Congress

WASHINGTON — Members of the New Democrat Coalition showcased their legislative priorities for the first 100 days of the 117th Congressional session on Thursday, Jan. 28, in a meeting held virtually with members of the media.  The most pressing issue... Read More

WASHINGTON - Rep. Suzan DelBene, of Washington State, was unanimously elected Tuesday to serve as the next chair of the New Democrat Coalition. In addition, the coalition of moderate Democrats elected five individuals -- Reps. Ami Bera, of California, Sharice... Read More

WASHINGTON – Reps. Jimmy Panetta, D-Calif., Anthony G. Brown, D-Md., Austin Scott, R-Ga., and Richard Hudson, R-N.C., have introduced the Africa Foreign Relations, International Cooperation, and Assistance Act, H.R. 8186, to enhance security and economic partnerships between the United States... Read More

On November 3rd, Puerto Ricans will head to the polls to answer a simple question with powerful implications: "Should Puerto Rico be admitted immediately into the Union as a State? Yes or No.”  This is not the first time Puerto... Read More

WASHINGTON — It was a very 2020 Supreme Court confirmation hearing Tuesday, as Amy Coney Barrett fielded her first round of questions on socially divisive issues from socially distanced members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Senate Republicans have said they... Read More

WASHINGTON — The House swiftly passed a stopgap funding measure needed to avert a partial government shutdown in eight days after top congressional leaders reached a deal resolving a fight over farm payments. On a lopsided vote of 359-57, the... Read More

WASHINGTON — Representatives from federal financial agencies defended their record on hiring women and minorities Tuesday while members of a congressional subcommittee accused them of an uninspired effort. “I’m not sensing that we’re making a lot of progress here,” said... Read More

WASHINGTON - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is calling the chamber back to the Capitol ahead of a vote on legislation to block recent cost-cutting measures at the U.S. Postal Service and ensure the agency can handle a surge in mail-in... Read More

WASHINGTON - Senate Democrats are calling for more oversight into the 2020 U.S. Census after officials in charge of the once-a-decade population count announced they would stop collecting survey responses earlier than planned. In a letter sent Monday, members of... Read More

WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans plan to introduce a scaled-back stimulus bill amid the standoff over a new virus relief plan that’s dragged on for weeks, according to two Senate Republican aides. The legislation would include a $300 a week enhanced... Read More

WASHINGTON — Kansas Republican Rep. Steve Watkins will face a House Ethics investigation during his final months in Congress. Watkins, a freshman Republican from Topeka, lost his primary last week to Kansas Treasurer Jake LaTurner after he was charged with... Read More

College athletes have made their voices heard with unprecedented volume this summer, asserting themselves on issues of health and safety, social justice and financial equity. Now, with the college sports landscape in a state of chaos, that movement may now... Read More

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — With California Sen. Kamala Harris now cemented as Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden’s running mate, Gov. Gavin Newsom could soon face the politically perilous decision of whom to select as her replacement in the U.S. Senate. The... Read More

ATLANTA — Shortly after U.S. Rep. John Lewis died, grieving Democrats were faced with two difficult choices: tap a replacement for the late civil rights icon on the ballot within days or slow the process and risk a legal challenge.... Read More

WASHINGTON — Billions of dollars included in Senate Republicans’ proposed $1 trillion installment of coronavirus emergency relief funding would restore money for military hardware that was redirected to pay for President Donald Trump’s border wall. The Trump administration reprogrammed funding... Read More

WASHINGTON — Every day the U.S. Postal Service delivers 430 million letters and packages, including 4 million prescriptions, from Mesquite to Marfa, and from the high rises of Manhattan to the shores of Maui. “We’d be lost without it, truthfully,”... Read More

WASHINGTON — Proposals for how Congress could overhaul the lobbying disclosure system, provide lawmakers with continuing education opportunities and make legislative action more transparent are just a few of the big ideas in eight reports made public by the House... Read More

WASHINGTON - Reps. Joe Cunningham, D-S.C., and Stephanie Murphy, D-Fla., want intelligence officials to immediately notify key members of Congress when they determine -- with moderate to high confidence -- that a foreign government is deliberately seeking to kill or... Read More

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic created a global economic downturn, the U.S. faced a mounting affordable housing crisis. In March, the National Low Income Housing Coalition estimated that the U.S. needs at least 7 million more affordable units to sufficiently house extremely... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Senate health committee on Wednesday considered the steps schools should take to reopen later this year as officials seek to protect students, teachers and staff from COVID-19 while compensating for learning gaps students experienced this year. The... Read More

WASHINGTON — The eruptions of violence at protests of police brutality in recent days have rekindled congressional efforts to end the practice of giving surplus military gear to law enforcement agencies. The program, which is run through the Defense Logistics... Read More

There is no question that the United States is in crisis. A global pandemic and economic crisis have upended American life, costing lives and leaving millions of families without a way to make ends meet. In the face of this... Read More

WASHINGTON - After weeks of calls for some kind of tech-based system to allow members of Congress to work from their districts during the COVID-19 pandemic, the chairman of the powerful House Rules Committee proposed a decidedly low-tech alternative --... Read More

WASHINGTON - The U.S. House of Representatives passed a $2.2 trillion economic stimulus package in what had to be record time on Friday, speedily sending the bill on to the White House for the president's signature. “This will deliver urgently... Read More

WASHINGTON — After haggling for days over the final details, Senate Democrats and the White House agreed Tuesday to a nearly $2 trillion stimulus package to combat the economic fallout of the coronavirus outbreak, including direct payments to most Americans... Read More

WASHINGTON — Lawmakers began negotiating a third economic stimulus bill to prevent the U.S. economy from cracking under the weight of the coronavirus epidemic even as efforts stalled Monday to finish work on a second bill that passed the House... Read More

WASHINGTON - House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer has told members they can remain in their districts through next Monday, but at least for now, no decision has been made on the balance of House schedule for the week. In a... Read More

WASHINGTON - Members of both the House and Senate are enthusiastically reaching across the aisle in a bid to fend off a proposal by Major League Baseball to drop big league affiliation with 42 minor league teams. Major League Baseball... Read More

WASHINGTON - Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell canceled the Senate's planned recess next week in order to continue working on legislation to address the economic implications of the coronavirus outbreak. "Notwithstanding the scheduled state work period, the Senate will be... Read More

WASHINGTON — House negotiators reached a bipartisan agreement to extend provisions of a law authorizing surveillance of suspected spies and terrorists, according to Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler, a Democrat. Lawmakers are trying to avoid a temporary lapse or the need... Read More