Category: Joe Biden

Senate Republicans take step to revive debt ceiling brawls with White House

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The non-binding vote is a sharp pivot from their hands-off approach during the Trump administration

Senate Republicans on Wednesday signaled they might oppose any future increase to the debt ceiling unless Congress also couples it with comparable federal spending cuts, raising the specter of a political showdown between GOP leaders and the White House this summer.

Republican lawmakers staked their position after a private gathering to consider the conference’s operating rules this session, issuing what GOP leaders described later as an important yet symbolic statement in response to the large-scale spending increases proposed by President Biden in recent months.

“I think that is a step in the right direction in terms of reining in out-of-control spending,” Sen. Ted Cruz (Tex.) told reporters after the meeting. Continue reading.

Biden aims for 50 to 52 percent emissions reduction by 2030

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President Biden is aiming to reduce the U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 50 to 52 percent when compared to 2005 levels by the year 2030, an interim goal in his quest to reach net-zero emissions economy-wide by 2050. 

A White House fact sheet announced the much-anticipated goal, which will both guide the next several years of domestic climate policy and send a signal to the rest of the world on how aggressively the U.S. plans to combat climate change. 

The target, called a nationally determined contribution, is being made as part of the Paris Agreement and will be formally submitted to the United Nations.  Continue reading.

Putin Warns of a Russian ‘Red Line’ the West Will Regret Crossing

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In a state-of-the nation speech, President Vladimir Putin warned of a “fast and tough” response to security threats, in a message seemingly aimed at President Biden and delivered amid large protests.

MOSCOW — He warned ominously of “red lines” in Russia’s security that, if crossed, would bring a powerful “asymmetric” response. He reminded Western leaders once again of the fearsomeness of his country’s modernized nuclear arsenal. And he boasted of Russia’s moral superiority over the West.

Yet even as President Vladimir V. Putin lashed out at foreign enemies real or perceived in a state-of-the-nation speech on Wednesday, tens of thousands of Russians defied a heavy police presence to pour into the streets to challenge his rule. In Moscow, some gathered across the street from the Kremlin to chant, “Go Away!”

It was a snapshot of Russia in the third decade of Mr. Putin’s rule: a leader facing an increasingly angry and desperate opposition but firmly in power with his country’s vast resources and huge security apparatus at his disposal. Continue reading.

Senate confirms Gupta nomination in tight vote

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The Senate on Wednesday narrowly voted 51-49 to confirm Vanita Gupta, President Biden‘s nominee for the No. 3 position at the Department of Justice (DOJ), despite stiff opposition from Republicans who had criticized her civil rights advocacy during the Trump administration. 

Just one Republican, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), voted in favor of Gupta. Vice President Kamala Harris would have cast the deciding vote if it had been a 50-50 roll call.  

As associate attorney general, Gupta will oversee the DOJ’s efforts on civil litigation and law enforcement issues. Continue reading.

Meet Biden’s Postal Service nominees, who could add pressure on Louis DeJoy

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Skepticism of the postmaster general looms large in the confirmation hearings for Democrats Ron Stroman and Anton Hajjar and independent Amber McReynolds

President Biden’s three nominees to the U.S. Postal Service’s governing board could fundamentally tilt the balance of power at the beleaguered mail agency and add pressure on Postmaster General Louis DeJoy.

If they win Senate confirmation, the nominees — Democrats Ron Stroman and Anton Hajjar, and independent Amber McReynolds — would serve on a board that historically operates by consensus, delivering decisions with unanimity and through scripted public meetings. They also would give Democrats and Biden appointees a one-seat majority and potentially the votes to remove DeJoy, under whose oversight the mail service has recorded sharp declines in mail delivery standards. But the board’s two sitting Democrats, Chairman Ron Bloom and Donald Lee Moak, have publicly supported the postmaster general.

Political divisions among board members — and between the board and Democrats in Congress — have quietly percolated since former president Donald Trump tried to meddle in mail operations by leveraging the Postal Service’s finances, then hamper the agency’s ability to send and collect mail ballots. Continue reading.

Biden announces small business tax credits for vaccine PTO

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President Biden on Wednesday called on all employers to provide workers paid time off to get vaccinated or recover from COVID side effects, and said he’ll include a paid tax credit for small businesses that do so.

Why it matters: The Biden administration sees workplaces as highly influential in making shots more convenient for working adults who are in high-risk industries.

  • 43% of working adults are currently vaccinated, compared to more than 80% of seniors, per federal data. Continue reading.

Rep. Dean Phillips (CD3): Small Business Relief Information for You

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Hi Neighbors,

As a small business owner, I know that the challenges facing our nation’s job-creators have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. If you’re an entrepreneur or small business owner (or know one!), new relief options may be available to help you weather this storm. Read on to learn more, and please don’t hesitate to reach out to my office if we can be of assistance during this extraordinarily difficult time:  

ECONOMIC INJURY DISASTOR LOAN (EIDL) UPDATE

The Small Business Administration (SBA) began the COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program at the start of the pandemic. The SBA announced they have increased the maximum amount small businesses and non-profit organizations can borrow through the program. The SBA has raised the loan limit from 6-months of economic injury with a maximum loan amount of $150,000 to up to 24-months of economic injury with a maximum loan amount of $500,000. 

Continue reading “Rep. Dean Phillips (CD3): Small Business Relief Information for You”

DOJ announces sweeping probe into Minneapolis policing practices

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Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday announced that the Justice Department will open a sweeping investigation into whether the Minneapolis Police Department has a “pattern or practice” of discriminatory policing practices.

Why it matters: The federal probe, which will also examine MPD’s handling of misconduct allegations against officers, could result in significant changes to policing in Minneapolis in the wake of George Floyd’s murder.

  • The announcement comes a day after a jury convicted former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin on second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in Floyd’s killing, setting off celebrations across the country. Continue reading.

Senate GOP crafts outlines for infrastructure counter proposal

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Senate Republicans on Tuesday discussed the outlines of a scaled-down infrastructure bill they say could pass the Democratic-led Congress with strong bipartisan support. 

The entire Senate GOP conference during its weekly lunch meeting discussed the emerging proposal after getting a briefing from Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (W.Va.), the ranking Republican on the Environment and Public Works Committee. 

Capito is leading negotiations among a smaller group of GOP moderates who met with President Biden earlier this year. The group held a meeting late afternoon Monday to narrow Biden’s proposed $2.25 trillion infrastructure plan into something in the range of $600 billion to $800 billion. Continue reading.

White House formally backs bill to grant DC statehood

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The White House on Tuesday formally declared its support for a House bill that would grant statehood to Washington, D.C., saying it would provide the residents of the District with “long overdue full representation in Congress.”

“Establishing the State of Washington, Douglass Commonwealth as the 51st state will make our Union stronger and more just,” the Office of Management and Budget said in a statement of administration policy. “Washington, D.C. has a robust economy, a rich culture, and a diverse population of Americans from all walks of life who are entitled to full and equal participation in our democracy.”

The statement further called for Congress “to provide for a swift and orderly transition to statehood for the people of Washington, D.C.” Continue reading.