Author
U.S. House condemns Atlanta shootings and Asian American racism
WASHINGTON—The U.S. House on Wednesday passed a resolution condemning the March 16 mass shooting in Atlanta and reaffirming Congress’ commitment to combating racism and violence against the Asian American community, which has seen a spike in hate crimes since the onset of the pandemic. The resolution, H.Res. 275, passed, 244-180, though more than a dozen Republicans argued […]
Liz Cheney ousted from U.S. House GOP leadership for rejecting Trump’s ‘big lie’
WASHINGTON — House Republicans voted Wednesday to remove U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney from her leadership position after her pushback against former President Donald Trump’s baseless claims of voter fraud in the presidential election. Saying they wanted to unite the party to win back the House in the 2022 midterm elections, GOP lawmakers in a closed-door […]
Senators deadlock on major U.S. elections bill in committee vote
WASHINGTON — The Senate Rules Committee has deadlocked on a massive voting reforms bill on a 9-9 tie, meaning Majority Leader Chuck Schumer would have to use a Senate procedure to bring the legislation to the floor as he’s vowed to do. The failure of the final vote as well as a key manager’s amendment […]
Hinson, Scalise support ouster of Liz Cheney from U.S. House GOP leadership
WASHINGTON—U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson of Iowa said Thursday that she backs a move to remove Rep. Liz Cheney from her leadership position in the House GOP, after Cheney called out fellow Republicans for spreading lies about the 2020 presidential election. Hinson and top House Republican leaders including Louisiana’s Steve Scalise are advocating for Rep. Elise Stefanik, […]
U.S. Sen. Warnock works to remedy decades of USDA discrimination against Black farmers
WASHINGTON—The arrival of U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock in Congress earlier this year coincided with an overdue recognition of the historic discrimination inflicted on Black farmers by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The farmers’ plight has emerged as a major priority for Warnock, a Georgia Democrat whose victory in a January special election runoff handed his party a […]
Biden to order $15-an-hour minimum wage for federal contract workers
WASHINGTON—President Joe Biden plans to sign an executive order Tuesday to raise the minimum wage for federal contract workers to $15 an hour, according to senior administration officials. The order will go into effect Jan. 30 of next year, according to a fact sheet provided by the administration. Once in place through new and extended contracts, the […]
Federal background checks on ammunition sales pushed by Democrats
WASHINGTON—Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida and Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut on Tuesday reintroduced legislation that would require instant background checks to prevent individuals with a criminal record from illegally purchasing ammunition. The measure backed by the Democrats, known as Jaime’s Law, is named in honor of Jaime Guttenberg, a student who died in the Marjory Stoneman […]
Las Vegas and Florida tourism leaders push for help from feds for sputtering travel industry
WASHINGTON—Witnesses on a Senate panel Tuesday stressed the need for a continued vaccine rollout effort by the federal government as a vital part of helping the tourism economy recover from the pandemic. “We need to get to the point where socially distancing is no longer necessary,” Steve Hill, the CEO and president of the Las Vegas […]
Up to 100 new immigration judges would be added under Biden budget request
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Friday released a budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year that would increase the number of immigration judges and allocate millions in funding to clear backlogs of hearings and asylum requests. The administration is grappling with an influx of asylum seekers at the Southern border after inheriting a gutted […]
U.S. gun violence an ‘international embarrassment,’ Biden says in rolling out executive action
WASHINGTON—President Joe Biden on Thursday reiterated his call on Congress to pass stalled gun legislation reform but also outlined executive action he’s taking on several gun control measures, following deadly mass shootings last month in Colorado and Georgia. “Gun violence in this country is an epidemic and it’s an international embarrassment,” Biden said in remarks […]
Longtime Florida Congressman Alcee Hastings dies at 84
WASHINGTON — Rep. Alcee Hastings, a longtime South Florida Democrat who broke several barriers in a career that spanned decades, died Tuesday. He was 84 and announced in early 2019 he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer but didn’t plan to step down. He was reelected last November with 79 percent of the vote in the 20th […]
U.S. Capitol Police officer who died had 18-year career; suspect who died had suffered from ‘paranoia’
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Capitol Police officer who died Friday after a driver slammed a car into a barricade outside the Capitol is William “Billy” Evans, who was a longtime member of the force. “Officer Evans had been a member of the United States Capitol Police for 18 years. He began his USCP service on […]