that will bolster security at the Capitol, repay outstanding debts from the violent Jan. 6 insurrection and increase the number of visas for allies who worked alongside Americans in the Afghanistan war.

Congress approved a $2.1 billion spending bill that would address security concerns at the U.S. Capitol.

The $2.1 billion bill would boost support for the Capitol complex in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 insurrection, direct funds to the Capitol Police and provide humanitarian support for Afghan refugees.

The bill provides funding for the National Guard and U.S. Capitol Police, which have been under strain since January 6.

Top Democrats and Republicans remain at odds over a last-minute deal to prevent Capitol Police from running out of money.

Senate Democrats are proposing $3.7 billion in emergency spending to secure the Capitol, repay outstanding debts from the Jan. 6 insurrection and help the federal government defray costs from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Weeks before the police agency is slated to run out of money, the Democratic Senate Appropriations chair and the panel's ranking Republican introduced competing emergency funding bills.

Eighty-seven-year-old Chuck Grassley is trying to show Iowans that he’s not just physically ready for an eighth term, but that's he thriving.

Republican Katie Boyd Britt entered the race for Alabama’s open U.S. Senate seat Tuesday promising to “put Alabama first” while stressing her experience as the former leader of a state business group and former chief of staff to retiring U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby. Two Republicans are already in the race: Congressman Mo Brooks, who is armed with an endorsement from former President Donald Trump, and Lynda Blanchard, a businesswoman who was Trump’s ambassador to Slovenia. Shelby, one of the Senate’s most senior members, announced earlier this year that he would not seek reelection in 2022, igniting what is expected to be a messy GOP primary at a time when the national Republican Party is trying to chart a direction following Trump’s departure.

President Joe Biden is proposing a $6 trillion budget for next year that’s piled high with new safety net programs for the poor and middle class.

Republican leaders of Congress have been making the trip to Mar-a-Lago to see Donald Trump.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell on Wednesday defended the central bank’s increasing scrutiny of the impact climate change could have on banks, in the wake of criticism by Republican members of Congress that by doing so the Fed is overstepping its mandate.

President Joe Biden has released a $1.5 trillion wish list for his first federal budget.

Former President Donald Trump has endorsed Rep. Mo Brooks in Alabama’s 2022 Senate race, siding with the conservative firebrand who whipped up the crowd before the Capitol riot in January.

Yellen and Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell say more needs to be done to limit the damage from the coronavirus pandemic and promote a full economic recovery. AdResponding to a question from Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., Yellen said the persistence of low interest rates have changed her views on federal debt. Lower rates have made it easier for the federal government to cover the interest costs on the debt, she said. Under questioning from Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., Yellen said Congress should allot more money to the IRS so the tax collection agency could reduce tax evasion. Ad“The tax gap is huge,” Yellen said, “and I think we would have a fairer tax system and collect more tax revenue without the need to raise (tax) rates if we resourced the IRS properly.”

Brooks jumped into the race at an event on Monday with Stephen Miller, a former adviser to Mr. Trump. And as President Trump can vouch, I don't cut and run. Like Brooks, Greitens also amplified the false claim that Mr. Trump won the 2020 election. Hawley told reporters on Tuesday that he had spoken to Mr. Trump about the race. "I think he probably won't be involved," Hawley said about whether he believed Mr. Trump would endorse Greitens in the primary.

The north Alabama Republican announced his entry into the race at an event with former Trump adviser Stephen Miller. And as President Trump can vouch, I don't cut and run. “Nobody has had President Trump’s back more over the last four years than Mo Brooks. Your vote for Mo Brooks will allow him to carry on the America First agenda," Miller said as he gave his support to Brooks. Some carried signs reading “Traitor Mo has got to go” and that “Mo Brooks words incited violence."

But that hope dimmed when word came Saturday before the trial resumed that Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell would vote to acquit Trump. If Trump were convicted, the Senate could take a second vote to ban him from running for office again. AdA look at the Republicans whom Democrats are eyeing as they make final arguments in the case:THE FREQUENT TRUMP CRITICSRepublican Sens. AdThree other GOP senators have said they will not run again in two years, potentially freeing them up to vote against Trump and anger base voters in the party. The Republican leader’s views are closely watched and carry sway among GOP senators, and his decision on Trump is likely to influence others weighing their votes.

If Trump were convicted, the Senate could take a second vote to ban him from running for office again. While none of them are locks to vote for conviction, they have joined with Democrats twice to vote against GOP efforts to dismiss the trial. AdHEADED OUTPennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey, who is retiring from the Senate in 2022, has also voted twice with Democrats to move forward with the trial. All three voted to dismiss the trial, but Portman says he still has an open mind about conviction. EYES ON McCONNELLSenate Republican leader Mitch McConnell has twice voted to dismiss the trial, indicating he will ultimately vote to acquit.

What to watch as the trial kicks off:FIRST, AN EFFORT TO DISMISSTuesday’s proceedings will begin with a debate to dismiss the trial before it even begins. The effort to dismiss is expected to fail, allowing arguments in the trial to begin on Wednesday. They point to an 1876 impeachment trial of a secretary of war who had resigned and note that Trump was impeached before he left office. But the managers can ask for a Senate vote on calling witnesses if they so choose. A (LESS) CAPTIVE AUDIENCEAs they were last year, at Trump’s first impeachment trial, senators are expected to listen to every word of the arguments before they cast their votes.

Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., said Monday that he will not seek reelection next year, bringing to a close a four decade career representing the southern state in Congress. The announcement comes days after the Associated Press reported Shelby had told colleagues that he planned to retire. In recent years, the senator helped to steer federal funds for space exploration to Alabama. Prior to the Senate, Shelby spent four terms in the House of Representatives and eight years in the Alabama legislature. Annette Shelby was the first female tenured full professor at Georgetown University's business school, according to the Encyclopedia of Alabama.

Washington — Republican Senator Richard Shelby of Alabama will not seek reelection in 2022, he announced Monday, ending a career in the upper chamber that has spanned more than three decades. "Today I announce that I will not seek a seventh term in the United States Senate in 2022," Shelby, 86, said in a statement. First elected to the Senate in 1986, Shelby has helmed four committees across his tenure, most recently occupying the top position on the Senate Appropriations Committee. Shelby is the fourth Republican senator to announce retirement, following Senators Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, Rob Portman of Ohio and Richard Burr of North Carolina. The senator spent eight years in the Alabama state legislature and represented the state's 7th Congressional District in the House for four terms.

FILE-In this Jan. 29, 2005, file photo, Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., speaks during the panel "A Reality Check on the US Economy" at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Shelby is the fourth Senate Republican to announce his retirement, following Sens. “Few people have had a more consequential impact on our state than Senator Richard Shelby,” said Alabama Gov. Leahy said Alabama was losing a “strong champion.”“A fifth-generation Alabamian, Senator Shelby is a true statesmen, and a man of his word. Brooks said he will either run for reelection to his own seat or the Senate seat in 2022.

“I would say that is his greatest accomplishment, to get money allocated to the state for many different projects,” former Alabama Republican Party Chairman Bill Armistead said. Still, the GOP primary could serve as a microcosm of the larger national tug of war over the direction of the Republican Party. While Shelby has amassed a conservative voting record, the measured Republican senator has not embraced the bombastic populist style of Trump and Trump-like candidates. I don’t think there is anyone who has meant more to the state of Alabama in that position in my lifetime,” former Gov. ___This story has been edited to correct that Bill Armistead is the former chairman of the Alabama Republican Party.

The Senate's longest-serving member, 80-year-old Vermont Democrat Patrick Leahy, was taken to a hospital Tuesday evening for observation after not feeling well, a spokesman said. Now, Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont is stepping into one of his most visible and physically grueling roles: presiding over former President Donald Trump's second Senate impeachment trial. “I had some muscle spasms," Leahy, 80, told reporters the morning after feeling ill in his Capitol office. Carle, Leahy's spokesperson, said Senate leaders have been discussing the trial process, and it is “likely to be limited in duration.” Trump's first impeachment trial lasted almost three weeks. Leahy will preside as Senate president pro tempore, a largely ceremonial post that usually goes to the majority party's longest-serving member.

The Senate's longest-serving member, 80-year-old Vermont Democrat Patrick Leahy, was taken to a hospital Tuesday evening for observation after not feeling well, a spokesman said. Now, Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont is stepping into one of his most visible and physically grueling roles: presiding over former President Donald Trump's second Senate impeachment trial. “I had some muscle spasms," Leahy, 80, told reporters the morning after feeling ill in his Capitol office. Carle, Leahy's spokesperson, said Senate leaders have been discussing the trial process, and it is “likely to be limited in duration.” Trump's first impeachment trial lasted almost three weeks. Leahy will preside as Senate president pro tempore, a largely ceremonial post that usually goes to the majority party's longest-serving member.

The 343-67 vote sent the one-week bill to the Senate, where it's expected to easily pass before a deadline of midnight Friday to avert a partial government shutdown. meanwhile, are placing their bets on a bipartisan group of senators who are trying to iron out a $908 billion package. “The bipartisan group provided a good foundation kind of a place to start from. And hopefully, the negotiations are real negotiations on what can ultimately pass the House, the Senate, and get signed," Thune said. President-elect Joe Biden is pressing for as much pandemic relief as possible, though he's not directly involved in the talks.

(AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)WASHINGTON – Republicans controlling the Senate unveiled a government-wide, $1.4 trillion spending bill on Tuesday, a largely bipartisan measure that faces uncertain odds during this period of post-election tumult in Washington. Success depends on getting the signature of Trump, however, whose unpredictability and toxic relationships with Democrats threaten to doom the effort. The recent history of lame-duck sessions conducted as the White House is turning over has been that unfinished spending bills get kicked into the next year, with existing funding simply left on auto-pilot. At issue is the roughly one-third of the federal budget that is written annually by Congress under a time-tested bipartisan process. “By and large, these bills are the product of bipartisan cooperation among members of the committee," Shelby said in a statement.

White House chief of staff Mark Meadows speaks with reporters at the White House, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020, in Washington. President Donald Trump's chief of staff, Mark Meadows, accused Pelosi of slow-walking the talks. Pelosi remains optimistic, even after Washington was blanketed with media reports that McConnell, R-Ky., has warned the White House against sealing a $2 trillion or so relief deal with Pelosi before the election. “We haven’t seen a lot of action from Speaker Pelosi,” Meadows said. Lame-duck sessions during White House changeovers in 2008 and 2016 didn't deliver much.

(AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)WASHINGTON A GOP coronavirus relief package faces dire prospects in a Senate test vote, and negotiators involved in recent efforts to strike a deal that could pass before the November election say they see little reason for hope. Democrats have indicated they will shelve the Republican measure as insufficient, leaving lawmakers at an impasse. Unless something really broke through, its not going to happen, said Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Set aside $31 billion for a coronavirus vaccine, $16 billion for virus testing and $15 billion to help child care providers reopen. The GOP bill also lacks money for election security that lawmakers from both parties have supported.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said he was optimistic that Republicans would deliver strong support vote for the GOP's $500 billion slimmed-down COVID-19 rescue package in a test vote Thursday. Democrats have indicated they will shelve the Republican measure as insufficient, leaving lawmakers at an impasse. The Republican measure headed for a test vote Thursday would:provide $105 billion to help schools reopen. set aside $31 billion for a coronavirus vaccine, $16 billion for virus testing and $15 billion to help child care providers reopen. The GOP bill also lacks money for election security that lawmakers from both parties have supported.

Friday's expiration of the $600 jobless benefit sent Republicans controlling the Senate scrambling to respond. But Democrats have so far rejected a piecemeal approach, saying the next relief bill needs to move as a complete package. Any short-term jobless benefits extension of less than $600 per week is likely to be a nonstarter with them. Democrats countered with a plan to extend the $600 benefit through January. Both ideas predictably failed, as did an effort by Sen. Martha McSally, R-Ariz., to extend the $600 benefit for just one week.

Lawmakers on Wednesday unveiled more than $8 billion in emergency funding to address the spread of the deadly coronavirus, as the death toll from the outbreak in the United States from the outbreak rose to 11 people. The House was expected to take up the supplemental spending proposal for a vote later in the day. The $8.3 billion plan for the emergency was revealed as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 129 cases of coronavirus had been identified in the U.S. California on Wednesday reported the first death in that state from the virus. The congressional spending proposal is more than three times the $2.5 billion the White House proposed last week devoting to the coronavirus effort. The plan also allows an estimated $7 billion in low-interest Small Business Administration loans to affected small businesses, the aide told CNBC.

FILE PHOTO: Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) arrives for the resumption of the Senate impeachment trial of U.S. President Donald Trump at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., January 31, 2020. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid? WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, Republican Senator Richard Shelby, said on Wednesday Congress should provide the Trump administration with the funds it needs to combat coronavirus. Congress, working with the administration, should do everything we can to make sure they have the tools, the money, to do the job to prevent the spread as much as they can, and if it spreads to mitigate it, Shelby said in an interview with Fox News Channel. Lets do not short change ... Lets do not try to low-ball it and be penny wise and pound foolish, he said.

(Reuters) - The Trump administration has backed off plans to quarantine patients from the Diamond Princess cruise ship stricken with coronavirus at a federal facility in Alabama, the states governor and a U.S. senator said on Sunday. He told me that his administration will not be sending any victims of the Coronavirus from the Diamond Princess cruise ship to Anniston, Alabama. It was unclear where those patients would be quarantined if the plan to house them in Alabama had been scrapped. More than 630 passengers of the Diamond Princess have been confirmed as infected with coronavirus and at least three have died. The British cruise ship, which sails primarily in Southeast Asia, is quarantined near Tokyo.

Federal Reserve nominee Judy Shelton faced a blistering confirmation hearing Thursday, as senators grilled her over her views on central bank independence, the gold standard and whether the money that people deposit at banks should be insured. Judy Shelton, U.S. President Donald Trump's nominee for governor of the Federal Reserve, swears in to a Senate Banking Committee confirmation hearing in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020. I think you said it best that what we will get is the authentic Judy Shelton, and that is what bothers me tremendously." Still, Reuters reported that the White House expected Shelton to be confirmed by the Senate, citing a White House spokesman. Christopher Waller, U.S. President Donald Trump's nominee for governor of the Federal Reserve, listens during a Senate Banking Committee confirmation hearing in Washington, D.C., on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020.

Negotiations on a package of spending bills to fund the federal government have produced a key breakthrough, though considerably more work is needed to wrap up the long-delayed measures. Trump has little interest in the often-arcane appropriations process, other than to obtain wall funding and to boast about record Pentagon funding. The annual spending bills are, however, a top priority for top lawmakers like Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who have wrestled over appropriations for decades. Congress provided just $1.4 billion in wall funding last year. Saturday's pact opens the door to a final agreement by that date, though the spending bundling is probably more likely to spill over into next year.

Negotiations on a package of spending bills to fund the federal government have produced a key breakthrough, though considerably more work is needed to wrap up the long-delayed measures. Trump has appeared to have little interest in the often-arcane appropriations process, other than to obtain wall funding and to boast about record Pentagon funding. Trump has been limited in success in winning wall funding from Congress, where there is relatively little enthusiasm for the project among his GOP allies and strong opposition from most Democrats. Congress provided $1.4 billion in wall funding last year. Saturdays pact opens the door to a final agreement by that date, though the spending bundling is probably more likely to spill over into next year.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Congress and the White House are discussing legislation to keep U.S. government agencies operating beyond Nov. 21 when existing funding expires, with an eye toward avoiding shutdowns as Democrats could be moving to impeach President Donald Trump, lawmakers and a White House official said on Tuesday. FILE PHOTO: After the U.S. House of Representatives voted to endorse the impeachment inquiry, a journalist can be seen on the phone as storm clouds gather over the White House in Washington, U.S. October 31, 2019. REUTERS/Leah MillisSenate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard Shelby, a Republican, told reporters that a range of dates were possible for the duration of the next stop-gap funding bill. If passed by the House, Trump would then be subjected to a trial by the Senate in a procedure that could end with his removal from office if found guilty of any House charges. White House legislative liaison Eric Ueland told reporters that Trump would go along with another stop-gap funding bill, known as a continuing resolution, so long as it does not restrict his authorities or ability to pursue his policy priorities including wall construction.