Author
![Jennifer Shutt](jpg/jennifer-shutt-300x300.jpg)
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.
Nevada Current is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
Five big takeaways from the special counsel’s report on Biden and classified documents
By: Jennifer Shutt - February 9, 2024
WASHINGTON — Special Counsel Robert Hur’s nearly 400-page report on the classified documents that President Joe Biden kept after leaving office includes new details on why it’s become commonplace for politicians to end up with sensitive information after they leave their posts. The report also sheds light on why Biden, then a former vice president, […]
No prosecution of Biden in classified documents case, DOJ special counsel says in report
By: Jennifer Shutt - February 8, 2024
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Justice Department released a lengthy report Thursday concluding that while President Joe Biden “willfully retained” classified materials following his time as vice president, he won’t be charged with a crime. Special Counsel Robert K. Hur wrote in the 388-page report that prosecutors considered “that, at trial, Mr. Biden would likely present […]
U.S. Senate advances $95.3 billion bill that includes emergency funding for Ukraine, Israel
By: Jennifer Shutt - February 8, 2024
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate moved past a procedural hurdle Thursday to begin work on a $95 billion emergency spending bill that would provide military and humanitarian assistance for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. The strong 67-32 vote, which could predict eventual approval, came after a tense week on Capitol Hill that began Sunday evening when […]
U.S. Senate kills immigration overhaul, hits stalemate on Israel, Ukraine aid
By: Jennifer Shutt - February 7, 2024
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate was stuck over whether to begin debate on an emergency spending bill Wednesday night that would provide $95.3 billion in assistance to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan — after senators blocked a sweeping larger package that would have overhauled immigration law for the first time in decades. Republicans said last year […]
Bleak future for immigration action after U.S. Senate GOP abandons border security deal
By: Jennifer Shutt and Ariana Figueroa - February 6, 2024
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Republicans on Tuesday walked away from the bipartisan border security and immigration deal clinched after months of painstaking negotiations, siding with their House colleagues and presidential front-runner Donald Trump. The decision to block the bill released just two days ago not only leaves laws in place that GOP lawmakers say have […]
Child tax credit expanded, business tax breaks get new life in bill passed by U.S. House
By: Jennifer Shutt - January 31, 2024
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to approve a $78 billion tax package that would expand the child tax credit and reinstate some tax incentives for businesses. The 357-70 vote sends the bill, dubbed the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of 2024, to the U.S. Senate, where lawmakers are expected […]
U.S. Supreme Court schedules March 26 oral arguments in abortion pill access case
By: Jennifer Shutt - January 29, 2024
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on March 26 in the case that could significantly curtail access to a prescription drug used for both abortions and miscarriage care. The case centers on when and how patients can access mifepristone, a pharmaceutical the U.S. Food and Drug Administration originally approved in 2000. […]
Biden, Harris vow to restore protections for abortion rights as 2024 campaign launches
By: Jennifer Shutt - January 24, 2024
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris moved abortion access to the forefront of their reelection bid Tuesday by making it the centerpiece of their first joint campaign rally of the 2024 election cycle. “With your voice, with your power, with your vote, we can restore the protections that have been around for over […]
Florida’s DeSantis withdraws from Republican presidential race, endorses Trump
By: Jennifer Shutt - January 21, 2024
WASHINGTON — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis withdrew from the Republican race for the presidential nomination on Sunday, less than two days before Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary. DeSantis, who came in second in the first-in-the-nation Iowa Caucuses on Jan. 15, released a nearly five-minute video on social media announcing that he had suspended his campaign and […]
Congress speeds through short-term government funding bill before Friday shutdown deadline
By: Jennifer Shutt - January 18, 2024
WASHINGTON — Congress will have until early March to finish work it was supposed to complete last fall — and will avert a partial government shutdown — under a bill both chambers approved with broad bipartisan support Thursday. The 77-18 vote in the Senate and 314-108 vote in the House sent the bill to President […]
U.S. Senate moves to avoid a partial government shutdown, but time running short
By: Jennifer Shutt - January 17, 2024
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate took a broadly bipartisan vote Tuesday to advance a short-term spending bill, but both chambers of Congress must approve the legislation before a Friday funding deadline to avoid a partial government shutdown. The 68-13 procedural vote moves the bill toward a final vote in the Senate in the coming days, […]
With partial government shutdown a week away, Johnson says he’ll stick to spending deal
By: Jennifer Shutt - January 12, 2024
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson committed Friday to following the topline spending agreement he struck with Democrats less than a week ago, following a day of speculation that he was preparing to walk away from the deal. “Our top line agreement remains,” Johnson said in a statement to reporters just off the House […]