On Monday, President Joe Biden released his 2020 federal income tax return, continuing an almost uninterrupted tradition. With this release, the President has shared a total of 23 years of tax returns with the American public. The President and the First Lady Jill Biden filed their income tax return jointly …
Read More »One Million Americans Have Enrolled In The Affordable Care Act Since February
President Biden announced on Tuesday that one million people had enrolled so far in Affordable Care Act coverage during a special sign-up period his administration created. The president opened a special enrollment period in February, shortly after taking office. Former President Trump had declined to open enrollments back up, even as …
Read More »Reversing Trump, US Restores Transgender Health Protections
The Biden administration says the government will protect gay and transgender people against sex discrimination in health care. This is a reversal of a Trump-era policy that sought to narrow the scope of legal rights in sensitive situations involving medical care. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said Monday …
Read More »Maryland Governor Posthumously Pardons 34 Lynching Victims
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan today issued a full posthumous pardon for 34 victims of racial lynching. The lynchings occurred in Maryland between 1854 and 1933. Hogan issued the pardons on the basis that the extrajudicial killings “violated fundamental rights to due process and equal protection of the law.” It is …
Read More »Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms Will Not Seek Re-Election
On Thursday night, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced she would not seek a second term as Atlanta’s mayor during a private call with staffers and friends. Bottoms, the second Black woman to lead Atlanta, was first elected in 2017, beating then-Atlanta City Councilwoman Mary Norwood after the election went …
Read More »Biden Administration Supports Waiving Vaccine Intellectual Property Rules
The Biden administration on Wednesday announced its support for waiving intellectual property protections for coronavirus vaccines with the aim of getting “as many safe and effective vaccines to as many people as fast as possible.” U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai wrote in a statement that the coronavirus pandemic calls for …
Read More »Cheney Doubles Down As House GOP Seeks To Remove Her From Leadership
Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney, whose leadership role is under threat from her fellow Republicans, laid out a grim assessment for her party: The GOP has reached “a turning point,” and if it doesn’t break from former President Donald Trump‘s claims about the 2020 election, there will be long-lasting harm. In …
Read More »IRS To Start Sending Unemployment Benefit Tax Refunds This Month
The IRS will start issuing extra refund checks on 2020 unemployment benefits later this month. The American Rescue Plan, which President Joe Biden signed into law on March 11, retroactively waived federal taxes on the first $10,200 worth of unemployment aid received per person in 2020. Married taxpayers filing jointly …
Read More »President Biden Raises U.S. Refugee Cap to 62.5K for 2021
In a policy reversal Monday, President Joe Biden announced his administration will raise the refugee admissions cap to its previously announced goals of 62,500 for the fiscal year 2021 and 125,000 in 2022. Biden announced the decision after receiving widespread criticism over a move last month to leave the 2021 refugee …
Read More »South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem Sues Biden Administration Over Mount Rushmore Fireworks Ban
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has filed a lawsuit against the Biden Administration over National Park Service officials’ decision to cancel a fireworks display at Mount Rushmore this coming Independence Day. The lawsuit, which was filed on Friday, April 30, in U.S. District Court, invokes past fireworks celebrations and words …
Read More »Senate Passes $35 Billion Water Infrastructure Bill
The Senate passed the Drinking Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Act of 2021 on Thursday. The bipartisan passed Senate 89-2. The two “no” votes were Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Mike Lee(R-Utah). “Access to clean water is a human right and every American deserves access to clean water no matter the color …
Read More »Biden To Launch Biggest Summer Food Program In U.S. History
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a new effort on Monday that will feed more than 30 million children over the summer by expanding the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) benefits funded by President Joe Biden‘s American Rescue Plan. P-EBT was established in March 2020 to provide food dollars …
Read More »Republicans Unveil $568 Billion Infrastructure Package
Senate Republicans on Thursday unveiled a $568 billion infrastructure package that, at about a quarter of the price of President Joe Biden‘s proposal, seeks to narrow what is defined as infrastructure. The proposal focuses on roads and bridges, public transportation, railways, drinking water, wastewater, safety, waterways, airports, water storage, and …
Read More »Speaker Pelosi Formally Invites Biden To Address Joint Session of Congress
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday invited President Joe Biden to attend a joint session of Congress later this month. The address is not an official State of the Union because a president’s first speech before Congress is not considered a State of the Union. In a letter to Biden, Pelosi …
Read More »Biden Promises Help To Tackle Drug Addiction Crisis
The Biden Administration revealed its first-year plan to address the nation’s addiction crisis, with 7 priorities highlighted and a focus on the inequality of treatment access. In a video message delivered during the 10th annual Drug and Heroin Summit, President Biden noted that fatal opioid overdoses surged last year as …
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