Yesterday, the United States Senate voted on yet another “omnibus” appropriations bill. Senators were forced to choose whether to vote for this 1,600 page bill – which includes $1.1 trillion in new spending and was open to no amendments or real debate – or shut down the government. This bill is another sad symbol that Congress is failing in its duty to properly govern. Is it any wonder that the American people are fed up with this way of doing business? | John McCain

Top Senate Democrats are blasting the White House after being excluded from a classified briefing on recent U.S. military strikes against boats in the Caribbean and the Pacific. The Trump administration says the strikes are targeting suspected drug traffickers. The briefing held on Wednesday included more than a dozen Republican senators, but no Democrats. The development comes as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are already raising concerns about transparency and oversight. Sen. Mark Warner