by Jacob Fischler, Iowa Capital Dispatch U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer will force a vote next week on a bill to codify abortion protections, following the disclosure that the Supreme Court could be ready to overturn a landmark abortion rights ruling, he and other Senate Democrats announced Thursday. The …
Read More »White House To Extend Student Loan Pause Through August
The White House is expected to announce on Wednesday that they will extend the pause on federal student loan payments through August 31, 2022, according to reporting from the Associated Press. The repayment moratorium has been extended multiple times since it was first put in place in March 2020 due …
Read More »Voting Rights Bills Once Again Blocked By Republicans
Senate Republicans once again blocked a pair of voting rights bills in a Wednesday evening procedural vote, holding firm in their opposition to a top priority of President Joe Biden and prompting Democrats to take up filibuster reform – even without full party support. In an expected loss, Democrats failed to …
Read More »Schumer: Senate To Vote On Filibuster Change For Voting Rights Bill
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced on Monday that the Senate is prepared to debate changes on the filibuster rule if Republicans continue to block the advancement of voting rights legislation. In a letter to other senators, the New York Democrat set a deadline of Jan. 17, Martin Luther King …
Read More »Late Sen. Harry Reid to Lie in State in US Capitol Rotunda
Former Democratic Nevada Sen. Harry Reid will lie in state in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on Wednesday, Jan. 12, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced Sunday. On January 12th, Senator Harry Reid will lie in state in the United States Capitol Rotunda. It will be …
Read More »House Passes Legislation To Protect Abortion Rights
The House passed the Women’s Health Protection Act on Friday as part of the Democrats’ efforts to protect abortion rights established under the 1973 Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade. As a federal law, the bill would overrule and pre-empt restrictive abortion-related laws at the state level, such as Texas’ …
Read More »Democrats Unveil Plans To Tie Debt Limit Suspension To Spending Bill
Democratic congressional leaders on Monday unveiled plans to tie the suspension of the nation’s debt limit to a spending bill that would also fund the government through the end of the year after the current budget lapses on September 30. The fate of the plan is unclear since Republicans have vowed …
Read More »House Passes John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act
The House of Representatives voted Tuesday to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which supporters say would reestablish critical sections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that recent Supreme Court decisions have overturned. The vote was 219-212 among party lines, with not a single Republican voting for …
Read More »Senate Democrats Reveal $3.5 Trillion Budget Resolution
Senate Democrats unveiled their $3.5 trillion budget resolution for social and environmental programs. The measure will fund health care, education, environmental programs, and family services. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says the budget resolution “will be the most significant legislation for American families since the era of the New Deal …
Read More »Schumer Urged To Fund Domestic Violence Programs In Spending Bill
Democratic Senators have written a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer urging him to include funding for domestic violence and sexual assault programs in the upcoming reconciliation package bill. “At a time when incidents of domestic violence and sexual assault have sharply increased, additional funding for these programs is critical,” …
Read More »Student Loan Payments Suspended Until January 31, 2022
The White House announced on Friday that the moratorium for federal student loan payments is being extended until January 31, 2022. The Department of Education says that this will be the final extension. “The payment pause has been a lifeline that allowed millions of Americans to focus on their families, …
Read More »Senate Unveils Text Of $1 Trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Proposal
A group of bipartisan senators unveiled the text of a bipartisan infrastructure proposal on Sunday night that aims over the next eight years to revitalize U.S. roads, public transit, ports, the electric grid and clean drinking water and wastewater systems, as well as Internet access. The 2,702-page bill, the Infrastructure …
Read More »Senate Advances $1 Trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Package
The Senate advanced a nearly $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package in a Wednesday evening procedural vote, a significant development for legislation brokered by both parties and the White House as they seek to clinch a rare bipartisan victory on Capitol Hill. In a 67-32 vote on the motion to proceed, …
Read More »Senate Democrats Introduce Plan to Decriminalize Marijuana Federally
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senator Cory Booker, and Senator Ron Wyden introduced legislation on Wednesday to remove marijuana from the list of federally controlled substances and decriminalize marijuana in the United States. “It’s our legislative proposal to end the federal prohibition on marijuana and repair damage done by the War on …
Read More »Senate Democrats Reach $3.5 Trillion Budget Deal
Senate Democrats announced Tuesday night that they have reached an agreement on a $3.5 trillion budget plan, including plans to address climate change and the expansion of Medicare, that they plan to push alongside a bipartisan infrastructure deal. Here is @SenSchumer making the announcement. He points out that with this …
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