This Thursday, the Senate will hold a key procedural vote on a measure that would repeal the legal justifications used to attack Iraq in 1991 and 2003. The resolution is co-sponsored by Democratic Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia and Republican Senator Todd Young of Indiana, and if passed, it would be a major victory for those who have long sought to reassert Congress’s authority in military intervention abroad.
Posts tagged as “Arizona Senate”
The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank has sent shockwaves through the financial world, with Senate Republicans denying the bank deregulation bill they passed in 2018 had anything to do with it. The Federal Reserve’s interest-rate hikes have been blamed for the bank run, and the Senate Banking Committee has written a bill that could shape the federal response. Experts suggest the whole debacle could have been avoided if the regulators had stepped in, but the exact cause of the bank’s collapse remains unclear.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Rep. Maxine Waters have both rid themselves of campaign contributions related to the Silicon Valley Bank collapse, which has raised questions about the role of Congress in the financial crisis. The 2018 law intended to provide relief to smaller banks was interpreted generously by the Federal Reserve, and Congress may take further action to ensure banks are held to a higher standard of oversight and safety.
After two years without a permanent ambassador to India, the U.S. Senate has confirmed former Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti for the role. Despite pushback from some Democrats due to allegations of sexual harassment and bullying by one of Garcetti's former aides, enough Republicans backed him to give the U.S. its first permanent ambassador to India under President Joe Biden. This confirmation is expected to further strengthen the ties between the two countries.
The collapse of two key banks last week has sparked a debate over the 2018 decision to roll back Dodd-Frank protections, which was supported by 17 Senate Democrats. While some have argued that it was necessary to provide relief to community banks, others have argued that it has weakened the ability of regulators to protect consumers and has allowed banks to take on too much risk. The economic fallout from the collapse of the two key banks and the implications of the legislation will be important to consider in the coming weeks and months.
Republican senators have criticized Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida for his comments that defending Ukraine from Russia is not a vital American national strategic interest. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said that to say the conflict does not matter is to say that war crimes do not matter, while Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah said that the United States has a moral obligation to support Ukraine in its fight against Russia. DeSantis has yet to respond to the criticism, but has previously stated that the United States has many other vital national interests.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has been discharged from the hospital after being treated for a concussion and a rib fracture. He will now go to an inpatient rehabilitation facility for physical therapy before returning home, and his concussion recovery is progressing well. McConnell is the longest-serving U.S. Senator in Kentucky's history and is the most senior Republican in the Senate.
Federal prosecutors have pushed back against claims that a video of "QAnon Shaman" Jacob Chansley exonerated anyone in the Capitol mob on January 6, 2021, arguing that the video lacked context and that Tucker Carlson's portrayal of the rioter's activities was misleading. The Justice Department also argued that the seditious conspiracy trial against the five Proud Boys leaders should not be dismissed based on the footage.