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$1.2 trillion spending package that would avert a shutdown released by Congress
WASHINGTON — Congress released the final six government funding bills early Thursday, starting off a sprint toward the Friday midnight deadline to wrap up work that was supposed to be finished nearly six months ago. The bipartisan agreement on a $1.2 trillion spending package, which emerged just before 3 a.m., came less than two weeks […]
AI disinformation, threats to poll workers top U.S. Senate panel list of election worries
WASHINGTON — Senators on the U.S. Senate Rules Committee expressed concerns Tuesday that poll workers may need protection and that artificial intelligence could interfere in the fall elections. Leading members of the committee said AI has already been used to promote disinformation that has interfered with elections, while elections workers have for years experienced intimidation. […]
Biden enlists local officials to revive immigration deal
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Monday urged local officials to lobby their members of Congress to pass the bipartisan border security deal struck in the Senate that Republicans walked away from this year. In a brief speech touting the administration’s accomplishments to more than 2,000 mayors, city officials and other advocates in Washington for […]
Immigrant, business advocates frustrated by Biden’s humanitarian parole for new arrivals
WASHINGTON — Immigration advocates and business leaders on Friday urged President Joe Biden to use his executive authority to extend work visas to long-term undocumented people and immigrant spouses of U.S. citizens, following his State of the Union address Thursday night that centered on the economy and immigration reform. In a Friday press call organized […]
Biden warns ‘freedom and democracy are under attack’ in fierce State of the Union address
WASHINGTON — In remarks pivotal to his reelection this fall, President Joe Biden in his State of the Union address Thursday night portrayed himself as the defender of democracy, touted the bipartisan deals he’s brokered during his first term in office and appealed to Congress to support Ukraine in its battle against the Russian invasion. […]
A day ahead of shutdown, Congress works on advancing stopgap spending bills
WASHINGTON — Congress passed a short-term funding extension Thursday intended to give lawmakers a bit more time to wrap up work on the annual spending bills — dodging a shutdown despite election year politics and narrow margins. The stopgap spending bill, sometimes called a continuing resolution, or CR, would keep funding mostly flat for programs […]
U.S. Senate Republican blocks legislation protecting in vitro fertilization
WASHINGTON — U.S. Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi blocked a bill from passing Wednesday that would have preserved access to in vitro fertilization nationwide, stalling a push by Democrats following a landmark Alabama state Supreme Court decision. The court ruled earlier this month that frozen embryos counted as children under state law and parents […]
McConnell to step down as U.S. Senate GOP leader in November
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky will step down as the Senate Republican leader in November, he said on the Senate floor Wednesday, announcing the end of a run as party leader that broke records for its length and shaped American politics over nearly two decades. “One of life’s most underappreciated talents is […]
A partial government shutdown is days away. There’s no agreement on federal funding yet.
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden huddled with top congressional leaders at the White House on Tuesday amid a crunch over government funding as well as a familiar stalemate over assistance to two major allies — and no solution immediately in sight. Lawmakers leaving the meeting, which lasted about an hour, said it was worthwhile, even […]
U.S. House Republicans impeach Homeland Security chief Mayorkas on second try
WASHINGTON — In their second attempt in as many weeks, U.S. House Republicans impeached Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Tuesday, marking an inflection point in the growing rift between the GOP and the White House over immigration policy decisions at the southern border. In a 214-213 vote, the House approved two articles […]
Immigration advocates seek restart after Senate deal flops
WASHINGTON — Immigrant advocacy groups that opposed the bipartisan Senate deal to overhaul U.S. immigration law called for restarting policy discussions as the bill failed Wednesday in the U.S. Senate. Several advocacy organizations opposed the deal, which was defeated in a 49-50 procedural Senate vote Wednesday after all but four Republicans declined to support it. […]
Impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas fails on floor of U.S. House
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House failed to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Tuesday night, a stunning defeat for the Republican-led push to impeach a Biden administration Cabinet secretary. All Democrats present and four Republicans voted against the two articles of impeachment. The vote was 214-216. The GOP lawmakers to vote against impeachment were […]