Graham Platner won Maine’s Democratic Senate primary and will face Republican Sen. Susan Collins in a race Democrats see as key to control of the Senate. Tuesday’s primaries also showed Donald Trump’s continued sway in Republican contests in South Carolina and Nevada.
Posts tagged as “the Senate Appropriations Committee”
Graham Platner won Maine’s Democratic Senate primary and will face Republican Sen. Susan Collins in a race central to the fight for Senate control. Platner enters the general election with progressive backing and multiple controversies over past conduct.
In early September, Senator Patty Murray expressed concerns about challenges in reaching a government funding agreement, citing issues like blocked funding and the involvement of an unelected billionaire in the payment system. Amidst these tensions, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced his support for a Republican-backed funding bill to prevent a government shutdown, indicating it would likely pass in the Senate. Despite facing opposition from Senate Democrats, Schumer's decision highlighted the urgency of avoiding a shutdown and the complexities of bipartisan negotiations.
This week, the U.S. Senate is set to review a $105 billion national security supplemental request from the Biden administration, which includes aid to Ukraine and Israel, efforts to contain China, and tougher border security in the U.S. Meanwhile, House Republicans are planning to vote on an emergency aid package for Israel that does not include funding for other U.S. allies. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is advocating for the broader national security spending bill, while the House is pushing for a more targeted approach. The outcome of the Senate hearing and the House vote will be critical in determining the future of the Biden administration's national security spending bill.
Pro-Palestinian protesters disrupted Secretary of State Antony Blinken's testimony before the Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday, calling for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip. Blinken was outlining the Biden administration's requests for more U.S. aid to support Israel's attacks on Gaza when the protesters began shouting slogans such as "You have blood on your hands!" and "Cease-fire now!" Security eventually removed at least one protester from the room. The protest comes amid a growing international outcry over the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip, which has left more than 200 people dead and thousands more injured.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., appeared confused during a vote on a defense appropriations bill Thursday, prompting a fellow Democratic senator to step in. Feinstein, 90, had been away from Washington, D.C., for shingles and complications from shingles earlier this year, and the bill was passed by the Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday. It provides $823 billion in funding for the Department of Defense and other national security programs, and will now move to the full Senate for consideration.