Author
Oklahoma senator challenges Teamsters president to fight at U.S. Senate hearing
WASHINGTON — Sen. Markwayne Mullin, an Oklahoma Republican, challenged the head of the Teamsters union to a physical fight at a U.S. Senate hearing Tuesday intended to showcase how labor unions are making families’ lives better. The tense confrontation at the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing stemmed from acrimonious posts on social […]
National museum of LGBTQI+ history and culture proposed by Wisconsin congressman
WASHINGTON — Proposed federal legislation could add LGBTQI+ history and culture to the Smithsonian Institution’s museum tapestry. U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, a Wisconsin Democrat, introduced two bills in late October that would begin the process of creating a National Museum of American LGBTQI+ History and Culture. Both bills would need to be signed into law […]
Eight Republicans are running for U.S. House speaker. Here’s your guide to the field.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to reflect that Dan Meuser of Pennsylvania has dropped out of the race. WASHINGTON — The nine Republican candidates to be speaker of the U.S. House were set to make their cases to their colleagues Monday evening, as the House Republican Conference restarted its process to choose a […]
College athletes’ name, image and likeness rights debated by U.S. Senate committee
WASHINGTON — College athletic officials testified Tuesday in support of nationally standardized name, image and likeness regulations at a U.S. Senate hearing. The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing to discuss policies governing name, image and likeness, known as NIL, in college sports. The witnesses in attendance — such as National Collegiate Athletic Association […]
Louisiana’s Steve Scalise and Ohio’s Jim Jordan jump into race for U.S. House speaker
WASHINGTON — Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana and Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio announced Wednesday they will seek the U.S. House speaker’s gavel after Kevin McCarthy’s unprecedented ouster brought the lower chamber into uncharted territory. Eight dissident Republicans joined Democrats to unseat McCarthy Tuesday, leaving a vacuum of GOP leadership and bringing an abrupt […]
Foreign ownership of U.S. farmland probed at U.S. Senate hearing
WASHINGTON — U.S. senators said during a Wednesday hearing that foreign ownership of U.S. farmland is a national security threat that should be further examined. The U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry discussed foreign ownership of the nation’s agricultural lands, with testimony from experts and Senate colleagues who have been taking the lead […]
‘If we don’t get the aid, we will lose the war’: Zelenskyy asks Congress to help Ukraine
WASHINGTON — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday traveled to Capitol Hill to meet with lawmakers to reiterate the need for continued aid to support his country’s fight against the Russian invasion, even as the U.S. faces a partial government shutdown as soon as the end of the month. “If we don’t get the aid, […]
Democrats push to extend child care grant program
WASHINGTON — Congressional Democrats introduced a bill Wednesday to extend funding for five years for a pandemic-era child care subsidy program set to expire at the end of the month. The legislation would extend the child care stabilization grant program, which Congress established in 2021 to help child care providers meet additional costs during the […]
Jill Biden tests positive for COVID-19; President, testing negative, maintains schedule
WASHINGTON — First Lady Jill Biden tested positive for COVID-19 Monday night, the White House said in a statement. Biden has mild symptoms and will spend the week at home in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, the White House said. President Joe Biden tested negative Monday night and Tuesday. He will continue to be tested “at a […]
Gun law raises funding concerns for school hunting programs
WASHINGTON — Republican lawmakers are concerned that the Biden administration is interpreting last year’s bipartisan gun safety law to cut funding for school archery and hunting programs, though programs themselves say they haven’t been affected. A provision in the law – a bipartisan effort to curb gun violence that established new criminal offenses, and expanded background […]