Former Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell will not run for reelection in 2026, he announced in a speech on the Senate floor on Thursday morning.

Although the prize is a Senate seat that will be open for the first time in more than 40 years, leading Kentucky Democrats did not rush to embrace the challenge in a state that has turned solidly Republican in recent years.

Republican senators pushed a $340-billion budget framework to passage over Democratic objections after a nearly all-night vote.

The Senate will proceed with its own plan, Majority Leader John Thune said, continuing to cast doubt on the House's ability to pass Trump's agenda in one big bill.

Republicans’ budget blueprint cleared the Senate, but a Democratic amendment marathon aimed to put GOP lawmakers on the record regarding potential Medicaid cuts and other politically sensitive issues.