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Aris Folley

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Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., speaks to the cameras as he arrives for a Senate Budget Committee hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on March 10.

Reconciliation bill preparations get underway despite doubts

By Aris Folley, Savannah Behrmann and Aidan Quigley
Posted March 25, 2026 at 7:57pm
Thune said senators will have to "stare at each other" more before a deal is reached. (Bill Clark/ CQ Roll Call)

DHS funding negotiations turn to stalemate in Senate

By Aris Folley, Savannah Behrmann and Aidan Quigley
Posted March 25, 2026 at 6:12pm
Ohio Sen. Jon Husted, seen here leaving the Senate Republicans’ lunch meeting in the Capitol last November, has won a plum committee post as he fights to retain his Senate seat.

Husted named to succeed Mullin on Senate Appropriations panel

By Aidan Quigley and Aris Folley
Posted March 25, 2026 at 6:07pm
Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., said a solution to the funding standoff was at hand.

DHS funding deal appears close after White House talks

By Aris Folley and Jacob Fulton
Posted March 23, 2026 at 10:31pm
The expected request by President Donald Trump, seen on March 17, for a 50 percent defense spending increase promises to complicate fiscal 2027 appropriations. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Fiscal 2027 budget outlook

By Aidan Quigley, Aris Folley and David Lerman
Posted March 23, 2026 at 4:25pm
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., talks with reporters after the Senate luncheons in the Capitol on Feb. 3. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Trump outburst sends Senate back to drawing board for DHS deal

By Paul M. Krawzak and Aris Folley
Posted March 23, 2026 at 3:17pm, Updated at 5:30pm
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., leaves the Senate Republicans’ lunch meeting in the Capitol on March 10.

Appropriators meet as deadline set for Homeland Security deal

By Aris Folley
Posted March 19, 2026 at 7:32pm
The Rayburn House Office Building.

Rayburn building deemed at risk in push for major funding boost

By Aris Folley
Posted March 17, 2026 at 7:00am, Updated at 11:05am
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said more information is needed to assess war funding needs. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Iran war triggers talk of supplemental defense funding

By Aris Folley and Jacob Fulton
Posted March 3, 2026 at 6:45am
Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., said the war shouldn't weaken Democratic resolve on Homeland Security funding.

War impact on funding standoff

By Aris Folley and David Lerman
Posted March 2, 2026 at 2:05pm
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, a senior appropriator, says a renewed moratorium on federal layoffs is not needed.

Moratorium on federal employee layoffs lapses amid shutdown

By Ryan Tarinelli and Aris Folley
Posted February 27, 2026 at 6:09pm
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says tariff revenue will remain unchanged despite a Supreme Court ruling striking down many tariffs.

Tug-of-war over tariffs

By Michael Macagnone, Aris Folley and David Lerman
Posted February 23, 2026 at 5:40pm
Trump, flanked at the White House by Solicitor General John Sauer, left, and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, pledged to find other ways to impose tariffs.

Court ruling puts federal revenue forecast on shaky ground

By Aris Folley
Posted February 20, 2026 at 4:56pm
Alabama Sen. Katie Britt leaves the Senate Republican lunch meeting in the Capitol on Nov. 19, 2025. Britt has the most earmarks at stake in the Homeland Security bill.

FEMA earmarks threatened by immigration funding standoff

By Aidan Quigley and Aris Folley
Posted February 9, 2026 at 12:42pm
Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., has called the Democrats’ newest proposal “a ridiculous Christmas list of demands.”

Another funding extension eyed as partisan immigration standoff deepens

By Valerie Yurk, Aris Folley and Jacob Fulton
Posted February 5, 2026 at 6:16pm
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks to reporters as he leaves the House floor following the close vote on the rule for the government funding bill in the Capitol on Tuesday.

Trump signs major spending package while immigration talks continue

By Aris Folley and Jacob Fulton
Posted February 3, 2026 at 1:47pm, Updated at 2:36pm
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla. is pushing for voter ID legislation as the price for her vote on a spending package. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

White House, GOP leaders sway votes for rule on spending bill

By Jacob Fulton and Aris Folley
Posted February 3, 2026 at 8:22am
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., said she won't vote for a rule on a $1.2 trillion spending package without including legislation on voter ID requirements.

Struggle for votes to end shutdown

By Aidan Quigley, Aris Folley and David Lerman
Posted February 2, 2026 at 3:32pm
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., seen here in the Capitol on Wednesday, shepherded the spending package to passage. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call)

Senate passes spending package with Homeland Security punt

By Jacob Fulton and Aris Folley
Posted January 30, 2026 at 6:50pm
Sens. Rick Scott, R-Fla., left, and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., are seen in the Capitol as the Senate took a procedural vote on a government funding package on Thursday.

Senate spending deal runs into ‘hotline’ headwinds

By Jacob Fulton, Aidan Quigley and Aris Folley
Posted January 29, 2026 at 5:10pm, Updated at 11:49pm
From left, Sen. Patty Murray, Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer and Sen. Alex Padilla hold Senate Democrats’ news conference in the Capitol on Wednesday.

White House rejects Democrats’ DHS demands to unlock funding bill

By Jacob Fulton and Aris Folley
Posted January 28, 2026 at 5:25pm
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., walks to the Senate chamber after GOP leaders' weekly news conference in the Capitol on Jan. 13.

Hints of progress to end Senate immigration funding quagmire

By Aris Folley and Jacob Fulton
Posted January 27, 2026 at 9:54pm
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., is holding out hope for saving the six-bill spending package.

Senate seeks escape from Homeland Security standoff

By Jacob Fulton and Aris Folley
Posted January 26, 2026 at 6:13pm
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., kept the GOP conference united to pass all spending bills.

Close to the finish line

By David Lerman, Aris Folley and Jessica Wehrman
Posted January 23, 2026 at 3:15pm
House Rules Chairwoman Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., pushed for the repeal of Senate payouts.

Final fiscal 2026 spending bills pass House; Senate up next

By Jacob Fulton and Aris Folley
Posted January 22, 2026 at 6:35pm
Sens. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., left, and John Hoeven, R-N.D., said the Senate might combine all remaining House-passed bills in a single package.

Six fiscal 2026 spending bills done, six more to go

By Aris Folley and Jacob Fulton
Posted January 15, 2026 at 8:13pm
House National Security-State Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., said the bill would restore “fiscal sanity” to the agencies covered under it. 

House passes second spending package with more bills in pipeline

By Aidan Quigley, Aris Folley and Jacob Fulton
Posted January 14, 2026 at 7:11pm, Updated at 8:35pm
Sen. Christopher S. Murphy, D-Conn., seen here on Jan. 6, said there must be new restraints on Immigration and Customs Enforcement before a Homeland Security bill can pass.

Homeland Security punt and reconciliation talk

By Aris Folley, Paul M. Krawzak and David Lerman
Posted January 12, 2026 at 4:24pm
Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., said appropriations and the health insurance battle are now on "separate tracks."

Appropriators get busy

By Aidan Quigley, Aris Folley and David Lerman
Posted January 6, 2026 at 3:22pm
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., said it would take "a Christmas miracle" to get anything done in Congress to prevent the expiration of expiring health care subsidies.

Congress leaves for Christmas, closes the books on 2025

By Niels Lesniewski and Aris Folley
Posted December 19, 2025 at 6:30am
Rep. Henry Cuellar, seen here in May, is now one step closer to regaining his senior subcommittee post.

Cuellar wins a key nod to regain a top House Appropriations post

By Aris Folley and Aidan Quigley
Posted December 12, 2025 at 3:39pm
Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., said he would remove his hold on the Interior-Environment spending bill. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Firefighting plan that tripped up spending package back on track

By Aris Folley
Posted December 5, 2025 at 5:49am
House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole, R-Okla., is pushing for a smaller-sized spending package than what his Senate counterparts are considering.

Two months to go

By Aris Folley and Aidan Quigley
Posted December 1, 2025 at 6:16pm
Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., is pushing for a smaller-sized Energy-Water bill. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call file photo)

Senate appropriators aim to unveil unreleased spending bills

By Jacob Fulton, Aris Folley and Aidan Quigley
Posted November 21, 2025 at 3:36pm
Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, at left, and ranking Democrat Patty Murray of Washington will meet with their House counterparts to map strategy.

Top four appropriators set to meet on spending package

By Aidan Quigley and Aris Folley
Posted November 19, 2025 at 5:35pm
Sen. Christopher S. Murphy has warned of “no smooth glide path” for appropriations bills after a shutdown battle left Democrats divided.

Appropriations back on track?

By Aidan Quigley, Aris Folley and David Lerman
Posted November 17, 2025 at 3:53pm
Senate Majority Leader John Thune talks with reporters on Monday.

Major spending package planned for Senate floor faces doubts

By Aidan Quigley and Aris Folley
Posted November 14, 2025 at 5:45pm
President Donald Trump shows the signed bill to reopen the federal government in the Oval Office of the White House Wednesday night. Trump was joined by Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., other key congressional Republicans, administration officials and business leaders.

Trump signs spending bill to end longest government shutdown

By Aris Folley
Posted November 12, 2025 at 9:11pm, Updated at 10:33pm
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is seen in the Capitol Monday after briefing the media on a timeline to possibly end the government shutdown.

House leaders seek repeal of Senate push for GOP payouts

By Aris Folley and Paul M. Krawzak
Posted November 12, 2025 at 5:08pm
A Delta Airlines Boeing 757-200 plane passes by the Capitol dome in Washington as it comes in for a landing at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Sunday.

Senate passes spending package in key step to end shutdown

By Aris Folley and Aidan Quigley
Posted November 10, 2025 at 9:29pm
Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer couldn’t keep his caucus united after a 40-day shutdown.

Politics of a shutdown

By Aris Folley, Aidan Quigley and David Lerman
Posted November 10, 2025 at 6:37pm
Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer conducts a news conference in the Capitol on Wednesday. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Democrats torn over shutdown endgame after election victories

By Sandhya Raman, Jessie Hellmann, Lia DeGroot, Aris Folley and Jacob Fulton
Posted November 5, 2025 at 7:32pm
Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., said Senate Democrats had "very thoughtful" talks Tuesday toward a shutdown exit strategy.

Democrats tight-lipped on shutdown off-ramp as pressure grows

By Aris Folley and Jacob Fulton
Posted November 4, 2025 at 8:00pm
Early education advocates warn preschools are being forced to close their doors as a casualty of the partial government shutdown.

No quick fix for Head Start funding as programs start to close

By Aris Folley and Jacob Fulton
Posted November 4, 2025 at 3:58pm
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., right, conduct a news conference on the government shutdown in the Capitol on Friday. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Senate leaders prepare to pivot to a new bill to end shutdown

By Aris Folley
Posted November 3, 2025 at 3:21pm, Updated at 5:11pm
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., was delayed in leaving Washington for the weekend because of a shutdown-related airport delay. Thune is shown speaking to reporters Tuesday, along with, from left, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., and Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C.

Lots of talk but no deal as shutdown heads for the record books

By Aris Folley and Jacob Fulton
Posted October 30, 2025 at 7:47pm
Senate Majority Leader John Thune speaks to reporters about the partial government shutdown outside his office in the Capitol on Wednesday.

Bipartisan talks to end shutdown gaining steam, senators say

By Aris Folley
Posted October 29, 2025 at 9:01pm
Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., seen here on Oct. 23, is trying to broker a bipartisan compromise to pay federal workers during the shutdown.

Shutdown pain grows as November nears

By Aidan Quigley, Aris Folley and Jacob Fulton
Posted October 27, 2025 at 4:35pm
The Social Security Administration headquarters in Woodlawn, Md., on March 20, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Social Security benefits to rise slightly

By Aris Folley
Posted October 24, 2025 at 12:30pm
Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., seen in the Capitol on Thursday, said he was hopeful a compromise plan could be reached by next week. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Bills to pay federal workers stall, but senators ready to compromise

By Jacob Fulton and Aris Folley
Posted October 23, 2025 at 4:35pm
Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., pulled an all-nighter on the Senate floor to protest Trump administration policies.

Merkley yields floor after third-longest speech in Senate history

By Aris Folley
Posted October 22, 2025 at 3:40pm, Updated at 7:36pm
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said he has no intention of negotiating with Democrats until the shutdown ends.

Shutdown stalemate

By Aidan Quigley, Aris Folley and David Lerman
Posted October 14, 2025 at 5:45pm
White House budget director Russ Vought, seen here at the White House on Sept. 29, began mass firings of federal workers Friday.

Over 4K federal workers hit with shutdown-related layoffs, so far

By Aris Folley
Posted October 10, 2025 at 8:20pm
Speaker Mike Johnson holds up a chart during a news conference with Senate Majority Leader John Thune on the government shutdown in the Capitol on Friday.

Mass firings begin as White House weighs keeping troops paid

By Aidan Quigley and Aris Folley
Posted October 10, 2025 at 5:16pm