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Remote voting in the U.S. House hits a second anniversary, but it may be its last
After two years of a temporary provision to allow remote voting in the U.S. House, the top 36 users of the proxy voting system are all Democrats, though Republicans have also taken advantage of it. Proxy voting was meant to keep crowds of House members smaller and thereby limit the spread of COVID-19, back in […]
Proposal to ban mining near Minnesota’s Boundary Waters sets off battle in Congress
A U.S. House panel broke along party lines Tuesday as its members debated mining near the most popular wilderness area in the country, following President Joe Biden’s decision earlier this year to block federal approval of a new mine. Democrats on the House Natural Resources Energy and Mineral Resources Subcommittee said they supported Minnesota U.S. […]
Misinformation, violence and a paper shortage threaten midterm elections, officials say
Members of a U.S. Senate panel and election administrators raised a bevy of concerns Thursday about the challenges elections officials will face this fall, saying problems ranging from a lack of paper to coordinated misinformation campaigns could affect confidence in U.S. democracy. A bipartisan panel of current and former elections officials and experts told the […]
U.S. Sens. Tester, Moran reach deal on care for veterans exposed to toxic burn pits
The two leaders of the U.S. Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, Montana Democrat Jon Tester and Kansas Republican Jerry Moran, have reached a deal with House leaders to pass a bill to extend health care access to veterans for conditions related to exposure to toxic chemicals during their service, the pair announced Wednesday. The consensus bill […]
Congress, White House scramble to ease baby formula shortage
WASHINGTON — Both the Biden administration and Congress moved Wednesday to try to relieve a national infant formula shortage, as the White House invoked the Defense Production Act and the U.S. House approved $28 million for the Food and Drug Administration. President Joe Biden said he would use the law to address the formula shortage, […]
Biden condemns racist theory of white supremacy in visit to Buffalo after mass shooting
President Joe Biden on Tuesday commemorated the victims of last weekend’s mass shooting in Buffalo, New York, and condemned the ideology that drove the killer to “carry out a murderous, racist rampage” at a grocery store in a predominantly Black neighborhood. In a visit to the Upstate New York city, Biden and other New York […]
U.S. House Jan. 6 Committee subpoenas 5 GOP members who declined to testify
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol subpoenaed five Republican House members Thursday who the panel believes have knowledge of the events leading up to the attack, including communication with then-President Donald Trump. The Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol […]
Biden administration vows to speed up environmental permits needed for infrastructure projects
President Joe Biden’s administration will seek to hasten construction of roads, bridges, wind farms and more by tweaking the federal review process for environmental and other permits, administration officials said Tuesday. On a press call, administration officials said they were seeking to make permitting easier without sacrificing environmental standards. The new permitting plan includes five […]
Democrats from the West push update of 150-year-old federal mining law
Democrats in Congress are hoping to overhaul the nation’s 150-year-old system for mining the elements needed for battery manufacturing, as high gas prices and Russia’s war in Ukraine underline the need to transition from oil and gas to renewable energy sources. U.S. House Natural Resources Chairman Raúl Grijalva of Arizona and U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich […]
Vote on abortion rights planned in U.S. Senate next week, but likely will fall short
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer will force a vote next week on a bill to codify abortion protections, following the disclosure that the Supreme Court could be ready to overturn a landmark abortion rights ruling, he and other Senate Democrats announced Thursday. The effort appears largely symbolic. Democrats are well short of the 60 […]
U.S. Interior secretary to promote big spending jump for tribal, climate programs
Interior Secretary Deb Haaland will ask a U.S. House spending panel to increase funding for the department’s tribal programs and climate resilience efforts, according to written testimony released ahead of a hearing scheduled for Thursday. The administration’s budget request for fiscal 2023 would significantly increase spending for the Interior Department. Its agencies oversee onshore oil […]
3 big reasons why the Biden climate agenda is floundering
President Joe Biden’s climate agenda took a hit this month when the Interior Department said it would open 144,000 acres of federal land up for oil and gas development to comply with a court order to restart fossil fuel development. The announcement marked yet another setback for a presidential climate plan that was once seen […]