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At least 2 members of Congress have coronavirus
WASHINGTON — Two members of the U.S. House announced Wednesday that they had tested positive for COVID-19, leading other lawmakers to announce their own self-quarantine plans and increasing uncertainty about how far the illness has already spread on Capitol Hill. Florida Republican U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart issued a statement Wednesday that he had tested positive for […]
Upton may face toughest race in decades, hasn’t ‘thought about’ endorsing Trump
WASHINGTON — Democrats have their sights on the seat of longtime U.S. Republican Rep. Fred Upton as a prime pickup opportunity this fall. The 66-year-old St. Joseph lawmaker is the longest-serving member of the Michigan congressional delegation by a long shot. He’s also one of the most senior members of the U.S. House; he was […]
Peters ‘proud’ of Senate vote axing DeVos student loan policy
WASHINGTON — The GOP-controlled U.S. Senate voted on Wednesday to overturn a controversial regulation from Education Secretary Betsy DeVos that her critics say hurts defrauded student loan borrowers. Senate Democrats forced the vote under the Congressional Review Act, a law that allows Congress to overturn federal rules within 60 days after they’re finalized. The U.S. […]
Top D.C. health officials warn of coronavirus: ‘It’s going to get worse’
WASHINGTON — President Trump administration officials painted a dire picture of the novel coronavirus outbreak on Wednesday, warning members of Congress that the public health crisis is far from over. “Is the worst yet to come?” U.S. House Oversight Committee Chair Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) asked Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy […]
Congress rebukes Trump’s bid to slash CDC funding amid coronavirus outbreak
WASHINGTON — U.S. House lawmakers resoundingly rebuffed a President Trump administration request to cut funding for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention amid the coronavirus crisis. The CDC director testified Tuesday before the House Appropriations Committee, where Republicans and Democrats alike said Congress won’t comply with the budget cuts requested in Trump’s […]
Liberal Supreme Court justices challenge abortion restrictions in high-stakes case
WASHINGTON — The liberal wing of the U.S. Supreme Court appeared highly skeptical of a Louisiana law that restricts abortion access as the justices heard oral arguments Wednesday in a high-stakes case that could open the door for additional abortion limitations around the country. But the court’s conservative majority — which is likely to determine […]
Cummings honored with 1st U.S. Capitol room named for Black lawmaker
WASHINGTON — The House Committee on Oversight and Reform’s hearing room in the Rayburn Office Building has been renamed the Elijah E. Cummings Room in honor of the late Baltimore congressman. Cummings’ family, friends, former colleagues and staff packed the hearing room Thursday for a dedication ceremony. It is the first time that a room […]
Major abortion case heads to U.S. Supreme Court this week
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Wednesday in a high-profile abortion case that’s rooted in Louisiana but could have major implications in states around the country. The case, June Medical Services LLC v. Russo, centers on a Louisiana law that requires any physicians who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a […]
Would Sanders hurt Dems’ bid to claim Senate majority?
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) could spell trouble for Democratic Senate candidates down the ticket, like U.S. Sen. Gary Peters (D-Bloomfield Twp.). Democrats are hoping this fall to wrest control of the U.S. Senate from Mitch McConnell by reclaiming the chamber’s majority. It’s a tough job: Democrats need to net either three or […]
Trump EPA chief to Congress: Cut my funding
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler wants Congress to deeply cut funding for his own agency in the next fiscal year. The Trump administration this month asked Congress to slash the EPA’s annual budget by about $2.4 billion for Fiscal Year 2021— that’s a 26% cut from the […]
Dingell slams Trump EPA chief for PFAS standard inaction
WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Dearborn) assailed President Donald Trump’s U.S. EPA chief on Thursday over the agency’s failure to set a national drinking water standard for harmful contaminants known as PFAS. The Michigan lawmaker, who took office in 2015, said she’s been promised since she arrived in Congress that a national standard for […]
Amash only Michigan rep. to vote no on landmark bill making lynching a federal hate crime
Updated, 4:25 a.m. 2/27/20 with comments from Rep. Amash WASHINGTON — Lynching is not considered a hate crime under federal law, but that’s expected to change soon. The U.S. House voted 410-4 on Wednesday to approve a bill called the Emmett Till Antilynching Act. The bill would specifically list lynching as a hate crime, which is identified as […]