Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell announced on Thursday that he won’t seek reelection next year, ending a decadeslong tenure as a power broker who championed conservative causes but ultimately ceded ground to the fierce GOP populism of President Donald Trump.
McConnell’s looming departure reflects the changing dynamics of the Trump-led GOP. He’s seen his power diminish on a parallel track with both his health and his relationship with Trump, who once praised him as an ally but has taken to criticizing him in caustic terms.
UnitedHealth Group shares tumbled early Friday after a report that the U.S. Department of Justice has started an investigation into the healthcare giant’s medicare billing practices.
UnitedHealthcare covers over 7.8 million people as the nation’s largest provider of Medicare Advantage plans. The business has been under pressure in recent quarters due to rising care use and rate cuts.
Republican senators pushed a $340 billion budget framework to pass early Friday, after an all-night session and Democratic opposition in a step toward unleashing money the Trump administration says it needs for the mass deportations and border security that top their agenda.
The hours-long vote rambled along in a dreaded but crucial part of the budget process, as senators considered one amendment after another, largely from Democrats trying to halt it. But Republicans used their majority power to muscle the package to approval on a largely party-line vote, 52-48, with all Democrats and one GOP senator opposing it.
Josh Topp can be reached at josh.topp@stthomas.edu
