Latest United States Congress News

Biden signs a bill officially making the bald eagle the national bird of the US

Dec. 24, 2024 17:40 PM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — The bald eagle, a symbol of the power and strength of the United States for more than 240 years, earned an overdue honor on Tuesday: It officially became the country's national bird. President Joe Biden signed into law legislation sent to him by Congress that...

Japanese premier says stronger alliance with US is key to regional stability, seeks to meet Trump

Dec. 24, 2024 07:55 AM EST

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said on Tuesday strengthening his country's alliance with the United States is key to regional security and expressed his desire to meet with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. This comes amid worries about China’s increasingly...

Biden will decide on US Steel acquisition after influential panel fails to reach consensus

Dec. 24, 2024 00:24 AM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — A powerful government panel on Monday failed to reach consensus on the possible national security risks of a nearly $15 billion proposed deal for Nippon Steel of Japan to purchase U.S. Steel, leaving the decision to President Joe Biden, who opposes the deal. The...

As TikTok bill steams forward, online influencers put on their lobbying hats to visit Washington

Dec. 23, 2024 17:53 PM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers, meet your latest lobbyists: online influencers from TikTok. The platform is once again bringing influencers to Washington, this time to lobby members of Congress to reject a fast-moving bill that would force TikTok's Beijing-based parent company to sell...

A history of the Panama Canal — and why Trump can't take it back on his own

Dec. 23, 2024 16:28 PM EST

PANAMA CITY (AP) — Teddy Roosevelt once declared the Panama Canal “one of the feats to which the people of this republic will look back with the highest pride.” More than a century later, Donald Trump is threatening to take back the waterway for the same republic. The...

The new right gathers to celebrate Trump and the splintering of the Republican Party

Dec. 23, 2024 09:12 AM EST

PHOENIX (AP) — As Washington heaved over the possibility of a partial government shutdown, leading far-right figures gathered with thousands of Donald Trump’s most ardent supporters and, for the most part, gloried in splintering the president-elect’s party. Speakers and...

Trump threatens to try to take back the Panama Canal. Panama's president balks at the suggestion

Dec. 23, 2024 08:15 AM EST

PHOENIX (AP) — Donald Trump suggested Sunday that his new administration could try to regain control of the Panama Canal that the United States “foolishly” ceded to its Central American ally, contending that shippers are charged “ridiculous” fees to pass through the vital transportation...

China says US is 'playing with fire' after latest military aid for Taiwan

Dec. 22, 2024 08:41 AM EST

BEIJING (AP) — The Chinese government protested Sunday the latest American announcements of military sales and assistance to Taiwan, warning the United States that it is “playing with fire.” U.S. President Joe Biden authorized Saturday the provision of up to $571 million in...

RFK Stadium site provision removed from federal spending bill, a blow to the Commanders and NFL

Dec. 19, 2024 18:03 PM EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — A provision to transfer the land that is the site of the old RFK Stadium from the federal government to the District of Columbia is no longer included in Congress' slimmed-down, short-term spending bill that lawmakers are racing to pass before a government shutdown. ...

The US Census Bureau is adding refugees to its immigrant count

Dec. 19, 2024 17:11 PM EST

The U.S. Census Bureau is changing how it counts immigrants in annual estimates by including more people who were admitted for humanitarian, and often temporary, reasons. The change is being made in an effort to better reflect population shifts this decade, officials said Monday....