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Congress is looking at expanding the child tax credit again. Who would benefit?
WASHINGTON — The bipartisan tax package passed by the U.S. House last month is not a done deal, but the proposal’s supporters say it could restore some poverty-reducing benefits that reached millions under the pandemic-era child tax credit expansion. A majority of low-income families who do not currently qualify for the full credit would see […]
Trump ‘did not engage in insurrection’ on Jan. 6, new U.S. House resolution claims
WASHINGTON — In a meandering press conference Tuesday that repeated false 2020 election fraud claims, downplayed well-documented violence and name-called journalists, far-right U.S. House members defended former President Donald Trump against any role he may have played in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida and several co-sponsors […]
Trump claim of presidential immunity turned down by federal appeals court in D.C
WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump can be prosecuted for charges he schemed to overturn the 2020 election, a three-judge panel of a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday, rejecting Trump’s argument he was immune from criminal prosecution for any alleged conduct during his presidential term. In a unanimous opinion, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals […]
U.S. Senate panel examines quality, costs of assisted living centers
WASHINGTON — Bipartisan U.S. senators are sounding the alarm on cost, workforce shortages and dangerous incidents at assisted living facilities across the country as the needs of aging Americans are forecast to sharply increase. Sen. Bob Casey, chair of the Senate Committee on Aging, led a hearing Thursday to highlight the panel’s fact finding mission. […]
UAW delivers rousing presidential endorsement for Biden over ‘scab’ Trump
WASHINGTON — The United Auto Workers of America endorsed the reelection of President Joe Biden Wednesday, just months after he became the first sitting U.S. president to walk a picket line with striking autoworkers in Michigan. Speaking at the UAW’s biannual political conference in Washington, D.C., Biden told the crowd “I was so damn proud […]
Bipartisan deal to expand child tax credit, revive business tax breaks advances in Congress
WASHINGTON — A plan to temporarily expand the child tax credit and revive tax breaks for businesses received overwhelming bipartisan support in a committee vote Friday, a rare moment of compromise in a divided Congress that’s headed into a heated election year. The tax policymakers of the GOP-led U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means […]
Hispanic and progressive Democrats protest proposals to limit asylum for immigrants
WASHINGTON — Lawmakers from the Congressional Hispanic and Progressive caucuses appealed to U.S. Senate negotiators Thursday to abandon a plan to curb U.S. asylum laws and diminish the president’s ability to grant special protections for immigrants escaping war and natural disasters. The Democratic U.S. House members stood against a backdrop of immigrants and asylum seekers […]
No deal on Ukraine, Israel aid after White House meeting with top congressional leaders
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden’s White House gathering with lawmakers to find a compromise on foreign aid and immigration was “productive,” U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson said Wednesday, but a deal has still not been reached. Biden hosted congressional leaders and other lawmakers to discuss the administration’s stalled $106 billion national security supplemental request, which […]
Child tax credit expansion, business incentives combined in new congressional tax plan
WASHINGTON — Leading members of Congress released a bipartisan, bicameral tax proposal Tuesday, promising a middle-path deal to help low-income families and provide incentives for businesses as Trump-era tax breaks expire. The framework led by top tax policy leaders U.S. Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon and Republican Rep. Jason Smith of Missouri would raise […]
Trump projected winner of Iowa Caucuses, DeSantis edges past Haley
Former President Donald Trump is projected to win the Iowa Caucuses Monday night, according to The Associated Press, which calls unofficial results for American elections. AP called the caucuses for Trump just after 7:30 p.m. Central, just 30 minutes into the Iowa precinct meetings. With more than 95% of the vote reported, Trump was leading […]
U.S. House Republicans probe DEI policies in the military
WASHINGTON — Republican U.S. House lawmakers, led by Rep. Glenn Grothman of Wisconsin, conducted a hearing Thursday to examine the possibility that “wokeness” hurts U.S. military readiness and effectiveness. The winding, over two-hour hearing by a subpanel of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability broached topics including, but not limited to, recruitment, benefits for […]
Which states will join the new summer meal program for low-income kids? Here’s the list.
WASHINGTON — Children from low-income families in Kentucky, 34 other states, four tribes and all U.S. territories will now receive permanent food assistance during the summer months when schools are closed, leaving children in 15 states excluded from the benefits. Low-income families will now receive $40 each month for each eligible school-aged child, up to […]