A bill to impose sanctions on officials affiliated with the International Criminal Court stalled in the Senate on Tuesday after Democrats refused to back it, a setback for legislation that aims to rebuke the court for its top prosecutor’s decision to bring war crimes charges against top Israeli leaders for their military offensive against Hamas … Read more
The Senate barreled on Friday toward a late-night vote on whether to confirm Pete Hegseth as secretary of defense, with the outcome still uncertain as a handful of Republicans weighed whether to back President Trump’s pick to lead the Pentagon. Mr. Hegseth’s confirmation was further complicated earlier this week, when a former sister-in-law submitted a … Read more
Pete Hegseth, who faces a Senate confirmation vote on Friday night, could be approved by the narrowest margin for any secretary of defense in modern history. Defense secretaries have historically been consensus nominees, and senators have typically provided strong backing in a demonstration of U.S. governmental unity on national security issues. With the exception of … Read more
Top Republicans are passing around an extensive menu of ideas to cover the cost of a massive tax cut and immigration crackdown bill. They could create a 10 percent tariff on all imports, bringing in an estimated $1.9 trillion. They could establish new work requirements for Medicaid recipients, bringing in $100 billion in savings. They … Read more
Senate Republicans had hoped to rush through confirmation of a flurry of Cabinet nominees in the days immediately after President Trump assumed office. But Democrats, expressing reservations about some picks, are slowing the push, frustrating Republicans and denying the new president the quick action he demanded. “What this is really about is trying to drag … Read more
An ex-sister-in-law of Pete Hegseth’s submitted a sworn statement to senators on Tuesday that accused Mr. Hegseth, President Trump’s nominee for secretary of defense, of being so “abusive” toward his second wife that she once hid in a closet from him and had a safe word to call for help if she needed to get … Read more
The Senate confirmed Senator Marco Rubio, Republican of Florida, on Monday as America’s 72nd secretary of state, putting a former political rival of President Trump at the helm of American diplomacy. Mr. Rubio, 53, was unanimously confirmed in a 99-to-0 vote, becoming the first Latino to occupy the job and Mr. Trump’s first cabinet secretary … Read more