Ariana Figueroa, Pennsylvania Capital-Star More than 100 congressional Democrats are urging the White House to extend the pause on student loan repayment beyond the Aug. 31 deadline. In a Thursday letter to President Joe Biden and Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, U.S. Senate and House Democrats argue that due to inflation and …

The House of Representatives passed the Assault Weapons Ban of 2022 by a vote of 217-213 on Friday, two decades after Congress allowed such restrictions to lapse. Two Republican lawmakers — Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Chris Jacobs of New York — voted in support of the bill, while 5 …

Jennifer Shutt, Virginia Mercury Two months after doctors diagnosed the first case of monkeypox in the United States, Congress has yet to hold a hearing or give any significant attention to the painful and debilitating virus that’s spread to more than 4,600 people. Public health officials in the Biden administration …

Jacob Fischler, Georgia Recorder Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin III and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer struck an agreement Wednesday for a Democrats-only reconciliation package that would allow negotiations on some Medicare prescription drugs, end corporate tax loopholes and address climate change as well as invest in energy projects. President …

Jennifer Shutt, Missouri Independent Veterans and their advocates gathered outside the U.S. Capitol on Thursday for what was supposed to be a celebration, one day after a crucial Senate vote on bipartisan legislation that would expand health care and benefits to 3.5 million veterans exposed to burn pits during their …

Sophie Nieto-Munoz, New Jersey Monitor A Pennsylvania mortgage company owned by billionaire Warren Buffett deliberately discriminated against Black and Latino homebuyers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware, federal officials said Wednesday while announcing a $20 million settlement with the firm. A U.S. Department of Justice investigation found Trident Mortgage Company, one of …

Progressive leaders in Congress and activists on Wednesday came together to call on U.S. President Joe Biden to declare a climate emergency, which would give his administration more resources to take on the global crisis. “It couldn’t be clearer that the climate crisis is here and needs to be addressed …

Jennifer Shutt, Missouri Independent U.S. Senate Democrats tried to pass legislation Wednesday that would guarantee women can continue using contraception if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns the long-standing precedent, the way it did with abortion. But Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst blocked their efforts by objecting to Massachusetts Democratic Sen. …

Jennifer Shutt, Georgia Recorder President Joe Biden held a celebratory speech in the Rose Garden on Wednesday, marking his return to the Oval Office less than a week after testing positive for COVID-19. Biden used the event to encourage Americans to keep updated on their COVID-19 boosters, to test for …

Jacob Fischler, Iowa Capital Dispatch Republicans on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee and law enforcement witnesses at a Tuesday hearing blamed recent violence against officers on anti-police rhetoric, while Democrats distanced themselves from the “defund the police” slogan and said an oversupply of guns made law enforcement jobs more dangerous. …

Peter Hall, Pennsylvania Capital-Star The Republican congressman from Pennsylvania’s sprawling and conservative 15th U.S. House District has drawn national attention for voting against a bill that would protect same-sex marriage rights days before attending his gay son’s wedding last weekend. U.S. Rep. Glenn ‘GT’ Thompson was one of 157 Republicans …

Jennifer Shutt, Pennsylvania Capital-Star The U.S. Senate appears on track to send President Joe Biden a bill in the coming weeks that would guarantee same-sex and interracial couples can marry, even if the Supreme Court overturns the landmark cases that enshrined those rights. “I think we’re very close,”  U.S. Sen. …

Riley Bunch, GPB News Abortion rights advocates and providers are moving against Georgia’s abortion ban, this time in a new case filed in state court. The most recent challenge comes less than a week after a federal court of appeals decided Georgia’s strict abortion ban would immediately take effect. The …

Julia Conley, Common Dreams Government watchdogs on Friday warned that a plan by former President Donald Trump to drastically remake the federal workforce should he win the presidency in 2024 would “utterly destroy” public service in the United States. As Axios reported Friday, central to Trump’s plans for a second …

Leslie Bonilla Muñiz, Indiana Capital Chronicle Vice President Kamala Harris condemned Indiana Republicans’ near-total abortion ban proposal in her high-profile visit to Indianapolis Monday — the first real day of a special legislative session aimed partially at further restricting abortion. “The government should not be telling an individual what to …