Author
Congress set to strip Confederate names from U.S. military bases, flouting Trump veto threat
WASHINGTON — Congress this week is expected to pass a massive defense policy bill that President Donald Trump has threatened to veto because it would remove the names of Confederate generals from military bases across the South. Members of the House and Senate forged a bipartisan agreement to rename the 10 bases in the annual […]
New pandemic relief proposal rolled out by bipartisan group in Congress
WASHINGTON—More than a dozen U.S. House and Senate members are pushing for a bipartisan coronavirus relief package to aid struggling states and local governments and fund programs such as unemployment and rental assistance that are set to expire later this month. In a Tuesday press conference, lawmakers unveiled a four-month, $908 billion proposal that would […]
Democratic U.S. Senators urge federal funding for state distribution of COVID vaccine
WASHINGTON — More than a dozen U.S. Senate Democrats are urging congressional leaders to include “robust” funding in any coronavirus relief package for states to prepare for vaccine distribution. “Dedicated funding for COVID-19 vaccine distribution is especially critical now as jurisdictions are facing historic budget shortfalls amid the pandemic and funding for health departments had […]
Immigration advocates push Biden to not just bring back DACA but expand it
WASHINGTON—President-elect Joe Biden is promising to reinstate an Obama-era program that shields deportation for some undocumented people who were brought to the United States by their parents when they were children. But immigration advocates are pushing for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program to not just be reaffirmed but expanded, and written into law. […]
Joe Biden promises ‘no national shutdown’ despite COVID surge
WASHINGTON — President-elect Joe Biden pressed the urgent need for economic relief and a vaccine distribution plan for states and tribes after a video meeting Thursday with bipartisan leaders of the National Governors Association. But Biden in a press conference in Wilmington, Del., also vowed there will be “no national shutdown” despite a surge in […]
Republicans in Congress chime in on Trump claims of a stolen election
WASHINGTON—Some Republicans in Congress are agreeing with President Donald Trump’s baseless claims that the election was stolen from him, and backing legal challenges to voting results in states won by President-elect Joe Biden. “For the integrity of the electoral process, and the system that we have chosen to effectuate our democracy, we have got to […]
Struggle for control of the U.S. Senate enters its final tense hours
WASHINGTON — Democrats have a shot at winning the White House, capturing the Senate majority and keeping their hold on the House—an election result that could dramatically shift the policy agenda away from the gridlock that’s gripped the nation’s capital for years. In the Senate, the clearest route to that outcome is through flipping GOP-held […]
Barrett nomination advances to U.S. Senate floor with a GOP-only vote
WASHINGTON — Republicans on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday approved the nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, as Democrats boycotted the markup in a show of protest. The 12 Republicans on the panel speedily voted on Barrett’s nomination and sent it to the Senate floor. The full Senate will […]