#congressional-extension

#congressional-extension

Senate Republicans voted in the early hours of Thursday morning to reject an amendment offered by Sen. Bernie Sanders that aimed to cut US prescription drug prices in half by mandating that Americans pay no more for medications than people in Canada and other wealthy nations.

Residents in Lebanon are closely monitoring the U.S.-Iran situation, fearing that if talks collapse, the temporary ceasefire with Hezbollah will also end, prolonging their suffering.

Rand Paul was the sole Republican to vote in favor of restricting the President's power to make war in Iran, opposing Trump on tariff policy and budget issues.

Mark Moran, an independent candidate in Virginia's U.S. Senate race, was fined over $6,200 for betting on his own candidacy, while Klein and Enriquez faced smaller penalties.

"My constituents are saving thousands of dollars and they know it. Republicans can and should take credit because the alternative would've been massive tax hikes under the Democrats had they won the 2024 election."

Public debt stands at more than $39 trillion, with the interest expense on that borrowing now exceeding $1 trillion a year, highlighting the urgent need for a sustainable fiscal path.

The White House is seeking a 10 percent cut to nondefense spending, proposing a reduction of $73 billion from federal programs outside the military, targeting environmental initiatives.

The interchamber tensions between Democrats are becoming a regular feature of funding fights in the second Trump term. Lawmakers, strategists and voters alike exploded in anger last March when Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and a handful of colleagues allowed a spending package to move forward amid the Elon Musk-led DOGE assault on federal agencies. In November, tempers again flared when a handful of Senate Democrats joined with Republicans to end a record 43-day shutdown.

I think we know what the agenda items are. Accomplishing those is going to be hard with a small majority. The upshot is that Trump's prime-time address is unlikely to make more than a ripple in the congressional agenda over the coming months. It's the reality, Republicans acknowledged Wednesday, of life in Washington right now: Despite its trifecta, the party's legislative ambitions are being hemmed in by its barely-there majorities.