Back to work

President Donald Trump signed a bill reopening the government late Monday, ending a 69-hour display of partisan dysfunction after Democrats reluctantly voted to temporarily pay for resumed operations. They relented in return for Republican assurances that the Senate will soon take up the plight of young immigrant "dreamers" and other contentious issues.

Democrats’ Schumer draws criticism with deal to end shutdown

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., arrives at the Capitol at the start of the third day of the government shutdown, in Washington, Monday, Jan. 22, 2018. Schumer, arguably the most powerful Democrat in Washington, is trying to keep his party together to force a spending bill that would include protections for young immigrants.

Trump Signs Bill To End Government Shutdown

President Trump signed a short-term spending bill that will fund the government through Feb. 8, ending a weekend-long government shutdown. The measure also extends the Children's Health Insurance Program through 2023 and suspends three Obamacare-related taxes and fees.

The Latest: Immigrant advocates skewer Senate Democrats

Prominent immigrant advocacy groups are skewering Democratic senators for relenting in a fight that linked immigration changes to continued government funding. The youth group United We Dream says Senate Democrats who supported a deal to keep the government running through Feb. 8 are "enablers" of President Donald Trump's agenda.

Back to work: Government shutdown ending as Dems relent

Congress sped toward reopening the government late Monday as Democrats reluctantly voted to temporarily pay for resumed operations. They relented in return for Republican assurances that the Senate will soon take up the plight of young immigrant "dreamers" and other contentious issues.

Senate closer to vote on ambassadorship for Kansas governor

The U.S. Senate is moving toward a vote on Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback's nomination for an ambassador's post. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell filed a motion Monday to cut off debate on President Donald Trump's nomination of the conservative Republican governor to serve as U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom.

The Latest: Cornyn says Trump eager to work on immigration

On Monday, The Senate advanced a bill reopening federal agencies through Feb. 8 after Democrats relented and lifted their blockade against the legislation. The shutdown began Saturday after Democrats derailed a Republican measure that would have kept government open until Feb. 16. Democrats wanted to pressure the GOP to cut a deal protecting young immigrants from deportation and boosting federal spending.

Military families cautiously optimistic end of government shutdown in sight

Some military families took a breath of cautionary relief Monday when a deal appeared to have been reached in the Senate to end a short government shutdown. "When this filibuster started we thought, 'oh, no, it's happening all over again,'" said Emily Erickson, the wife of an Air Force staff sergeant stationed at Nellis Air Force Base, a sprawling installation outside Las Vegas.

Sen. Jeff Flake: Hard Work Remains on Funding, DACA

With the Senate voting to end the government shutdown, there is still work ahead to prepare about what will happen three weeks from now, but meanwhile, the bipartisan agreement that was reached was "really good to see," Sen. Jeff Flake said Monday. "It's a victory for, I think everybody, when the government opens back up," the Arizona Republican, who has often sparred with President Donald Trump, told Capitol Hill reporters following the Senate vote.

Congressmen take USDA to task for delaying organic industry animal welfare rule

Members of Congress chastise the US Department of Agriculture in a Jan. 17 letter for threatening to withdraw a widely popular final rule passed in the 11th hour of the Obama Administration that would heighten animal welfare standards for organic producers. USDA announced in December that it intended to withdraw the Organic Livestock and Poultry Practices final rule, which outlined sweeping changes in how organic animals are housed, transported and slaughtered, because the department claimed the rule exceeds the statutory authority of the National Organic Program.

Jeff Flake – Donald Trump’s ‘fake news’ epithet emboldens despots around the world

Hours before President Donald Trump revealed the recipients of his "fake news awards," one Republican lawmaker took to the Senate floor to deliver a stern warning about the perils of undermining journalism. Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., cautioned that Trump's anti-press rhetoric, such as calling the New York Times , CNN and ABC News an "enemy of the American people," serves to embolden repressive governments around the world.

Mike Pence, White House makes shutdown politics American policy

Vice President Mike Pence visited American troops in the Middle East this weekend and unleashed a partisan attack against Senate Democrats. The rare political jab by a vice president in front of military falls in line with what has become official government policy - top to bottom - since the federal shutdown began at midnight on Friday: Blame the Democrats at all costs.