Brandon Drenon
Reporting from Washington

Republican Senator Mitch McConnell spent much of the second half of his farewell speech reflecting on the importance of the Senate's role and appearing to allude to many of the unprecedented changes happening under the Trump administration.

"There are a number of reasons for pessimism, but the strength of the Senate is not one of them," McConnell said.

He continued by saying "the weight of our power to advise and consent has never been lost on me", a noteworthy line considering McConnell's recent stance as the lone Republican to reject some of Trump's most controversial nominees.

McConnell also mentioned former President Ronald Reagan twice in his speech, a president whose name has frequently come up lately as Trump moves the US towards a less anti-Russia position - the opposite of Reagan and decades of tradition.

"Thanks to Ronald Reagan's determination, the work of strengthening America's hard power was well under way when I arrived in the Senate," he says. "But, since then, we've allowed that power to atrophy, and today, a dangerous world threatens to outpace the work of rebuilding it."

These comments come as Trump has faced immense scrutiny for engaging with Russian President Vladimir Putin and repeating some of the Kremlin's talking points over the war in Ukraine, while distancing America from its longstanding European allies.

Trump and McConnell have had a bit of a fractious relationship over the years in Washington, particularly since McConnell condemned Trump over the 6 January riot and refused to support Trump's 2020 election fraud claims.

"The Senate is still equipped for work of great confidence and to the disappointment of my critics, I'm still here on the job," McConnell said.

The Republican senator ends by saying he will leave with "great hope" for the endurance of the Senate, "regardless of the political storms" that wash over it.

The gallery stands and applauds McConnell after he finishes his speech.

In McConnell's farewell speech, he reflects on his four decades in civil service with "immense gratitude" and "pride".

He expresses "gratitude to this institution" and "gratitude for my family's support".

He then thanks his wife, Elaine, for her "leadership and wise counsel".

We're hearing from Senator Mitch McConnell speaking on the Senate floor as he announces his retirement.

The lawmaker says he figured his birthday "would be as good a day as any" to share a decision he made last year. He turned 83 today.

He says he has only answered to two constituencies in his political career - "the Republican conference and the people of Kentucky".

The opportunity to lead the Republican conference, he says, was a "rare and very specific childhood dream" that he remains "deeply grateful" for.

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Image source, EPA

Republican Senator Mitch McConnell has announced he will not stand for re-election next year.

The 83-year-old is one of the longest serving lawmakers in the Senate - and in US history - having held the role since 1985.

He previously served as his party's leader in the Senate for 18 years, until this January.

In recent confirmation votes, the Kentucky senator broke ranks to vote against some of Trump's nominations.

McConnell is expected to deliver a speech later today announcing his decision.

More than 6,000 employees of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) are expected to become the latest in a long line of federal employees to lose their jobs as part of cost-cutting measures, according to an email obtained by the BBC’s US partner CBS News.

Last week, the Trump administration ordered agencies to fire nearly all probationary employees – which are typically those that have been in their current role for less than a year or two.

More than half of those expected to lose their jobs at the IRS are expected to come from just one department – the Small Business/Self-Employed Division (SBSE).

That division "serves more than 57 million small business owners and self-employed taxpayers", according to the IRS.

According to the email, signed by SBSE’s commissioner and deputy commissioner, they were deemed “not critical” to tax filing season, which is set to reach its peak in just a few weeks.

The email also says those staff are expected to find out about the future of their roles today.

Alys Davies
Reporting from Washington DC

Hello and welcome to our US politics live coverage.

In the latest federal jobs cuts news, there are reports that more than 6,000 Internal Revenue Service (IRS) employees are expected to lose their jobs by the end of the week.

The IRS, which is part of the Treasury Department and oversees federal tax laws, is the latest agency to be targeted by the Trump administration’s cost-cutting drive, which is aiming to drastically reduce the federal workforce.

Elsewhere, we’ll be following events at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), taking place in Washington DC.

Vice-President JD Vance has already spoken at the event this morning, during which he emphasised that the war in Ukraine was particularly “bad for the US”, as well as Russia, Ukraine and Europe.

Elon Musk will also speak at the conference today, organisers say. He had not been scheduled to appear. There’ll also be appearances from some familiar faces in UK politics: former Prime Minister Liz Truss and Reform UK MP Nigel Farage.

Elsewhere, the Senate is voting to confirm Donald Trump’s pick to lead the FBI, Kash Patel. And the president’s education secretary pick, Linda McMahon’s nomination cleared another hurdle towards her confirmation this morning. A vote will now head to the full Senate.

Stick with us for all the latest.