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U.S. Senate Republicans block a voting rights bill for the third time this year
Republicans in the U.S. Senate on Wednesday blocked another voting rights bill, this one named for Georgia civil rights icon John R. Lewis. On a 50-49 vote, the Senate declined to proceed to debate on the latest Democratic effort at a nationwide voting rights overhaul meant to stymie Republican-led state laws restricting voting access. It was […]
U.S. Senate committee advances nomination for National Park Service director
The U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on a voice vote Tuesday approved Charles F. Sams III’s nomination to lead the National Park Service. Sams, an Oregonian who would be the first enrolled tribal member to be NPS director, won the support of several Republicans on the committee. Ranking Republican John Barrasso of Wyoming […]
Biden to outline major methane reduction strategy at UN climate conference
The Biden administration plans to release a comprehensive methane reduction plan as part of the president’s participation in the United Nations climate summit, administration officials said Monday. In addition to a comprehensive White House plan, several executive agencies will take action on methane, administration officials told reporters on a background call Monday. The officials said […]
Biden calls for ‘decade of action’ on climate, apologizes for Trump exit from Paris Accord
President Joe Biden urged the international community on Monday to transition to clean energy, curb greenhouse gas emissions, including methane, and help developing nations adapt to a changing climate. Speaking at a pivotal United Nations climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland, Biden said worsening wildfires and once-in-a-century storms hitting every few years show that there’s only “a brief […]
Climate summit: Framework but no deal in hand as Biden joins world leaders at critical conference
President Joe Biden will arrive at the United Nations global summit on climate change in Glasgow, Scotland, without new federal programs in hand to fight climate change, after Democrats in Congress failed to reach an agreement to pass his revised $1.75 trillion spending plan. Republicans offered no support, leaving negotiations to moderate and progressive Democrats. […]
Congress clears temporary extension of federal transportation programs
The U.S. House on Thursday night approved another short-term patch for funding of federal transportation programs, essential for keeping roads money flowing to states despite an impasse in Congress. The bill, passed 358-59, would keep programs running at funding levels first approved in 2015 as lawmakers and the White House seek a bargain to pass […]
National parks nominee pledges to ramp up workforce, improve staff morale
President Joe Biden’s choice to lead the National Park Service told a U.S. Senate panel Tuesday he would work to rebuild the agency’s workforce, which has shrunk even as park attendance hits new records. Charles F. Sams III, of Oregon, would be the first enrolled tribal member to lead the National Park Service. He is […]
U.S. attorney in Georgia quit under Trump’s pressure to reject election results
Former President Donald Trump forced a top federal prosecutor in Atlanta to step down because he wouldn’t help Trump overturn his loss of Georgia in the 2020 presidential election, a U.S. Senate report released this week says. The report, written by Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats, found that the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of […]
Federal hurricane prevention for New Orleans that cost billions worked during Ida, senators agree
U.S. senators on Wednesday promoted a federal hurricane system’s performance in New Orleans during Hurricane Ida, but noted that other regions experienced devastation that is likely to worsen as climate change produces more intense and frequent storms. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers installed the Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System in response to […]
U.S. House plan for new mining royalties draws objections from Western senators
U.S. senators of both parties at a hearing Tuesday rejected House Democrats’ plans to impose billions of dollars in royalties and other fees on companies that mine for gold, copper, lithium and other minerals, largely in Southwestern states. Among the opponents was Nevada Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto, who said she objected to the House proposal […]
Why there’s such an impasse in Congress: Some questions and answers
WASHINGTON — Congress may have kept the federal government operating with an 11th-hour flurry of votes on Thursday, but several key pieces of the Democratic agenda remain in limbo. Here are some questions and answers on where negotiations stand with two massive Democratic-drafted bills — and the status of other looming challenges for federal lawmakers: President Joe […]
U.S. Senate confirms Stone-Manning as public lands chief, overcoming months of GOP attacks
The U.S. Senate voted along party lines Thursday night to make Tracy Stone-Manning the first confirmed director of the Bureau of Land Management since the Obama administration. The vote, 50-45, with 5 senators “not voting,” ended a contentious confirmation process for Stone-Manning, a senior adviser for conservation policy at the National Wildlife Federation who served […]