Tag: US Senate

US Congress reintroduces bipartisan bill to expedite visa issuance for children of Filipino WWII veterans

    by Alfred Acenas (EBC Hawaii-Pacific) Eagle News Service HONOLULU, Hawaii (Eagle News) – Three US senators and two congressmen reintroduced the Filipino Veterans Family Reunification Act on Wednesday, May 19, which would speed up the visa processing for children of Filipino World War II veterans. U.S. Senators Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), along with Representatives Ed Case (D-Hawaii) and Don Young (R-Alaska), stressed the importance of this act for […]

Trump asked to testify in Senate impeachment trial

  by Paul HANDLEY Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Democratic lawmakers leading the impeachment case against Donald Trump requested Thursday the former president to testify in his looming trial for allegedly inciting insurrection in the attack on the US Capitol last month. Five days before the trial opens, Democratic Congressman Jamie Raskin, who will lead the prosecution, gave Trump until 5:00 pm (2200 GMT) on Friday to respond and warned that refusing […]

US Senate passes stopgap to prevent government shutdown

  WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US Senate passed a budget bill Wednesday that avoids an imminent government shutdown and extends funding weeks beyond the November 3 presidential election, after Democrats reached a deal with the White House and Republicans. The bipartisan text, which easily cleared the Senate 84 votes to 10 a week after it passed the House of Representatives, now goes to the White House. President Donald Trump would need to sign […]

Trillion-dollar US economic rescue package crashes in Senate

WASHINGTON DC, United States (AFP) — A trillion-dollar Senate proposal to rescue the reeling US economy crashed to defeat Sunday after receiving zero support from Democrats, and with five Republicans absent from the chamber because of virus-related quarantines. Democrats said the Republican proposal failed to sufficiently protect millions of American workers during the coronavirus crisis. The bill, which proposed up to $2 trillion in funding for American families, thousands of shuttered or suffering businesses and the […]

US Senate panel approves bill amendment aiming to ban entry of PHL gov’t officials allegedly behind De Lima detention

(Eagle News)–A United States Senate panel has approved an amendment to a bill that aims to prohibit the entry of  Philippine government officials involved in the imprisonment of Senator Leila de Lima. “Good to see the Senate Appropriations Committee pass my amendment with @SenatorLeahy today to prohibit entry to any Philippine Government Officials involved in the politically motivated imprisonment of Filipina Senator Leila de Lima in 2017. We must #FreeLeilaNow,”  US Senator Dick Durbin said […]

Dueling plans to end US shutdown fail in Senate, talks resume

by Michael Mathes Agence France Presse The US Senate on Thursday blocked dueling plans to reopen shuttered federal agencies, a fresh setback in efforts to end a month-long government shutdown, but President Donald Trump signaled he could back a new proposal if it includes border security. The legislative deadlock left Congress and the president red-faced and adrift as thousands of federal workers, some reliant on food banks to make ends meet, are about to miss […]

Democrats seize US House but Trump averts ‘blue wave’ as Republicans get Senate majority

  by Shaun Tandon Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Democrats seized control of the House of Representatives on Tuesday in a midterm setback for Donald Trump, but the US president managed to avoid a feared “blue wave” as his Republican Party expanded its Senate majority after a polarizing, racially charged campaign. Heralded by Trump as a “tremendous success,” the Republican Senate victories will all but end any immediate talk of impeachment, even […]

Senate passes huge US spending bill, sends it to Trump

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US Senate passed a $1.3 trillion federal spending bill in dramatic dark-of-night fashion early Friday, overcoming hurdles that threatened to send the government into its third shutdown of 2018. Lawmakers stared down a self-imposed deadline of midnight Friday, when federal funding was set to expire, and passed the mammoth package by a vote of 65-32, with hours to spare. It now goes to the White House to be signed […]

Shutdown starts at midnight as US Senate adjourns with no spending bill

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US government on Thursday was assured of careening into a shutdown at midnight after the Senate adjourned with no vote on a measure to extend federal funding beyond the 12:00 am deadline. The upper chamber of Congress struggled to overcome roadblocks to passing a government funding bill and budget plan when a conservative senator objected to a swift vote, and leadership opted to close up shop and then reopen […]

US Senate leaders reach budget deal on eve of shutdown deadline

by Michael Mathes Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) – US Senate leaders said Wednesday they had reached a bipartisan budget deal for 2018 and 2019 — a move which, if approved by Congress, would avert a second government shutdown in just three weeks. The deal, months in the making, was seen as a major achievement for both the ruling Republicans and opposition Democrats in a deeply divided Washington. The breakthrough came on the eve of a […]

US Senate confirms Jerome Powell as next Fed chairman

WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US Senate on Tuesday confirmed former investment banker Jerome Powell as head of the Federal Reserve, putting President Donald Trump’s pick in a role of enormous influence over the world’s largest economy. Powell, a current Fed governor, was confirmed by a vote of 85-12, paving the way for him to replace current Chair Janet Yellen when she steps down next month. In choosing to replace Yellen, Trump dismantled another […]

US Democrats accept compromise to end government shutdown

by Michael Mathes Agence France-Presse WASHINGTON, United States – The US Senate on Monday reached a deal to reopen the federal government, with Democrats accepting a compromise spending bill to end days of partisan bickering that forced hundreds of thousands of government employees to stay home without pay. The impasse, the first of its kind since 2013, cast a huge shadow over the first anniversary on Saturday of President Donald Trump’s inauguration. As the Senate convened, the […]