In a rare bipartisan effort for a deeply divided Congress, the Senate has passed a broad bill to make U.S. housing more accessible and affordable. The bill passed on Thursday would reduce regulations, regulate corporate investors and expand how housing dollars can be used to build affordable homes and rentals. It now heads back to the House, which passed a separate version earlier this year. It is unclear whether President Donald Trump would sign it after declaring last weekend that he won't sign any new measures unless Congress passes legislation that would require voters to show proof of citizenship.

Senators are clashing over an Iran war resolution as Congress' first vote on the conflict draws near. In their debate Wednesday, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer implored fellow senators to ask themselves if they stand with Americans "exhausted with forever wars" or with a president and defense secretary set to "bumble us headfirst" into another one. Sen. John Barrasso is second in Senate Republican leadership and said Democrats would rather obstruct President Donald Trump than "obliterate Iran's national nuclear program." The vote is expected later Wednesday.

Wellness influencer and entrepreneur Dr. Casey Means shared a vision for addressing the root causes of chronic disease instead of what she calls "reactive sick care" during her confirmation hearing to become the next surgeon general. Wednesday's hearing in the Senate health committee was rescheduled from October, when Means went into labor the day she was set to appear. Means' message that dietary and lifestyle changes are needed to heal an ill and struggling nation aligns closely with that of her ally Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. But she also faced tough questions about topics that have become divisive in recent years, such as vaccines and hormonal birth control, as well as about her qualifications for the job.

House Republicans are rushing ahead with legislation that would impose strict new voter ID requirements ahead of the midterm elections. The bill, coming to a vote on Wednesday, is a Trump administration priority aimed at scrutinizing ballot access. But it faces blowback in the Senate. Called the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility, or SAVE America Act, the legislation requires Americans to present proof of citizenship when they register to vote and to show a valid photo identification before they cast ballots. Republicans say it's needed to prevent voter fraud. Democrats warn it will make it harder for millions of Americans to vote. Experts say voter fraud is extremely rare.

President Donald Trump's nomination of Kevin Warsh to chair the Federal Reserve could bring about sweeping changes at a central bank that dominates the global economy and markets like no other. Warsh, if approved by the Senate, will be under close scrutiny from financial markets and Congress given his appointment by a president who has loudly demanded much lower rates than many economists think are justified by economic conditions. Whether he can maintain the Fed's long time independence from day-to-day politics while also placating Trump will be a tremendous challenge. Warsh would replace current chair Jerome Powell when his term expires in May. Trump chose Powell to lead the Fed in 2017 but this year has relentlessly assailed him for not cutting interest rates quickly enough.

Democrats voted to block legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security and several other agencies Thursday as they continued to negotiate with Republicans and the White House on new restrictions for President Donald Trump's surge of immigration enforcement. Thursday's test vote came as Democrats have threatened a partial government shutdown when money runs out on Friday. But Trump said just ahead of the vote that "we don't want a shutdown" and the two sides were discussing a possible agreement to separate Homeland Security funding from the rest of the legislation and fund it for a short time.

Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly has sued the Pentagon over attempts to punish him for his warnings about illegal orders. He's claiming the Trump administration trampled on his constitutional rights to free speech. Kelly, a former Navy pilot who represents Arizona, is seeking to block his censure from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last week. Hegseth said he censured Kelly over his participation in a video that called on troops to resist unlawful orders.

The House has voted overwhelmingly to pass a bill to force the Justice Department to publicly release its files on the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. It's a remarkable display of approval for an effort that had struggled for months to overcome opposition from President Donald Trump and Republican leadership. Trump now says he will sign the bill if it passes the Senate. Senate Majority Leader John Thune also says his chamber will act swiftly on the bill. Tuesday's vote showed the pressure mounting on lawmakers and the Trump administration to meet long-held demands that the Justice Department release its case files on Epstein.