As shutdown deadline nears, Democrats have rare leverage over Trump. They're digging in.

In a recent interview with Punchbowl News, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Republicans aren't interested in negotiating on health care right now. Their priority is keeping the government open ... Read More

GOP goes nuclear in Senate, changing rules to speed confirmation of Trump nominees after negotiations with Democrats collapse

Republicans jammed through a change to Senate rules on Thursday that will allow them to more quickly confirm many of President Donald Trump’s nominees. Read More

Trump tells GOP to cut Democrats out of funding bill as Schumer warns of shutdown

Republicans say they're considering a short-term funding bill to keep the government afloat for seven weeks. But they'll need bipartisan votes to pass it. Read More

Thune says Senate will change the rules to push through Trump's blocked nominees

Senate Majority Leader John Thune says Republicans are ready to change the chamber’s rules to allow quick confirmations of dozens of President Donald Trump’s executive branch nominees ... Read More

Senate Changes Confirmation Rules

Senate Republicans on Thursday bulldozed past Senate precedents and changed the rules to break a Democratic blockade of President Trump’s nominees, in an extraordinary move that is likely to undercut ... Read More

Senate prepares to ‘go nuclear’ to break logjam on Trump nominees. Here’s why

Republicans want to clear a backlog of judicial nominations created by Democrats in protest of President Trump’s policies. Read More

Senate Republicans poised to change rules to speed up Trump's nominees

Republicans are taking the first steps to change the rules of the Senate to confirm more of President Donald Trump’s nominees ... Read More

Senate Republicans trigger 'nuclear option,' changing rules to speed up Trump nominees

The new rule, established by the GOP on party lines, will enable it to confirm Trump nominees in groups, rather than individually. It's the latest move to erode minority powers. Read More

Trump attacks own party over support of blue slips: A procedural loophole Democrats can use to block his nominees

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump continued his tirade against Democratic objections to his nominees, pressing Republicans to undo a longstanding practice that allows members of the minority party ... Read More

Senate Republicans invoke ‘nuclear option’ to change rules to confirm Trump nominees

Senate Republicans on Thursday invoked the so-called “nuclear option” and changed the chamber’s rules to more easily confirm dozens of President Trump’s stalled sub-Cabinet nominees. The ... Read More

Returning Republicans look for fix to Trump nominee logjam

Senate Republicans are staring down a high-stakes week as they try to settle on a plan of attack in their bid to expedite the confirmation of hundreds of President Trump’s lower-level nominees ... Read More