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Column: Voters may have elected Biden to be ‘normal’, but they also need action
In the fallout over this month’s crushing elections, U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) took President Joe Biden to task: “Nobody elected him to be F.D.R.,” she snipped to The New York Times. “They elected him to be normal and stop the chaos.” Biden, of course, won a solid victory over Donald Trump, but nothing close […]
Lawmakers want more federal help for Great Lakes erosion problems
WASHINGTON — Bipartisan members of Congress from the Midwest are leading a regional push to shore up the Great Lakes, which have been battered by coastal erosion in recent years. U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur, the dean of Ohio’s congressional delegation and co-chair of the Great Lakes Task Force, points to an Ohio-led effort to strengthen the […]
‘I just don’t trust the system any more’: Voters on edge as election nears.
WASHINGTON — Widespread anxiety and confusion around voting, compounded by the pandemic that has spread to millions of Americans, including President Donald Trump. A vastly underfunded and decentralized electoral system that could take days and possibly weeks to certify results. Attempts to suppress voting, interfere with elections and cast doubt on the integrity of mail-in […]
2 more senators side with GOP leaders’ push for Supreme Court vote
WASHINGTON — Two key Republican U.S. senators indicated Monday they won’t stand in the way of a furious effort by the Senate GOP to confirm a nominee to fill a Supreme Court vacancy before Inauguration Day. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died Friday and said that her last wish was not to be replaced until a […]
Bush administration ethics lawyer slams hiring of DeJoy as postmaster
WASHINGTON — A top ethics lawyer to President George W. Bush on Monday decried Louis DeJoy’s appointment to postmaster general and called for a congressional investigation into allegations of criminal activity. Richard Painter, who served as chief White House ethics lawyer and associate counsel to Bush, said DeJoy should not have been allowed to take […]
‘We’re not through this’: Governors plead with Congress for emergency assistance
WASHINGTON — Democratic governors on Thursday begged Congress to come to the aid of ailing states, which face unexpected expenses as they attempt to curb the spread of COVID-19, as well as massive revenue shortfalls due to the pandemic. But Republicans at a U.S. House hearing rejected their pleas, arguing that states have yet to […]
Senate GOP emergency relief plan leaves out direct aid to states
WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans unveiled their latest coronavirus relief proposal Tuesday but were met with swift objections from Democrats. The GOP plan failed to include direct aid to cities and states, a priority for Democrats, or rental relief or nutrition assistance, and it appeared it wouldn’t go far enough to resolve a months-long stalemate over […]
Mnuchin: White House would back additional cash to states in relief deal
WASHINGTON — Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Tuesday said the President Trump administration would be open to providing additional aid to state and local governments — a key sticking point in stalled negotiations over another round of federal coronavirus relief. Mnuchin also urged lawmakers to move forward with a package that would address specific areas […]
White House orders suspension of residential evictions
WASHINGTON — The President Trump administration announced on Tuesday it would temporarily halt residential evictions to curb the spread of COVID-19 infections. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin disclosed during a congressional hearing that the executive order would be issued. It runs through Dec. 31. “I think you’ll be quite pleased with the impact that it will have,” Mnuchin […]
‘You just have to act’: 1000s outraged by police brutality rally at March on Washington
WASHINGTON – On the 57th anniversary of the original March on Washington and in the throes of a pandemic, thousands of demonstrators on Friday joined Democratic lawmakers on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to demand Congress act on police brutality and voter suppression. The event, organized by the Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network, […]
Lawrence pummels postmaster over sharp declines in on-time mail delivery
WASHINGTON — Postmaster General Louis DeJoy came under heavy fire Monday for withholding key information about delays in the delivery of mail since he took over the Postal Service just two months ago. In a hearing before the House Oversight and Reform Committee, Democrats, including U.S. Rep. Brenda Lawrence (D-Southfield), pressed DeJoy over an internal […]
House passes bill upping post office funding by $25B, blocking service changes
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House convened a rare weekend session Saturday in an attempt to stop the U.S. Postal Service from allegedly disrupting mail service to sabotage the November elections. The Democratic-led chamber passed a bill 257-150 that would infuse $25 billion into the agency as it prepares for a surge in mail-in ballots and bar it from […]