Author
Biden backs moving quickly on Ukraine relief without including U.S. COVID aid
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden signaled Monday he can accept Congress postponing action on billions in COVID-19 funding his administration says is desperately needed in the interests of swiftly moving ahead on a multibillion-dollar Ukraine aid package backed by both parties. “Previously, I had recommended that Congress take overdue action on much needed funding for […]
McConnell doesn’t rule out U.S. Senate vote outlawing abortion if GOP takes control
WASHINGTON — Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) isn’t ruling out bringing a nationwide abortion ban up for a vote, should the U.S. Supreme Court end the constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy and his party regains the chamber in the November elections. The Kentucky Republican was somewhat reserved last week when repeatedly asked by […]
Bernie Sanders at U.S. Senate hearing rips Amazon over union opposition
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) took Amazon to task Thursday at a congressional hearing, bashing the online giant’s leadership for fighting union drives and questioning whether the federal government should continue contracting with the multibillion-dollar company. Amazon executives didn’t attend the hearing but U.S. senators did hear from labor unions and the U.S. […]
U.S. Senate to try again on abortion rights after bombshell disclosure of draft opinion
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Democrats on Tuesday pledged a new vote codifying the right to an abortion after publication of a draft court ruling that showed the Supreme Court on track to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion decision. Democrats, who likely won’t have the votes to advance that bill, also predicted that abortion […]
Jan. 6 panel asks three GOP members of the U.S. House to cooperate in probe
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House committee looking into the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol sent letters Monday to Reps. Andy Biggs of Arizona, Mo Brooks of Alabama and Ronny Jackson of Texas, asking them to share information about meetings and conversations they had in the days and weeks leading up to the insurrection. “The […]
U.S. to lend and lease military supplies to Ukraine under bill cleared by Congress
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House voted overwhelmingly Thursday to use the framework of a World War II-era program to allow the federal government to lend and lease military equipment to Ukraine as it resists Russian troops. The legislation, called the Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act, would remove red tape and require the White House to […]
Biden asks Congress for $33 billion for Ukraine aid, pleads again for COVID funds
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Thursday asked Congress to approve $33 billion more in funding to help Ukraine fight off a Russian invasion that has lasted more than two months and claimed thousands of lives. Biden also asked U.S. lawmakers to make it easier for the federal government to sell off assets seized from […]
Nine rare cancers tied to burn pit exposure added to VA benefits list
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is adding nine rare respiratory cancers linked to burn pit exposure to the list of illnesses eligible for disability and health benefits. President Joe Biden, who has said his son Beau Biden’s exposure to toxic fumes from the pits could have led to his death, announced the policy change […]
States rush to revise their abortion laws as a major U.S. Supreme Court decision nears
WASHINGTON — Abortion access throughout the country could soon depend on a patchwork of state laws if a U.S. Supreme Court dominated by conservatives overturns the constitutional right it established nearly 50 years ago. The court’s decision on Mississippi’s 15-week abortion ban is expected sometime within the next two months. But state legislatures have been […]
Biden to ask Congress for more Ukraine aid after earlier U.S. funding runs dry
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is preparing to ask Congress for billions more in aid to Ukraine as the war shifts to the Eastern regions of the country, following Russia’s failure to take the capital city of Kyiv. “I’m asking the Defense Department to put together what they think we need,” Biden said this week. […]
U.S. lawmakers look for path ahead on billions in restaurant, small business aid
WASHINGTON — Restaurants and other businesses that have survived more than two years of COVID-19 restrictions could see an infusion of federal dollars in the coming months, as long as U.S. lawmakers reach final agreement on a multibillion-dollar package. The U.S. House has approved a bill with $42 billion for restaurants and $13 billion for a hard-hit […]
New federal COVID aid delayed after U.S. Senate Republicans insist on immigration debate
WASHINGTON — Members of Congress have departed their offices and hearing rooms on Capitol Hill for a two-week spring recess without passing additional funding to combat the coronavirus, amid a stalemate over immigration policy. Despite reaching a bipartisan agreement Monday for $10 billion for testing, treatments and vaccines, much of it needed in states, the U.S. Senate […]