Barbara Sprunt
Barbara Sprunt is a producer on NPR's Washington desk, where she reports and produces breaking news and feature political content. She formerly produced the NPR Politics Podcast and got her start in radio at as an intern on NPR's Weekend All Things Considered and Tell Me More with Michel Martin. She is an alumnus of the Paul Miller Reporting Fellowship at the National Press Foundation. She is a graduate of American University in Washington, D.C., and a Pennsylvania native.
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If lawmakers can't reach a deal to avoid a shutdown, many federal workers would be furloughed, while essential functions like Social Security payments would continue. -
The Senate has approved a short-term spending bill to fund the government until March 14. -
President-elect Donald Trump and his newest top-lieutenant, Elon Musk, have sent Washington scrambling to avoid a government shutdown, even before Trump takes office. -
Congressional leaders released a stop-gap spending bill to fund the government until March 14 but Republicans, including President-elect Trump, are objecting to additional spending in the bill. -
If the Senate puts up a fight against President-elect Trump's demand for recess appointments, could Trump force Congress to adjourn and ram his nominees through anyway? -
In a post on Truth Social announcing the nomination of Gaetz, Trump said: "Few issues in America are more important than ending the partisan Weaponization of our Justice System." Gaetz said he would resign from the U.S. House of Representatives, effective immediately. -
Republicans have chosen Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., as the next party leader, launching a new era for the GOP after nearly two decades with Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., leading the party in the Senate. -
President Biden and President-elect Trump met for almost two hours and discussed a funding bill that Congress needs to pass by Dec. 21, as well as ongoing support for Ukraine, the White House said. -
Congress returns this week. Republicans are hopeful they will maintain their House majority in the next Congress. In the Senate, Republicans will choose the next majority leader.
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Republicans have successfully flipped control of the Senate, which Democrats currently control 51-49.
