Senate embarks on recess after funding government and confirming Blanche, punting other priorities

The US Senate has adjourned for a five-week recess after passing a bill to fund the federal government until December 11. The bill was passed alongside the confirmation of Todd Blanche as attorney general, with a narrow 50-49 vote. According to CBS News, two Republicans, Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, joined all Democrats in voting against his nomination.

The Senate also set aside, for the moment, President Trump's demand to approve another budget resolution. The temporary funding measure passed by the Senate prevents the Trump administration from reallocating funding to border security from other programs, and includes language to allow funding adjustments for housing and food assistance programs, as reported by Free Malaysia Today.

Other priorities, including the Clarity Act, a top priority for the cryptocurrency industry, have faced uncertainty after Senate Republicans delayed a vote until after their August recess, pushing it to September, just weeks before the midterms, according to Techmeme.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Hill, NPR, CBS News, Free Malaysia Today, Techmeme — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — read the original for the full account.