While mired in the thick of a war in Israel, electing a speaker and the possibility of a second government shutdown this fall, Congress is facing a harrowing issue impacting America's youngest: A 69% increase in child labor law violations since 2018. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., is the latest lawmaker looking to update the nation's antiquated child labor... Read More

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) warned of potential harmful consequences to passengers, airline employees and small communities if a proposed merger between JetBlue and Spirit Airlines takes place. “When these mergers happen, it seems to be that the haves — geographically — have more, and the cities that are smaller and needed the presence of these... Read More

An effort by Senate Republicans to overturn U.S. Department of Agriculture rules it says protect LGBTQ+ people from discrimination in federally funded nutrition programs failed in a narrow vote on Thursday. Connecticut Democrat Sen. Chris Murphy railed against the Republican-led resolution that he said would allow schools to refuse students meals... Read More

Several senators seen as vulnerable in next year’s elections voted Wednesday for a controversial amendment to defend the gun rights of veterans who are in the Department of Veterans’ Affairs fiduciary program.   Sens. Joe Mancin (D-W.Va.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.) all backed the amendment. The four all... Read More

Robert Card, An Army reservist with a history of mental health issues, is suspected of killing at least 18 people at multiple locations in Maine on Wednesday. Hours before the rampage, the Senate voted 53-45 to adopt an amendment making it easier for veterans with mental disabilities to get guns. The Department of Veteran Affairs is currently... Read More

Chris Murphy, a Democratic Senator from Connecticut, has advocated against gun violence at the federal level since the 2012 Newtown school shooting, which left 20 children and six educators dead. In light of Wednesday's mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, Murphy said on Thursday he's been in touch with his colleagues in the U.S. Senate to offer... Read More

Twenty-five Democratic senators sign on to a statement calling for Israel to allow fuel deliveries to power hospitals and water treatment centers in Gaza. Israel has thus far resisted such calls, saying that Hamas diverts fuel for its own use in terror activities. “We condemn Hamas’s horrific terrorist attacks against Israel, for which Israel must... Read More

President Biden’s steadfast support for Israel is facing increasing pressure as some of his staunch supporters from within his party are warning about the ways in which the Israeli response is being carried out. Biden has resisted calls to join other Democrats who are seeking a cease-fire, and has largely avoided commenting on how Israel is... Read More

As Israel escalates its targeting of Hamas infrastructure in Gaza, there is growing concern in Washington about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the enclave. Calls from both the White House and congressional Democrats for humanitarian pauses in fighting to deliver aid and allow for the evacuation of hostages have been mounting since late... Read More

House Republicans on Monday unveiled a proposal to pay for emergency aid for Israel’s war against Hamas by cutting IRS funds aimed at cracking down on rich tax cheats and improving taxpayer service. The legislation, released by the House Rules Committee, calls for approving roughly $14 billion primarily in military aid to Israel and cutting about... Read More

Several Democrats expressed concern that the United States does not have a sitting ambassador for Israel amid the escalating conflict and attacks. Democratic lawmakers on Saturday aggressively pushed for a quick confirmation of Jacob J. Lew, who was nominated by President Biden last month, after the Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel... Read More

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn, led more than 30 fellow senators in urging the Biden Administration to send humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and West Bank amid Israeli attacks, his office announced Wednesday. In the letter, addressed to Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, the senators expressed support for "Israel's right to defend its people" against... Read More

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., is leading a call to boost federal funding for security at synagogues, mosques, and other places of worship as hate crimes increase and tensions rise over the war in Israel. Murphy, chairman of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, joined other senators Friday in seeking $500 million for a... Read More

Israel is America’s closest ally in the Middle East, but its ongoing war with Gaza is testing the limits of that relationship. On the show this week, the view from Capitol Hill with Democratic senator Chris Murphy and a Republican congressman Mike Waltz. Then, a dispatch from Beirut as Hezbollah threatens to widen the Israeli war. Read More

Declaring that U.S. leadership “holds the world together,” President Joe Biden told Americans on Thursday night the country must deepen its support of Ukraine and Israel in the middle of two vastly different, unpredictable and bloody wars. Acknowledging that “these conflicts can seem far away,” Biden insisted in a rare Oval Office address that they... Read More

Awareness of the risks stemming from our fraying social relationships is growing. In May, Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released an advisory calling “our epidemic of loneliness and isolation” an “underappreciated public health crisis that has harmed individual and societal health.”  Worsening social ties have also hurt early childhood... Read More

With the House effectively shut down, the Senate has the upper hand on Washington’s two biggest issues this fall — aiding Ukraine and Israel and keeping the government open. Even if the House GOP selects a speaker or a caretaker leader to claw out of the current chaos, its Republicans will already be in a weakened state as the White House prepares... Read More

Senators say their understanding of what assistance Israel actually needs in its war against Hamas is becoming clearer as the chamber rushes to provide aid to the embattled American ally. But details — at least publicly — on those needs remain scant. “After this briefing, we have a good understanding of what they need and whether they're getting... Read More

NEWINGTON — After beginning in Stafford, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy continued his annual Walk Across Connecticut by visiting local businesses in Newington on Tuesday. Murphy said that throughout the day, he stopped at businesses such as Anna’s Restaurant in East Hartford, ABC Pizza in Hartford and fire stations. As he entered Newington, he was... Read More

WASHINGTON -- Pro-Ukraine senators from both parties, unnerved by the upheaval in the House, say they want to move quickly to pass a yearlong aid package for the war-torn country that far exceeds the amount of aid requested by President Biden in August and would last through the 2024 election.Biden requested $24 billion in additional aid in August,... Read More