Us Senate

US Senate passes bill to end national Covid-19 emergency, declared by Trump

The US Senate has passed a bill to end the national Covid-19 emergency which was declared by former President Donald Trump on March 13, 2020

Bill to reform H-1B and L-1 visa programme introduced in US Senate

A group of influential lawmakers have introduced a bipartisan legislation in the US Senate to comprehensively overhaul the H-1B and L-1 visa programmes and usher in more transparency in the recruitment of foreign workers. The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. Technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China. The L-1 is the other type of work visa the US issues to professionals looking to work in the country. Unlike the H-1B, where an individual is looking to join an American company, the L-1 visa is issued to those who are already employed by the company in another country, and who are merely relocating to an American office. Two influential Senators -- Dick Durbin and Chuck Grassley -- have introduced this legislation in the US Senate. The co-sponsors include Senators Tommy Tuberville,

US Senate votes to keep 2001 authorization for use of force against terror

The Senate voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to continue congressional authorization for the use of military force in the global fight against terror, turning back an effort by Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul to repeal the 2001 measure. Senators rejected the amendment 86-9 as they are debating a separate repeal of two authorizations of military force in Iraq. There is broad bipartisan support to withdraw that congressional approval granted in 1991 and 2002 for military strikes against Saddam Hussein's regime. While those two authorizations are rarely used and focused on just one country, Iraq, the 2001 measure gave President George W. Bush broad authority for the invasion of Afghanistan and the fight against terrorism, approving force against those nations, organizations, or persons that planned or aided the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. Passed in October 2001, it is still used to this day to justify U.S. military action against terror groups including al-Qaida and its ...

US Senate takes step in repealing Iraq War authorisations to end authority

The Senate took a first step Thursday toward repealing two measures that give open-ended approval for military action in Iraq, pushing to end that authority as the United States marks the 20th anniversary of the Iraq War. Senators voted 68-27 to move forward on legislation that would repeal the 2002 measure that greenlighted the March 2003 invasion of Iraq and also a 1991 measure that sanctioned the U.S.-led Gulf War to expel Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's forces from Kuwait. Nineteen Republicans joined Democrats in supporting the repeal. The bipartisan effort comes as lawmakers in both parties are increasingly seeking to claw back congressional powers over U.S. military strikes and deployments, arguing that the war authorizations are no longer necessary and subject to misuse if they are left on the books. President Joe Biden has backed the push, and the White House issued a statement Thursday in support. "Repeal of these authorizations would have no impact on current U.S. military .

Eric Garcetti: Everything you need to know about new US ambassador to India

Eric Garcetti's tenure as mayor of Los Angeles saw several high points, like adopting a $15 minimum wage and his regular briefings during the Covid-19 pandemic. But, it had some setbacks as well

Latest LIVE: UK, German fighter jets intercept Russian plane near Estonia

Catch all the live news updates from across the globe here

US Senate to vote on nomination of Eric Garcetti as envoy to India

The United States Senate will vote on the nomination of Eric Garcetti as the country's next ambassador to India on Wednesday. Such a move by Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer came amidst fresh round of campaign against Garcetti by his distractors on allegations of sexual assault against one of his staffers when he was the mayor of Los Angeles. If confirmed by the Senate, Garcetti would soon head to India as US Ambassador, a position that has remained vacant for more than two years. The confirmation vote on his nomination is scheduled at 2.15 pm local Washington time. This would be preceded by a vote on the cloture motion on his nomination, which indicated that Schumer is confident of having enough votes to get Garcetti confirmed as the US Ambassador to India. Garcetti's nomination has been pending before the US Congress since July 2021, when he was nominated for the prestigious diplomatic posting by President Joe Biden. Last week, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, at its

Cloture motion filed for Garcetti's nomination, step closer to confirmation

The nomination of Eric Garcetti for US Ambassador to India moved a step closer to being confirmed by the Senate as it adopted a cloture motion, indicating that the ruling Democrats have the support of a super-majority for his selection for the key position. Such a move by Senate Majority Leader Senator Chuck Schumer came a day after the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at its business meeting voted 13-8 in favour of his nomination. Garcetti's nomination is pending before the US Congress since July 2021, when he was nominated for the prestigious diplomatic posting by President Joe Biden. His nomination was not brought to the Senate floor for a vote during the last Congress as the ruling Democratic Party did not have enough support to get the 52-year-old close aide of Biden through. On Thursday afternoon, a Senate clerk read and brought the nomination of Garcetti to be Ambassador of the US to India on the Senate floor. "I send the cloture motion to the desk," Schumer said on the f

US Senate panel approves Biden's pick Garcetti for India ambassador

A key senatorial committee on Wednesday voted 13-8 to advance the nomination of Eric Garcetti as US Ambassador to India. Garcetti, 52, is the former mayor of Los Angeles and his nomination has been pending before the US Congress since July 2021, when he was nominated for this prestigious diplomatic posting by President Joe Biden. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee at its business meeting on Wednesday voted 13-8 in favor of the nomination of Garcetti. Now the nomination heads to the Senate floor for a fill vote. Two Republican Senators -- Todd Young and Bill Hagerty -- Wednesday afternoon voted in favour of Garcetti, joining the Democratic lawmakers and passing the nomination through the Senatorial committee. Garcetti wasn't confirmed in Biden's first two years in office amid concerns by some lawmakers that as the then-mayor he hadn't adequately handled allegations against a former senior adviser of sexual assault and harassment. Senator Chuck Grassley this week called for votin

Senate confirms appointment of Arun Subramanian as NY district court judge

The United States Senate on Tuesday confirmed Indian-American Arun Subramanian to be District Judge for the Southern District of New York, thus making him the first South Asian judge to serve on this bench. The United States confirmed the nomination of Subramanian by a vote of 58-37 Tuesday evening. "We have confirmed Arun Subramanian as an SDNY (Southern District of New York) judge. He's a son of Indian immigrants and the 1st South Asian-American judge confirmed to SDNY which has one of the largest South Asian-American populations in the country. He's dedicated his career to fighting for people," Senate Majority Leader Senate Chuck Schumer said immediately after the conformation vote. Before the floor vote, Schumer said Subramanian is the "epitome of the American Dream and a history maker": the child of hard-working immigrants from India, he will become the first South Asian to preside in the Southern District, which has one of the largest South Asian populations in the ...

White House applauds US Senators for introducing bill targeting TikTok

The White House on Tuesday applauded a group of Senators for introducing the Restricting the Emergence of Security Threats that Risk Information and Communications Technology (RESTRICT) Act

Keep teens out of your metaverse dream: US Senators tell Mark Zuckerberg

"Any strategy to invite young users into a digital space rife with potential harms should not be driven by a goal to maximise profit," the senators wrote

Pak PM underscores importance of cooperation as he meets US delegation

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday highlighted the significance of long-standing cooperation with the US and the need to make this partnership diverse and multidimensional. He was talking to a six-member US Senate delegation from the Democratic Party, led by Senate Majority Leader Senator Chuck Schumer that called on him. Other members of the delegation included Senators Maria Cantwell, Amy Klobuchar, Gary Peters, Catherine Cortez Masto, and Peter Welch. According to a statement by the Prime Minister's Office, the Prime Minister underscored the significance of long-standing cooperation between Pakistan and the US and the need to make this partnership diverse and multidimensional. He underlined that parliamentary exchanges between the two countries, as vibrant democracies, are vital to promoting understanding of each other's perspectives at the political level. The Prime Minister highlighted that Pakistan and the US celebrated 75 years of diplomatic relations last year and t

US Republican senator seeks removal of subsidies on wheat, rice in India

A powerful Republican Party Senator has urged the Biden administration to speak to the Indian government about the subsidies it gives to its wheat and rice growing farmers, which he claimed is against the norms of the World Trade Organization. Rice and wheat farmers throughout the country are seriously impacted by India's blatant WTO violations, Senator John Boozman from Arkansas said during a Congressional hearing on the 2023 Farm Bill organised by the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. We continue to engage India in multilateral forums on this issue, raising questions in the WTO, and working on counter notifications in years past to bring out really what we view as the truth to their subsidisation policy, replied Alexis Taylor, USDA Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs. He was responding to a question from Boozman, who is a Ranking Member of the Agricultural Committee. Could you tell us a little bit about what you are doing in your ...

Ro Khanna's US Senate plan sparks speculation about his White House bid

Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna has said that he is weighing a Senate bid in California, sparking speculation among Democrats in several key US states that he may be eyeing to run for the White House in the future, according to a media report. Those close to Khanna, 46, say he is keeping his options open ahead of a potential presidential run in 2028 or beyond. But others in his orbit are talking about an even more compressed timeline: running in 2024 if President Joe Biden, 80, decided not to, according to Politico, a political newspaper company based in Arlington County in the US. I think he would be a great United States senator, said Mark Longabaugh, a Democratic strategist whose firm did media consulting for Khanna last year. But I also think, should Biden decide not to run, I think he's a very plausible candidate for president of the United States. So I think that those decisions are yet to be made. Khanna, who is a US representative from California's 17th congressional

Indian-American Usha Reddi takes oath as Kansas state Senator in US

Indian-American city commissioner Usha Reddi took oath as senator in the US state of Kansas, replacing current Manhattan Senator Tom Hawk, who announced his retirement last month

Kevin McCarthy fails in marathon votes for speaker, US House adjourns

Failing to elect party leader Kevin McCarthy as the new speaker of the House, Republicans adjourned in disarray Tuesday night, ending a raucous first day of the new Congress but hoping to somehow regroup on Wednesday from his historic defeat. The abrupt end to a long, messy Day One showed there is no easy way ahead for McCarthy who promised to fight to the finish to claim the gavel despite opposition from the chamber's most conservative members. Needing 218 votes in the full House, McCarthy got just 203 in two rounds - less even than Democrat Hakeem Jeffries in the GOP-controlled chamber - and fared even worse with 202 in round three. Tensions rose as night fell on the new House majority, and all other business came to a halt. The House agreed to return at noon Wednesday. "Kevin McCarthy is not going to be a speaker," declared Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., among the holdouts. McCarthy had pledged a battle on the floor for as long as it took to overcome right-flank fellow Republicans who we

Trump's team takes victory lap over dying subpoena of Jan 6 Committee

With Republicans poised to retake control of the House as the new Congress is sworn in on January 3, 2023, any outstanding subpoenas issued by the committee are set to expire

Indian journalist Rana Ayyub receives support from US Senator Patrick Leahy

A prominent US Senator has expressed support for Indian journalist Rana Ayyub, noting that her work is driven by a sense of purpose and a love for her country and the ideals for which it stands. In a statement on Thursday, Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy said, Rana Ayyub is an award-winning Indian journalist who has courageously reported on religious violence, extrajudicial killings, and other matters of public interest in India. Her important work is driven by a sense of purpose and a love for her country and the ideals for which it stands. Yet she faces online harassment and trolling, death threats, and baseless government retaliation for her reporting," Leahy said. "Despite the immense pressure to silence her by government officials who should be protecting her, she continues to expose the abuses of those in power, the Senator from Vermont added. Citing the Committee to Protect Journalists, Leahy said that in 2022 alone at least 38 journalists were killed, 294 were imprisoned,

US Senate passes $1.7 trillion spending bill to fund govt, aid Ukraine

The Senate passed a massive $1.7 trillion spending bill Thursday that finances federal agencies through September and provides another significant round of military and economic aid to Ukraine one day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's dramatic address to a joint meeting of Congress. The bill, which runs for 4,155 pages, includes about $772.5 billion for domestic programs and $858 billion for defense and would finance federal agencies through the fiscal year at the end of September. The bill passed by a vote of 68-29 and now goes to the House for a final vote before it can be sent to President Joe Biden to be signed into law. This is one of the most significant appropriations packages we have done in a very long time, said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. The range of people it helps is large and deep." Lawmakers were racing to get the bill approved before a partial government shutdown would occur at midnight Friday, and many were anxious to complete the ta