Poli Alert Political & Civics

House Democrats and a handful of Republicans on Thursday rejected former President Donald Trump’s plot to oust civil servants by passing the Preventing a Patronage System Act. “The civil servants who make up our federal workforce are the engine that keeps our federal government running,” said Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), …

Jennifer Shutt, Arizona Mirror The U.S. Senate won’t vote on legislation to secure marriage equality for millions of Americans until after the midterm elections, bipartisan negotiators announced Thursday. The move follows weeks of behind-the-scenes discussions among five U.S. senators from both political parties who have been drafting an amendment to …

Danielle J. Brown, Florida Phoenix Gov. Ron DeSantis took his bows Thursday for airlifting some 50 asylum seekers to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts the day before. The move triggered a furious response from Florida Democrats, immigrant advocacy groups, and members of Florida’s Hispanic community, some of whom saw the move …

Amanda Becker, The 19th This story was originally published by The 19th. There are 35 U.S. Senate races in November that will determine which party controls the 100-seat chamber, which is currently evenly divided. Republicans and Democrats are both trying to pick up seats to get closer to the 60-vote …

U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders on Wednesday afternoon stood up against Republicans’ attempt to force 115,000 railroad workers to accept a contract recommended by a presidential board last month, saying the GOP wants to hinder the workers’ fight “for sick leave and better working conditions.” Before taking to the Senate floor, …

Jennifer Shutt, Daily Montanan Congress held its first hearing on monkeypox Wednesday, with lawmakers rebuking federal public health officials for their slow response to the outbreak, even though the hearing came four months after the first U.S. case was diagnosed. “By any measure, in fact by every measure, the response …

A leading government ethics watchdog on Tuesday renewed calls to ban members of Congress from trading stocks during their terms in office after The New York Times published a major investigation revealing that nearly 100 U.S. lawmakers reported trades in companies influenced by their committees. “We need more action on …

  Matthew Choi, The Texas Tribune Sept. 13, 2022 Texas Gov. Greg Abbott joined 21 Republican governors Monday urging President Joe Biden to scrap his student loan relief plan, asserting that the thousands of dollars in individual debt relief would harm the working class. The governors wrote in a letter …

The Justice Department has issued roughly 40 subpoenas to associates of former President Donald Trump, relating to the agency’s criminal investigation into the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, and the 2020 Presidential election. The investigation is separate from the House Committee’s investigation and from the Justice Department’s other …

Jennifer Shutt, Arizona Mirror  U.S. Senate Republicans are skeptical about a 15-week nationwide abortion ban that GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham introduced Tuesday, with some saying they want to leave the issue to state lawmakers instead of taking it up in Congress. “I think most of the members of my conference …

Ian Karbal, Mountain State Spotlight The West Virginia Legislature has passed a near-total abortion ban, after negotiations among Republican lawmakers who seven weeks ago were unable to agree on how strict the ban should be. The state Senate passed the bill by a 22-7 vote. The House of Delegates approved it …

Graham Moomaw, Virginia Mercury Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares is creating a new unit dedicated to ensuring “legality and purity in elections,” his office announced Friday. The 20-person team, the attorney general’s office said, will investigate and prosecute potential violations of election law and be a legal resource for state …

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham is expected to introduce legislation Tuesday that would ban abortion nationwide after 15 weeks of pregnancy, a proposal that reproductive rights defenders warned is a signal of the draconian policy agenda the GOP intends to pursue if it retakes Congress in the upcoming November midterms. Graham …

Jennifer Shutt, Iowa Capital Dispatch Hoping to channel the momentum that led scientists to land Americans on the moon more than 50 years ago, President Joe Biden doubled down Monday on his quest to halve the number of cancer deaths as part of his revamped “cancer moonshot” initiative. Speaking from …

Jacob Fischler, Wisconsin Examiner The group of House Democrats asking the chamber’s leaders not to include environmental permitting changes in a stopgap spending deal this month comprises 72 members, including senior leaders of budget and spending committees and factions across the caucus’ ideological spectrum. The 72 signers on a letter …