A U.S. Border Patrol agent walks along the U.S.-Canada border in upstate New York (James Tourtellotte/Department of Homeland Security).

WASHINGTON – While much of U.S. border security talk focuses on the southwest corner of the country, the U.S. Senate passed a bipartisan bill in June aimed at a different target —  growing migration along the U.S.-Canada border.

The legislation, titled the Northern Border Coordination Act, was co-authored by Sens. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, and Gary Peters, a Michigan Democrat. The measure would hire additional U.S. Border Patrol agents for critically understaffed areas of the northern border and establish the Northern Border Coordination Center at Selfridge Air National Guard Base near Detroit to coordinate border security strategy.

The Senate passed the measure by unanimous consent, but the House has not acted on it.

The northern border is the longest international border in the world at just over 5,500 miles, divided into eight patrol sectors comprising 49 official border crossing stations.

It is also largely undefended.

Much of the border is undefined and unobstructed, marked only by a 6-foot clearing, or vista, that follows the length of the border, hundreds of white markers, and naturally occurring boundaries like streams or lakes.

Illegal crossings up

There has been growing attention from northern-state lawmakers in recent years over increased attempted illegal border crossings as migration from Latin America grows due to economic and political conditions.

In 2023, CBP encountered almost 190,000 individuals attempting to cross from Canada to the United States. That’s almost seven times more than in 2021.

CBP encountered almost 2.5 million individuals on the southern border in 2023.

The Swanton Sector, a 24,000-square-mile area spanning the northern borders of eastern New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire, has seen the highest number of illegal crossings. From October 2022 to September 2023, CBP saw a 550% increase in apprehensions of people crossing from Quebec into the sector.

Encounters are when border officials catch individuals illegally crossing from one country to another either at or between ports of entry. Individuals can then be sent back to their country of origin, Canada, or released into the U.S.

Collen Putzel, an associate policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute, a liberal-leaning immigration policy think tank, said in an interview with States Newsroom that encounter numbers don’t perfectly reflect the number of people entering the U.S.

“The encounter numbers may be increasing, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that the number of people actually entering are increasing,” Putzel said.

Understaffed

Staffing on the northern border remains a critical issue in maintaining border policies and security. The U.S. Government Accountability Office conducted a study in 2019 and found there were “an insufficient number of agents that limited patrol missions along the northern border.”

GAO attributed many of the staffing shortages to be a result of “competing priorities along the U.S.-Mexico border.”

A CBP spokesperson told States Newsroom in a written statement that more congressional support is needed to address northern border issues.

“CBP continuously adjusts to shifting trends while continuing to call on Congress to provide the resources and personnel necessary to sustain and improve our border security along all our borders,” the spokesperson said.

Peters said his bill with Collins would help solve staffing shortages.

“This legislation will further cement the center’s role in coordinating border security efforts, supporting personnel training and conducting testing for new border security technologies,” he said in a press release from Collins’ office.

Routes set by smugglers

Most of the people crossing the border come from areas outside Canada. About half come from Mexico, CBS News Boston reported. Others are from India, Bangladesh and Haiti.

Many buy one-way plane tickets to Toronto or Montreal.

The increased movement of people through Canada could be fueled by smuggling operations, Putzel said.

“Oftentimes, migration routes are, in part, dictated by the smuggling networks that are controlling them,” she said.

In February, Canada changed a visa rule for Mexican nationals, requiring citizens to obtain a Canadian or U.S. travel visa before entering Canada. Previously, no visas were required.

Canada has seen an increase in Mexican migrants claiming asylum over the past decade. In 2015, only 110 people from Mexico applied for asylum. At the end of 2023, almost 24,000 applied, the majority filing their claims from airport offices, according to the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada Department.

National security vulnerabilities

With more people moving from Canada into the U.S., the situation at the northern border has grown more precarious, prompting bills like the Northern Border Coordination Act, which was introduced in July 2023.

In 2023, the CBP Office of Field Operations, which monitors the border at ports of entry, encountered 484 individuals on the terrorist watchlist attempting to cross into the U.S. from Canada. That’s almost nine times more than in 2021, according to CBP data. Officials on the southern border only encountered 80 people on the watchlist in 2023.

Authorities have also encountered more drugs being brought over the northern border. According to the CBP, drug seizures in 2023 were up by about 29% from 2021 levels. Marijuana was the most common drug officers found, with just under 3,500 seizures in 2023 compared to just under 2,000 in 2021.

But weapons and ammunition seizures have decreased in recent years. In 2021, CBP seized over 9,000 weapons, ammunition, and gun parts. In 2023, that figure was down to just over 4,000.

Rep. Shri Thanedar, a Democrat who represents part of the Detroit area along the northern border, said in a statement to States Newsroom that the Collins-Peters proposal “is essential to address the rising national security threat along the northern border.”

“I firmly believe this strategic investment will benefit the safety of communities within Michigan’s 13th Congressional District,” Thanedar said.

Economic factors push more migrants to U.S. 

The U.S. may be more appealing to migrants than Canada because of culture and the job market, Silvia Pedraza, a professor of sociology and American culture at the University of Michigan, said. Immigrants are more likely to get jobs in the U.S. than Canada, she said.

“In Canada, people (immigrants) don’t get decent jobs. They (Canadians) treat them nicely. They’re even, I would say, hospitable and warm,” said Pedraza. “The fact of the matter is that they don’t give them any jobs that are worth anything.”

“We (the U.S.) don’t give them papers, but we give them jobs,” she said, acknowledging the better job prospects immigrants seek to support themselves and their families.

But Pedraza also thinks that Americans should recognize the positive economic impact immigrants bring.

She said with U.S. citizens’ increasing levels of education, they are less willing to work jobs in the service industry, construction, and agriculture. In recent years, immigrant workers have begun to make up significant populations in these industries, according to a study by Pew Research Center.

“We don’t seem to recognize that we have a real need, a real lack of people in these sorts of jobs that are essential to the economy,” said Pedraza.

Pedraza emphasized that the U.S. is a country built on immigration and that intense media coverage of the southern border won’t help solve the crisis.

“It’s such a negative portrayal all the time that doesn’t see the value of what immigrants bring to a country,” she said.

A driver uses a fast-charging station for electric vehicles at John F. Kennedy airport on April 2, 2021 in New York City (Spencer Platt/Getty Images).

WASHINGTON – Republican U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham and Democratic members of the U.S. Senate Budget Committee discussed on Wednesday ways to boost U.S. electric vehicle manufacturing to be more competitive globally.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, the Democratic chairman of the committee, began a hearing Wednesday by calling electric vehicle production “an economic, national security and climate imperative.”

Whitehouse highlighted the expanding global market for electric vehicles, noting that in 2023, 20% of vehicles sold around the world were electric.

“We want to be a part of that action,” Whitehouse said.

Graham, a South Carolina Republican, requested the hearing. He pointed out several times the automotive industry’s importance to the state. South Carolina is a national leader in vehicle assembly and the top tire exporter in the country, according to the state’s Department of Commerce.

Graham said the future of vehicle manufacturing is in electric vehicles and urged policies to remain competitive in the global automobile market.

His position was out of step from many in his party.

Republicans have voiced opposition to increased electric vehicle manufacturing and many oppose President Joe Biden’s goal of having 50% of vehicle sales be electric by 2030. Former President Donald Trump opposes Biden’s support of electric vehicles and said it would ruin the economies of automaker states.

But Graham, a Trump ally and a staunchly conservative lawmaker, embraced the idea of U.S. electric vehicle manufacturing and looked to strengthen U.S. infrastructure.

“So the bottom line is: This is coming, whether we like it or not,” Graham said. “And I think there’s an upside to it, to be honest with you.”

Strain on the grid

Several lawmakers raised concerns in the hearing over whether the electric grid could handle increased demand from electric vehicle charging.

Graham raised the question of where the power will come from to fuel a larger fleet of electric cars.

“Grid demand will go through the roof,” if half of cars in use are electric, he said. “How can you generate enough power to accommodate electric vehicles?”

Jesse Jenkins, a professor of engineering and energy systems at Princeton University, said by 2035 electric vehicles will consume 17% of current total U.S. electricity.

“To put it another way, by 2035, EVs will consume nearly as much electricity as is produced today by the entire fleet of nuclear power plants or all non hydro-renewables combined,” Jenkins said.

Britta Gross, the director of transportation at the Electric Power Research Institute, said strain on the grid from electric vehicles could be minimized by charging at off-peak hours.

Power demand is typically highest in the mornings and evenings. Charging vehicles at night when demand is low “can help minimize the new grid investments and ensure an affordable transition,” she said.

China debate

International competition was another highly discussed topic in Wednesday’s hearing.

Sen. Debbie Stabenow, a Democrat from Michigan, a state with a large automotive industry, raised concerns about the U.S.’s ability to compete with China, which leads the world in electric vehicle manufacturing and has poured government funds into subsidies and tax breaks to promote electric car development.

“There is not a level playing field,” said Stabenow. “Specifically, China is coming for us.”

David Schwietert, the chief government affairs and policy officer for the Alliance For Automotive Innovation, told the committee that Congress must provide incentives for manufacturers “to build resilience” for the future of electric vehicle production.

“We need to look beyond just five or 10 years,” Schwietert said. “We need to ensure that policies are in place to ensure the U.S. is protected, not just tomorrow but well beyond.”

Graham also pressed witnesses about China’s position in the global electric vehicle market, asking Maureen Hinman, co-founder and chairwoman of Silverado Policy Accelerator, a bipartisan economic policy institute, if Chinese dominance in the market was “irreversible.”

“Absolutely not,” Hinman said. “I think the U.S. and its allies and friends, if we move quickly to create agile, responsive and coordinated policies, could flip the script and reestablish market dynamics in a global economy.”

GOP skepticism

Not all Republicans on the committee were as welcoming to the electric vehicle conversation as Graham.

Sen. Ron Johnson, a Republican from Wisconsin, said he was not opposed to electric vehicles and that he owns a plug-in hybrid car, but that the government should not spend to entice manufacturing and ownership of the vehicles.

“Why do we need government subsidies?” Johnson asked witnesses. “I would say you don’t.”

“Let the marketplace dictate the speed of this innovation. Stop subsidizing this,” he said.

Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana also pressed witnesses on the need for subsidies, repeatedly asking “if they’re so swell, how come we have to pay people to buy them?”

Kennedy speculated that many Americans have to be incentivized to buy electric vehicles because they are more expensive to operate. The median household income in Louisiana is $55,000 a year, which is below the national median, he pointed out.

A study by the environmental group Natural Resources Defense Council found that while electric vehicles are just under $3,000 more up front than a gas-powered car, they ultimately cost less to fuel and maintain over time.

The U.S. Capitol Building on June 01, 2023, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images).

The cuts to labor, health care and education proposed in a U.S. House Republican bill this week are previews of what would happen to federal agencies under a second Trump term, a key House Democrat said Tuesday.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, the ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee, told reporters Tuesday that the major spending cuts in Republicans’ fiscal 2025 proposal to fund the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education would have significant impacts on workers, families and students.

The bill would cut the Labor Department budget by 22%, the HHS budget by 6%, and the Education Department by 14%.

DeLauro referenced Project 2025, the conservative policy blueprint for a possible second Trump presidency, saying Republicans are already trying to implement the policies through spending bills.

“What we’re going to do as Appropriations (Democrats) is look at that Project 2025 and the appropriations bills and look at what they are already trying to move forward through the appropriations process,” she said at a Tuesday press conference.

She also pointed out Republican leaders’ inability to pass spending bills, referring to the narrowly avoided government shutdown in September and a failed vote on the Legislative Branch spending bill this month.

“They cannot govern,” she said. “This is chaos.”

Rep. Robert Aderholt, an Alabama Republican who is chairman of the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Subcommittee, called the proposed budget cuts “common sense reforms” that would “ultimately save taxpayer dollars” in a press release earlier this month after the House Appropriations Committee approved the bill.

House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole, of Oklahoma, said in a statement that the legislation would protect Americans from policies championed by President Joe Biden, which are largely opposed by congressional Republicans.

“Importantly, the bill reins in the Biden Administration’s burdensome overreach and divisive policy agenda,” Cole said.

Huge cut to Labor

The legislation proposes major cuts in federal funding for labor programs. It would decrease the Department of Labor’s budget by $3 billion from current levels.

Fred Redmond, the secretary-treasurer of AFL-CIO, a national labor coalition, highlighted the elimination of $900 million for youth job training programs, saying it took away a program “at the exact moment that young people are looking for good, stable jobs.”

He also criticized Republicans for pushing a pro-worker narrative at last week’s Republican National Convention.

“We know it was all just talk,” he said. “This is the platform. No matter how many different ways they tried to dress it up in Milwaukee, this is what they want to do.”

The legislation would make a nearly 12% cut to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which enforced workers safety regulations. If the bill is enacted, OSHA would receive $75 million less than the current fiscal year.

Reproductive health funding targeted

Speakers at DeLauro’s event also highlighted the bill’s impacts for health care, especially reproductive care.

Kimberly Diaz Scott, the vice president of National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association, a group that advocates for family planning providers, said the funding bills are “a laundry list of attempts” to take away Americans’ access to reproductive health care.

The legislation would decrease funding to the Department of Health and Human Services by just over 6%, or $7.5 billion, from current levels.

The bill would cut over $280 million for Title X Family Planning that provides funding to help people access contraception, pregnancy testing and counseling, and sexually transmitted infection services. It is designed to provide access to these services for those with low-incomes or who are uninsured.

Republicans have targeted the program, which provides funding for reproductive care clinics including Planned Parenthood, for decades.

Scott emphasized that the elimination of these programs would especially affect communities that face difficulty accessing these services.

“These attacks are part of a larger agenda to roll back the progress we have made toward gender equality,” she said. “Each of these policies seek to control and limit bodily autonomy, to deny people the right to make their decisions about their own bodies and their own lives.”

The legislation would also cut Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spending by $1.8 billion, eliminating funding for research focused on preventing suicide, firearm injury and deaths, and opioid overdoses prevention.

Education cuts

The Republican bill would also force a decrease of 14%, or $8.6 billion, to the Department of Education.

Title I grants, which provide federal funding for schools with students from low-income backgrounds, would face a decrease of $4.7 billion. That drop accounts for more than half of the $8.5 billion cut to all K-12 education, including special education programs. Public schools are required by law to provide special education to students who meet the qualifications.

Michael J. Barnes, the superintendent of the Mayfield City School District in Ohio, said federal funding is vital to public schools

“These funds are not just numbers on a balance sheet in my district, and districts across our country. They translate into real opportunities for our most disadvantaged students,” he said.

Another major cut in the bill is a $124 million decrease for mental health services in schools. In 2021, the U.S. Surgeon General issued an advisory on youth mental health, highlighting how large a toll the pandemic had on the country’s youth.

Barnes noted that funding for public school programs will help the U.S. in the long term, growing the economy, providing social mobility and improving public health and safety.

“It is not just an expenditure,” he said. “It is an investment in our future.”

A supporter holds a sign as members of the San Francisco Democratic Party rally in support of Kamala Harris, following the announcement by President Joe Biden that he is dropping out of the 2024 presidential race, on July 22, 2024 at City Hall in San Francisco, California. Biden has endorsed Harris, the former San Francisco district attorney, to be the Democratic nominee (Loren Elliott/Getty Images).

WASHINGTON — Vice President Kamala Harris’ path to the Democratic nomination cleared Monday as she secured endorsements from potential rivals and other high-profile party members the day after President Joe Biden ended his reelection bid.

A swarm of Democratic legislative leaders, governors ­— including some thought to harbor presidential ambitions of their own — and influential unions as well as key outside groups endorsed her within 24 hours of Biden’s unscheduled Sunday afternoon announcement, while no serious challenger emerged.

In Harris’ first public appearance since Biden’s announcement and endorsement of her, the vice president met with college sports champions at the White House. She opened her brief remarks with a tribute to Biden, who, while recovering from COVID-19, was “feeling much better” Monday, she said.

“Joe Biden’s legacy of accomplishment over the past three years is unmatched in modern history,” she said. “In one term, he has already surpassed the legacy of most presidents who have served two terms in office.”

Harris was also scheduled to travel to the campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, late Monday to meet with campaign staff, according to the White House.

Several key Democrats had not publicly backed her by Monday afternoon. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York and former President Barack Obama had not offered endorsements.

Jeffries told reporters that he and Schumer were planning to meet with Harris “shortly.” While Jeffries did not endorse Harris, he said she has “excited the House Democratic Caucus and she’s exciting the country.”

Congressional Dems line up behind Harris 

But endorsements rolled in from Capitol Hill.

Top congressional Democrats like the No. 2 Senate Democrat, Dick Durbin of Illinois, and the No. 2 House Democrat, Rep. Katherine Clark of Massachusetts, also early Monday gave Harris their support.

And former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California said in a statement that she supported Harris and noted her work advocating for reproductive rights — a topic that Democrats have centered various campaigns on following the end of Roe v. Wade.

“Politically, make no mistake,” Pelosi said. “Kamala Harris as a woman in politics is brilliantly astute — and I have full confidence that she will lead us to victory in November.”

The chair of the campaign arm for House Democrats, Rep. Suzan DelBene of Washington, also gave her support to Harris.

Harris has also earned the backing of all the House Democratic leaders of influential congressional caucuses.

That includes Reps. Steven Horsford of Nevada of the Congressional Black Caucus, Nanette Barragán of California of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Pramila Jayapal of Washington of the Progressive Caucus and Judy Chu of California of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus.

Obama holds off

Obama did not yet endorse Harris but in a lengthy statement Sunday said he has “extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges.”

Similarly, in 2020 the former two-term president waited until Biden was formally nominated by the Democratic National Committee before he gave an endorsement.

The DNC will move forward with the process to formally nominate a presidential candidate Wednesday when its Rules Committee meets in a public virtual session amid ongoing efforts to set up a virtual roll call vote ahead of the convention next month in Chicago.

No serious challenger to Harris’ nomination had emerged by Monday afternoon, as independent Sen. Joe Manchin III of West Virginia said in a morning MSNBC interview he would not seek the Democratic nomination.

Governors endorse Harris

Following Biden’s endorsement of Harris, several Democratic governors have also offered their support for the vice president, including the governors speculated to be among Harris’ choices for a running mate and would-be rivals for the nomination.

Govs. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Andy Beshear of Kentucky, Roy Cooper of North Carolina, Wes Moore of Maryland and J.B. Pritzker of Illinois all offered their endorsements in the day since Biden withdrew from the race.

Beshear announced his support for Harris in a television interview Monday morning. He wouldn’t say if he’d like to join Harris’ ticket, but said in a statement on X that the vice president will “bring our country together and move us past the anger politics we’ve seen in recent years.”

Other governors around the country also offered their support, including Jared Polis of Colorado, Tony Evers of Wisconsin, Phil Murphy of New Jersey, Laura Kelly of Kansas, Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico, Tim Walz of Minnesota, Katie Hobbs of Arizona, Janet Mills of Maine, Jay Inslee of Washington state, and Maura Healey of Massachusetts.

Governors from Oregon and Rhode Island, both Democrats, have yet to voice their support for Harris. Both thanked Biden for his service as president on X.

State parties planning next moves

Several state parties endorsed Harris or indicated they would support her.

North Carolina Democrats voted to endorse a ticket of Harris and Cooper, their term-limited governor, NC Newsline reported.

At Beshear’s request, Kentucky Democrats voted “overwhelmingly” to back Harris, the Kentucky Lantern reported.

New Hampshire’s state party coalesced behind Harris at a Sunday evening meeting, according to the New Hampshire Bulletin.

Maine Democrats were scheduled to meet Monday night and are likely to consider a proposal to switch the party’s support from Biden to Harris, the Maine Morning Star said.

Advocacy groups 

Several influential Democrat-aligned organizations announced their support for Harris.

Emily’s List, which works to elect Democratic women who favor abortion rights, tweeted its endorsement Sunday.

LGBTQ advocacy group Human Rights Campaign also backed Harris, noting her early support for marriage equality and other work on LGBTQ issues.

UnidosUS, a Latino civil rights group, also endorsed Harris.

Gen-Z for Change, formerly called TikTok for Biden, had withheld an endorsement of the president over his handling of the Israel-Hamas war in which more than 39,000 Palestinians have been killed. But quickly following the announcement from Biden to step out of the race, the organization gave an endorsement to Harris.

The political action committees of the Congressional Black Caucus, Congressional Hispanic Caucus and Congressional Progressive Caucus also backed Harris.

Several unions jump in

Harris has also garnered the backing of several labor unions in the day since announcing her bid for office. The Service Employees International Union, which represents 2 million service workers including health care and property and public services, announced its endorsement for Harris Sunday.

In a written statement, SEIU President April Verrett said “SEIU is ALL IN” for Harris and that the vice president “has made sure to use every lever of government to do everything possible to make things better for working people.”

The American Federation of Teachers unanimously endorsed Harris Sunday. AFT represents 1.7 million education professionals across the country, ranging from teachers and paraprofessionals to school health care workers and higher education faculty.

The United Farm Workers also quickly switched its support from Biden to Harris on Sunday afternoon. The union said it “could not be prouder to endorse her for President of the United States,” in a written statement, citing her support of farm workers during her time as an attorney general and senator in California.

SEIU, AFT and UFW all endorsed Biden for president in 2020 and this year prior to his withdrawal from the race.

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters has not endorsed in the presidential race, but invited Harris to a roundtable with rank-and-file members. Teamsters President Sean O’Brien addressed the Republican National Convention last week. The union endorsed Biden in 2020 but had not voiced its support for his reelection this year.

Notably, the UAW has not announced an endorsement for Harris. Biden walked the picket line in Michigan during the historic autoworker protests last September. The UAW thanked Biden for his service in a statement Sunday.

Voters walk into cast their ballots at the Center Point Church on Nov. 8, 2022 in Orem, Utah (George Frey/Getty Images).

WASHINGTON – The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill Wednesday that would require individuals registering to vote to provide proof of citizenship to participate in federal elections.

The legislation, passed 221-198, would also require states to check their voter rolls for registered noncitizens.

The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, or SAVE, is intended to prevent noncitizens from voting. That act is already illegal, since under current U.S. law, only citizens can vote in federal elections, but the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 prohibits states from confirming citizenship status.

Voting laws vary by state, with some states like Georgia and Wisconsin requiring photo identification and others, such as Pennsylvania and New Mexico, requiring no documentation at all.

States that do mandate photo identification or other documents use driver’s licenses, military ID cards, student ID cards, birth certificates, tribal ID cards, or even a recent utility bill.

The SAVE Act, introduced by GOP Rep. Chip Roy of Texas in May, would require most individuals to have a passport to register to vote.

Only about 48% of U.S. citizens have a passport, according to State Department data. Driver’s license and tribal ID cards typically do not prove a person’s citizenship and couldn’t be used to register under the SAVE Act.

Data also indicates that noncitizen voting is not a prevalent issue, as many House Republicans have said.

According to The Associated Press, states such as North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona, California, and Texas reviewed their voter rolls between 2016 and 2022. These audits found that fewer than 50 noncitizens in each state had voted in recent elections, out of upwards of 23 million total votes per state.

The measure is unlikely to advance in the Democratic-controlled Senate.

Partisan divide

House Republicans have stood staunchly in favor of Roy’s bill, H.R.8281.

On the House floor Wednesday, Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, urged his colleagues to pass the bill, saying it was “one of the most important votes that members of this chamber will ever take in their entire careers.”

Last month, Johnson’s office released a 22-page report asserting the SAVE Act was critical for American election integrity.

Johnson blamed the Democratic Party for keeping American “borders wide open to every country on the planet,” and claimed Democrats “want illegal aliens voting in our elections.”

On Monday, the Biden administration issued a Statement of Administration Policy against the legislation, saying there is no cause for concern about noncitizen voting and that it would only hinder the voting rights of eligible Americans.

Rep. Joe Morelle of New York, the top Democrat on the House Administration Committee, urged his House colleagues during Wednesday floor debate to vote no on the bill, saying it would be devastating for all American voters.

“This bill is about scaring Americans, this bill is about silencing Americans, this bill is about disenfranchising Americans,” he said. “This bill is about further damaging the foundations of our democracy.”

But House Administration Committee Chairman Bryan Steil backed the legislation during a Rules Committee hearing.

“In the past few decades, Americans’ faith in the integrity of our elections has eroded and it is Congress’ responsibility to restore confidence in our election system,” said Steil, a Wisconsin Republican. “The SAVE Act would do just that.”

Republican Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana in a Monday press conference called the bill “a safeguard to ensure that only American citizens vote in America’s elections.”

Election implications

Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York during Wednesday floor debate alluded to the broader implications of the SAVE Act, looking towards the November election and the possibility of a second term for President Joe Biden.

He said Republicans could use the bill “as a cover, already trying to set up an excuse for what may happen in November.”

Voting rights advocates have expressed concern over the SAVE Act, saying it contains many falsehoods and conspiracy theories that perpetuate extreme views.

At a Tuesday press conference hosted by America’s Voice, an immigrant advocacy nonprofit, Sean Morales-Doyle from the Brennan Center for Justice said the bill plays into greater themes of racism and xenophobia.

“It’s also a very damaging lie with an ulterior motive: to lay the groundwork for challenging legitimate election results down the road,” he said.

One House member equated the bill to a “Jim Crow poll tax” during floor debate. Jennifer McClellan, a Virginia Democrat, said she “is not aware of any single proof of citizenship document that doesn’t cost an individual money to get it.”

Wesley Hunt, a Republican from Texas, responded that “Jim Crow is over.”

U.S. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., speaks to reporters as he leaves a meeting at the U.S. Capitol on July 08, 2024 in Washington, D.C. Jeffries reiterated his support for President Joe Biden, saying the party is backing Biden to defeat the Republican presidential candidate, former President Donald Trump (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images).

WASHINGTON — Congressional Democrats appeared to quell some inner tumult over supporting President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign, after highly anticipated internal meetings Tuesday showed the president retained considerable support from the Congressional Black Caucus and other lawmakers in public statements.

Speaking to reporters on Capitol Hill, Democrats from both chambers largely declined to detail their closed-door conversations. But they said they are lining up behind Biden, nearly two weeks after his debate performance set in motion prolonged speculation about his fitness for office. The party meetings among lawmakers were the first since the June 27 debate.

Biden issued a defiant letter to party members Monday saying that he will not exit the race, and Democrats interviewed by States Newsroom insisted they are uniting as the party heads toward his official nomination later this summer.

Lawmakers left open whether perfect harmony was achieved — a New Jersey Democrat at day’s end joined a handful of other Democrats urging Biden to drop out — but one message was clear: They do not want to see former President Donald Trump in the Oval Office again.

Congressional Black Caucus Chair Rep. Steven Horsford of Nevada briskly exited the House chamber and said Democrats are focused on “beating Donald Trump and electing Democrats to the House majority.” The CBC met with Biden virtually Monday night.

When asked whether Biden’s unsteady debate performance and the anxiety it’s caused presents an obstacle for House colleagues running in tight races, Horsford answered, “The president is the nominee.”

Another defection

While a steady stream of Democrats said they would back Biden, New Jersey Democrat Mikie Sherrill became the seventh House Democrat urging Biden to drop out of the race.

“I know President Biden cares deeply about the future of our country. That’s why I am asking that he declare that he won’t run for reelection,” Sherrill posted on social media shortly before 5 p.m. Eastern.

Those who spoke out against Biden’s reelection bid in previous days included Angie Craig of Minnesota, Lloyd Doggett of Texas, Raúl Grijalva of Arizona, Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, Mike Quigley of Illinois and Adam Smith of Washington.

Rep. Jerry Nadler, of New York, who was among those calling for Biden to exit the race in a private call on Sunday, walked back his comments Tuesday when he told reporters “we have to support him.”

At the White House briefing, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said expressions of support from members of the Congressional Black Caucus were key to solidifying Biden’s backing among Hill Democrats.

“We respect members of Congress,” Jean-Pierre said. “We respect their view. But I also want to say there’s also a long list of congressional members who have been very clear in support of this president.”

Jean-Pierre cited strong statements of support from CBC members Joyce Beatty of Ohio and Troy Carter of Louisiana following the caucus’ virtual meeting with Biden on Monday.

Rep. Hank Johnson of Georgia said Tuesday members had an opportunity to “express themselves” during the closed-door House Democratic meeting.

“Leadership listened, and I think what needs to happen is we need to all come together to decide that we’re not going to be a circular firing squad with Joe Biden in the middle,” Johnson said. “We are going to abide by his decision, and if his decision, as he has previously stated, is to stay in, then he’s gonna be our nominee and we need to all get behind him.”

When asked by States Newsroom whether House Democrats in vulnerable seats now face more potholes on the road to November, potentially costing the party a chance to flip the House, Johnson replied, “No, I think (Biden’s) got a strong record to run on, and the opposition, Donald Trump, has to run against that strong record. So we need to start running on our record, and against the nominee of the other party. And the American people know the difference.”

‘We concluded that Joe Biden is old’

Democratic senators, leaving a nearly two-hour private lunch meeting later Tuesday, had similar comments to their House counterparts, reiterating the president is their nominee, though worries remained.

Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman said that everyone knows about Biden’s age, but that alone won’t lead the party to bump him out as their nominee.

“We concluded that Joe Biden is old, and we found out, and the polling came back that he’s old,” Fetterman said. “But guess what? We also agreed that, you know, like, he’s our guy, and that’s where we’re at.”

Delaware Sen. Chris Coons, a longtime friend and close ally of Biden, argued that Trump is a far worse choice than Biden.

“Donald Trump had a terrible debate,” Coons said. “Donald Trump said things on that debate stage over and over and over that were outright lies filled with vengeance, violated the basic standards of our democracy, and yet we are spending all of our time talking about one candidate’s performance and not the other. Donald Trump’s performance on that debate stage should be disqualifying.”

Coons said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer spoke during the meeting, saying “broadly constructive things, just sort of setting the groundwork of our discussion.”

Coons said he was “not gonna get into the private conversation we just had in the caucus” when asked whether anyone at the meeting called for Biden to not be the nominee. But he added that “folks expressed a range of views in ways that I think were constructive and positive.”

Vice President Kamala Harris’ viability as a potential replacement for Biden didn’t come up during the meeting, Coons said.

Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock underlined his support for Biden following the meeting, saying “what I think is most important right now is what the American people think.”

“We’re getting feedback on that. I think it’s important for the president in this moment, in any moment, to hear what the people are saying. That’s what democracy is all about,” Warnock said. “Donald Trump, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to believe much in democracy. He said he wants to be a dictator on day one, and with their ruling several days ago, the Supreme Court is setting the table for him to continue to be a dictator. That’s what’s at stake in this election: democracy itself.”

Asked whether Biden is the best person to defeat Trump, Warnock said Biden is “making that case as campaigns do” and “hearing back from the American people.”

Asked whether Biden can win Georgia, he said: “I can tell you that no one thought I could win Georgia but I did.”

Project 2025 fears

Rep. Becca Balint of Vermont told States Newsroom that House Democrats’ meeting led to some cohesion.

“The unity as it exists is that we’re all completely committed to making sure that Trump is not the next president,” Balint said. “That’s the unity, and the unity of wanting the president to be out campaigning vigorously on his record.”

Balint, holding in her hand a copy of the Stop the Comstock Act, said, tearing up, that she worries about a nationwide abortion ban and other priorities in the far-right Project 2025 publication.

The nearly 1,000-page policy roadmap is a product of the Heritage Foundation in anticipation of Republicans gaining control of the White House and Congress. Trump and his campaign have repeatedly distanced themselves from the document.

“Trump is a demagogue, I am the child of a man whose father was killed in the Holocaust. I’m really like ‘What can I do day in and day out to make sure we don’t lose the House?’ because we are the blue line,” Balint said.

The Comstock Act is an 1873 law that could provide an avenue for a future Republican presidential administration to ban the mailing of abortion medications. Democrats in the House and Senate have introduced companion bills to repeal the sections of the law that could hinder abortion access.

New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez told States Newsroom that Biden has “actively thrown weight behind the lawmaking and policy ideas of younger and progressive members,” and that she remains committed to supporting him.

Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden said after the Democratic senators’ meeting that he wasn’t “even gonna get into that,” when asked whether he wants Biden to remain the nominee.

“The fact is, the president has said he is running,” Wyden said. “So, that’s the lay of the land today.”

Swing state senators

Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey, who faces a challenging reelection bid this November, said he didn’t want to characterize what other senators said about Biden during the meeting.

Casey said it’s up to political pundits and analysts to determine how Biden remaining the presidential nominee might affect the Pennsylvania race as well as others.

“I’ve got to continue to do my work in the Senate and also to be a candidate, so I can’t sit around being an analyst,” Casey said.

When back home in the Keystone State, he said, voters tend to talk to him more about issues they’re concerned about, including reproductive rights and the cost of living.

Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly declined to comment on Democrats’ meeting and referred to his prior statements about Biden.

Kelly on Monday evening told reporters that the differences between Biden and Trump “could not be clearer.”

Biden, he said, has “delivered to the American people over and over again,” on climate change, prescription drug prices, infrastructure, and semiconductor manufacturing.

“On the other hand, you have Donald Trump, a convicted felon and now a criminal who has no business running for president,” Kelly said.

“Joe Biden is our nominee. Millions of people voted for Joe Biden to be on the ballot,” Kelly said. “He’s on the ballot, and I truly believe he’s gonna win in November.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, said when asked about Biden during a press conference that “as I’ve said before, I’m with Joe.”

Schumer declined to answer questions about Democrats potentially nominating a different presidential candidate and about Washington Democratic Sen. Patty Murray’s statement Monday night critical of Biden.

“As I’ve said before, I’m with Joe,” Schumer reiterated.

Murray’s statement said Biden “must seriously consider the best way to preserve his incredible legacy and secure it for the future.”

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, of Kentucky, deferred a question about Biden’s debate performance to Democratic leadership.

Maryland, New Mexico senators comment

Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen said he had to leave the lunch early for a previously scheduled meeting with the Dutch prime minister, but said he doesn’t have concerns Biden will make the right choice on whether to stay in the race.

“Look, as I’ve said, I trust the president’s judgment, he understands the stakes in this election and he’s in the best position to make this decision,” Van Hollen said.

New Mexico Sen. Ben Ray Luján said Democrats discussed several issues during the closed-door meeting, but declined to talk about what was said, though he reiterated his support for Biden’s candidacy.

“I look forward to voting for President Joe Biden to be president of the United States,” Luján said.

Georgia Sen. Jon Ossoff said the meeting was “a constructive caucus discussion,” and that he supports Biden’s reelection campaign.

Delaware Sen. Tom Carper said he spoke during the meeting, but declined to specify what his comments were.

Colorado Sen. John Hickenlooper said the lunch went “fine,” but declined to opine on where the party was moving on Biden’s nomination nor his own beliefs about the president’s ongoing candidacy.

Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed declined to answer any questions after the lunch.

House Republicans: ‘Democrats had misled us’

House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana on Tuesday accused the Democratic Party of covering up Biden’s “glaring problem.”

“The Democrats had misled us. They need to be held accountable for that,” he said, during the House GOP’s regularly scheduled press conference.

Johnson also said the 25th Amendment “is appropriate” in this situation. If Biden’s Cabinet declares he is unfit for office, Vice President Kamala Harris would take over presidential duties.

“The notion that the 25th Amendment would be appropriate here is something that most Republicans and frankly, most Americans would agree with,” he said.

Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana, Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota and Elise Stefanik of New York, chair of the House Republican Conference, echoed Johnson’s concerns.

Stefanik called Biden “unfit to be our commander in chief” and accused the Democratic Party of concealing Biden’s mental acuity. “The cover-up is over and accountability is here.”

Jacob Fischler contributed to this report.

People sit with their feet in the fountain at the World War II Monument amidst a heat wave on the National Mall on June 19, 2024 in Washington, D.C. Temperatures in Washington reached 98 degrees as heat rose drastically throughout the East Coast (Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images).

WASHINGTON – Senior Biden administration officials announced a proposed rule Tuesday to prevent heat-related illness in the workplace, as climate change brings hotter temperatures around the nation.

In a call to reporters Monday, officials spoke on background about the new rule, which the administration sent to the Federal Register Tuesday for review. Depending on the heat index, the rule would require employers to monitor workers’ heat exposure, provide cool-down areas and take mandatory cool-down breaks.

This new rule comes as extreme temperatures will engulf much of the country at some point during the year. Heat waves occur more frequently now compared to the 1960s, from an average of two per year to six in the 2020s, according to data from the Environmental Protection Agency. Heat waves have also increased in duration and intensity.

Officials also pointed to record-breaking heat waves in June, high temperature predictions for the Fourth of July holiday and above-average predicted temperatures for July.

The rule would cover 35 million workers whose job responsibilities include being in the heat and require activities that could raise core body temperatures. This includes those working in construction, agriculture and landscaping, as well as those in indoor environments, like kitchen workers, who are exposed to heat indexes of 80 degrees or higher.

A notable aspect of the proposed rule includes acclimatization requirements. New or returning workers who are not used to the heat levels must be given a gradual increase in workload or a 15-minute rest break every two hours.

According to a senior administration official, 75% of workers who die on the job due to heat-related illnesses die in the first week. This rule would “significantly reduce the number of worker-related deaths, injuries and illnesses,” the official said.

Along with this new rule, the administration officials announced $1 billion in Federal Emergency Management Agency funding for 93 different communities and tribal nations. This includes $50 million to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for stormwater pumping to mitigate flooding and $6 million to Greensboro, North Carolina for an improved flood drainage channel.

Through FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program, the funding will go towards developing infrastructure that is more prepared to handle extreme weather events.

Officials pointed to increases in wildfires, hurricanes and flooding as growing concerns for Americans.

“In addition to posing direct threats to lives and livelihoods, major weather events have significant economic impacts,” said one official.

Another senior official from the administration spoke of how these announced actions are part of President Joe Biden’s larger commitment to strengthen the country against the growing threats of climate change.

“We are taking action, bold action, historic action and action that’s delivering real meaningful, visible difference on the ground,” the official said.

Emissions spew from a stack at the coal-fired Brandon Shores Power Plant in Anne Arundel County, Maryland (Mark Wilson/Getty Images).

WASHINGTON – Despite policies the Biden administration has championed to target climate change, recent findings show carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is at an all-time high, raising the stakes for November’s presidential election among advocates for aggressive climate action.

Recent data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration indicate that carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has been at record high levels the past two years. The jump from 2022 to 2024 is the largest two-year increase NOAA has recorded in the 50 years the agency has collected data.

As the presidential election approaches, key policy measures to curb climate change are at a turning point, advocates say, with a second Donald Trump presidency likely to defer to fossil fuel interests and roll back much of the environmental progress made under Biden.

The record jump in carbon dioxide came despite President Joe Biden’s focus on environmental and climate issues. Biden’s administration has taken more action on climate — by issuing executive orders, proposing and supporting ambitious legislation and setting carbon-reduction goals — than any of his predecessors, according to an analysis by the liberal think tank Center for American Progress.

On the campaign trail in 2019, Biden told voters, “We’re going to end fossil fuel.”

His campaign then announced in July 2020 its plan to eliminate energy production through fossil fuels by 2035.

And in the early days of his presidency, Biden promised to cut 2005-level emissions in half by 2030.

Biden’s climate record

According to the World Resources Institute, a Washington-based research organization, the U.S. is on track to achieve that goal.

A study in January 2024 revealed that greenhouse gas emissions — which include many types of gases along with carbon dioxide — were down 2% in 2023 from the previous year and were down more than 17% compared to 2005 levels. At the same time, the U.S. gross domestic product, a figure that approximates total economic output, grew by over 2%.

“What this suggests is that the Biden administration’s climate policies are beginning to work and that we’re bending the curve of emissions downward,” said Erik Schlenker-Goodrich, the executive director of the conservation group Western Environmental Law Center.

Biden has also set the U.S. economy on a path away from “fossil fuel and carbon-intensive economic sectors,” Schlenker-Goodrich added.

He pointed to the Inflation Reduction Act — the sweeping climate, health and taxes law Congress passed in 2022 with only Democratic votes and major backing from the Biden White House — as a significant investment in tackling climate change and building the U.S. economy around climate-friendly practices.

Biden signed the law in August 2022. It provided $369 billion in tax credits and spending for renewable energy programs, including electric vehicle tax credits, and provides incentives for climate-smart agriculture.

Climate and infrastructure

By 2030, the IRA will also create more than 1.5 million jobs in clean energy manufacturing and add $250 billion to the economy, according to projections  from the Labor Energy Partnership, a collaboration between the organized labor giant AFL-CIO and the Energy Future Initiative, a D.C.-based clean energy policy nonprofit.

The climate-focused law and the $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure law that Biden signed in 2021 provide vital resources to developing climate-friendly practices, Schlenker-Goodrich said.

“The key is to set a foundation through U.S. infrastructure,” he said.

The administration has continued to pursue climate initiatives.

Following the NOAA announcement of increased atmospheric carbon dioxide, the Department of Energy and NOAA signed a memorandum of agreement to collaborate in the future on climate initiatives related to marine carbon dioxide removal and research. The effort is “an important pathway” to reach their emissions goal in 2050, according to a NOAA press release.

“Under the assumption that the Biden administration has a second term, the second term should be devoted to looking at how we can facilitate a just transition away from our dependency on oil and gas,” Schlenker-Goodrich said.

The American Petroleum Institute, the leading oil and gas industry group, did not respond to a message seeking comment.

Contrast with Trump 

Trump has criticized Biden’s record on climate and energy and has pledged to defer more to the oil and gas industry.

At an April meeting at Mar-a-Lago, the former president’s South Florida club and residence, Trump told the country’s top oil executives that if elected, he’d reverse Biden’s environmental policies and stop all future ones, according to the Washington Post. In exchange, Trump asked them to contribute $1 billion to his campaign.

Following the meeting, Democratic Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island and Ron Wyden of Oregon launched an inquiry and called into question the reported quid-pro-quo fundraising tactics.

“Whether it’s Donald Trump’s promises to roll back climate policies in exchange for $1 billion in campaign cash or the fossil fuel industry’s collusion to jack up prices at the pump, Mr. Trump and Big Oil have proven they are willing to sell out Americans to pad their own pockets,” Whitehouse said in a written statement to States Newsroom.

“Let me be clear: A Trump Presidency would be disastrous for climate progress and for our efforts to shore up our economy against climate damages.”

The Biden campaign called attention to Trump’s ties with the fossil fuel industry as well, writing in a statement that Trump intends to work in their favor.

“Donald Trump calls climate change a ‘hoax’ and promises oil and gas executives they’ll get whatever they want behind closed doors if they donate to his campaign,” a campaign spokesperson wrote. “Our planet needs a president who will fight the climate crisis, not someone who pretends it doesn’t exist.”

When asked what a Trump presidency would look like for climate change, Schlenker-Goodrich of Western Environmental Law Center said, “it would prove disastrous.”

“When it comes to climate action, they’re going to do everything they possibly can, within their power and likely go beyond what those legal boundaries are, to support the fossil fuel industry at the expense of our country’s energy transition,” he said.

First term

During Trump’s term, his administration was “largely successful in weakening existing environmental regulations” that were set during Barack Obama’s presidency, according to the Brookings Institution.

By August 2020, the Trump administration had taken 74 actions to weaken environmental protections, according to the Brookings analysis.

The 2024 Trump campaign has already outlined the former president’s plans to change environmental and energy policy if elected in November. This includes drilling for natural gas and oil, or what Trump often calls “liquid gold.”

Trump also plans to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accords as he did in 2019 and combat Democratic efforts to implement the Green New Deal, an ambitious climate platform backed by members of the Democratic Party’s progressive wing, according to his campaign website. He also plans to reverse Biden’s efforts to manufacture more affordable electric vehicles in the U.S.

His priorities include ensuring the lowest energy prices for Americans, reducing inflation, and bringing more jobs to U.S. workers through fossil fuel industries, a campaign spokesperson said, adding that the Biden administration has done the opposite.

“No one has done more damage to the American oil and gas industry than Joe Biden,” the spokesperson wrote.

U.S. Rep. Debbie Lesko, a Republican from Arizona, speaks Wednesday at a press conference opposing earmarks. (Lia Chien/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON – A group opposed to wasteful government spending and a handful of U.S. House Republicans warned at a Wednesday press event that project-specific spending known as earmarks was contributing to an increase in the national debt.

The event to discuss the Citizens Against Government Waste’s latest annual report, titled the 2024 Congressional Pig Book and released Wednesday, highlighted congressional earmarks and called on lawmakers to rein in government spending.

Leaders of the nonpartisan organization, which works to oppose “waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government,” according to its website, were joined by Republican House members and a live potbelly pig to address earmarks and rising debt limits.

The organization’s annual pig book highlights earmarks, often called “pork.” An earmark is a project-specific funding allocation approved by Congress through the annual appropriations process.

The group identified 8,222 earmarks for fiscal year 2024, totaling $22.7 billion. That’s 13% less than fiscal year 2023 but still the fifth-highest spending year for earmarks since the CAGW began releasing its annual report in 1991.

Republicans ended the controversial spending practice in 2011 after winning control of the House. A decade later, Democrats and Republicans voted to allow earmarked spending again.

Defenders of the practice say it allows members of Congress, who know the needs of their states and districts, to respond with specific funding. The projects comprise a small portion of total federal spending. And lawmakers have a chance to vote on them as part of appropriations bills.

But some Republicans continue to oppose them. Four members on Wednesday gave a similar rationale Wednesday as Republicans did when they eliminated earmarks in 2011, calling them a form of wasteful government spending that’s adding to a rising national debt.

Rep. Bob Good, a Republican from Virginia, stressed how much debt the country continues to accumulate.

“Here we are with $35 trillion in debt,” he said. “After it took us about 200 years to accumulate the first trillion, now we’re accumulating a trillion every four months or so.”

Data from the U.S. Department of the Treasury and a CNBC analysis confirms these amounts.

Good, the chair of the far-right House Freedom Caucus, criticized his party for passing a 2023 law to suspend the debt limit. The measure allowed Congress to appropriate “as much as we can joyfully, gleefully spend together,” Good said.

Speakers at the event, which included Reps. Debbie Lesko of Arizona, Ralph Norman of South Carolina and Tom McClintock of California as well as Good, shared the sentiment that permanently ditching earmarks would help restore Republicans’ reputation as the “fiscally responsible” party.

“Republicans cannot reclaim the mantle of fiscal responsibility until we end once and for all this reckless and self-indulgent practice,” McClintock said.

Maine and Alaska benefit

Members also spoke to the disproportionate allocation of earmarked spending in Congress.

CAGW President Tom Schatz opened Wednesday’s event by highlighting who in Congress received the most funding in earmarks this fiscal year. Earmarks are required to have a sponsor in the House and Senate.

Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican from Maine and ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, took home the most bacon this year with 231 earmarks totaling $576 million.

That total was almost 24% more than the legislator with the second-highest number of earmarks, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a Republican from Alaska who is also on the Appropriations Committee. Murkowski’s 185 earmarks amounted to $466 million.

Members of the appropriations committees in the House and Senate, which write the annual spending laws, gained much more in earmarks than the average member, the report notes.

“Earmarks continue to provide the most benefit to the most powerful legislators,” Schatz said.

The rest of the top five were Sen. Angus King of Maine, Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii and Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. King caucuses with Democrats, though he is an independent.

Together, these five senators received 10.3% of all earmark spending in fiscal 2024, but make up less than 1% of all members of Congress.

Senators generally won more earmarked spending than their House counterparts, with 37 of the top 40 lawmakers by dollar amount coming from the Senate.

Schatz also spoke to the differences between the parties. Nearly all – 99.6% – congressional Democrats took advantage of the spending practice, while only 62.4% of Republicans did.

The CAGW president also noted an uneven distribution of funding among states and territories.

States with smaller populations receive more “pork per capita,” with Alaska taking the top spot at $645 in earmark spending per person. Maine, with $434 per person, and Hawaii at $336, followed.

The bottom three jurisdictions included Indiana at $4.32 per person, Puerto Rico at $3.67 per person and North Dakota, which received no earmarks.

‘Legalized bribery’

McClintock pointed to earmarks as a cause of corruption in Congress. He said if a project is worthy of funding, it will receive the money under “open, competitive bidding.”

“Worthy projects in open, competitive bidding don’t need earmarks,” he said. “They rise or fall on their merits.”

Good further supported McClintock’s claim of corruption, saying earmarks entice members to vote on legislation to benefit their districts.

“Make no mistake about it,” Good said. “Earmarks are used to buy bad votes for bad bills.”

He added that committee chairs often find earmarks much more rewarding. Appropriations subcommittee chairs can add earmarked funds into spending bills to entice their colleagues to pass a bill, Good said.

“Folks, this is nothing but legalized bribery,” Norman said.

Lesko said celebrating legislators that bring home earmarks makes government spending increase.

“The people like Tom [McClintock] and I and others that actually want to reduce government spending, so it’s responsible, aren’t celebrated at all,” she said.

She pointed the finger at her fellow Arizona representative, Democrat Greg Stanton, after he secured a $700,000 earmark to renovate an economics and business finance program for fourth, fifth and sixth graders.

“Now, is this coming from his bank account?” said Lesko. “No, it’s coming from your bank account.”

Asked Wednesday about Lesko’s comment, a spokesperson for Stanton replied with a written statement from last month’s earmark announcement.

In the release, Stanton said the funding “is an investment in the future of Arizona’s children.”

McClintock closed the press conference by advocating to once again put an end to earmarks.

He referred to former House Speaker John Boehner, an Ohio Republican who was instrumental in banning earmarks in 2011.

“It can be done,” he said. “It has been done, it will need to be done again.”

Omar Toumbou of Maryland speaks Tuesday at a press conference hosted by the Ohio Immigrant Alliance on the U.S. Capitol grounds. (Lia Chien/States Newsroom)

WASHINGTON – The Ohio Immigrant Alliance at a Tuesday press conference at the U.S. Capitol called on members of Congress to bring deported family members back home to the United States.

Present at the event were relatives of those deported asking for both Congress and President Joe Biden to reform the American immigration system and allow their loved ones to return, many of whom had lived in the U.S. for decades.

Lynn Tramonte, director of the Ohio Immigrant Alliance, and Suma Setty, a senior policy analyst at the Center for Law and Social Policy, a D.C.-based nonprofit fighting for policy solutions for low-income groups, also launched their new book, “Broken Hope: Deportation and the Road Home,” at the event.

“I just wanted to take a minute to ask you guys to think about what if somebody told you tomorrow, you had to walk away from everybody, and everything that you had built for 20 years?” said Tramonte. “That’s what deportation is. It’s an extreme consequence for a paperwork violation.”

Wafaa Hamdi, an Ohio resident, also spoke to the gathered crowd, flanked by her young niece and nephew at her side.

Her sister, Tina Hamdi, of Dayton, Ohio, was deported in 2017 to Morocco, after serving a drug-related sentence that resulted from an abusive relationship, according to the National Immigrant Justice Center, a nonprofit that advocates for migrants and works with pro bono lawyers.

Tina came to the U.S. when she was 3 years old, and had resided under DACA status — a program for undocumented people brought to the United States as children — until her incarceration. She hasn’t seen her children in eight years, Wafaa Hamdi said.

“There’s a lot of kids, a lot of people in general, that have a loved one that they cannot see and that they used to go to sleep or wake up to every day and they no longer get to,” said Wafaa.

Tina’s son also spoke up. “I’m here because I miss my mom,” he tearfully said.

Longtime simmering issue

Deportation in the U.S. has been a contentious issue and top priority for presidents in recent decades.

Under President Barack Obama, average annual deportations increased by over 26,000 compared to the George W. Bush administration, according to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse of Syracuse University, a data research center.

When former President Donald Trump took office, deportations to Africa increased by 74 percent compared to the Obama administration, according to Tramonte and Setty. Trump also enacted several travel bans from primarily African and Muslim countries during his first year in office.

This year, TRAC found that deportations are up 50% under the Biden administration compared to the Trump administration levels in 2019, according to the publication Border Report. Many of these migrants had crossed the southern border.

Omar Toumbou, a Maryland resident, spoke to the effect historical Western colonization in Africa has had on deportations. Toumbou’s uncle, Abdoulaye Thiaw, was deported to Mauritania.

“Starting here with the will to want things to change will allow us to really start to break down these issues on a larger scale, to really understand what colonialism has truly done to the continent, and how it’s created such a broken, fractured structure to where countries don’t even have stabilization within their own governments,” said Toumbou.

Toumbou pointed to damaging effects of Western colonization, like political and economic instability, as the primary driver of Africans fleeing to the U.S. He said reformed immigration policies must take into account the systemic violence many Africans have fled.

“A lot of these things are a result of decades of neglect and also decades of blatant assault on Africa as a continent,” he said. “We need to change the way that we actually look at the continent as a whole.”

Central process advocated

The National Immigrant Justice Center launched its Chance to Come Home campaign in 2021. Its mission is for the Biden administration to establish a central process through the Department of Homeland Security for deported individuals to apply to return to America.

Biden signed a similar order in 2021 for deported veterans to apply to come back.

Democrats including Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, and Reps. Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri, Adriano Espaillat of New York and David Trone of Maryland support NIJC’s campaign and urged Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas to establish a central system.

Members of the Ohio delegation have also taken steps to protect those from Mauritania from deportation. Over half of Mauritanians coming to Ohio settled in Cincinnati.

In January, Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown and Reps. Mike Carey, Joyce Beatty, and Greg Landsman introduced the TPS for Mauritania Act of 2024 to grant Mauritanians in the U.S. Temporary Protected Status, which allows migrants to stay and work in the United States temporarily. Many other activist organizations called on President Biden last year to halt all deportations to Mauritania.

For now, several issues plague those facing deportation from the U.S.

Demba Ndiath, an Ohioan whose close family member was deported to Mauritania, said language barriers, inadequate translators, and a lack of financial services for legal services make it difficult for people to argue their case to stay.

Tramonte pushed for overall immigration court reform in the U.S. and called for support for NIJC’s Chance to Come Home campaign.

The Ohio Immigrant Alliance also planned to meet with the Ohio congressional delegation to push for immigration justice.

The stories of those far away were top of mind for everyone at Tuesday’s event. Ndiath reminded listeners that they were making a difference for their loved ones.

“I wish they could see everybody who’s here,” he said. “Standing up for them, meeting with members of Congress, advocating for them. I think we’re building hope for them.”

Chickens gather around a feeder at a farm on August 9, 2014, in Osage, Iowa. A new proposed U.S. Department of Agriculture rule would ban chicken companies from deducting farmers’ pay (Scott Olson/Getty Images).

WASHINGTON — A rule proposed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture would eliminate pay deductions for chicken producers, Secretary Tom Vilsack said Monday.

Under the current poultry payment system, an incentive-based arrangement known within the industry as a tournament system, farmers who raise poultry earn a base payment from the companies that buy the product and bring it to a retail market.

Companies contract with producers to supply broiler chicks, feed, and veterinary care and then it’s up to the farmers to raise healthy, substantial chickens at a mutually agreed price.

Farmers have opportunities for bonuses based on the quality of their flock.

But companies can also deduct pay from producers’ base pay based on that year’s market. If demand is down or if one producer successfully raises more chickens than another producer, the chicken company can deduct pay from the lesser farmer’s contracted compensation.

The proposed rule would prohibit companies from deducting that pay.

“If you’re going to establish a base pay, then it can’t go below that,” Vilsack said at a Monday press conference.

Industry groups say the tournament system makes sense economically and promotes competition in the chicken industry.

But critics, including groups that advocate for farmers, say it often harms smaller farmers, leading to a more consolidated industry and a tougher market for producers.

Vilsack said Monday that the USDA’s proposed rule would not compromise the quality of meat sold to grocery shoppers around the country, but rather balance the relationship between producers and companies.

This rule is one of several new rules under the Packers and Stockyards Act enacted by President Joe Biden’s administration seeking to combat monopolization in the agricultural industry. Congress passed the Packers and Stockyards Act in 1921 to regulate competition in livestock markets.

In 2021, under Biden’s Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy, the administration aimed to ensure fair industry competition and equitable practices.

USDA finalized the Inclusive Competition and Market Integrity rule in March as part of this executive order. The rule addresses mistreatment and discrimination of livestock and poultry producers based on identity factors such as race, religion, national origin or sex.

The Poultry Grower Payment Systems and Capital Improvement Systems rule now enters a public comment period where industry members, consumers and others can offer feedback. It may then be revised and if allowed, published as a final ruling in the Federal Register.