Author: Emily Jacobs, Washington Examiner

The Senate voted 53 to 43 to confirm Jack Lew as the United States’s ambassador to Israel on Tuesday. President Joe Biden nominated Lew, who was treasury secretary under President Barack Obama, to the Israeli ambassador post in September. His confirmation process was expedited in the wake of Hamas’s Oct. 7 terrorist attack, which also…

The 2023 elections may not have the fireworks of 2024, but there is still plenty up for grabs. In this “off-year,” most of which takes place on Nov. 7, Virginia will be keenly watched, particularly by followers of Gov. Glenn Youngkin, and whether he can springboard Republican success into national aspirations. Meanwhile, the governor’s mansion is…

Senate Republicans are divided on how to approach President Joe Biden’s $106 billion supplemental funding request, which pairs aid packages for Israel and Ukraine. Members ranging from defense hawks to populists have lambasted the approach of combining the bills since Biden sent Congress the request last Friday, and the party has leverage to demand changes…

The Senate overwhelmingly voted down a bill mandating the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Niger on Thursday. The legislation, introduced by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), failed by an 11-86 vote, though several of those who voted in favor were Democrats. Paul argued in a floor speech before the vote that the United States had no…

The Senate reached an agreement on Tuesday to bring the long-awaited minibus, which combines three of the 12 appropriations bills that fund the government, up for amendment votes this week. Senate Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Patty Murray (D-WA) announced the deal on Tuesday, following weeks of negotiations to overcome about 70 holds. Votes on the bill’s…

Progressives are criticizing Sen. John Fetterman’s (D-PA) office over its reaction to a letter anonymously signed by 411 congressional staffers urging their bosses to promote a ceasefire in Gaza. Fetterman chief of staff Adam Jentleson sent a team-wide email on Friday, one day after the letter was published, reminding staff of the office’s media relations…

Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT) said on Monday he would support empowering House Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry’s (R-NC) authority to get the chamber functioning again — if he were still serving in the House. Welch, a former House lawmaker who won his Senate seat last year, made the comments while speaking to reporters outside the…

The appropriations process has barely seen any progress as Congress barrels toward the Nov. 17 deadline to avoid a government shutdown. The House is in a state of paralysis as Republicans spar over who should be speaker, a dispute that has left the chamber unable to govern for three weeks. Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s…

Sen. Laphonza Butler (D-CA) will not join the crowded field campaigning to fill her seat for a full term next year, she announced on Thursday. Butler has faced questions about her 2024 plans since being sworn in to fill the vacancy left by the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s passing earlier this month. She was appointed…

The Senate unanimously approved a resolution on Thursday affirming U.S. support for Israel and condemning Hamas’s brutal terror attack that launched a war in Gaza. The resolution, introduced earlier this week by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Ranking Member Jim Risch (R-ID), was adopted without objection after Senate Majority Leader Chuck…