Government + Politics
GOP-led states plan new voter data systems to replace one they rejected. Good luck with that.
So far this year, seven states including Iowa, all Republican-led, have left the Electronic Registration Information Center, an interstate compact for sharing voter registration data, and more could follow. Amid the exodus, some states, including Texas and Virginia, have said they plan to create their own data-sharing networks to replace ERIC. Pledging to build a […]
Western lands fight erupts over Bureau of Land Management’s conservation proposal
One thing opponents and proponents of a recently proposed U.S. Bureau of Land Management rule agree on: It would be a major shift in how the agency manages nearly 250 million acres of federal lands. The rule would allow for conservation leases, similar to how the agency auctions off parcels of land for mining, livestock […]
GOP’s desired work requirements for federal aid would kick roughly 21M from anti-poverty programs
Congressional Republicans’ efforts to slash federal spending by tying work requirements to Medicaid and SNAP would have far-reaching consequences for people with mental health issues, chronic health problems, and some people with disabilities if enacted, policy experts on anti-poverty programs say. They say the work requirements as laid out by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s “Limit, […]
Biden, McCarthy say they have brokered a debt limit deal to avert U.S. default
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced a deal in principle Saturday night that would stave off a first-ever default on the nation’s debt as long as it can clear both chambers of Congress before June 5. The agreement would address the nation’s debt limit and include a “historic” reduction in spending, McCarthy said, though […]
Reynolds signs law loosening Iowa’s child labor restrictions
Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law a measure allowing workers under age 18 to work longer hours, in some restricted fields and in jobs serving alcohol. The governor signed Senate File 542 Friday afternoon. Reynolds said Iowa is joining 20 other states in providing “tailored, common sense labor provisions” that let minors develop skills in […]
Treasury secretary pinpoints June 5 as earliest date for U.S. debt default
WASHINGTON — Republicans in Congress and the Biden administration have until at least June 5 to broker and enact a debt limit bill under new estimates from the Treasury Department, giving negotiators a few more days before the country would default. “Based on the most recent available data, we now estimate that Treasury will have […]
Governor signs education bills, including ban on school books depicting sex
Gov. Kim Reynolds signed several of her priority education bills into law Friday, including “parental rights” legislation that would ban books that depict sex from school libraries. Reynolds signed seven education bills into law during a private event Friday. Changes to Iowa’s education system — and how LGBTQ students and topics are approached — have […]
D.C. Dispatch: Iowa lawmakers weigh in on wetlands, fentanyl, student loans
Fentanyl, truck emissions and student loan relief topped discussion for Iowa lawmakers in the House this week as senators spent time back in their districts. Iowa GOP lawmakers also celebrated a Supreme Court ruling on wetlands regulation and addressed government spending issues. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the Environmental Protection Agency’s definition of a […]
Economist: Iowans to see personal impact if U.S. defaults on debt
With a potential federal debt default less than a week away, Iowans will feel the pain if the U.S. reaches the point of failing to pay its bills, University of Iowa Economics Professor Anne Villamil said. Congress has left Washington, D.C., for a weeklong holiday break with no deal on addressing the debt limit. Treasury […]
Fentanyl-related drugs permanently made criminal under bill passed by U.S. House
WASHINGTON — Lawmakers in the U.S. House passed bipartisan legislation Thursday in an effort to curb staggering overdose deaths from illegal fentanyl substances that are illicitly produced and up to 50 times stronger than heroin. The HALT Fentanyl Act, passed on a 289-133 vote with 74 Democratic votes and support from the Biden administration, would permanently categorize lab-made […]
With debt default as soon as a week away, U.S. House jets off for holiday break
WASHINGTON — U.S. House members walked down the steps of the Capitol building Thursday to head back to their districts for a Memorial Day recess that began exactly one week before the country could default on the debt. House Democrats took to the floor after the final vote of the week to give a series […]
U.S. Supreme Court rejects Biden wetlands regulation, ruling for Idaho couple
The U.S. Supreme Court, in a major environmental decision on Thursday, overturned the Environmental Protection Agency’s definition of wetlands that fall under the agency’s jurisdiction. The justices sided with an Idaho couple who had said they should not be required to obtain federal permits to build on their property that lacked any navigable water. All […]