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Effort to stop mine near Boundary Waters divides Democrats
WASHINGTON — As the President Trump administration pushes to allow mining near Minnesota’s iconic Boundary Waters, U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) is waging an attempt to thwart the plans. A bipartisan group of four Michigan lawmakers back her legislation, U.S. Reps. Dan Kildee (D-Flint), Fred Upton (R-St. Joseph) Andy Levin (D-Bloomfield Twp.) and Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly). Upton […]
State health experts ask Congress for help combating opioid crisis
WASHINGTON — States need sustained, flexible federal funding to support programs working to reduce deaths and addiction from opioids and other drugs, state health officials told Congress this week. Public health officials asked lawmakers for continued commitment to Medicaid and programs that help states address drug addiction problems. A panel of the U.S. House Energy […]
Congress reaches deal on paid family leave for federal employees
WASHINGTON — Lawmakers have reached a landmark agreement on paid parental leave for federal workers that could institute paid time off for civilian employees for the first time. The measure would give federal workers 12 weeks of paid leave to care for a newborn or adopted child — extending the same benefits currently given to […]
Most U.S. aircraft carriers sit idle in ports
WASHINGTON — More than half of the nation’s aircraft carriers are not currently ready for deployment, as the massive ships sit off the Virginia coastline in various states of repair or testing. The U.S. Navy has 11 aircraft carriers, more than any other nation. Six of them are currently docked off the Virginia coast and […]
Michigan Dems battle Education Secretary Betsy DeVos over student loan forgiveness
WASHINGTON — A long-simmering feud between U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and congressional Democrats over student loan forgiveness is heating up as hundreds of thousands of borrowers continue to wait for help on loans they claim were fraudulent. DeVos narrowly avoided a congressional subpoena earlier this month after a lengthy fight against the U.S. House […]
U.S. House votes to ban offshore drilling
WASHINGTON — U.S. House lawmakers approved bipartisan legislation Wednesday that would block new offshore drilling off the majority of the U.S. coast — despite pushback from many Republicans. The legislation would put in place far-reaching new protections, blocking drilling off most of the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. Lawmakers are scheduled to vote Thursday on a […]
Michigan Dems to White House contenders after debates: Don’t take state for granted
After watching this week’s Democratic debates in Detroit, Michigan’s Democratic members of Congress want their party’s presidential candidates to give more attention to the bread-and-butter issues that are key for Michigan voters — which they say will be central in the effort to seize the White House in 2020. Democratic lawmakers desperately want to push […]
Kildee warns climate change harms Great Lakes, experts urge ‘Apollo-type’ investment to stop climate disaster
WASHINGTON — Climate change could cost Americans billions of dollars, destroy coastal communities and put agriculture, health care and military facilities at risk unless the government acts swiftly, experts warned Congress Wednesday. U.S. Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Flint), whose district includes 119 miles of Lake Huron shoreline, told the U.S. House Budget Committee that rising temperatures […]
Dems hold Capitol Hill hearing on potentially ‘catastrophic’ ACA case
WASHINGTON — Democrats in Congress are warning that a looming court decision could upend the Affordable Care Act and leave millions of Americans without health insurance. The case — argued Tuesday before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in Louisiana — has put the fate of the Affordable Care Act on the […]