US Congress

US Congress has received intelligence indicating that Saudi Arabia has not ruled out pursuing a nuclear weapons program, according to a report. The assessment raises fresh concerns in Washington about Riyadh's nuclear intentions at a time when US-Saudi relations, regional security and any future civil nuclear cooperation remain under scrutiny.

President Trump is seeking to withhold $800 million in funding that Congress has already approved, according to Reuters and multiple US news outlets. The move raises fresh questions over executive authority and the separation of powers, as lawmakers from both parties weigh whether the administration can refuse to spend money appropriated by law.

The US Senate has voted down a war powers resolution intended to rebuke President Trump over military action against Iran. The measure would have sought to limit or block further hostilities without congressional approval, but it failed to advance. The rejection keeps Trump's Iran policy intact and underscores the ongoing divide in Congress over presidential war authority and US involvement in the conflict.

The US Supreme Court has for the third time declined to let Missouri put in place a new congressional map expected to help Republicans win more House seats. The order leaves the map on hold while litigation continues, and it marks repeated refusals by the justices to intervene on the state's behalf, keeping the redrawn districts out of use for now.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is facing pointed criticism from Democrats and resistance from some Republicans over the US conflict with Iran and his dismissals of senior Pentagon officials. The disputes center on the administration's Iran strategy and concerns about the removals of top defense leadership, making the Pentagon chief a focal point of congressional tension.

Lawmakers in Washington are facing renewed pressure to act on artificial intelligence safety, as concern grows over the risks posed by rapidly advancing AI systems. Bloomberg reports that Congress is being pressed to clarify its position on regulation, with debates intensifying over how to balance innovation against potential harms. The issue continues to divide policymakers and industry leaders alike.

President Trump is moving to withhold spending allocated for immigration, a step that raises immediate questions over presidential authority and Congress's power of the purse. The reported action touches funds tied to immigration programs and enforcement, and it lands amid ongoing disputes over border policy and agency budgets. Observers are weighing the legal implications of withholding money already appropriated by lawmakers, with the story drawing attention across US political media.

Bill Gates is calling on the US Congress to write artificial intelligence safeguards into law, arguing that lawmakers should establish rules for how the technology is developed and used. The appeal adds the Microsoft co-founder's voice to the growing debate in Washington over regulating AI, where legislators are weighing how to address risks without stifling innovation.

Donald Trump reacted with frustration after the Supreme Court upheld birthright citizenship, saying 'too bad' about the decision, and is now pushing legislation in Congress to end the practice. The comments renew a long-running fight over the 14th Amendment, which critics say guarantees citizenship to anyone born on US soil, and set up a fresh legislative battle over immigration policy.

The New York Times reports that former President Donald Trump has proposed roughly $810 million in cuts to education and health spending, described as defying Congress. The single headline indicates a budget fight over federal funding, but no further posts or details are available, so it is not clear what specific programs are targeted or how lawmakers and the public are responding. Readers should treat this as an early political news item about proposed spending cuts awaiting congressional action.

A US Senate committee has voted to hold Anthony Fauci, the former top US infectious disease official, in contempt of Congress. The vote escalates a long-running standoff between Republican lawmakers and Fauci over documents and testimony connected to the federal response to Covid-19 and the origins of the pandemic. Fauci, who led the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases for decades before retiring in 2022, remains a frequent target of congressional scrutiny, and the move is likely to deepen partisan fights over pandemic-era decisions.

The US Supreme Court has blocked a Trump-backed Republican redraw of Missouri's congressional districts from being used in the upcoming midterm elections. The ruling stops the new map, which critics said was designed to entrench Republican advantage, from taking effect. The decision is a setback for Trump and Missouri Republicans who pushed the redistricting effort, and it keeps the existing district boundaries in place for the midterms.

Lawmakers from both parties are converging on pharmacy benefit managers as a rare point of bipartisan agreement. The middlemen who negotiate drug prices between manufacturers and insurers are facing growing scrutiny in Congress over their role in high medication costs, with proposals to increase transparency and reform their pricing practices gaining traction across the political divide.

US lawmakers are facing mounting questions over artificial intelligence safety, with Congress under pressure to act on regulating the fast-moving technology. Coverage highlights the gap between growing public and expert concern about AI risks and the slow pace of legislative response in Washington. Debates continue over how, and how strictly, AI systems should be overseen by federal law.

More Americans are losing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits while Congress weighs the future of the food stamps program, according to US reports. The developments have drawn attention from local outlets in Kansas, with commentators focused on what any legislative changes would mean for low-income households relying on food assistance.

CNN reports on the House and Senate districts where Republicans are going on the attack ahead of the US midterm elections, rather than simply defending their current seats. The piece highlights the districts and states the party considers winnable, part of a broader campaign push as both parties compete for control of Congress and voters weigh the economy and other key issues.

A proposed Truth and Healing Commission to investigate the history of US federal Indian boarding schools remains pending before Congress as the Day of Remembrance approaches. The commission would document abuses and lasting harms inflicted on Native American children at the schools. Advocates say formal reckoning and acknowledgment are overdue, keeping pressure on lawmakers to advance the legislation.

The US Supreme Court has blocked the Trump-backed Republican redraw of Missouri's congressional map, halting new district boundaries that were set to reshape the state's US House delegation. The decision pauses the map while legal challenges proceed, a significant setback for Republicans who pushed the redrawing to gain an extra congressional seat.

The Trump-backed SAVE America Act would require voters to show photo ID and provide documentary proof of US citizenship, such as a passport or birth certificate, when registering to vote in federal elections. Supporters say the measure protects election integrity, while critics argue it could disenfranchise eligible voters who lack easy access to citizenship documents.

Attention is turning to the 2026 US midterm elections, with coverage focused on how the results could reshape Donald Trump's power in his second term and determine control of Congress. All 435 House seats and about a third of the Senate are up for grabs, and the outcome could either cement Republican control or hand Democrats a check on the president's agenda.

An author known for writing a memoir about life in Appalachia has launched a campaign for a US congressional seat, and is drawing a clear line between her own story and JD Vance's 'Hillbilly Elegy'. 'I'm not JD Vance,' she says, positioning herself as offering a more authentic account of the region than the vice-president's best-selling memoir, which many in Appalachia criticised as stereotyping. The race is now being watched as part of the broader fight over who gets to speak for the region.

Attention is turning to which US lawmakers will take up the Crypto Clarity Act in the next Congress, a bill aimed at settling how digital assets are regulated. The question comes as crypto firms and investors press Washington for clear rules on whether tokens are securities or commodities. The composition of the incoming Congress, including control of key committees, is expected to shape who leads the drafting effort.

The crypto industry is increasingly working directly with US regulators rather than waiting for Congress to pass comprehensive legislation, Decrypt reports. After years of stalled bills on Capitol Hill, exchanges and industry groups are engaging agencies like the SEC and CFTC to shape rules in practice, accepting limited oversight as the price of legal certainty and market access.

The Texas Observer reports, citing Gaige Davila, that the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge in South Texas — once called a "crown jewel" of US protected spaces — faces mounting pressure from border wall construction. A final lawsuit is being weighed as a way to slow the wall's progress until Congress can intervene to protect the refuge.

Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman voted against a Democratic-led War Powers resolution aimed at limiting US military action against Iran, again diverging from his party. The vote puts him alongside Republicans on one of the most contentious foreign policy questions in Congress, drawing criticism from progressive voters and praise from conservatives. It is the latest in a string of occasions where Fetterman has broken with Senate Democrats.

A new opinion piece argues that US Congress should address online child exploitation as a public health crisis rather than a piecemeal legal problem. The article calls on lawmakers to adopt a coordinated, health-focused response to protect children from abuse and exploitation on digital platforms, framing the issue as a systemic crisis requiring sustained legislative action.

A coalition of 23 US states is pushing for federal regulation of artificial intelligence following a series of alarming incidents involving AI systems. The states argue that state-level rules alone cannot address risks that cross borders, and are calling on Congress to set nationwide standards covering safety, accountability and oversight of AI technologies.

Warren Buffett's long-standing proposal to curb the US deficit is circulating again. The idea is simple: Congress must pass any deficit-reduction law, and if the deficit is not cut below 3% of GDP, sitting members of Congress become ineligible for re-election. The plan, floated years ago, is being shared and debated as concerns over America's mounting federal debt grow louder.

The International Campaign for Tibet, together with Tibetan communities, human rights organisations and partners in the US Congress, is calling on President Trump to put Tibet and broader human rights concerns on the agenda during his meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping. The coalition wants Washington to press Beijing directly on its policies in Tibetan areas rather than focusing solely on trade and strategic issues.

Lawmakers have introduced legislation in Congress that would lower the US retirement age to 60, allowing some Americans to claim retirement benefits earlier than under current rules. The proposal is drawing attention as debates continue over Social Security's solvency and the adequacy of retirement savings, with discussion focused on who exactly would qualify under the new threshold.

A court ruling is affecting Missouri's congressional district map, with potential consequences for how the state's US House seats are drawn. Redistricting decisions in Missouri carry weight for both parties, since boundary changes can shift the competitiveness of districts and influence control of Congress. Details of the ruling and its specific impact on the map remain limited.

The US Senate is preparing to vote on legislation that would overhaul the rules governing college sports. The measure would mark a rare direct intervention by Congress in how college athletics are regulated, touching issues such as athlete compensation and governance that have previously been handled by the NCAA and courts.

A Democratic lawmaker has launched an effort to impeach Linda McMahon, calling the conduct at issue 'completely out of bounds'. McMahon serves as US Education Secretary, and the move signals deepening Democratic opposition to the Trump administration's education agenda. The effort faces steep odds in the Republican-controlled Congress but adds to growing political friction over federal education policy.

US politician Kennedy has proposed an unwritten rule that no living politician should have a public building named after them, arguing such honours should wait until after death. The remark touches a recurring debate in Washington about naming federal buildings after sitting or recently serving lawmakers, a practice critics say rewards partisanship and self-promotion.