Free Republic

The United States Constitution did not create the filibuster. The practice exists entirely because of Senate rules and precedents developed over time.From early in the Senate’s history, the ability of Senators to speak for unlimited amounts of time was used as a tool to slow down legislation, as a bargaining chip to gain concessions on bills, or to block bills altogether. This extended use of “debate” became known as a filibuster.For decades, there was talk about changing the Senate rules to limit debate, but nothing was done until 1917. During the administration of President Woodrow Wilson, the Senate adopted Rule...

Top Democrats House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer have sparked backlash after demanding that taxpayer dollars not be used for immigration enforcement operations near "sensitive locations," including polling places. Which, of course, begs the question: Why would there be elevated concerns about the presence of illegal aliens at polling places? Democrats' DHS Demands Spark Outrage: Why Shield Polling Places from ICE Enforcement? Jeffries (NY-8) and Schumer (D-NY) sent a letter to Republican leadership on Wednesday, demanding reforms to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) immigration enforcement as part of ongoing funding negotiations. Their list of...

The U.S. House of Representatives will vote next week on a new bill that would require all states to check both citizenship and photo identification before allowing voters to cast ballots, combining two widely popular election integrity provisions and ramping up pressure on a Senate that has been unwilling to consider either mandate. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., and Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, confirmed in an interview Wednesday evening with Just the News that the vote will be held next week for the Save America Act, which combines the two requirements that have passed the House individually but not...

Senate Republican Leader John Thune (R-SD) announced yesterday that Republicans would not use a “talking” filibuster to break the Democrats’ obstruction of the SAVE Act. This makes no sense. Stopping non-citizen voting in federal elections is not only a widely popular idea, but it’s also essential to securing our nation’s future. Thune said a talking filibuster would “tie up the Senate” and take up limited floor time needed for other things. This is the worst excuse he could have made. The Senate only works two and a half days a week now, so there’s plenty of time to do what...

The 83-year-old senator is "grateful" for the care he is receiving, according to his spokesperson. LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Sen. Mitch McConnell checked himself into a hospital for flu-like symptoms "out of an abundance of caution," his spokesperson said on Tuesday.

Queen’s University Belfast is to remove the name of former US Senator George Mitchell — one of the architects of the Good Friday Agreement — from a peace center following the emergence of new information contained in the Jeffrey Epstein files released on Friday. A bust of Mr. Mitchell will also be removed from the university grounds. Mr. Mitchell chaired the negotiations which led to the 1998 peace agreement. The former senator has a long-standing association with the university where he was chancellor from 1999 to 2009. …

What if I told you Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has the power and the votes — right now — to save Republicans’ congressional majorities, President Trump’s second-term agenda, and maybe the republic itself, all while poleaxing Democrats on the short side of an 84-15 issue? It sounds like fantasy. But like the Lady of the Lake from Arthurian legend, 2026 is offering up to the GOP a political weapon almost as powerful as Excalibur itself: an extended Democrat talking filibuster of national voter ID legislation.Popular Idea, Toxic OppositionRequiring voters to prove their citizenship is one of the most...

As the partial government shutdown drags into its third day, a critical deal has been struck that could finally deliver a long-overdue victory for election integrity. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, after direct talks with President Trump at the White House, announced that Senate Majority Leader John Thune is prepared to invoke a standing filibuster to bring the SAVE Act to the floor, sidestepping the 60-vote barrier that has stalled the bill for months.

— Despite facing what is likely to be a difficult national political environment this fall, Republicans remain favored to hold their Senate majority. — President Trump did well among young people and nonwhite voters in 2024 for a Republican, but he has seen his approval erode with those voters. However, that doesn’t have as much of a bearing on the Senate map, with Democrats having to compete in whiter states like Iowa and Ohio. The 2026 midterm may once again be a “Blue Wave,” as we saw in 2018, Donald Trump’s first midterm as president. But that environment wasn’t enough...

Transcript SummaryThe transcript discusses an impending partial U.S. government shutdown at midnight, with 78% of federal funding set to expire.A deal between the White House and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer would separate DHS funding from a larger package of six funding bills. The DHS portion would receive a two-week stopgap while ICE reforms are negotiated, allowing the other five bills to pass with bipartisan support.Republican Senator Lindsey Graham is holding up the deal by placing a hold on the legislation. He demands a guaranteed vote on his bill to criminalize sanctuary cities before lifting the hold. He spoke on...

The U.S. Senate has passed a bill on a vote of 71-29 that funds most of the government to dodge a pending government shutdown. If passed by the U.S. House and signed into law, the bill would fund most government agencies. However, it delays a vote on funding for the Department of Homeland Security until Feb. 14 because of the objections of Democrat lawakers over the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti and the deportation of illegal immigrants. The U.S. House is expected to vote on the bill on Monday. 🚨 Senate passes bill to resolve shutdown clash, punting on DHS...

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) announced Friday afternoon that the Senate is poised to vote on a series of amendments and then pass a massive package of appropriations bills to fund the federal departments and agencies. Thune announced votes on seven amendments, including a proposal by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) to repeal $75 billion in funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and another by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) to bar the Trump White House from rescinding funding through pocket rescissions. The Senate will also consider an amendment sponsored by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) to remove $5 billion from...

Senate rallies, advances funding package in key test after earlier stumbleSenate Republicans and Democrats locked in an agreement to move forward with a behemoth funding package, smashing through resistance on both sides of the aisle. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., teed up the final vote for the package Friday after hours of quelling resistance among Senate Republicans. Lawmakers will plow through several amendments before voting on the package, which is expected to pass and head to the House. That also means that, despite their best efforts, a government shutdown is all but guaranteed given that the deadline to fund...

Lawmakers are seeking answers about the director of national intelligence’s presence at a search of the Fulton County elections office. Democratic senators called Thursday for a briefing on why Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard joined an FBI search of the Fulton County, Georgia, elections office related to the 2020 presidential election.“What the heck is she doing on the FBI serving a domestic warrant? If this doesn’t concern the heck out of every American, it sure as hell should,” said Sen. Mark Warner, the ranking member on the Senate Intelligence Committee, which is requesting the briefing from Gabbard’s office. “This...

The Senate’s race to avert a shutdown hit the skids late Thursday night as Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) placed a hold on the government funding package, forcing leaders to punt the vote. Senators had been hoping to vote on the so-called minibus after leaders struck a deal earlier in the day and President Trump endorsed it. Under the agreement, the Senate was set to vote on a package of five full-year funding bills and a stopgap measure funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for two weeks. But as lawmakers awaited word on the vote late Thursday, a fired-up Graham...

McConnell, facing mobility challenges from childhood polio and recent falls, appeared hours before a Senate cloture vote on spending bills for agencies like Defense and Homeland Security. The vote failed 45-55 amid Democratic opposition to DHS funding and immigration disputes. The images drew online criticism from conservatives calling it embarrassing and pushing for age or term limits, while a few praised his dedication; his office has not commented on his health.

Another government shutdown looks increasingly likely by the end of the week. Democrats are demanding that major changes to Department of Homeland Security enforcement policy be written directly into the budget agreement. Those changes would largely shut down President Trump’s deportation efforts.Trump has already made some changes. For example, DHS removed Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino – who had become a political lightning rod – from his assignment in Minneapolis. Democrats, however, are pressing for far more sweeping changes. They want to require judicial warrants for immigration arrests, force ICE agents to be easily identifiable, and grant states the authority...

Democrats voted to block legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security and several other agencies Thursday as they continued to negotiate with Republicans and the White House on new restrictions for President Donald Trump’s surge of immigration enforcement. Thursday’s 45-55 test vote came as Democrats have threatened a partial government shutdown when money runs out on Friday. But Trump said just ahead of the vote that “we don’t want a shutdown” and the two sides were discussing a possible agreement to separate homeland security funding from the rest of the legislation and fund it for a short time.

The Senate struck a deal to fund a large portion of the government on Thursday evening, just a day before a shutdown deadline.The agreement will split the bill funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) off from a “minibus” package of five other major funding bills. The Senate will instead move a stopgap bill known as a continuing resolution (CR) that would fund DHS at current levels until Feb. 13.The two sides had haggled over the length of the CR, with Democrats insisting on the two-week version that won out.

Alex Vindman, who became a key player along with his twin brother in President Donald Trump’s first impeachment, announced on Tuesday that he is running for the U.S. Senate as a Democrat in Florida. Vindman, an Army veteran, was serving on the National Security Council in 2019 when the Republican president pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to investigate Joe Biden, then a Democratic candidate. He and his brother, Eugene, a lawyer on the National Security Council, reported their concerns and sparked investigations. Eugene Vindman now serves as a congressman from Virginia. If Alex Vindman clinches the Democratic nomination, he’ll challenge...