Senate

Khamenei is increasingly engaged in Iranian gov., Tehran still has drone arsenal, Rubio says

Rubio added that the Trump administration has not offered Iran sanctions relief in exchange for opening the Strait of Hormuz, with any relief being conditional on nuclear agreements.

|ByREUTERS
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio testifies during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing conerning the fiscal year 2027 budget for the State Department, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on June 2, 2026.
Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) walks into the Senate Chamber on December 11, 2025 in Washington, D.C.

Jewish groups rally behind bipartisan Senate antisemitism bill with $1B security allocation

The bill follows several other recent attempts to advance antisemitism legislation in Congress.

|ByPHILISSA CRAMER/JTA
A protester holds a banner opposing the war with Iran during US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's opening remarks at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on US President Donald Trump's FY2027 budget request for the Department of Defence on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, US, April 30, 20

US Senate advances measure curbing Trump's Iran war powers

The advancement on the resolution is a victory for lawmkaers who have been arguing that Congress, not the president, should have the power to send troops to war, as spelled out in the Constitution.

|ByREUTERS
U.S. Senate candidate from Maine Graham Platner speaks during a campaign event on May 2, 2026, in Appleton, Maine.

At Jewish Democrats summit, Senate candidate Graham Platner divides the room

“As far as I’m concerned, you can regret having a Nazi tattoo, you can try to cover it up, but it’s still there,” JDCA CEO Halie Soifer said.

|ByJOSEPH STRAUSS/JTA

Trump withdraws State Department Middle East nominee, source says

Trump withdraws Joel Rayburn's nomination as assistant secretary of state after concerns over his role in US troop deployment discussions in Syria.

OCTOBER 28, 2025ByREUTERS
Joel Rayburn, then-US deputy assistant secretary for Levant Affairs and special envoy for Syria, attends a news conference at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, October 29, 2019.

Trump nominee for Kuwait ambassador grilled at confirmation hearing, loses support on Israel views

Amer Ghalib faces tough questioning from Republicans over past anti-Israel stances at his confirmation hearing for Kuwait ambassadorship, putting his nomination at risk.

OCTOBER 24, 2025ByANDREW LAPIN/JTA
Hamtramck, Michigan, mayor Amer Ghalib at his Senate confirmation hearing to become President Trump's ambassador to Kuwait, October 23, 2025

Sanders-backed Democrat who accuses Israel of 'genocide' has Nazi 'Totenkopf' tattoo

Graham Platner, a military veteran and Maine Senate candidate, faces backlash after revealing a Nazi tattoo and denying knowledge of its meaning.

OCTOBER 22, 2025ByANDREW LAPIN/JTA
Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner sports a Totenkopf tattoo on his chest, in an archival video released by Platner himself. The skull-and-crossbones symbol is commonly associated with the Nazi SS.

Trump nominee Paul Ingrassia withdraws after rare Republican pushback over 'Nazi streak' text

Ingrassia also denounced the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday in private text messages, according to a report in Politico.

OCTOBER 22, 2025ByREUTERS
Paul J. Ingrassia

US Senate confirms former Trump security adviser Waltz as ambassador to UN

The tally was 47 to 43 in the 100-member chamber, with several senators missing the vote.

SEPTEMBER 19, 2025ByREUTERS
U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz speaks with the media following meetings with a Ukrainian delegation in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, March 11, 2025.

Enablers, accomplices, and America’s unhealth: How RFK Jr. makes the US sick - opinion

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. could become America’s greatest mass killer as head of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the senators who confirmed him are his accomplices.

SEPTEMBER 4, 2025ByDOUGLAS BLOOMFIELD
US HEALTH and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

DNC blocks resolution calling for recognition of Palestinian statehood, halting Israel arms sales

A Democratic National Committee panel blocked a resolution calling for the suspension of military aid to Israel, reflecting growing divisions within the party.

AUGUST 27, 2025ByGRACE GILSON/JTA
Allison Minnerly, a new Gen Z DNC member from Florida, speaks about a resolution she proposed seeking to block arms sales to Israel and recognize a Palestinian state.

Jewish Democrat Jamie Raskin joins lawmakers backing bill to restrict arms transfers to Israel

Raskin’s backing of the Block the Bombs Act last week comes amid a marked decline in Democratic support for Israel, as the war in Gaza wages on for its 22nd month.

AUGUST 19, 2025ByGRACE GILSON/JTA
U.S. Representative Jamie Raskin (D-MD) speaks to the media after the U.S. House of Representatives voted to pass U.S. President Donald Trump's sweeping spending and tax bill, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 3, 2025.

Trump judicial nominee Bove clears Senate panel despite Democratic protest

Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously supported the nomination of Emil Bove for a lifetime appointment, while many Democrats left the hearing.

JULY 17, 2025ByREUTERS
Attorney Emil Bove looks on as U.S. President-elect Donald Trump appears remotely for a sentencing hearing in front of New York State Judge Juan Merchan in the criminal case in which he was convicted in 2024, January 10 2025

Mike Waltz testifies before Senate, defends use of Signal amid scandal

While being intensely questioned by Senators Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Chris Coons (D-Del.), Waltz allegedly sought to downplay the scandal over leaked military information.

JULY 16, 2025ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz speaks with the media following meetings with a Ukrainian delegation in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, March 11, 2025.