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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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Georgia voting law pummeled at U.S. Senate hearing on ‘Jim Crow 2021’
WASHINGTON — Georgia’s new voting law was at the center of Tuesday’s U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, where senators discussed restoration of a key section in the Voting Rights Act that would prevent states, mostly in the South, from changing their election laws without federal approval. During the more than four-hour hearing, witnesses opposed to […]
Louisiana’s Julia Letlow sworn in as a member of the U.S. House
WASHINGTON — U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi swore in Rep. Julia Letlow on Wednesday afternoon — the first Republican woman to represent Louisiana in Congress. Letlow, 40, takes the place of her husband, Luke, to represent the 5th Congressional District of Louisiana after he died of COVID-19 last year days after he won a special […]
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 […]
Biden administration to suggest model ‘red flag’ gun laws for states
WASHINGTON — The Department of Justice will distribute model “red flag” legislation to states so they can enact laws that would allow courts to temporarily remove a firearm from an individual who is distressed, according to senior Biden administration officials. “The president will not wait for Congress to act before the administration takes our own […]
Missouri’s Robin Carnahan tapped to lead General Services Administration
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden Tuesday nominated former Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan to lead the General Services Administration. GSA is a $20 billion independent agency that provides basic support and supplies communications for federal agencies. The post is subject to U.S. Senate confirmation. Carnahan ran for Missouri’s Senate seat in 2010, but lost […]
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% of the vote in Florida’s […]
New unit launched at Interior to investigate cases of missing and murdered Indigenous people
The U.S. Department of the Interior is creating a new unit to lead and help coordinate investigations into the ongoing crisis of murdered and missing American Indian and Alaska Native people. Interior Secretary Debra Haaland, the first Indigenous person to lead the agency, announced Thursday the formation of the Missing & Murdered Unit within the […]