Page 3 - Us Congress

Democrats secure deal to confirm more Biden judges before Congress adjourns

The Senate won't hold votes on four of President Joe Biden's appellate court nominees as part of a deal with Republicans to allow for speedier consideration of other judicial nominations and bring Biden within striking distance of the 234 total judicial confirmations that occurred during President-elect Donald Trump's first term. Currently, the number of judges confirmed under Biden totals 221. Republicans forced numerous procedural votes this week and late-night sessions as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., attempted to move ahead in getting more of Biden's nominees confirmed before Congress adjourns and Republicans take control of the chamber in January. A Senate Democratic leadership aide said Thursday a time agreement had been reached to allow for consideration of seven district court judges the week following Thanksgiving. Plus, another six district judges would be placed on the Senate executive calendar, making it possible for them to be considered on the Senate ...

Tariffs on India will lead to trade war: US Congressman-elect Subramanyam

US Congressman-elect Suhas Subramanyam has said he is opposed to imposing tariffs on India as it will lead to a trade war between the two countries. Subramanyam's comments came amid the likelihood of higher tariffs on Indian exports by the new Trump administration. I don't support (imposing) tariffs on India. I think that would be really bad. It would lead to a trade war. And I don't think it's good for either country, Subramanyam told PTI in an interview. Ahead of his election as US President, Donald Trump had taken a potshot at India's tariff structure and talked about imposing reciprocal tax on countries like China and India. With Trump set to assume charge as US president, there is a likelihood of higher tariffs on Indian exports. There's a lot of businesses that do really great work in India and a lot of Indian companies are expanding to the US. So the more our countries work together economically, the stronger we'll be, Subramanyam said. Getting ready to be sworn in as a me

Six Indian Americans win elections of US House of Representatives

Six Indian Americans have won the elections to the House of Representatives, increasing their number from five in the current Congress. Indian-American lawyer Suhas Subramanyam created history by becoming the first from the community to be elected from Virginia and the entire East Coast. Subramanyan defeated Mike Clancy of the Republican Party. He is currently a Virginia State Senator. There is a possibility that the number of Indian Americans in the House of Representatives increased to seven as Dr Amish Shah was leading by a slender margin against his Republican incumbent in the first Congressional District of Arizona. I am honoured and humbled that the people of Virginia's 10th District put their trust in me to take on the toughest fights and deliver results in Congress. This district is my home. I got married here, my wife Miranda and I are raising our daughters here, and the issues our community faces are personal to our family. It is an honour to continue serving this distric

First US presidential election post Jan 6 to test Congress's new safeguards

This presidential election, the first since the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol, will be a stress test of the new systems and guardrails that Congress put in place to ensure America's long tradition of the peaceful transfer of presidential power. As Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris race toward the finish, pro-democracy advocates and elected officials are preparing for a volatile period in the aftermath of Election Day, as legal challenges are filed, bad actors spread misinformation and voters wait for Congress to affirm the results. One of the unusual characteristics of this election is that so much of the potential danger and so many of the attacks on the election system are focused on the post-election period, said Wendy Weiser, vice president for democracy at the nonpartisan Brennan Centre for Justice. After the January 6 attack, Congress set out to shore up the process and prevent a repeat of that unprecedented period when Trump, joined by some GOP

Steve Bannon to be released from prison after four months for contempt

Longtime Donald Trump ally Steve Bannon is scheduled to be released from prison on Tuesday after serving a four-month sentence for defying a subpoena in the congressional investigation into the US Capitol attack on January 6, 2021. Bannon is set to leave the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut, in the predawn hours and hold a news conference later in the day in Manhattan, his representatives said. He's also expected to resume his podcast Tuesday. Bannon, 70, reported to the prison July 1 after the Supreme Court rejected his bid to delay the prison sentence while he appeals his conviction. A jury found Bannon guilty in 2022 of two counts of contempt of Congress: one for refusing to sit for a deposition with the Jan. 6 House Committee and a second for refusing to provide documents related to his involvement Trump's efforts to overturn his loss to Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential race. When he began serving his sentence in July, Bannon called himself a political

Indian-American running for US Congress promises immigration reform

A young Indian-American running for US House of Representatives and most likely to win the November general elections has promised to work on a comprehensive immigration reform with a focus on legal immigration and strengthening of economy by helping small businesses. I want to make sure we have a strong economy in the United States. This area (suburbs of Washington DC in Virginia) in particular is right outside of Washington, DC. We have a lot of federal workers that we want to protect. We want to make sure that we grow businesses and have a plan to address the high costs of living right now and rising costs. I know that's something happening all over the country. We want to make sure we have a good economy, Suhas Subramanyam told PTI in an interview. Currently a Virginia State Senator, Subramanyam, 38, is running on a Democratic ticket from the 10th Congressional District of Virginia. If elected, he would be joining the Samosa Caucus in the Congress that currently comprises five ..

US Congress passes bill to avert shutdown, deferring spending talks to Dec

The US Congress has passed a temporary measure that keeps government agencies funded into December, avoiding a shutdown for now while punting final spending decisions until after the November 5 election. The Senate approved the measure on Wednesday by a vote of 78-18 shortly after the House easily approved it. The bill generally funds agencies at current levels through December 20. But an additional USD231 million was included to bolster the Secret Service after the two assassination attempts against Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump. Money was also added to aid with the presidential transition, among other things. The bill now goes to President Joe Biden's desk to be signed into law. This bipartisanship is a good outcome for America, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said moments before the vote. I hope it sets the tone for more constructive, bipartisan work when we return in the fall. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., billed the measure as doing only what's absolut

US Cong leaders agree on 3-month funding, avoiding shutdown before Oct 1

Congressional leaders announced an agreement Sunday on a short-term spending bill that will fund federal agencies for about three months, averting a possible partial government shutdown when the new budget year begins October 1 and pushing final decisions until after the November election. Lawmakers have struggled to get to this point as the current budget year winds to a close at month's end. At the urging of the most conservative members of his conference, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., had linked temporary funding with a mandate that would have compelled states to require proof of citizenship when people register to vote. But Johnson could not get all Republicans on board even as the party's presidential nominee, Donald Trump, insisted on that package. Trump said Republican lawmakers should not support a stop-gap measure without the voting requirement, but the bill went down to defeat anyway, with 14 Republicans opposing it. Bipartisan negotiations began in earnest shortly .

US senators bill aims to support Taiwan, counter Chinese influence

The act also proposes that the US transfer 'obsolete or surplus items' to Taiwan, including equipment that could be used as reserve stock

US FAA chief to testify before Congress on Sept 24 on Boeing quality plan

Boeing faces mounting scrutiny from Congress since a Jan. 5 mid-air emergency in a new Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 9.

China wants Trump to win presidential elections: Congressman Krishnamoorthi

China wants Republican candidate Donald Trump to win the presidential election this November, Indian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi said Thursday. Krishnamoorthi, who represents the eighth Congressional district of Illinois, is the only Indian-American Congressman to address the Democratic National Conference in Chicago. America against America is the title of a book by one of China's highest-ranking leaders, and it's how they think they'll win. They know the only way they'll beat America is if we beat ourselves,' said Krishnamoorthi, who is a ranking member of the powerful China committee in the House of Representatives. In the Congress, he said, his job is to study China's economy. Mark my words, they want to see Donald Trump across the bargaining table. Because he'll start endless trade wars that raise prices for Americans. Because he'll cut programmes that train workers in America. But most of all, Trump will hit American against American. And that's what China wants,

Microsoft pushes US Congress to pass law for crackdown on deepfakes

The company also is pushing for Congress to label AI-generated content as synthetic and for federal and state laws that penalize the creation and distribution of sexually exploitive deepfakes

US Congress creates bipartisan task force to probe Trump assassination bid

The US House of Representatives has announced the creation of a 13-member bipartisan congressional task force on the attempted assassination of former president and Republican Party presidential nominee Donald Trump. Trump, 78, survived the attempt on his life on July 13 when a 20-year-old shooter fired multiple shots at him at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, injuring his right ear. The shooting left one person attending the rally dead and two others in serious condition. The suspected shooter was shot and killed by a member of the Secret Service. We have the utmost confidence in this bipartisan group of steady, highly qualified and capable Members of Congress to move quickly to find the facts, ensure accountability, and help make certain such failures never happen again, said House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Monday. The task force has been formed to understand what went wrong on the day of the attempted assassination, to ensure accountabil

Harris' endorsement has created burst of energy in Democrats: Congressman

President Joe Biden's decision to endorse Kamala Harris as the presidential nominee has generated a burst of energy and enthusiasm within the party and it now has the chance to win back the White House, prominent Indian-American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi has said. Over the weekend, Vice President Harris was endorsed by Biden, who announced his decision to drop out of the race for the White House. On Wednesday he told the nation that he did this to unite the party. Following Biden's dismal performance at the debate against Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, there was a sense of disappointment in the party. It's exciting. I mean, I think there's no other word for it. It's exciting. It created a burst of energy and enthusiasm, positivity within the Democratic Party, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi told PTI in an interview. Krishnamoorthi, a 51-year-old Democratic Party lawmaker from Illinois, said he plans to campaign for Harris in the key battleground state of .

In fiery speech to US Congress, Netanyahu seeks support for war in Gaza

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended Israel's ongoing war in Gaza and condemned American protesters in a scathing speech to Congress Wednesday that triggered boycotts by many top Democratic lawmakers and drew thousands of protesters to the Capitol to condemn the war in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis it has created. Nine months into the war in Gaza, Netanyahu vowed to press on with the war until total victory. He also sought bolster U.S. support for his country's fight against Hamas and other Iran-backed armed groups, and bitterly condemned widespread opposition in the United States to the war. America and Israel must stand together. When we stand together something really simple happens: we win, they lose. said Netanyahu, who wore a yellow pin expressing solidarity with the Israeli hostages held by Hamas. Netanyahu's speech quickly took on a darker tone as he defended his country but also derided those protesting the war, gesturing to demonstrations happening as he .

CrowdStrike CEO called to testify to Congress over global tech outage

US House leaders are calling on CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz to testify to Congress about the cybersecurity company's role in sparking the widespread tech outage that grounded flights, knocked banks and hospital systems offline and affected services around the world. CrowdStrike said this week a significant number of the millions of computers that crashed on Friday, causing global disruptions, are back in operation as its customers and regulators await a more detailed explanation of what went wrong. Republicans who lead the House Homeland Security committee said Monday they want those answers soon. While we appreciate CrowdStrike's response and coordination with stakeholders, we cannot ignore the magnitude of this incident, which some have claimed is the largest IT outage in history, said a letter to Kurtz from Rep. Mark E. Green of Tennessee and Rep. Andrew Garbarino of New York. They added that Americans "deserve to know in detail how this incident happened and the mitigation ste

US Sen Menendez convicted of taking bribes & acting as an agent for Egypt

US Sen. Bob Menendez was convicted on Tuesday of all the counts he faced at his corruption trial, including accepting bribes of gold and cash from three New Jersey businessmen and acting as a foreign agent for the Egyptian government. The jury's verdict followed a nine-week trial in which prosecutors said the Democrat abused the power of his office to protect allies from criminal investigations and enrich associates, including his wife, through acts that included meeting with Egyptian intelligence officials and helping that country access millions of dollars in US military aid. As the verdict was read in court, Menendez, 70, looked toward the jury at times as he appeared to mark a document in front of him. Afterward, he sat resting his chin against his closed hands, elbows on the table. He and his lawyers vowed to appeal as they left the courthouse. I have never been anything but a patriot of my country and for my country. I have never, ever been a foreign agent, Menendez ...

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu set to address US Congress on July 24

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to address a joint meeting of Congress on July 24, setting the stage for what is expected to be a contentious speech at a crucial moment for the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. Congressional leaders confirmed the date of the address late Thursday after formally inviting Netanyahu to come speak before lawmakers last week. It is the most recent show of wartime support for the longtime ally despite mounting political divisions over Israel's military assault on Hamas in Gaza. The existential challenges we face, including the growing partnership between Iran, Russia, and China, threaten the security, peace, and prosperity of our countries and of free people around the world, House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Republican, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, along with Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell and House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, said in the letter. "To build on our enduring relationship and to highlight ..

TikTok, ByteDance sue to block US law seeking divestiture or ban of app

Driven by worries among U.S. lawmakers that China could access data on Americans or spy on them with the app, the measure was passed overwhelmingly in Congress just weeks after being introduced

Senate passes $95.3 bn package for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and Indo-Pacific

The Senate has passed USD 95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars. The bill passed the Senate on an overwhelming 79-18 vote late on Tuesday after the House had approved the package on Saturday. Biden, who worked with congressional leaders to win support, said in a statement immediately after passage that he will sign it on Wednesday and start the process of sending weapons to Ukraine, which has been struggling to hold its front lines against Russia. "Tonight, a bipartisan majority in the Senate joined the House to answer history's call at this critical inflection point," Biden said. The legislation would also send USD 26 billion in wartime assistance to Israel and humanitarian relief to citizens of Gaza, and USD 8 billion to counter Chinese threats in Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific. US officials said about USD 1 billion