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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 press conference Tuesday, lawmakers unveiled a four-month, $908 billion proposal […]
Senators urge federal funding for state distribution of COVID-19 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 […]
Biden promises ‘no national shutdown’ despite surge in COVID-19
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 […]
Georgia congressman launches bid to lead U.S. House Agriculture Committee
WASHINGTON — A longtime congressman’s reelection defeat is opening up a contest among Democrats for the chairmanship of the House Agriculture Committee, and U.S. Rep. David Scott of Georgia is a leading candidate. Scott has announced that he’s seeking to run the influential panel after the current chair, Rep. Collin Peterson of Minnesota, lost Tuesday […]
Some in GOP echo Trump’s boast he’ll win with ‘legal votes’
WASHINGTON — Some GOP lawmakers, including Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst, have fallen in line with President Donald Trump’s claim that he will win the election if the “legal votes” are counted. “If you count the legal votes, I easily win,” Trump said Thursday night, without citing any evidence that votes have been cast fraudulently or […]
Georgia voters could determine control of the U.S. Senate
WASHINGTON — Control of the U.S. Senate may depend on two runoff races in Georgia, where the outcome won’t be known until early January — opening the door to a fresh round of massive campaign spending in the Peach State. One runoff between GOP Sen. Kelly Loeffler and Democratic challenger Raphael Warnock is already set. […]
Democrats reel after losses, setbacks in Congress
WASHINGTON — Tuesday’s election was a disaster for congressional Democrats, who were expected to pick up nearly a dozen GOP seats in the House but instead lost races while also failing to flip Senate seats held by vulnerable Republicans. The outlook for Democratic control of the Senate did not improve the day after the election, […]
Biden in final debate vows an immigration overhaul in his first 100 days as president
WASHINGTON — Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on Thursday night distanced himself from the Obama administration’s handling of undocumented people that led to the highest rate of deportations of any presidency and said he would act swiftly on immigration as president. During the final presidential debate at Belmont University in Nashville, Biden admitted that the […]
Few precedents for presidential candidates unable to stay on the ticket
President Donald Trump’s diagnosis with COVID-19 just a month before Election Day raises the question of what happens in the unlikely case a nominee is unable to continue as a candidate for the presidency. The answer is murky at best, and complicated, with little precedent to follow. Trump arrived at Walter Reed National Military Medical […]
U.S. House passes new pandemic relief bill, but talks lag on a bipartisan deal
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House on Thursday night narrowly passed a slimmed-down $2.2 trillion Democratic coronavirus relief bill that retains hundreds of billions in aid for states and local governments, boosts unemployment benefits and extends another round of $1,200 checks for each taxpayer. But the package, passed on a 214-207 vote, with 18 Democrats splitting from their […]