Congress

WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday he’d support whatever agreement the Trump administration and congressional Democrats reach on a coronavirus relief package, even if he has “some problems with certain parts of it.” The Kentucky Republican, who... 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 - A bipartisan trio of senators urged their colleagues Tuesday to create a $10 billion fund to extend broadband cable access into underserved rural communities. The Governors' Broadband Development Fund bill was introduced by Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — Negotiators on a huge coronavirus relief bill reported slight progress after talks resumed in the Capitol, with issues like food for the poor and aid to schools struggling to reopen safely assuming a higher profile in the talks. Multiple... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — Negotiators on a huge coronavirus relief bill reported slight progress after talks resumed in the Capitol, with issues like food for the poor and aid to schools struggling to reopen safely assuming a higher profile in the talks. Multiple... Read More

WASHINGTON - Thirty-four members of the U.S. Senate have signed a letter to Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue requesting an extension of various waivers that allow low-income students access through the upcoming school year to school-provided meals. One-in-seven children... Read More

WASHINGTON - As Congress and the White House continue to negotiate another package of coronavirus relief, the Independent Restaurant Coalition is stepping up its effort to make sure they are included in the emergency funding this time around.  This week,... Read More

WASHINGTON — As millions of Americans drifted toward financial crisis, the two parties remained deadlocked after weekend talks on another round of economic relief intended to ease the burden of job losses from the worsening coronavirus outbreak. Administration officials and... Read More

WASHINGTON - The New Democrat Coalition endorsed several pieces of legislation to promote affordable housing development, increase access to affordable lending, and provide transparency of COVID-19 housing and rental relief. “Access to affordable housing is essential to our quality of... Read More

WASHINGTON - The U.S. House of Representatives on Friday approved a $1.3 trillion spending package which includes bills to fund almost all of the federal government while providing an additional $500 million for election security. The so-called minibus passed 217-197... Read More

WASHINGTON - House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., vowed Friday that members will not leave the nation's capital until there's a deal on a new coronavirus relief package. Speaking on the House floor, Hoyer said, "We will not start the... Read More

WASHINGTON – The Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress unanimously endorsed 12 new proposals on Friday aimed at improving the continuity of operations in Congress. The new slate of recommendations is the fourth such package passed by the bipartisan... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell are under increasing pressure from lawmakers to boost testing for the coronavirus in the Capitol, an idea they have so far rejected because of concerns about the... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — A deadlocked Senate on Thursday exited Washington for the weekend without acting to extend a $600 per-week expanded jobless benefit that has helped keep both families and the economy afloat as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak... Read More

WASHINGTON - For weeks it had been the stuff of living room banter and fodder for self-quarantining late night comedians. Suddenly, apparently on a whim, the president who once described himself as a "very stable genius," was talking about how... Read More

WASHINGTON -- The chief executives of the biggest computer and Internet companies faced tough questioning in Congress Wednesday on whether they have too much control over the U.S. market. Some lawmakers want to break up their dominance under federal antitrust... Read More

WASHINGTON - Democrats attacked the president’s plan to exclude illegal immigrants from the 2020 Census during a congressional hearing Wednesday while Republicans said they wanted to prevent foreign influence. The House Oversight Committee held what it called an “emergency hearing”... Read More

WASHINGTON - Recent police action against protesters fell under criticism during two congressional hearings Tuesday. Some accusations of wrongdoing were directed at U.S. Attorney General William Barr, who Democratic lawmakers accused of abusing his authority by authorizing excessive force against... Read More

WASHINGTON — Attorney General William Barr on Tuesday aggressively defended the federal response to violence and protests at the federal courthouse in Portland, Oregon, and his decision to intercede in criminal cases involving President Donald Trump’s close associates. The attorney... 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 - The Blue Dog Coalition of House Democrats is urging the chamber to take up two measures aimed at responding to reports of a Russian plot to pay bounties to the Taliban to kill U.S. troops in Afghanistan. In... Read More

WASHINGTON - Just a few months ago, Braudilia Mendez had four employees to help care for the toddlers at Curious Mind, a bilingual child care center in Washington, D.C.’s Petworth neighborhood. But when the pandemic struck, Mendez was forced to... Read More

  WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. John Lewis is now the first African American to lie in state in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda, an honor bestowed upon the man who colleagues regard as “the conscience of the Congress.” House Speaker Nancy... Read More

WASHINGTON - The House on Monday voted to approve legislation that would create a national Latino museum on the National Mall. The initiative, which had widespread bipartisan support, passed unanimously Monday morning by a voice vote. If the measure passes... Read More

WASHINGTON - Americans left jobless due to the COVID-19 pandemic could soon gain greater economic peace of mind thanks to a bill introduced Monday by Reps. Don Beyer, D-Va., and Derek Kilmer, D-Wash. The Worker Relief and Security Act ties... Read More

WASHINGTON - The Trump administration is accused in a new lawsuit in Washington, D.C., of trying to squelch media rights of a nonprofit organization that receives grants from the U.S. government. The Washington-based Open Technology Fund says the Trump administration... Read More

WASHINGTON - The House approved a $259.5 billion spending package Friday, rejecting a White House proposal to slash the budgets of the State Department and Environmental Protection Agency, and providing ample funding for the humanities. The four-bill minibus, the first... Read More

WASHINGTON - Rep. John Lewis will lie in state at the Capitol next week, with the public viewing extended over two days and moved outdoors to allow for social distancing and public health precautions due to COVID-19. After an invitation-only... Read More

WASHINGTON - Rep. Ted Budd, R-N.C., took to the floor of the House Wednesday to urge members to support his bill requiring the Transportation Security Administration to conduct a pilot temperature screening program of all airline passengers. Budd and Reps.... Read More