DC BUREAU
Our Washington, D.C., bureau reports on congressional delegations and key Supreme Court and administrative decisions that affect our state.
STAFF
Jane directs national coverage, managing staff and freelance reporters in the nation’s capital and assigning and editing state-specific daily and enterprise stories.
Jacob covers federal policy as a senior reporter for States Newsroom. Based in Oregon, he focuses on Western issues. His coverage areas include climate, energy development, public lands and infrastructure.
Ashley Murray covers the nation’s capital as a senior reporter for States Newsroom. Her coverage areas include domestic policy and appropriations.
Jennifer covers the nation’s capital as a senior reporter for States Newsroom. Her coverage areas include congressional policy, politics and legal challenges with a focus on health care, unemployment, housing and aid to families.
Ariana covers the nation's capital for States Newsroom. Her areas of coverage include politics and policy, lobbying, elections and campaign finance.
STORIES
Biden calls on Senate to act on background checks after mass shooting in Colorado
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Tuesday urged the U.S. Senate to immediately pass legislation to close loopholes on background checks for guns and to ban assault weapons, following a mass shooting that killed 10 at a Colorado supermarket. “This should not be a partisan issue,” Biden said. “This is an American issue.” Biden’s remarks […]
Collapsing union pension plans win long-sought help from rescue package
WASHINGTON — Tucked in the Democrats’ massive coronavirus stimulus package was a long-awaited solution for a financial ticking time bomb: private pension funds on the brink of collapse, jeopardizing the retirement plans of millions of union members. The $1.9 trillion pandemic relief measure included $86 billion that will be used for grants to help shore […]
Four big questions about the feds’ scrutiny of oil and gas leasing on public lands
In his first week in office, President Joe Biden paused new oil and gas leasing on federal lands as his administration reviewed fossil fuel development policy. Now that Interior Secretary Deb Haaland has taken office, the administration is gearing up to begin that process. A forum comprising the energy industry, conservation groups, labor organizations and […]
CDC says it’s OK for students to sit 3 feet apart in classrooms
WASHINGTON — Federal health officials have revised their guidance to schools on how far apart students should be spaced in a classroom, now saying desks can be placed 3 feet apart instead of 6 feet to limit the spread of COVID-19. The updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention comes as schools across the […]
Georgia secretary of state wades into fight over who won Iowa congressional race
WASHINGTON — Georgia’s secretary of state, who drew national attention when then-President Donald Trump pressured him to change the state’s November election results, is warning Georgia Democrats in Congress against voting to seat an Iowa Democrat who claims she was the rightful winner in a House race last year. Brad Raffensperger, a Republican, weighed in on […]
GOP attorneys general slam tax cut ban in stimulus law as ‘unprecedented and unconstitutional’
WASHINGTON — Republican attorneys general from 21 states are attacking the $1.9 trillion pandemic relief law as an “unprecedented and unconstitutional infringement” on state sovereignty because it restricts tax cuts by states. The attorneys general in a letter to the Treasury Department threatened to take action against the Biden administration over the law’s tax cut provision. The group […]
‘Vaccine passports’ that show you’re inoculated are on the way
WASHINGTON — More than 70 million Americans have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine — and along with that shot, a small paper card with the CDC’s label detailing the timing and manufacturer of the dose. Those paper cards at the moment are the only proof readily available to Americans of their […]
States question whether new federal stimulus law rules out tax cuts
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s massive pandemic stimulus law pumps a welcome infusion of federal aid into state and local government coffers — but one brief section is raising questions about whether states are barred from cutting their own taxes if they accept the federal help. The Senate added language to the COVID-19 relief package prohibiting […]
Biden to states: Make all adults eligible for COVID-19 vaccines by May 1
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is directing states to make all adults eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine by May 1, according to a White House memo ahead of his first primetime address Thursday evening. Biden’s COVID-19 advisers are projecting that enough Americans in priority groups will be able to access the vaccine by the end of […]
U.S. House panel to gather evidence on challenge to Miller-Meeks election
WASHINGTON — A congressional committee on Wednesday postponed a decision on whether Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, the Republican certified and sworn in as the winner of Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District, is rightfully representing that district. The House Committee on Administration voted on party lines to delay consideration of a motion by Miller-Meeks to throw out an […]
Congress clears giant $1.9T emergency relief package for Biden’s signature
WASHINGTON — A sweeping $1.9 trillion coronavirus stimulus package is headed to President Joe Biden’s desk after the U.S. House passed the latest pandemic relief measure Wednesday on a party-line vote. The massive bill includes a new round of $1,400 direct checks for many Americans, as well as an extension of expanded unemployment checks to assist […]
U.S. House panel to vote on next step in resolving contested Iowa congressional race
WASHINGTON — A U.S. House panel on Wednesday is poised to take the next step in an election challenge by Rita Hart, the Democrat who lost Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District race by six votes last November. Hart has claimed that she was the rightful winner, but Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, who was sworn in to […]